Leadership should never be viewed as authority but rather as responsibility. Responsibility not only to make decisions but responsibility for the welfare of all those who work within and with your business.
Active Knowledge Question:
How do you view leadership?
If you are fortunate enough to be in a leadership role, then how you view that role is critical to your success as a leader. Leadership is something you should reflect on and build a mental model which depicts you as a leader and how you interact with others.
Leadership is often gained through promotion with increased authority, more people reporting to you and greater rewards. It is often a role that is sought after, competed for and with it can come many benefits. But be careful, leadership sought for self-interest can be your undoing.
The weakest form of leadership is one which is seen as authority over others. To have someone follow you because they ‘have to’, is not going to yield the level of input you will need to allow the business to be the success it has the potential to be.
Your goal should be for everyone working within and with the business to follow you because of who you are as a leader and how you enable them to be successful. Leadership is never about you; it is always about everyone else.
To activate ‘real leadership’, trust must first be formed. A trust that you, as a leader, will act in the interests of those who are following you, that you put their welfare first. This is a high benchmark and reflects what I would describe as a worthy leader, but it is a leadership that will allow others to commit all their efforts and talents in making the business a success.
You should always be testing your leadership against the mental model that you have crafted so as to continually grow your effectiveness.
From trust arises engagement, and engagement builds community and commitment. This is the mark that you should set as your goal as a leader.
An entirely new level of performance.
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All the best in the success of your business,
Richard Shrapnel
