Oh my goodness, did that post title actually capture your interest? It was meant to be ironic. Come on people. We are better than this. There are no secrets to becoming a leader any more than there are secrets to losing weight. Please hear this in the deepest part of your conscious self: If you want to know how to become a better leader, that quest percolates from within you because you are already wired to be a leader. If this is news to you, it isn’t a “secret”, you are having what we call an epiphany. Think about that for a moment. Instead of secrets, let me give you some truth: Confidence and wisdom are gained by doing the thing we desire.
Stop doubting you can lead.
If you are reading this, don’t buy into the “leadership must be taught” mentality. Reading books and studying leadership may qualify you to author books and teach graduate students, but this won’t make you a successful leader. Yet, you can’t flip a switch to gain wisdom. Leadership confidence accumulates from leading in real time and seeing the potential in every decision to grow.
Set your sight on a mark beyond your fear.
One of the greatest fears of leaders is failing and taking all your dependents (e.g. employees, investors, vendors) down with you. We’d be foolish to deny such a risk. But, catastrophic failures rarely happen because of a single decision. The worst types of failures are incremental, systemic, and insidious. For example:
- You avoid difficult conversations.
- You don’t stay focused on goals or track progress.
- No one is allowed to question you.
- You act the way you think you should, but not authentically.
- You downplay or ignore mediocrity.
Press into your courageous self.
Ask for help.
It isn’t a sign of weakness, it shows how smart you are. Be prepared to seek wise counsel. Know in advance who you can tap when you need a sounding board, a different perspective, more in-depth understanding, or access to an extended network of resources. A leader who doesn’t purport to need a few trusted advisers is quite frankly a fool. Also, when asked selflessly help others.
Be decisive.
When you are expected to resolve a matter, get it done. I’m not talking about where you are meeting for lunch. I’m talking about you either having that hard conversation with your department head about his lackluster performance, or cutting your losses and terminating him. Strong leaders are decisive. Gather the requisite information needed, consult with your team, weigh the gains, costs, and risks, then pull the trigger.
Always be learning.
None of us succeeds in our career without intentionally developing personally and professionally. I know I started out scoffing leadership training, but I’m not denying that books, articles, podcasts, etc. can be thought-provoking as you develop. Most devoted leaders are perpetually and purposefully growing, and partly that is through challenging their own thought process.
Just like we all knew the true athletes in high school gym class (my hand is not raised), if you have worked, you know who the natural leaders are. And, just like every athlete does not go on to be a coach, neither does a top performer at work necessarily become a great leader. If you are that natural leader than you know that:
- You don’t break a sweat when the game gets close or goes long.
- You’ve assembled a great team and you depend on them.
- You don’t rest on your laurels.
- And, if you lose a game, you show up at the next practice, determined to pull out a winning season.
If you are a born leader, own it and work at it with all your heart. Those who follow you will be ever so grateful.
If you could use some coaching along the way, please e-mail me or call me at 561.339.2170 to discuss your needs.