“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

Why do I say that?

Well…

– The outcome is not about the leader, it relates to the followers.

– It’s based on the leaders’ actions, not commands or directions.

– It’s about inspiring others.

This is what leadership is all about, it’s about selfless rather than selfish action which benefits the leader, it’s about setting the example and helping people become all that they can be and achieve their full potential.

If you can do this, and do it repeatedly, then you can become a great leader, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. are great examples of leaders who achieved this. It all starts with your action!

So what are you waiting for, start to set the example today.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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Every leader should strive to get his or her team to the point where they feel self-sufficient and like they can complete tasks on their own.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” – Lao Tzu

When you accomplish this, the team feels ready to take responsibility and lead itself, and you have created a winning culture where the team strives for its own success and growth. At this point, you can start looking for new initiatives or challenges that will push the team even further.

The Role of a Leader: Fostering Independence, Not Taking Credit

You cannot achieve this if you always look to take credit or share in the credit of the team, they really need to feel and believe that they did it themselves, that you have liberated them and that they can independently be successful.

This is tough to do because we all seek reward and recognition for a good job done, but as leaders, we need to get comfortable with reflected glory. We need to let the team take the glory for the completion of the task, and then we take whatever credit there is for putting the team together.

Often this credit is left unsaid, it’s known, but it’s less visible. This is why, some leaders and managers, want to share in the glory of the completed task.

The Soccer Analogy: Managers and Players in the Glory of Victory

It’s the team on the field who share in the glory of winning the game, winning the cup final. They are the ones who played the game, get presented with the trophy and then get to do a lap of honour in front of the crowd.

There is always a strong temptation for the manager to get involved, and try and be part of this, but this should be left just for the players.

The manager (Leader) will get his credit, he did select the team, organise the tactics and made the changes that might have been instrumental in winning the game, but he wasn’t on the field and didn’t kick a ball.

We will also get more respect from our teams if we leave them to take the credit.

I know how hard it is not to join in, and I don’t want to say I have never done it, we all get caught up in the euphoria, but we will do a much better job if we actually stand and cheer with the rest of the crowd and leave this moment of glory to the players.

Cultivating Belief and Confidence within Teams

We need to create belief because we might not always be there, and in these moments if the team feel that they can’t be successful without us it will hinder their chances later.

Just take a look at Manchester United, the exact same players are playing much differently under a new manager, their results and performance are at a lower level than last year. How much is this due to their belief in the contribution of Alex Ferguson to their success? Remember he never kicked a ball.

I am not suggesting that Ferguson took credit, but I do suspect that the players believe they were a better team when he was the manager and it’s this missing belief which is causing them problems now.

Creating a Lasting Legacy: The True Mark of Successful Leadership

Our ultimate goal is for us to create teams which eventually perform at the same high level, whether we are there leading them or not.

The best way to do this is to leave all credit with the team and feed their self-belief.

Tough I know, but it’s also in our best interest, the more invisible we become the higher our teams will perform and the bigger the legacy we can leave.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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The answer is very simple, you are responsible.

The thing people find difficult is, is this something you’re doing consciously or subconsciously?

If you’re doing this subconsciously then you are probably not being consistent and you are probably not highlighting the parts that you want to emphasise.

Even worse you may be highlighting those parts of your character that you don’t want to highlight, for example, you may always be 5 minutes late for meetings.

This might be for perfectly legitimate reasons, but now you’re subconsciously defining yourself, and your brand as someone who is always late. Is that what you want to be known for?

I am not suggesting that you should be inauthentic, what I am suggesting is that you may need to eliminate some facets of who you are which not only detract from the good that you do, but because they may be defining who you are to others.

We need to understand who we are and how we want to be seen and then we need to ensure that we positively highlight those traits.

We also need to understand those things that we do, that detract from who we are, and stop doing them.

Negative Branding and its Impact

I worked for one boss who was an excellent boss, but he had a terrible habit of complaining about people’s weight, he had a phobia about being fat.

But he commented on this so much, that this is one of the key things that he was remembered for, and that became a big part of how people saw him.

Do you think that is how he wanted to be known?

Even worse that’s how people described him to others that didn’t know him personally.

So take control of your brand and ensure that you highlight those elements that best define who you are and downplay the negatives which undermine you.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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One of the most significant differences between you and other people is that, as a leader, you are often the one who determines the course of action.

In order for you to be able to do that, you need to know where you want to go, or what it is that you stand for.

If you want to be a leader, or a preparing to become a leader then you should look to get a better understanding of yourself, what you stand for, and what you want to achieve.

Why is this important?

Well, if you don’t know where you want to go, or which direction you want to take, then how can people follow you? And without followers, it’s difficult to be a leader.

If you lack direction, ambition or a goal, then it is impossible for people to follow you, as you are not going anywhere and people will not follow someone who is standing still.

When I interview managers who are looking to transition to leaders, this is often one of the biggest challenges that they face. Often, it’s not that they lack direction or goals, it’s usually that they don’t have the courage of their convictions, they don’t look to take a strong stand, or maybe they prefer to keep their views to themselves.

This won’t work!

So as you look to make the transition to leadership, speak up, and let people know what your opinions are, and what you stand for it also helps define who you are, and then people can decide whether to align with you and even follow you.

This can be difficult, scary even, especially if you’re views and opinions differ from those of other leaders, or maybe even conventional thinking, but we must embrace them, it’s what makes us authentic.

As said earlier if you don’t know where you are going, then how will people be able to follow you?

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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Our greatest limitations tend to be those that we impose on ourselves, many times as a result of our own self-doubt. It takes a lot of work to overcome our own self-doubts, and if we don’t put in the effort, those self-doubts can keep us in a state of paralysis and prevent us from taking any action.

So it is important for us that we work with the right Leader, one who believes in us, one who looks to help us defeat self doubt and build our self-confidence.

If we work for a leader who doesn’t do that, then we should seriously look to move on, as this will hamper our self-growth, and what we can achieve.

We do not need any help at all in the self-doubt department.

We all know Leaders and have probably worked for Leaders, like that. Ones who prefer to put us down, dash our confidence and limit our performance, either because they lack self-confidence or are worried that at some point they may be replaced by anyone who shows a modicum of success.

In these situations, our only option is to leave and find a boss or Leader that will allow us to flourish.

One boss that I worked for used to do this all the time, not only with me but with others in the team. He would impose his limits onto us, he would stop people from trying to do things that he didn’t believe that he could do. He couldn’t do it, so he didn’t believe it could be done by anyone.

This kept the performance of his department at a very average level, he seemed less concerned about that and the threat that might have on his career than he did about anyone in his team achieving a significant goal.

He kept lowering targets, to ensure that we would achieve them and that we could then claim to be successful.

It was soul-destroying to work for him, there was very little positive growth and zero inspiration.

If you find yourself in that position I would suggest, if possible, that you look to find a different Leader for yourself as soon as possible.

Leaders should help us stand on their shoulders to reach new heights, not keep their feet on our shoulders to maintain their position.

We are all capable of so much more, but we need to have a Leader that encourages us to reach our full potential, that pushes us to new heights; not one who holds us back because of his lack of self-belief.

We only get one life, so don’t let anyone be a limit to what you can achieve.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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It’s interesting to me that a lot of their inspiration comes from their followers, abilities, and capabilities.

Many leaders are inspired by supporting their teams to realise their full potential and push their performance to new heights.

It’s not the Leader that has this potential, it’s their team, it’s you!

The Leader just has the ability to spot the possibilities, to nurture them, to light the fire that will drive their teams to achieve.

As a Leader there is nothing more satisfying than seeing our teams achieve, seeing the look on their faces when they have pushed their performance beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.

We can always do more or better, we just need to be shown how, to be given the encouragement, to be given the freedom to try new things and new techniques in a safe environment.

Leaders start out by showing the way, leading from the front, but as soon as their teams start to achieve, it’s the teams that take over, it’s the team which start to define their new targets, success breeds success, and teams look to continuously drive higher and higher.

From this point it is now the team that is leading and the Leader who is following, bringing up the rear, supporting and shouting words of encouragement.

Ultimately, if the leader does a great job, then the leader becomes redundant as the team starts to lead itself.

This should be the goal of every leader, to make their teams self-sufficient, then they can look for another team to follow.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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Most of the time, we see Leadership as the next step up from Management.

But in reality, they are two sides of the same coin.

Leaders create the vision, set the direction, and inspire the troops.

Whereas Managers create the plans, drive the troops and ensure that the results are achieved.

These are two overlapping and intertwined roles, they are not totally independent.

Imagine how much you could achieve if you could do both roles: If you could create the big bold vision, and then drive your teams to successfully complete the goal.

There are many Leaders with great ideas, and there are many managers who can drive a team to success.

But there are very few people who can do both, and for many who can, they tend to drop the management aspect as it is actually the more difficult role of the two.

As we start out on the road to becoming leaders it often involves us being managers.

So why not continue to develop both sets of skills, if you’re both a great Leader and a great Manager, the world is your oyster.

If you can achieve that, then you can set the goals that you want to achieve, fully confident that you will successfully achieve them.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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I also believe that we can all be great leaders; leadership isn’t a formal position; it’s about what we do every day.

Leadership is about setting the direction, being the example, supporting people and helping people

Great Leaders don’t start with followers. They set an example and direction that people like and believe in, and then other people just follow naturally.

Don’t wait for followers to ask you where you are going, just start your journey, and they will follow.

So why don’t we start a ‘Change the World’ movement, where we look to change the world to be a better place?

Our manifesto could be nice and simple,

‘Do something today that will help to change the world for the better’

One good deed a day is all we need to get this started.

Yes, it is that simple!

Your good deed, seen by others will get them to think about doing a good deed.

The recipient of your good deed will enjoy it and will probably look to do a good deed themselves.

The multiplying effect of your one good deed can be enormous.

We have the power to do this, so why not give it a try?

Let’s change the world for the better.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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They played a clip of Charlize Theron’s character introducing herself to the crew of her spaceship and here’s what she says…

‘It’s my job, to make sure that you, do your job’.

That is the statement of a manager, not a leader.

Charlize then went on to say how to get into character, she started to boss people around on the set.

Again these are the actions of a manager, and a bad one at that, rather than a leader.

Many people feel that when you’re in charge it’s your job to just do exactly that, and they then believe that this makes them leaders.

Being in charge is a position, whereas in my opinion, leadership is more of the style you adopt, and this can be performed whether you’re in charge or not.

This authoritarian style is, in my experience, one of the least effective, and possibly only works when you have a young and inexperienced team, that need strong direction.

If you’re dealing with an older or experienced team, who know what is needed to do their jobs, then it’s pretty much ineffective and more likely to demotivate. In this situation, a more collaborative style of leadership is much more effective.

People prefer to feel that they work with their leader rather than for them. If they feel they are working for you, then you will be perceived as a manager, and not as a leader.

If you want to boss people around, then you’re looking to be a manager and will probably have little success as a leader.

A leader needs to inspire, create belief, and help take the team to the next level.

I’ve included the video on Good Leader Bad Leader, which I think provides some good explanation.

If you want to be a leader then you need to lead, not just manage.

If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.

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