It’s really a shame that people in management positions have no clear understanding of what it means to lead. All most of these managers know is that they are “in charge” and they get paid more money for being so.
In fact, there are thousands of books written on how to be a leader as well as numerous leadership seminars held year after year. This is all done in the name of teaching leadership skills but the real reason is to make the authors and seminar gurus rich. There ARE definite right and wrong ways to approach leadership. If you are employing any of the following methods, you are doing things the wrong way.
1. To begin with, your position or title doesn’t equal leadership. While it may be true that you’re the President, CEO or head of a department, this doesn’t meant that you possess any true leadership abilities. There are many people running companies or organizations currently who have no idea how to go about leading.
2. Being with a company forever does not equal effective leadership. Even if you have been with your company for 30 years, it doesn’t mean you’re a good leader. In fact, if you’re in a leadership position, it may have just been luck or being in the right place at the right time.
3. If you think you must be willing to do anything that your employees are asked to do, please think again. They need a leader who can be trusted and respected, not a floater employee.
4. Leadership is made from respect, trust, and confidence earned, not from education. So, while education is needed to run a company, it is not needed to lead people.
5. If you believe that you can study your way to good leadership, think again. All the books in the world will not help unless you have the right attitude for leadership.
6. It’s not true that you must be a senior citizen to be a good leader. Many excellent leaders are in their 20’s.
7. You don’t have to be in charge of something or someone in order to be leader. It’s not a position. It’s an attitude.
8. You can display leadership abilities even if you’re the only one working in your area.
Take these to heart and you will find that you have a much better chance of becoming an effective leader no matter what your profession happens to be.