Recently I was reading about
a leader who took a group of people from persecution to safety. In their
travels, they met another group of people who had fled persecution. This leader
successfully brought both groups together under one head. To do this, he listened
to, educated, and empowered all who followed him. All who followed him then
CHOSE him to be their formal leader in a permanent station.
A leader influences, inspires, empowers, and improves everyone with whom he or she comes in contact. General James Mattis said,
“Attitudes are caught, not taught.”
If you want your organization to be empowering, inspiring, constantly improving, and innovative, you must demonstrate those attitudes and traits first. If these traits are not your strengths, demonstrate that you value them.
The leader I mentioned at the beginning of this post had a son who became his successor. The son followed his father’s example of teaching, protecting, and empowering. He also worked alongside all who followed him so that he would not become a burden on them. He would not ask anyone who followed him to do anything he was unwilling to do himself.
One of my favorite General Mattis statements is,
“If you can’t talk freely with the lowest members of your organization, you’ve lost touch.”
Consider for a moment how you
choose who to follow. How do people choose to follow you? Although we may think
of “followers” as people on social media who “follow” our posts and stories,
consider the people who report to you. Do they follow you?
Consider your favorite
leaders throughout your life. What did they do well? What do they continue to
do well? How are you following their examples? How are you leading differently?
How does your leadership style affect your organization?
General Mattis also said,
“A leader’s role is problem solving.”
If a leader is not working as part of the team, that leader is unlikely to notice or fully understand the problems that need solving. People experiencing challenges in the organization also won’t know where to turn if they cannot solve the problems on their own.
Work to understand the
strengths and challenges of your people from their perspectives. Work to
recognize what they do — and what they wish they could do — in their jobs,
tasks, and aspirations. Encourage, empower, inspire.
If you need help
implementing these skills, call Profitable Alignment and schedule an
appointment to discuss how Profitable Alignment can help you align your teams,
your organization, and your goals with the mission and vision of the
organization.
Share in the comments leadership
success you have had or have observed.