OVERVIEW
THINK about leadership versus true leadership. Is leadership something that you want and when? Now? Tomorrow? 30 years from now?
Ask yourself…
Who are you?
Get to know what your instinctive personality traits are without judgment. Are you outgoing, shy, do you like books or are you more visual? What about color? How does that affect you? The more we know ourselves the less likely we are to get in our own way. It’s simply about playing to our strengths versus our weaknesses.
Why are you…you?
If you are outgoing how do you use this skill? Does it lead you to include anybody and everybody regardless of how that person looks, smells acts OR are you outgoing only to be liked? Whatever your reason ask yourself does this work for me? Does this fit into my personal and professional goals?
Self Management Strategies: Managing Me
Now that we know who and why we are; we now have to figure out how to “manage me” because all of us adults that wake up, go to work and have responsibilities have to first and foremost know how to work with ourselves before we can be effective leaders, followers and team members.
What is Leadership?
Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. – Forbes
What can I do today to be a great leader?
Good leaders have good attitudes!
“A good leader can hold his or her emotions in check, especially in tough situations. For example, maybe you lost your best client, or a deal you’ve been working on falls through. Regardless, it’s important for leaders to guide a team through challenging times, encouraging them and remaining positive along the way. Team morale is heavily contingent upon a leader’s attitude.”
– David Moore, founding partner and regional vice president of Addison Group staffing firm
Principles of Followership by Don Mercer
Initiative: Be a self-starter, just do it; look for problems to solve; look for new ways to accomplish the mission.
Imagination: An innate capability in all humans, share ideas daily to multiply their potential power; focus on the small stuff first as it leads to larger possibilities.
Integrity: Honesty; declare mistakes immediately; tell the truth without compromise, leaders cannot lead without it; prove to be trustworthy and you will be entrusted with more.
Inquire: Ask the “who, what, why, where, when and how” questions about everything to learn; leaders look for learners; teach others.
Inform: Keep the leader updated; no secrets allowed; share your tasks and ask for input.
Involve: Life and work is a team effort, join; participate in the whole organization; act beyond the job description.
Teamwork
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni
Wrap Up
What do I need to do to change the world I live in?
Changing the world and changing yourself require the same strategy and it all starts with thought leadership.
