Most parents focus on teaching their kids problem solving. This is typically done with puzzles to solve.
However, equally important are leadership skills. Giving the kids a sense of ownership towards a task as making them accountable to the completion of tasks and others help develop this skill.
Source: Seth Godin.
Leadership is a difficult topic. The book definition is clear: the act of leading a group or organization. But the practical definition, not so clear. How do you know what exactly a leader should do and shouldn’t do?
Organizational titles such as CEO, manager, supervisor, etc., can be seen as leadership positions, but there is more to being a leader than the title. In fact, one can be really good at their management responsibilities without having to lead their subordinates. And the reverse is also true: a manager can look to the person being managed for leadership.
I will discuss the idea of leadership as it applies to one’s career, as well as one’s family life. Because your family is also a group of people you lead.
Leadership is a difficult and draining task. You have to be “on” all the time. Your group is looking up to you all the time. This takes a lot of discipline. The best practice is to lead yourself. And the way to do this is to see yourself as a separate individual – or rather as two individuals – one is the leader, and the other is the follower. The leader’s job is to keep the follower accountable. Every action that the follower does, or plans to do, should be questioned: “is this something my leader would approve of?”.
It is then the leader’s task to guide the follower and remind them of the big picture. Indeed, the leader always reflects on the big picture. Once the two parts of you, the follower and the leader, become aligned, then you can qualify to lead others.
A leader should know what the core message is. What is it that the group or organization wishes to accomplish? What is their mission statement? This is the “Why?”. Remember your Why and align your actions to this. Align your team by being in the driver’s seat. People tend to drift away – the ego gets in the way.
A practical example of this is during a presentation. If one of your team member is tasked with giving a presentation, and they start drifting away on a tangent, and you realize this will result in not having enough time to complete the message in the allocated time frame, it is your responsibility to stand up and bring them back. Don’t just sit there and hope for the best.
The most efficient way to lead is to make your subordinates self-sufficient. Invest in training them, improving their productivity and efficiency. This frees up your time as a leader as well. Remember, you are the big picture person.
A leader will facilitate and encourage their followers, making them self-reliant. So long as this will align with the core values of the team. The leader’s job should not be to manage and micro-manage – that may be delegated to a “manager”.
The first step to lead is to pace. Pacing is listening actively, empathizing, and not solving a problem. Once you are at the same pace as the follower, then it is time to lead. I have explored this process in details here.
Your subordinates are under your protection.
Leading by fear only works for so long, before there is a mutiny. This is also called a dictatorship, and it never lasts.
Leaders’ time is extremely valuable. Your team cannot afford to have their leader spending time in discussions that are unfruitful. Therefore, leaders deal with leaders – aka, decision makers. Your allegiance lies with your team first.
Finally, a leader isn’t much without people to lead. Being mindful of the fact that not everyone in your team is a high performer, is important. Team building exercises come in handy at keeping the morale high. Low morale is a vicious cycle and very contagious.
Encourage and nurture your team members who show initiative. Going above and beyond should be rewarded. This has the added bonus of incentivizing others to do the same. Another vicious cycle, but one that benefits the team. There is nothing wring with some healthy competition.
If you think you have what it takes to be a leader, then go for it. The world would be a better place to live for everyone!