Be A Leader Not A Follower

Leaders don't just lead troops, they invest their time in the lives of others. They empower people to be independent and provide opportunities for them to succeed. This is not a  call to arms or an advertisement for some organization, but rather a guide on how to become a better leader at whatever you do and how organizations can be stronger when they follow your lead. We are all leaders in our own way; we all have the potential for great leadership skills within us.

As leaders, there are many things that we can do to be better people and better leaders. In this article I will focus on four key areas of leadership:

GUIDANCE

This is the most basic form of leadership; it is what gets people to where they want to go. We have all been placed in a new position and given a task. We know that the road ahead of us is not going to be easy but we are ultimately responsible for making sure that things get done. The challenge lies in figuring out how to get people motivated enough to really do whatever it takes despite challenging circumstances - sometimes change can be hard and uncomfortable for people, especially when it forces them out of their comfort zone.

Why We Fail:

1) Our own insecurity makes us jump to conclusions, especially with those who are new to a situation. It's easy to assume that they don't care or aren't ready for what is ahead of them. It is also easy to get frustrated with them when they fail; we start feeling like we dragged them into something that isn't right for them and it leads us to become unsympathetic and even angry.

2) Sometimes we start taking on their mistakes as our own. We take ownership on things that aren't ours and make sure everybody knows it's our fault. We start feeling like failures and this leads us to lose confidence in ourselves and others, self-doubt creeps in, and we become weak.

3) We are impatient; we want things to happen now. We have an agenda that takes priority over others and it leaves no room for people to grow. We aren't open to compromise or listening because we feel that our way is the fastest way, which is usually counterproductive and will ultimately lead to failure for everybody involved.

4) People work better when there is a reward at the end of their task. When the reward isn't there, people get unmotivated; if they don't see any sort of future value from being involved than they will naturally drift away from involvement.

What We Can Do To Be Better Leaders:

1) Make sure that people are properly prepared for what is ahead. Help them to get in shape for the battle, make sure their armor is in place, and their weapons are sharp. Give them the tools to be successful and don't be afraid to spend time getting to know them as individuals before throwing them into the deep end.

2) Don't become too attached to your own agenda - if people aren't producing results then it's time for you to let go of your own agenda and let theirs shine. When everybody succeeds then everybody wins; this is especially true when you are trying to introduce new ideas or methods into a situation that has operated with set traditions for years.

3) Keep your ears open and stay in constant communication. Read people, pay attention to their needs, and do whatever you can to make sure they are taken care of. When people feel like they aren't being heard or that they don't have a voice, they will drift away into the background and it will become harder to reach them.  

4) Reward those who get things done. Be generous with acknowledgement and be willing to go above and beyond for those who show that they are willing to do the same thing.  

COMMITMENT

Commitment is when leadership goes into overdrive. There are some cases when things can drag on and on and people start getting tired of the situation, but when the situation involves something serious such as fighting for a better future then commitment is something that can keep people in check. Without proper commitment, people will begin to drift away from their responsibilities.

Why We Fail:

1) We don't want to be seen as someone who is dragging other people down. We want our actions and ideas to be seen as positive and we don't want to be the one who is needlessly complicating things by adding more issues into the mix. When people are dealing with enough problems, we don't want to be the one who makes it worse.

2) We want to smooth over things and make them easier for everyone else. This can mean passing off blame onto others just so we don't have to deal with the consequences of our own actions. Letting this kind of thing go on for too long can lead us down a slippery slope where we start making things up in order to avoid the hard work that comes from being honest about mistakes, and that leads to further complications.

3) We get tired; it's easy to get worn out by all of the responsibility that is put upon our shoulders when issues become bigger than what we originally bargained for. We feel the pressure of trying to keep everything together, and that can make us lose faith in ourselves.

What We Can Do To Be Better Leaders:

1) Sit down with people when there are issues - don't be afraid to bring others in on things. Don't be afraid of confrontation, but do it in a way that will help everybody move forward and not take them away from what they need to do. This also includes sharing responsibilities with others; if things aren't getting done then it's going to take more than one person to get them done; this includes making sure that people understand what their role is and how they will benefit from being involved.

2) Don't point fingers - restating information doesn't solve the problem and it only makes things worse. If people try to pin something onto somebody else then make sure that you can back up your claims with hard facts. Remain unbiased while communicating with others and make sure they aren't misinformed; catch people in their lies early on before you become too invested in their story and you find yourself in a situation where you have to let them go.

3) Keep up communication - don't let things sit for too long without bringing people up to speed on what is going on. When people are having problems or things are progressing slowly, it is best to involve them in the decision making process and involve them as much as they want to.

AUTHORITY

Leadership is something that can be applied between people, but there are cases where you will have to assume leadership and take control of a situation. Leadership takes on a different meaning when everything comes down to your authority as opposed to your position. When someone has authority over you then it means that their opinion is the only one that matters and if their opinion doesn't match with yours then you better listen.

Conclusion

Leadership is something that takes time to learn and to put into practice. Leadership doesn't come naturally to some people and in those cases, it will take a lot more effort to make sure that people are following your commands then it would for others. There is a lot of truth in leadership and we should all strive to become better leaders but sometimes it is easier said than done. If you're having trouble being a good leader, then hopefully these ten tips should help you out.