Some days you feel like a leader, some days you do not. Sound like an old familar commercial? But, isn't it true? Some days you feel like getting out of bed and leading the charge and some days you just don't and you end up with the remnants of a game face that sticks with you for most of the day.
Well, today is a day to lead. Grab the bull by the horns, focus on those you have the privilege of leading and in good old Texas fashion - go get 'em ya'll.
I am headed off to explore leadership in another country and culture in South Africa. Looking forward to the adventure and to sharing updates with you along the way.
Cheers,
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
How Exactly Do You Lead Other People?
When I am asked "What do you do?", the response varies. However, the answer I enjoy the most and say most often is:
"We rescue life jacketed leaders in the deep end of the pool who were promoted but never taught how to swim."
You see, in our experience at MWI (Monica Wofford International), so many people appear to have been bestowed leadership titles (i.e. life jackets) and promoted to deeper or larger pools (i.e. bigger teams, bigger offices, etc) yet never put through any training on how to actually lead. (i.e. SWIM).
Leadership, or rather effective leadership, requires that you know how to and are proficient in:
1. Building Rapport
2. Building Trust
3. Helping others Grow
4. Motivating and Recognizing Others in Ways that Work for Them
5. Delegation, Prioritization, and Communication
and perhaps as important as all of these skills...
Knowing who you are, what your boundaries are, what your needs are, and having enough confidence to stand up for what you believe, as well as the needs of the team you lead.
That is a lot, but leadership is not easy. It's work. Learning how to swim in what can sometimes be rather choppy and complicated waters is not easy. People are not easy. That doesn't mean leadership is never fun or always drudgery, but it does mean that it is often misinterpreted as somthing that you gain when you get promoted, sort of like the surprise in a box of cracker jack. No one gives you leadership. You create, develop, hone, practice on, and earn leadership - one day and one person at a time.
Until we have the privilege of meeting in person....
Monica
"We rescue life jacketed leaders in the deep end of the pool who were promoted but never taught how to swim."
You see, in our experience at MWI (Monica Wofford International), so many people appear to have been bestowed leadership titles (i.e. life jackets) and promoted to deeper or larger pools (i.e. bigger teams, bigger offices, etc) yet never put through any training on how to actually lead. (i.e. SWIM).
Leadership, or rather effective leadership, requires that you know how to and are proficient in:
1. Building Rapport
2. Building Trust
3. Helping others Grow
4. Motivating and Recognizing Others in Ways that Work for Them
5. Delegation, Prioritization, and Communication
and perhaps as important as all of these skills...
Knowing who you are, what your boundaries are, what your needs are, and having enough confidence to stand up for what you believe, as well as the needs of the team you lead.
That is a lot, but leadership is not easy. It's work. Learning how to swim in what can sometimes be rather choppy and complicated waters is not easy. People are not easy. That doesn't mean leadership is never fun or always drudgery, but it does mean that it is often misinterpreted as somthing that you gain when you get promoted, sort of like the surprise in a box of cracker jack. No one gives you leadership. You create, develop, hone, practice on, and earn leadership - one day and one person at a time.
Until we have the privilege of meeting in person....
Monica
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.bmp)
