Truly speaking the title of this article is somewhat of a paradox since the true definition of leadership requires that you be proactive. I included it however because in this article, it is imperative that you understand the difference if you are going to get the point; most people don’t. I apologize if I’ve already offended you; however, I promise you will understand if you’re brave enough to continue.
If you are pressed for time, be sure to print this article
out for reading at a later time. It is more than 2,500 words long so settle in
for an interesting read – Jasmine Green Tea anyone?
First, let’s define leadership.
In classic Dean L. Forbes style, first, here’s the dictionary’s definition…
Leadership – to provide guidance; give direction or issue orders; a position of authority and power
Once again the dictionary fails us miserably in providing an adequate definition for such an important part of our existence – no wonder most fail at it abysmally.
Here’s the Dean L. Forbes definition…
Leadership – the courage to make decisions grounded in correct principle and to act in accordance with your values regardless of popular practice and with the primary purpose of serving others
This to me is a more encompassing definition of leadership –
true and authentic leadership.
Why Proactive
Leadership?
True leadership requires that you be proactive; I added it in the title because it is important that you understand what it will take to be an effective leader – one that makes a difference.
In order to be a proactive leader you must endeavor to take responsibility for all your deeds. In other words, neither people nor circumstances affect your response and if they do you accept the responsibility of allowing the occurrence. Responsibility is a discipline that all true leaders understand well – they recognize the vastness of it and act accordingly.
The point is that when you are proactive you know that while you have no control over others or the circumstances around you – you do control you. You control what you think and how you act. Regardless of the stimuli, a proactive leader knows that he/she is free to choose his/her response rather than simply reacting. Reactive people are influenced by everything that acts upon them – proactive people influence actions.
To put it in simple terms, if someone gives you the finger,
you may choose to reciprocate in kind or you can just as easily ignore the
gesture. This is what is known as being
the bigger person. You can be proactive or reactive – just know that true
leaders are proactive.
Self-leadership
Before you can lead anyone else, you must first master leading yourself. If you do not know where you are going or what your purpose is, how can you lead others?
Purpose, plan and action in that order are how you self-lead. Without this sequence nothing will get done; you will not move forward and your dreams and goals will become mere fantasies. Self-leadership also requires that you are proactive; you do not wait for others or circumstances to move you – you are the mover. You move others and influence the circumstances around you in order to achieve the results you desire.
In order to lead yourself effectively, you must be crystal clear about your intentions and why you intend them. You must value principles and be diligent in executing your plans.
Here’s a jumpstart guideline to help you develop good habits in self-leadership.
Develop a Personal Mission Statement
A personal mission statement is crucial in helping you identify you innermost values and goals. It serves as the compass guiding you on your journey ensuring that you remain on track. It is like the blueprint of a house.
Before the first nail is driven – before the first beam is staked into the ground – a blueprint must be drawn. If not, the builders will not know where to put the big walk-in closet or the man-room with all the sports memorabilia. The point is that you need to know your mission – your purpose before you can begin to lay plans to achieve it.
There is a reason elite teams like the Navy Seals, Rangers and the 300 are so successful at what they do. They all know the mission and each man knows exactly what he is expected to do and how it must be done to achieve the desired result. Effective self-leadership demands the same level of commitment and diligence in order to achieve at the highest level of your potential.
Make plans and evaluate them often
Once you have a mission – a blueprint – you must make plans to execute it. You must now prioritize each stage of your plan in a manner that you believe will garner the greatest success. Based on your mission, you must plan your next moves; decide what resources and tools you need and also who are the people you need to contact to make it happen. All these things are an important part of the planning phase.
Surely, depending on other elements beyond your control, you may need to change your plans. This is why you must evaluate your plans often – at monthly intervals perhaps. You can always change your plans if necessary to achieve the results you desire so long as your mission remains the same. Your mission should only change if it no longer represents your value system.
The main reason to evaluate your plan is to ensure that it is in line with your values, adheres to correct principles and on track to achieving your goal. Value your mission but do not marry the plan otherwise it may blind you. Focus on the results you want to achieve and then make sure that your plans get you there. Even if you have to change your plans mid-stride, you will feel comfortable doing it if you are not attached to it.
There is no substitute for a well-laid plan; all true leaders plan. There are none who do not. If you fail to plan, then you must also plan to fail. In fact, true leaders are almost always planning.
Take action
Unless you act on your plans, nothing will happen – you will achieve nothing. You must act on your plans; you must execute each step on the way to fulfilling your purpose – your mission.
You need to function like a guided missile. Its guidance system tells it what its purpose is; its programming tells it where it’s going; however that missile will not have fulfilled its purpose until it reaches its target. To do that, it must take flight – not stopping until it has reached its destination. This has to be you and you must commit to taking action consistently.
Don’t sit on the sidelines waiting for everything to be perfect before you make a move for if you do you will be waiting for eternity. Taking action and making mistakes is the only way you will learn what it takes to move forward. Still waters may run deep but if you can’t “hang 10” you’ll never ride the waves. So what if you fall off the board a few times – the more you practice the better you will become. If you are waiting for perfection then you should know that practice is the only thing that makes perfect – or at least comes closest.
Execute around priorities
Remember to put first things first and execute your plans by priority. Prioritize your actions by level of stages and importance. If you know that you must execute item A before item D can be the best, then make certain you do not skip item A. If you fail to prioritize your actions you will end up with what I like to refer to as “Scatter Brain Syndrome” or SBS.
It is vital that you learn how to prioritize. It is the best way to avoid the “activity trap.” So many people suffer from the proverbial activity trap of being very busy but getting nowhere fast. This is because they are not prioritizing so they are just doing and acting without a guidance system. Yes you have to take action; however, acting out of sequence is just as bad if not worse than no action at all because it wastes valuable energy while achieving sub-par or no results.
All true leaders understand the value of priority
power and they use it consistently to help them stay on track and keep
their actions in line with the mission.
Leading
Others
Remember the paramount purpose of leadership – to serve others. This is the responsibility that all true leaders accept. If you are not aiming to serve others you cannot lead effectively.
Neither your position nor station in life can ever make you an effective leader regardless of what the documents say. Leadership comes first from within and then influences the people and circumstances around you. This is why it is imperative that you first master self-leadership before leading others.
In order to lead others effectively, you must know where you are going and have the vision to convey the mission clearly to those that would follow. People do not truly follow titles and positions; they follow those who represent values within them. They follow people they trust, people who show they care about them and their dreams.
True leaders know that their success lie in those they help find success – in growing others. This is the path of the proactive leader – others.
Here’s a jumpstart guideline to help you develop good habits in leading others.
Put people first
Above all else true leaders always put people first. Everything else is secondary for there are no greater connections than the ones formed between people. You put people first because in the people is where you will find the greatest wealth of progress and creativity. When empowered, people can produce at levels we still have not seen or imagined possible.
Without others, you cannot achieve at your full potential; without people, no company can rise to the pinnacle of excellence. Without others, no idea can change the world. We all need each other and that’s why you must always put people first.
Feed the four quadrants
This goes hand-in-hand with putting people first. When you put people first, you can then take the necessary steps to make sure that you feed the four quadrants of people – the mind, body, heart and spirit. True leaders understand that they must always look to nourish people in these four areas in order to help them reach their full potential.
Too often, I have seen companies that treat their employees like machines rather than people. They expect them to function like robots rather than the creative beings that they are. They do not involve them in the creation of the mission or purpose, yet they expect them to honor it. This usually leads to employees who are disgruntled and who feel like they have no real value. There are not many things worse that living a life without real purpose – most human beings want – need that.
This is why as a leader, you must nourish the four quadrants of the people in any way you can. Feed their mind, body, heart and spirit and you will awaken extremely high levels of creativity, ingenuity and innovation within them. This is called “cherishing the goose.”
Focus on results
It is important that you pay attention to details; however, you must not get caught up in the minutia of things. How a result is achieved is not as important as the result itself. So long as the results were met through right actions, the how doesn’t really matter at all. If your values are in tact, focus on the results.
Too many people are overly concerned with process and procedure – these are guides and nothing more. There are always other ways – better ways of doing things. What matters most is the result.
Managers often get caught up in doing the right thing by following procedure and doing exactly as they are told no matter what. When the plan fails, the lame response is usually, “I was only doing my job” or “that’s the way they wanted me to do it.”
Leaders on the other hand do the right things. They do not get tangled in the web of procedure; rather they promote creativity and innovation in order to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The shorter and more effective the road to the results are – the better.
This does not mean that you promote anarchy and break the rules every chance you get. It simply means that you remove the fear from the people by letting them know that you value innovation and creativity. You let them know that they should not be afraid to share new ideas because you value their voice. After all as a true leader, this is what you are supposed to do – help others find their voice.
Value principles
If you do nothing else as a leader, make sure you value principles. Principles are universal truths that are unchanging. They do not break or waver – they simply are. If you value principles and endeavor to live by them, you will always be able to make good decisions. Others will undoubtedly respect your tenacity and resolve.
Principles should be the backbone of every decision you make. This way your judgment will not be clouded by emotion. When you make decisions based on natural laws, you will always achieve the right results. For instance, there is a universal law that says, you reap more than what you sow; this is true in all cases. The more good you do, the more good will come back to you which means that the reverse is also true.
Have you ever noticed that the more you are down, the more the universe seems to work to keep you down? And, the more you are up, the more the universe seems to work to keep you up?
These are all natural laws in action every second of every
day and it doesn’t matter what we do, they will simply exist. People and
circumstances may change; however, principles do not. This is why you must
value principles.
Where do
leaders come from?
Everywhere and Anywhere!
True leaders are not born or made; rather they emerge. Leaders can come from any walk of life; any color, creed or station. We all have the ability to become leaders; in fact we need more leaders than ever before in history.
By the (Dean L. Forbes) definition of leadership, anyone with the will to act can become a leader. It does not matter who you are, where you’re from or what you do, leadership is yours if you choose it.
Of course, this begs the answer to another question – one I frequently get. Can anyone truly be a leader?
Well for starters let me say that while all leaders are
followers, not all followers are leaders. Not everyone wants to lead and that’s
ok – happy following – no hard feelings. The other side to this is that many
want to lead but only few will really become true leaders. Many are called –
few are chosen. I know it’s a cliché but it is true.
A final
thought
This article is by no means an attempt to explain to you all the characteristics necessary to be a leader – that’s just too much for one article. The goal rather is simply to put true leadership in perspective for you – to provide you with proper context.
Too often people misconstrue what true leadership is. I wrote this article to help you distinguish leadership from management. The goal is to point you in the right direction in developing true leadership habits. I want to help you understand that proactive leaders lead a life of significant difference. They make significant differences and they embrace differences significantly.
My question is, what kind of leader do you want to be?
