Leadership is about passion and focus. Leadership is about creating passionate and focused people. Leadership is influence. Leadership is not about position. It is about action and behavior. Just because you are a manager does not mean you are a leader. Everyone can and should be a leader. 

That’s why we want to talk to you about leadership. Leadership is a component of the Discipline of People. When we instill Discipline in People we have stability. 

In order to lead and influence others, we must first lead ourselves. That passion and focus must start with you. 

We lead ourselves with our mindset, our decisions, our behaviors, and our personal growth. It is only through our own behaviors that we have an influence on others.

If we don’t lead ourselves, no one will follow.

There are good leaders and bad leaders. Bad leaders still have influence, but they are usually in it for themselves. Good leaders have great influence and are in it for the greater good; the good of the organization’s goals and the good of the community. Good leaders offer solutions instead of excuses. They say what they can do and do what they say, and don’t talk about what they can’t do. They hold themselves accountable for their actions, decisions, and results.

The world uses leadership and management interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. We manage processes. We lead people. Leading is all about understanding ourselves and others and how we respond or react in the moment when decisions are made. 

Leadership doesn’t just happen. It isn’t natural. Leadership must be clearly defined, trained, mentored, and encouraged. Organizations must be intentional about creating leadership behaviors in their people. 

In order to identify, encourage and develop leaders, a company needs a process of training to recognize, promote, and educate on leadership qualities.

Here are the nuts and bolts of good leadership:

First, a great workforce requires that a company identify the leadership traits that are needed to be successful in every position. Organizations must define the behaviors and skills that they want people in those positions to learn and develop. 

Second, effective leaders encourage people to think for themselves. They engage employees by teaching them how to follow through on their initiative, and they inspire confidence to try new things. 

Third, effective leaders should encourage the process of talent development, through on-the-job training, external workshops, and a variety of approaches to learning. 

Consider the value you’d add to your company if everyone who worked for you were encouraged to develop the traits shared by great leaders, such as confidence, inner strength, and humility. Good leadership encourages us to ask questions and listen to the answers — rather than talking too much. Good leadership also engages in clear and proactive communication, instead of making assumptions and expecting others to read minds. 

Good leaders base relationships on understanding other people, seeing the big picture, and teaching people to think and look for solutions. Bad leaders disparage the ideas of others. Good leaders have an abundance mentality. 

Again, leadership doesn’t just happen. Leadership must be developed and nurtured. Every organization must have a leadership development process for every team member. This should include group settings and one on one mentorships. Every team member should also have a personal development plan that outlines how they will grow and learn to develop their leadership skills. 

It is clear that leadership is an important quality to strive for, especially when it comes to striving to build a successful team and organization. Leadership involves passion and focus, creating passionate and focused people, and of course, it’s about influence and personal growth as well. These are all qualities that can help a leader motivate and drive their team to success. Understanding the concepts of good leadership through examples is an essential part of learning what makes a great leader. That’s why we invite you to share your stories with us on these topics so that together we may better understand them. If you need help deciphering what types of leadership fit best into your organization or if you think our experience might be able to assist yours in some way, we invite you to show get in touch with us today – let us help your team lead the way!