If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more then you are a leader.
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the frontline when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” ~ Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is a man many today look to as an example of a great leader, in years to come generations will read his story in the history books and aspire to be like him. Like many other great leaders he’s left a lasting legacy.
In my many years of working in a range of industries I’ve come across managers with differing approaches. There have been those who’ve been dictatorial with no room for negotiation, discussion and neither did they allow creativity. They always sought to have the last word. There have been those who ‘managed‘ in name only! Although it said Manager on their badge, the staff pretty much did what they wanted to and chaos and disrution would follow or those less senior would have to step in and complete work that wasn’t their responsibility because the manager wasn’t doing their job! A few have been examples of excellent managers and leaders.
I remember the first manager I worked with around thirty years ago – Mrs Myers. Now here was a great manager! I was working in one of British Shoe Corporation’s shoe shops in Cardiff. Mrs Myers was approachable, firm when she had to be but she encouraged all her staff to be the best they could. I learnt so much from her. Many of her staff went on to lead successful lives either in manangement, business or other areas. I remember one instance when a new member of staff was struggling with reaching her sales target for that day. I had exceeded mine and Mrs Myers quietly asked me to give my next sales to this team member. She also added sales and that month everyone got a bonus! We all learnt that day that thinking of each other and working as a team helped everyone. In all my working life I haven’t forgotten Mrs Myers.
Is there a difference between management and leadership?
Peter Drucker ~ “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right thing.”
Empowering your team is one of the greatest strengths of a leader and it’s the one thing so many get wrong or misjudge. “When the best leaders work is done the people say, we did it ourselves” ~ Lao Tzu
Over the years I’ve mentored a number of people and I’ve witnessed what they’ve achieved. Most have become and are still good friends and even today years later, we still talk about our early days of working together. Seeing them succeed in their lives is something words can’t describe.
Am I good leader? I try to be and I do try to follow the principles of good leadership. Sometimes I get it wrong but the lesson I’ve learnt is I’m human and human’s make mistakes! What we learn from those mistakes and how we try to ensure we don’t repeat those mistakes is what matter. Doing the right thing and thinking about the needs of each individual within your team is important because if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more then you are a leader.
alisoncrossjones 