"Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time." - Barack Obama, 44th President of The United States of America
What comes to mind when you think of the word "leadership" and who do you consider a "leader"? If someone asked you to define leadership and who is a "leader" would you be able to do so?
Companies and people use these words in meetings, vision statements and many other forms of communication. However, without a clear understanding of WHAT is leadership, WHO is a leader, WHY leadership is important and HOW to be a leader, can we expect people and organizations to truly be leaders and conduct the practice of leadership?
To me very simply, leadership is "the act of being a leader" and being a "leader" as adopted by John C Maxwell is to to know /discover the way, go the way, and show the way.” You might be wondering, well that's quite vague Sean, what do you mean by "the way"?
To me more specifically, being a leader (What, How, Who) means:
1. To Influence, empower and develop others to be their best selves
2. To bring people together to work towards a common goal
3. To work FOR the people, to put them first and make them feel valued
4. To develop and translate a clear vision into reality
5. To have the courage to take the first step, open oneself up to calculated risk and do what needs to get done even if you don't like it
6. To make the difficult decisions and accept responsibility and accountability for the outcome
7. To help keep people and organizations focused on outcomes and results, and NOT on outputs
8. To seek different perspectives and to be a problem solver
9. To build trust and purpose with those around you
Let me clarify that being a leader and practicing the act of leadership is NOT EASY, no one said that it was, is, or ever will be. However, it is most definitely and without a doubt extremely worth it. The beauty about being a leader is that anyone can choose to be one, whether it's being a leader to their families, their communities, their companies, their countries or any other group they're a part of.
Sometimes it's made out to be that being a leader is reserved for only the most talented. It's not, though it can seem that way because the people who are perceived to be leaders have committed to a developed certain characteristics and work ethic that differentiate them from the crowd. Thus, one doesn't need to be special and talented to become a leader, but simply by pursuing and embodying the principles of being a leader becomes special and talented.
Though there is a big distinction you need to keep in mind; ANYONE can be a leader but NOT EVERYONE is willing to be one.
Being a Leader isn't supposed to be easy, it's meant to be worth it
This explains Why great leaders like Barack Obama are hard to come by. The path to being a great leader is open to anyone but by no means is it easy. It takes hard work, persistence, discipline, consistency, sacrifice, drive and many times loneliness over long periods of time. The masses around you will think you're weird and different at the start, but once you start showing them through action the positive outcomes you as a leader are having their perception will shift.
Now, we spoke a lot about what a leader is but it's also important to clarify what a leader IS NOT. Becoming a leader isn't a about a course you take, or a title you have.
To me a Leader is not
1. Someone who always put themselves first
2. Striving for power and authority to feel worthy or solely advance their own agenda
3. Always being confident or successful in everything they do
4. Someone who has all the right answers
5. Doing the work for other people, or responsible for everyone's success
6. Puts down others to raise himself/herself
7. Gender, race, religion, sexuality based in anyway
8. Someone who holds back on telling the truth to not hurt people's feelings (it's how you convey the difficult truth that matters)