Without leadership, nothing gets done. What happens if nobody steps up? Nothing. Somebody has to cross the bridge first, to be the one who sticks their neck out, to establish a direction and inspire people to action.
Anyone can lead from any level—opportunities to be a leader are everywhere, every day. What does that mean? It means step up, take charge. If you see that something clearly needs to be done, why are you waiting for somebody else to do it? Say, for example, I’m working in my cube and I realize that a system isn’t working right and I have an idea for making it better. But, I’m not the boss, so I don’t speak up or stick my neck out. That’s crazy!
You might say, “Well, what if the boss feels threatened?” But a great leader welcomes ideas. A great leader WANTS someone to come to him or her with a solution instead of a problem. To become a leader you must actively seek out new challenges. Take every opportunity for increased responsibility and perform every task, large or small, to the best of your ability. Your reward will come in the form of opportunities to take on bigger, more important projects. Especially if, in the absence of direction, you take the initiative to proceed with the action you believe will get the best results.
Leaders do not have the luxury of giving in to panic or despair. It takes courage, honesty, and most importantly—discipline, as in the ability to control your impulses and stay calm and cool under pressure. Remember that old saying about keeping your head while everyone around you is losing theirs? That’s leadership. Instead of hitting the panic button and yelling, “We’re all gonna die!” a leader steps back, takes stock of the situation, and says, “OK. How can we fix this?”
Emergencies happen. Have you ever been in an office environment when the Internet went down? People freak out. You’d think it was the end of the world. But seriously, does a temporary technical difficulty mean your entire business just fell apart?
A leader takes a different approach. A leader says, “Let’s look at our options here. Who can we call and what’s the fastest way to fix it?” and, “What can each of us do to keep operating in the meantime?”
A leader thinks things through. When someone on your team comes to you so frustrated that they want to take action right now and do potentially all the wrong things, you’re the voice of reason who listens to them with respect and is willing to say, “Let’s think about this. What should we do that would be best for the company? For the big picture?”
That approach pays off in multiple ways—you prevent an outcome that could damage the business. You win the trust and buy-in of an employee instead of turning them into an adversary. And you set an example of what leadership is supposed to look like.
Kick Ass, Make Money & Have Fun Doing It!
Craig Zuber
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