July 28, 2014 Focus Point

Everyone Benefits from Effective Leadership!

"Don't find fault, find a remedy." ~Henry Ford

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." ~John Quincy Adams

"A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit." ~Arnold H. Glasow

The most effective leaders I know, help other people before they help themselves, they think of others more than they think of themselves, they ask for forgiveness, they include and involve everyone they can, and when their team wins they give the credit to their team mates. So what is leadership to you?

Maybe for a high school student it would be to treat others with respect and help them see and feel of the value they have as a person. That being different from everyone else is a good thing. With this mindset, can you imagine how bullying would decrease?

Maybe for a department head or a leader in a higher level management position it would be recognizing the different talents and strengths of those on your team and to do your best to make sure that they are able to have fulfillment in their work. Maybe for a midlevel manager or someone with no position at all, it would be choosing to come to work with a positive attitude that would lift and build those around you, and in turn help improve morale and effective work. It may include going the extra mile to fulfill the requests and demands of the job, proving to add excellent value to working associates, customers, and to the company. This is called 360 Degree Leadership, beginning with leadership of self.

No matter the position or lack of position, no matter the station in life, true leadership is influence with other people for good or for bad. A leader driven by confidence will help people. A leader driven by ego will hurt people. Leadership is more a learned skill than it is natural talent. Leadership is not a position or title but rather the attitude that we choose to carry.