Everyone at some time or another takes the role of a leader. Sometimes it is by choice. Other times it’s by default such as in times of dire need or despair. Leaders come in all shapes and in all sizes. They can be found in our professional lives and in our personal lives. Leaders are in our homes, in our places of worship, in our institutions of education, on our playgrounds, and in our government. On occasion, leadership is subtle and goes unnoticed… and at other times it’s blatant and in your face. Leadership is an essential role in life that most people take part in some way, shape, or form; We are either giving it as a leader or receiving it as a follower. It is an impactful and compelling mindset that everyone, in my opinion, should strive to master.
But still, what is leadership? Well, the simplest definition is a person who guides or directs another usually toward a particular goal or objective. My favorite and straight to the point definition is by acclaimed and renowned leadership author John C. Maxwell who defines leadership as influence. Leadership is the ability to influence a person or group to achieve a desired goal, task, dream, or vision. Leadership is the ability to persuade people.
That persuasion can be through the appointment of a title or position– which for many is considered the lowest form of leadership. It can be through mutual inspiration and commonalities. It can also be through admiration and respect. No matter the why, leadership is essentially the power to get someone to do what you want or need them to do.
INSPIRATION…being mentally stimulated to feel something or to do something–that is what leadership does. Look, leadership is simple and it is complex. One can go a lifetime studying leadership and still not master every aspect of being the “ultimate” leader. For a leader- any leader- to be great, they must commit to continual growth and development but the mastery of inspiring others is the foundation of leadership.
Are you good at inspiring others? Keep reading.
Now earlier I stated that “no matter the why, leadership is the power to get someone to do what you want them to do.” Great and effective leaders develop their skills by understanding the “why” for each of their followers and creating a relationship that seeks to make the “why” be at the highest value for both the follower and leader.
Leaders who are able to effectively communicate their vision and connect the “what’s in it for me” or the followers buy-in do so by conveying purpose. People are inspired to action when they have a compelling purpose. This is Leadership- inspiring and influencing others, with purpose, to action.
The two things I hope you get about leadership from this blog post:
- First, no matter the words used to define it, effective leadership is a valuable and powerful skill for both professional and personal success. Countless successes and inspirational accomplishments happen because someone took the lead.
- Second, and just as important, is that leadership is a skill you should NEVER stop working to develop. I still have an individual development plan around building my leadership skills. I still participate in company leader development programs. I still read leadership books, study leadership articles, and watch and follow leadership YouTube channels. In the end, you have total control over the kind of leader you are and can become.
Action Point: Always be Learning!
To help get you moving towards developing your leadership skill, below are a few of the books I have read (and some I have re-read, and re-read again) that have been valuable to helping me move forward in my leadership mastery journey:
- Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 By John C. Maxwell
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Who Moved My Cheese? By Dr. Spencer Johnson
Thank You for Visiting!
Please share this post with any leader who would benefit from reading it and be sure to check out our other articles on Novice Leader like “Manager vs. Leader” and “What Do Successful Leaders Do?”
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