It seems that those who seek to improve their leadership skills are often looking for the magic ingredient. What is that I can do that will help me succeed? What is that I can implement in my everyday job that will help me get a promotion? What do I need to do to ensure my employees are doing what I ask them to? Questions like these are very common. Unfortunately there is not a miraculous stroke of a wand that can ensure that you will achieve your leadership desires. But there is a foundation that you can lay which will be the catalyst for anything that you place on top of it. This foundation will hold strong all the principles that you develop and implement as you travel through the exciting world of leadership. What I am about to share may seem simplistic, but unfortunately too often it is lacking in individuals that are responsible for leading others. The exciting part of this foundation is that it can be applied to your everyday life and to anyone around you - your spouse, children, peers, supervisors, and of course your subordinates.
The foundation to leadership begins with your outlook on life, how you view yourself, and most importantly how you carry yourself. Your foundation has to be humility. An individual who desires to be a leader or already is one - has to be humble. If your outlook on life is that you have achieved or will achieve great things because of your ability, you will struggle. If you view yourself as having all the tools and skills to be a great leader, you probably don't. If you carry yourself as a big shot that knows everything, you more than likely know very little. You see, this type of behavior is usually a result of insecurities. Great leaders are individuals who are extremely comfortable in their skin. They are not concerned about what others may perceive of them - negative or positive. They do not go home at night wondering if the people working for them were impressed with how much they knew. Great leaders understand that the reason they are in the positions they are in is not because of their own ability, but because of the ability of those that work for them. Begin humbling yourself by understanding that the people that work for you is the only reason you accomplish what you do. Take a moment and consider the leadership position you are in (for those who are not yet in a leadership position - try to imagine how this would play out). How many employees are you responsible for? What are your core responsibilities to your oversight? What is it that you have to deliver to your boss on a consistent basis that allows you to remain in your position? Now picture the people that work for you and envision every single one of them getting up and walking out. You are now left with an empty office, plant, or sports team - and you're the only one left. If you are being honest with yourself than you can admit that without your employees you can achieve very little, if anything.
Understanding how critical the people that work for you are, you may begin to understand how critical the foundation of humility is to being a successful leader. In all my years of working in the corporate environment I never heard anyone comment after a meeting about a humble person that they were disgusted by how humble he or she was. I have however, heard many comments about people who were arrogant that were not very pleasing. It is very clear (consider your feelings) that nobody likes to work for a know it all. People need to feel valued and cared for. People need to know that they have something to offer. People love the fact that their boss, spouse, father, subordinate acknowledges that they don't know everything but will do everything they can to find out. This type of humbleness brings everyone together - it eliminates superiority and makes individuals feel like they are part of a team.
By understanding the value of everyone around you, you can begin to make necessary life changes that will lay the foundation to great leadership. There are a number of great books on this subject but one of the better and practical ones that I have read is Today Matters by John C. Maxwell. Dr. Maxwell underscores how critical today is in making a difference tomorrow. If you want to be a great leader tomorrow and be truly successful, get that promotion you have dreamt about, or just know that your employees are willingly following you and accomplishing what you have asked them to do, then humility is the place to start!
