Leadership is messy at times. It is making the hard decisions. It is seeing two steps ahead of everyone else’s view. And when the team is arguing over what is in front of them, it is up to the leader to calm them and get them where they need to be
Leadership takes the blame for everything and little praise for the victory. That is how it should be
Can anyone be a leader? In my opinion, no.
Can people learn leadership qualities? Yes they can
I wish there was a simple “Steps to Being a Great Leader,” blog post I could write. Maybe larger magazines or news outlets would just eat up a simple way to be known as a leader. However it is not that simple.
If I had to pick two things that makes a great leader, they would be listening and action.
Listening because leaders need to hear what is going on around them, looking past what they see for the hidden sounds of success or unrest. They have to listen to everyone and sort out what is useful. They have to listen to their trusted aids for reality checks and advice
Action because nothing is every accomplished without movement. With action comes direction and desire to move forward or back or sideways- but always with the intent to accomplish the goal at hand.
If I could identify a leader I would look for the stillness in a swirl of madness. I would look for the anchor that others lash themselves to in times of trouble and who they look to for validation in victory
Some say leaders are not born but are made, but I would argue that they must have some core of responsibility and resilience for others to rally behind.
It is not always an upward climb. It is not a smooth journey. But it must always be moving.
Leaders can fail when they become in love with their position. They can fail when they forget that, without others, leaders do not impact the world. Leaders can fail when their stillness becomes fuzzy and the anchor is now pulled up and swept away in the madness.
Leadership is something that we can see but may not be able to describe. It is not 1 + 1= 2. It is a symbol, or a feeling, or a look, or a moment where one sees the leader and we know we are safe.
That’s a true leader.
