“To be great is to be misunderstood.” A thought reputed to be first expressed by
Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay, Self Reliance. As I under it,
Emerson’s main point was great thinkers are almost always misunderstood.
If the concept of leadership were better understood there
would be more truly effective, inspirational leaders.
I must confess…I think all inspirational leaders are great
thinkers. If they can’t think outside
current limits than they have nothing to pull their people toward for the
benefit of their organization and the people in it.
Therein lays a conflict for me in totally agreeing with
Emerson’s point about leaders being misunderstood.
I must confess…I don’t see how an inspirational leader can be
misunderstood and be successful in leading people. In thinking outside current limits, it’s the
leader’s job to help his or her followers understand.
With understanding comes commitment. Commitment drives purpose and purpose drives
action toward achieving the goal.
I must confess…I don’t believe people will exceed current
limits without understanding why they should contribute to the effort to do so.
I must confess…I believe inspirational leaders lead from
behind rather than being out front of their group with a great big title.
I must confess…a leader who emphasizes and leads from a
position of her/his title is guilty of egotism, at a minimum. Excessive ego in a leader is a lighted match
to the timber (people) of an organization.
The fire burns hot and destroys everything in its path!
My next confession is leaders do not move their people and the
organization ahead through words, only.
Yes, the use of words is critical to understanding.
The larger confession here, though, is
words alone do not pull people past current limits. Inspirational leaders have an attitude of
deeply caring. Caring about outcomes but
caring even more about the people delivering those outcomes.
I must confess…I believe a leader who takes time to care is
like a great beer or fine wine being allowed the time to age to
perfection. People who feel cared for
will pour their souls into exceeding current limits and deliver vintage results!
Here’s another confession. Inspirational leaders lead through
actions. When people see their leader
walking the talk through his/her supporting actions, they will run to follow
that leader wherever he or she wants to go.
So, if you want to be an inspirational leader you
must confess your willingness to do these things:
·
If you want your people to understand your
vision, you must understand them first, so the vision can be tied to their
purposes.
·
Allow your ego to be fed from the
accomplishments of your people not the title after your name.
·
Believe words are a platform to help
understanding but not the foundation for progress.
·
Care for your people because they create the
pulse for your future as a leader.
·
Assure your actions are consistent with the
message you are delivering and getting the ultimate results you want.
I suppose I could continue with additional confessions about
what inspirational leadership is but, if you delivered on the above 5 points
you would be exactly that…an inspirational leader!
On the other hand, if you confess to yourself you need to
get even deeper understanding of what inspirational leadership is, read a great
book by Simon Sinek. Here’s a link to
the Amazon page for Leaders Eat Last.
I must confess...I have no financial interest in you buying
Sinek’s book. ☺
What is the first step you will take in
becoming a more inspirational leader?
Please share your
thoughts by commenting below.
And…please forward this information to others by following the social
media share link at the top or bottom of this post.
Thank
you.
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