So what is leadership anyway? Have you ever wondered what’s your most effective role as a leader?
Is it servant leadership or celebrity leadership? Some leaders use their position to demand and command while others empower and guide those they lead. Effective leadership involves building a trust-based relationship with those they lead while creating a vision of the future. I believe an effective leader is someone who leads by lifting others and modeling core values of integrity, sincerity, humility… Someone who is others centered.
John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.” I have also heard it stated that there are 3 ways to Lead:
- By Example
- By Example
- By Example
In an article I came across Michael Josephson in explaining Servant Leadership tells about the parable of Brother Leo, ” there is an old legend of a monastery in France well-known throughout Europe because of the extraordinary leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks began a pilgrimage to visit Brother Leo to learn from him. Almost immediately the monks began to bicker as to who should do various chores.
“On the third day they met another monk who was also going to the monastery and he joined their party. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others would fight over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and simply do it himself. By the last day the other monks were following his example, and they worked together smoothly.
“When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed. ‘But our brother is among you!’ And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them late in the trip.”
Josephson goes on to explain, “Today, many people seek leadership positions, not so much for what they can do for others but for what the position can do for them: status, connections, perks, advantages. The parable about Brother Leo teaches another model of leadership, where leaders are preoccupied with serving rather than being followed, with giving rather than getting, with doing rather than demanding.
I love this story because it easily captures the true role of the Authentic Leader in a gentle but powerful way it influence others to a behavior of co-operation.
Servant Leaders are:
- Models of integrity and fairness.
- Encourage others to be their best self.
- Provide support and recognition.
- Have high expectations.
- They get people to look beyond their self -interest.
Whether you are a team leader or entrepreneur there are times when you may need some encouragement so here are a few quotes about leadership.
- “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
- “Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.” – Brian Tracy
- “Leadership is about lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” – Peter Drucker
- “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak: be bold, but not bully: be thoughtful, but not lazy: be humble but not arrogant: have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn
- “Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others: great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.” – Orrin Woodward