•Effective leaders are interested in ensuring the success of others
•Simple words and actions of encouragement can go a long way
The leadership guru, John C. Maxwell, said that: “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” Sadly, many leaders at top positions who think that they are leading are simply taking walks. You can be a CEO with little or no leadership skills. There is a difference between leading effectively and the illusion of leadership. So, how do you know that you’re only taking a walk and not leading? Here are three signs.
You Don’t Lift People: You have been in corporate leadership for over a decade or two, how many people have you opened doors for and lifted? How many people have you helped to succeed? How many people can boldly say that they made it because of you? If this is a difficult question for you, then you have been taking a walk. Effective leaders are interested in ensuring the success of others.
You Don’t Inspire People: Are the people whom you lead inspired to explore and express their uniqueness? Do you inspire greatness in them? Do they want to be the best version of themselves due to your leadership? If the answer is no, you are taking a walk. Effective leaders have an inspiring presence, and people become better versions of themselves as a result.
You Don’t Teach People: One mark of effective leaders is their ability to teach people; although teaching styles may vary with each leader, they create a system to transfer and impact knowledge. This is one way in which they equip the people around them to lead effectively. They teach by the way that they work, talk, respond to issues, speak at meetings, handle conflicts and crises, etc. If you’re not keen on transferring knowledge to your people to help them grow, you are simply taking a walk.
There is Hope
If you have been taking a walk, it’s not all doom and gloom. You can learn to lead well starting today. It’s not too late. So, where do you start? First, acknowledge that you need help to understand leadership better. Thankfully, there are many resources online and offline to help you get started. Become a student of leadership.
Second, become intentional about adding value to people. Beyond your goals, how about focusing on making other people’s dreams come true for a change. Third, become an encourager. You don’t have to be a leadership guru to lift people. Simple words and actions of encouragement can go a long way.
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