50 Things I Have Learned About Leadership
Here are 50 things I have learned about being a Leader.
1. I would rather be respected than liked.
2. Getting a Thankless and Difficult task accomplished is easier when you are respected.
3. Try getting someone who “likes” you to shovel manure sometime to understand the difference.
4. Sometimes “No” is the right answer.
5. Great Leaders know when to ask for help.
6. Find someone you admire as a great Leader and study them. Read their biography. (Ask me sometime about the response I get when I ask “Whom do you admire as a Leader in your lives?” in my seminars.)
7. The only real “Revelation” there is in Leadership is that it is harder than you think and more rewarding than you can imagine.
8. Leaders think their way through things.
9. Leaders get other people to think their way through things.
10. No two Leaders will think exactly alike, yet history has shown us again and again that they achieve similar results. That’s why we study them.
11. Leaders will find a challenge to keep their teams sharp.
12. Leaders have developed a sense or instinct that causes them to find and take the best course of action when faced with uncertainty.
13. Every Leader will face fear and uncertainty in their teams. See #11 and #12 to overcome this.
14. Really Great Leaders anticipate uncertainty in others and plan for it.
15. Leaders so “Believe” in their teams that they commit them to actions that seem impossible to outsiders yet are reasonable to their teams.
16. Leaders understand all 3 of Newton’s Laws and how they apply to human behavior, A. People in motion tend to stay in motion. B. People will maintain velocity in a direction until an external force is applied causing a change in direction or a change in velocity. C. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.
17. Leaders with a vision are inspirational.
18. A compelling vision is better than a description. It is the difference between the Gettysburg Address and a cereal commercial.
19. A Leaders call to action is prefaced with an explanation of reason and an appeal to emotion.
20. Leaders without a vision become workers.
21. Leaders know him/herself before knowing others.
22. Leaders spend time every day in reflection, planning and self development. It’s how they became Leaders.
23. Leaders believe change is constant and inevitable.
24. Leaders are the instrument of this change in any organization.
25. Leaders practice the “Green Grass” theory and leave any organization in better shape than when they 1st arrived. Leaders who practice the “Scorched Earth” theory are not Leaders for very long.
26. Leaders identify other potential Leaders in an organization and help them grow.
27. Leaders understand the words “firm, steadfast and loyal” because they exemplify them.
28. Leaders understand the word “Will.” It’s the “power of making a reasoned choice” and “Determination.”
29. Leaders also understand the word “Shall.” It’s used “to indicate future time” or a “preferred future state.”
30. Leaders encourage others to make and use the “power of a reasoned choice.”
31. Leaders focus on “Shall” rather than “Can’t.”
32. Leaders also know what we “Can’t” do and instead focus on what we are doing.
33. Leaders find answers in places others do not look.
34. Leaders back up their answers by taking action.
35. Leaders see “Victory” where others see failure.
36. Leaders assume “Positive Intent” and practice it.
37. Leaders name the fear and then decide how to challenge it.
38. Leaders name the challenge and give voice to the Victory.
39. Leaders keep those in pursuit of the challenge focused by being practical and simple.
40. Leaders understand “Because I said so” does not work.
41. Even during the darkest of times the Leader is focused on the “light.”
42. Leaders understand that bad times eventually pass and good people endure those times.
43. Leaders have “Resolve” in times when others will not.
44. Leaders do not surrender to circumstances; rather they find ways to change the circumstances to fit their situation.
45. Leaders visit the “back of the pack” to show them where the front is.
46. Leaders know that everything does not always work out as intended. It’s part of failing forward.
47. Leaders stand when others sit.
48. Leaders are expected to have a better vocabulary and nicer wardrobe, although neither is necessary to be a great Leader.
49. Leaders understand humor and use it when needed.
50. Great Leaders are Great because they decide to be.
It’s up to you to decide who you are and what you want to become.
Leonard Buchholz is a Certified Trainer, Speaker and Author. Seminars include subjects like Customer Service, Management and Communications. Known for “High Touch” seminars, participants gain takeaways that include immediate goals and long term learning. Leonard is also a dynamic Keynote speaker that can launch your event with enthusiasm and charisma.
Reach him at leonard@bizprotraining.com or call 760-529-5635.
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