This is a question I have been pondering lately. I get to experience
different kinds of leaders in the work that I do. All leaders are
inspiring, some inspire me for the wrong reasons. Some leaders inspire
me to continue the work that I do so that I can coach up-and-coming
leaders to not be like them. This week I got to work with some great
leaders who inspired me for all the right reasons and when I see leaders
like that it fills me with hope and joy, it reminds me why great
leadership is so important and how life giving it is.
The sad thing is that most leaders who leave people with a limp can
be totally unaware that they do. In fact, if you asked them they
probably think they are the bees knees. Look, no-one wakes up in the
morning and consciously decides to be the one who is going to knock
people down, or destroy a potentially great team. I believe everyone is
doing the best they can with what they have, but as leaders we owe it to
ourselves and our teams to take the time every now and then to take a
cold hard look at the culture we create around us and check that it is
healthy. One of the core traits of great leaders is the ability to be
self aware and open to uncomfortable feedback and to make the necessary
adjustments.
Ask yourself, or if you are brave enough ask others....
Do I have a diminishing or multiplying effect on people?
Do people flourish or flounder under my leadership?
Do I shut down or become offended with any feedback that paints me in a bad light?
Do I have a repeating pattern of losing quality people?
Do I create leaders or followers?
Do I only have people around the table who agree with me?
Do I get upset when someone else outshines me?
Do I have to be the smartest person in the room?
Do I feel like I can't be vulnerable to my team... ever?
Do I feel like I need to control everything?
There is nothing more devastating than an insecure leader, it leaves
great people with a limp. The good news is, anyone can change if they
want to and it is never too late to make those changes. If any of these
questions were difficult to answer, don't get mad or sad. Get proactive
and get some help and support to make the necessary changes. Do it
because it will be great for your team, do it because it will great for
you. Do it because there is nothing more incredible than a leader who
leads well and is responsible for unleashing the potential in people.
Leaders lift!
None of us get it right 100% of the time, we are all on a journey of
growth, we can all improve if we choose to. My hope is that today if you
are a leader, you will take stock of what kind of leader you are and
you will make the necessary adjustments to be better. And if you have
spent the whole time reading this and thinking of someone else and how
they should be a better leader, you have missed the point.... You can
only change YOU! Start there.....
