Insights into Leadership

As usual, John Maxwell has so much to say of value and his last Maximum Impact Mentoring session wasn’t any less than expected. I have personally gained invaluable knowledge and insights into leadership since I have begun the journey of Leadership Coaching Certification. My introduction to John Maxwell was through a leadership book given by my mentor over 5 years ago. Since then I have reached for the stars to become leadership certified through the John Maxwell organization. Many of the concepts I’ve absorbed have challenged commonly accepted assumptions on leadership and a few have challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone.

All true growth happens outside of your comfort zone.

I’ll share with you some of the latest insights into leadership . . .

In order to become a true leader, you must first change your thinking. Leadership is not about you – leadership is all about other people. In order to succeed as a leader, one must let go of the Hero Mentality. Leaders should be dispensable not indispensable. This might cause you to sit up and say: “What?” That’s right: true leaders equip others so that their legacy and values are carried on, even in their absence. In so many instances of charismatic top-down driven ‘leaders’, organizations falter or fail when they leave. For some this is a huge ego boost that, in turn, feeds the Hero Mentality. These individuals like to swoop in and save the day – creating a dependent culture, not a strong one.

Let go and realize that you cannot go far, alone.

A wise leader realizes that they need other people more than they need you. One key to successful leadership is developing a team of complimentary talents and abilities. After all, one person does not do everything well. However, the only way to develop those around you is to develop yourself first. You cannot teach that what you haven’t experienced and do not embody. You must become the model of the behavior you expect to see in other people. To be honest with you: it was THIS revelation that led to several years of procrastination before I took a leadership role. I wasn’t mentally ready for the responsibility and I knew it.

Leadership is not ‘management’. Leadership is about lifting up other people.

However, taking the accountability of leadership has been the most rewarding experience of my life. Leaders exist to lift others up by giving them the tools and support they need to succeed. This comes from a place of selflessness and giving. It is impossible to genuinely support others if you are coming from a place of insecurity and need for control. Also, it’s important to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses when developing others (and yourself!). Recognize and mitigate the weaknesses, but focus on strengths for true development and success. Being brutally honest with yourself about areas of improvement are important, but people can spend years trying to eliminate or shore up a weakness while missing out on opportunities because they did not develop their strengths.

Stop counseling (focus on weaknesses) and start equipping (focus on strengths).

Another revelation for me was taking empowerment one step further than I had previously considered… You cannot TALK people into confidence, you must WALK them into it. Positive affirmations are all well and good, but supporting others in the action of achieving more will open their eyes to their own abilities. When people discover their own talents and lest their own limits, it hold much more weight than just verbal support. This takes active, personal engagement from a leader and a personal investment in other people (again, a far cry from egocentricity).

When developing your team, don’t ask yourself how far you think they’ll go – ask them how far they WILL go.

Through helping others set their own goals, it puts ownership of achievement on their shoulders. Only by helping people find their gifts and how to use them to truly equip others to succeed. It’s a myth that leadership is all about hoarding knowledge and information. The fact is, the more you give to others, the more you will receive. The more you lift others up, empower them – the more you are empowered. Equip others into success and you will be successful.

I hope this excerpt has given some insights into leadership and added value to your journey.

Please comment on what additional key success factors play into leadership from your perspective.

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