Secrets to Leadership

One of my favorite things to read about is leadership. Something deep inside of me desires to be a leader. I know that to impact people requires leadership of some degree.

Want to be a leader? Already consider yourself a leader? Here are some simple, not-so-secret, truths about leadership that I have learned over the last few years.

There is a difference between a leader and a manager.

A manager has the positional authority to oversee people and operations. A leader has the personal authority to lead people towards something different.

A lot of leaders can easily manage; it is a long process for a manager to learn to lead.

While manager executes operations, a leader builds the operational systems and continues to improve them. A leader sees the bigger picture, all of the moving parts, especially the people involved.

Leaders not only build systems; they build people. They take a portion of their own life and pour it into those around them. They do this through a unique combination of encouragement and challenge.

A leader who does not encourage will drive people away. A leader who does not challenge will lose control. A leader who does both well will unify people toward a shared goal.

Managers oversee.

Managers oversee projects, products, and people.

Leaders build.

Leaders build projects, products, and people.

Effective leaders call people to something.

Sometimes, leaders have to call people to unity. A tough task, effective leaders can identify the factors that need to be leveraged in order to achieve that unity.

A few years ago, I led a diverse team of college students. The start to the year was fine and the team seemed to be executing operations to satisfaction. But they were not united. Through some good but hard conversations, the team saw that each individual had a unique relationship with me. That trust that I built with each person individually allowed the team to realize that we all were headed in the same direction. I leveraged that.

I called them to unity; they trusted enough to follow me.

Leaders spend time training and mentoring people. As mentioned, leaders build people. More specifically, leaders build leaders. I sat with a student years ago and called her into a picture of a life she had previously never considered. She did not realize the potential that she held.

She trusted me enough to step forward into that potential.

Stephen Covey said, “leadership is communicating to another their worth and potential so clearly they are inspired to see it in themselves.”

Leaders cast a vision before other people, a vision that inspires, edifies, and draws people in.

Impactful leaders know humility.

You have not arrived. You are still growing and learning.

Leaders know this first hand. They live in this truth, and they humbly acknowledge the necessary growth ahead of them.

As soon as someone thinks they have arrived, they stop asking questions and they stop learning. They step away from humility and step into arrogance. They make every story about themselves. They build themselves up more than they build others up.

John Maxwell talks about the difference between being a “here I am” person versus a “there you are”.

A few years back, I attended a family-friend’s funeral. Obviously, no funeral is fun. During the reception afterwards, I went to encourage and pray for the dad. In a brief 5 minute interaction, I walked away with my own spirit uplifted. While I went to encourage him, he saw that as a chance to encourage me. He did not want to make this situation about himself.

He doesn’t walk in a room and proclaim, “here I am”. He walks in a room and exclaims, “there you are!”, as if he has been waiting for you for years. This is a picture of humility.

Leaders chase humility, working to not make things about themselves.

Leaders take theory into practice.

A lot of smart people know a lot more than me. A lot of educated people can talk through different ideas and approaches to something. Leadership theory includes ideas like servant leadership, mentoring, change agents, culture change, management, etc.

A leader does not just talk about ideas; they implement ideas.

If I just talk about discipline but never actually discipline myself to improve, what good is it? If I talk about integrity but live a deceitful life, how trustworthy does that make me?

As a leader, you must implement ideas in your day-to-day life.

This week, take one of these secrets of leadership and implement it: go from simply overseeing to building; call people to something; operate from a place of humility. Let me know how it goes by responding directly to this email. I would love to hear from you!