Can You Do Leadership?

A question was posted recently in one of the groups on LinkedIn asking users to define leadership. The definition of leadership always brings up an interesting question, “how does one truly define leadership?” This post will not pretend that it knows the complete total answer to the question, instead it proposes that you look deep inside yourself to find the answer to question, “Can you do leadership?”

What do I mean by that? Many of the responses to the question on LinkedIn spoke to the leaders desire to have empathy for those being led. Some of the respondents  also wanted their leaders to mimic their behaviors.  While others, wanted a leader that provided specific direction to them and tell them how they should follow.  What this really tells us about leadership is that most people want someone to be like them.

…it is one thing to define leadership, it is another thing to actually do leadership.

So again the question remains, what does all this mean? Well, it comes back to one of the oldest philosophical sayings, “do onto others, as you would have done to you.” We all know this saying. It is called the Golden rule. In application towards leadership this means that we want someone to really reflect ourselves. So when you look to define leadership you should really look to yourself.  Of course if we all navel gaze, then we will all think we are leaders. Unfortunately

that is not the case. While we would all like to be leaders, most of us cannot be a leader when we are trapped with fear of what others thinking, lack of initiative, and lack of desire. What I am getting at is that it is one thing to define leadership, it is another thing to actually do leadership.

Be honest with yourself, do you really know what it takes to do leadership?

We all know this saying. It is called the Golden rule.

If you think that title, a corporate position, or even a few awards gives you authority then you are right… for a while. Those items are tickets to the leadership game. They get you in the door and give you the chance to demonstrate to those that will follow that you can actually do leadership. If you cannot, then all the titles, money, and awards are meaningless to those being led.

To do leadership you have to at least do a few things:

• First, you need to be decisive. When a decision comes to you, and you have the time, listening to all sides of the argument is important. In the end though, you are the leader and you have to make the decision.  Once the decision is made, then the decision is made. Inability to be decisive leads to certain segments feeling that they can always push back and bend your will. To your followers, you will look weak and they will be less likely to follow you when you need them to.

• Second, you must be able to articulate your vision that inspires belief. This means using every tool and resource at your disposal to build an argument, a case, and a vision that can be readily copied by her followers. A failure to do that will result in a muddy argument that becomes too difficult to understand and therefore too difficult to execute. A failure to garner the belief of one’s followers is an immediate loss of one’s power.

• Third, you must know when to follow. Of the three items I have discussed so far, this is the most important to understand and implement. There are many times a leader must actually follow. It could be the leader is not in a position to make a decision, or an effort to promote a new agenda they delegate the leadership role to someone else. At other times, when the leaders followers do not wish to be led in a particular direction is to the benefit of the leader to follow. This concept is difficult to most people who fashion themselves as leaders. They believe that they must always have the answers, have the vision, and be the one giving the orders. The reality is that they are violating the Golden rule. They are actually petty tyrants. Yet, this is one subject that many traditional leadership training programs tend not to touch upon. If you can understand and capitalize on this rule, that you will actually be one of the most powerful leaders in your organization.

As I stated, this blog post is not to have all the answers when it comes to leadership. What it does have are these three specific things in the leader must do, to actually do leadership. As it says on the temple at Delphi, “know thyself.” That is the most important thing anyone who wants to be leader must do.

How do you do leadership?

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a coaching and consultancy provider for businesses and medical practices. He has over eleven years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin