Do you think of yourself as a leader? Do you enjoy being out in front, like the drum major above? As you were growing up, did people tell you that you had natural leadership qualities?

I don’t know about you, but it seems every time I join an organization, I end up in a leadership position. I don’t think this is because people see me as the person out front leading the charge. I think its because I am willing to do the work to get things done. I can’t help myself. When I see a task, there is some part of me that just knows what needs to be done and starts figuring out how to tackle it. The downside of this tendency is the need to be aware of over-commitment!

If you don’t see yourself as a leader, you are nonetheless leading by default. Why?

We are all leaders, all of the time, by virtue of our unconscious influence. Whatever you believe, think, value, feel, or say influences your behavior. Notice what you are thinking or feeling right now. If your body is tightening up and you are feeling anxious, you are having an impact on yourself and the people around you. If you are relaxed, and feeling happy, or content, you are having a different kind of impact on yourself and others. What is the impact you want to have?

An American editor and essayist, William George Jordan, in his book, The Majesty of Calmness (1898), said that we cannot circumvent this responsibility by saying it is unconscious, because “every moment of life [we are] changing to a degree…the whole world.” We cannot escape from the influence we have to uplift or dishearten others. By proactively adopting a leadership mindset, we can ensure that we, and those we lead are successful.

Good leaders lead by example. Through their actions, which are aligned with what they say, they become a person others want to follow. When leaders say one thing but do another, they erode trust, a critical element of productive leadership.

Here are 10 of the myriad ways to lead by example:

1. Take responsibility. Blame costs you your credibility, keeps team members on the defensive and ultimately sabotages real growth. Negativity can kill you, literally and figuratively, because just like happiness (see February Newsletter) it is contagious. You can act as an antibody, fighting negativity.

2. Be truthful. Inaccurate representation affects everyone. Show that honesty really is the best policy. It’s really OK to be competitive and dedicated to excellence in order to bring out the best in ourselves and others, but remind yourself that in the scheme of the world, you want to be in integrity with yourself.

3. Be courageous. Walk through fire (when there is a crisis) first. Take calculated risks to demonstrate commitment to a larger purpose. Make your words sweet because you may have to eat them later. Don’t forget to add the leavening of humor here as well, as long as it does not come at someone else’s expense, to lighten the load for everyone concerned.

4. Acknowledge failure. It makes it OK for your team to do the same and defines failure as part of the process of becoming extraordinary. Remember that all science is actually 99% failure and 1% success (and it is supposed to be that way) as you work to disprove a hypothesis. We always learn more from mistakes than successes, provided we seek to understand the point of failure and eliminate that particular issue.

5. Be persistent. Try, try again. It was the mantra of Samuel Beckett, though he phrased it slightly differently as “Fail again; fail better.” Go under or around any hurdles to show that obstacles don’t define you or your colleagues.

6. Create solutions. Don’t dwell on problems; instead be the first to offer solutions and then ask your group for more. After that, take action. The positive person works to build awareness among those who can influence a bad situation so that everyone can take collective action to make it better.

7. Listen. Ask questions. Seek to understand. You’ll receive valuable insights and set a tone that encourages healthy dialogue. When people feel they have been heard and understood, even when you cannot offer a solution that makes them perfectly happy, they are far more likely to support you.

8. Delegate liberally. Encourage an atmosphere in which people can focus on their core strengths. This does not mean delegating a task and taking it back because you can do it better; it means really letting it go to someone else’s care.  They may not do it like you: they may do it better!

9. Take care of yourself. Exercise, don’t overwork, take a break. A balanced group, mentally and physically, will create a successful team, able to handle the ups and downs of any normal work year.  Health and productivity go hand in hand. Working all the time makes for a dull person, as well as an unproductive one.

10. Roll up your sleeves. There is an old joke that says you know the leader by the arrows in his back, but work can be its own reward. Think in terms of mastering your craft, be it carpentry or teaching, and helping others learn the craft as well, and once again, you are leading by example.

Learn the craft as well, and you are leading by example.

 

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