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Article The Kind Of Leader Others Want To
Follow What gives a man or woman the
right to lead? Certainly, being elected or appointed or having a position,
rank, or title does not qualify anyone to lead other people.
And the ability does not come automatically from age or experience
either. It is far more
accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead.
The right to lead can only be earned and that takes time and
effort. The key
to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people
follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow.
As you prepare yourself to become a more effective leader, consider
the following guidelines: 1. Let go of your ego. The
truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain.
They lead in order to serve other people.
Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, “Show me a man who
cannot bother to do little things and I’ll show you a man who cannot be
trusted to do big things.” 2. Become a good follower first.
What effective leader did not learn to become a good follower
first? That is why a
leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches
its officers to become effective followers first.
And that is why West Point has produced more leaders than the
Harvard Business School. 3. Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.
That means it is by nature relational.
Today’s generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this
because title and position mean so little to them.
They know intuitively that people follow people they get along
with. 4. Work with excellence. No
one respects and follows mediocrity.
Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do.
They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also
great passion and hard work. They perform at the highest level of their capabilities. 5. Rely on discipline, not on emotion. Leadership is often easy during the good times.
It is when everything seems to be against you, when you are out of
energy, and you do not want to lead, that you earn your place as a leader.
During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they
must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those
times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion. 6. Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after
they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who
helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership and its highest
value. 7. Give your power away. One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You are meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp. <End> |
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