By Michael Holland –
I’ve asked the question countless times and more often than not I get the same basic answer. The question: Who in your past has been a great leader, someone you can visualize and model your leadership behavior after?
A few moments of staring off into space ensues while they think back through the video files in their minds of the leaders they’ve had, the behaviors they saw and what they would want to emulate.
The all-too-often answer: I really don’t have anyone in my past. But there are a lot of leaders/behaviors I know I wouldn’t emulate!
We can’t go back and change those experiences but we can each decide to get better at leading today.
Improving your leadership impact is a continual process that requires you to always be learning, questioning, desiring what could I do to be better at leading my team, department, function, division, company.
The question you need to ask yourself: What can I do to be a leader that people will want to emulate?
Leaders who lead well are never expecting to reach a “summit” of leadership.
Sure, they relish and enjoy plateaus that allow them to take into account what they’ve learned, regroup a bit and replenish.
But then they take a step forward. They start moving again challenging themselves to find tools, methods, insight, behaviors that enable them to be more effective.
Here are some quick items to help you should you want to choose to be a leader who leads well:
- Read this blog post – Start Fresh: 6 Steps to Follow to Rehire Yourself
- Watch this video – Why Good Leaders Make Us Feel Safe
- Read this book – Death by Meeting
Decide today how you will – or won’t – create a trend line of leading well and a ripple impact on those who watch you lead.
Coaching Thoughts – For Your and Your Peers
- Grab a peer leader and together watch and then discuss the video listed above.
- What can you do today, this week, this season to increase your leadership impact?
- Where else can you look for leadership behaviors to emulate?
