The Leadership Journey

Leadership is not easy. Anyone who thinks it is has most likely not been a “true” leader. What defines a true leader? Leadership is about inspiration. Real leaders will inspire people from within to take a journey – whatever the journey may be. If you are forcing people down a given road then you are not leading or inspiring, you are in fact ramming people in a specific direction. It doesn’t matter what your direction is, if you don’t inspire people and enable them to understand why the journey needs to be take and the value of the journey then you will most likely receive resistance, will not have company loyalty and probably won’t achieve your goals and vision.

Leadership starts at the top – with you! You have to walk the talk. If you change your company dress code from casual to business casual and you continue to show up in jeans while expecting your employees to show-up in slacks and jacket, well you see where I am going here. To inspire others you must be inspired yourself. What does it take to inspire someone? When we go down a path, take a journey, typically they are challenging. They should be. To inspire someone they need to realize and believe that where you are going, something that potentially seemed impossible is in fact very possible. If people believe in you and where you are going, they will follow. They will be great mentees and you a great mentor – which is how it should be.

All of us should think about our leadership skills and consider what we can do to improve them (as there is always room for improvement). Yes, leadership is hard but it is really fun too, especially when you have great team behind you believing in you and the journey that you are taking them on. Get yourself inspired and then inspire others.

Here are a few fun questions you can answer for yourself about leadership.

1. What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
4. What books have changed your life?
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?