Leadership: Learning to Lead

Learning to lead your staff, an organization, or maybe even learning to lead yourself, takes work. Becoming a strong and successful leader is far more than a pipe dream, a  “one of these days, when” situations. You do not just wake up one day in a leadership position and successfully lead people. You must start learning to lead long before you lead.   

 

So, what is leadership? If you do your research you will see that leadership will have different meanings for different people. One thing is for sure, though, leadership is not given, it is earned. 

 

What is leadership?

“Leadership is influence. Just because someone has a title, doesn’t mean that person is a leader. When it comes to identifying a real leader… The proof of leadership is found in the followers.” John C. Maxwell Company 

 

I have always been interested in leadership. 

 

Learning to lead myself and in the process, hoping to learn the skills needed to move myself forward in my career. Whatever that career turned out to be. Reading, listening to podcasts, whatever I could do to always be learning. The skills really don't become part of your leadership  until you are in a position to use those skills.  

 

Over the years, I have been active in different organizations. Stepping up where I could to be a positive influence. Seeking to motivate others to accomplish a common goal. 

 

My experience with leadership.

Early on, you would find me very active in church, teaching Sunday School or organizing events. Later, in my journey I found myself  holding positions on the boards of nonprofits, holding positions where I had management teams and responsible for employees. With each experience brings new challenges. Which meant there were new things to learn. 

 

Have I always been successful  as a leader? No. Mistakes have been made, but I have learned things along the way. I am no John Maxwell or Michael Hyatt (two of my mentors), but I want you to know that if I can figure this out, so can you. 

 

The focus of this category.

I will take you with me on my journey as I learn. Blogging is not my full time job.  I also have a job where I am responsible for a team and employees. I will share with you the challenges we face and how we overcome them. 

 

There are so many topics that can be discussed under the leadership category. Here are just a few examples of some of the leadership topics that we will discuss. You will see some of these as individual posts and some you will see as a series of posts.

 

• Effective Communication 
• Core Values
• Winning Teams
• Earning Trust
• Vision & Mission
• Conflict Resolution
• Delegation
• Productivity
• Motivation
• ...and much more.

 

 Being able to maximize these leadership skills, not only your personal life, but your professional life, whether you are in a leadership position or not will be incredibly rewarding. Rewarding to you and those you are responsible to, those you are tasked to lead. 

 

Being a leader is so much different than being a boss.

Leading is not about giving orders. Yes, that are times where you have to give direction, but more than that, leadership is about the relationship. The trust and influence you have with the other person you are leading. 

 

Just remember, to whom much is given, much is required. 

 

Even though leadership brings great responsibility it also brings great reward. The skills you learn can be used in all areas of your life. Increasing your confidence, improving your communication, and proving you and/or your team to accomplish great things. The best thing is you have the chance to positively impact someone else’s life. 

 

Leadership can

• Enable you to grow personally and professionally.
• Motivate you to reach for the stars. 
• Be encouraging during tough times.
• Nurture a culture of trust and loyalty.
• But also foster creativity and enthusiasm.

 

Of all the benefits of great leadership, I still think the greatest is the impact you can have on someone else’s life. That should be viewed as a privilege. Not something that  should ever be taken for granted. 

 

Recently, I was quietly sitting at my desk. It was mid-morning, a Thursday to be exact. I had been working on some employee files. Organizing and filing…

 

I have been in the role of Executive Director for a little over a month now. I had been extremely nervous about stepping into the role. I had worked at the organization for four years and everyone knew me but did not know me in the capacity. How long would it take to be accepted in this new role and how long would it take to build a strong team? 

 

What a wonderful Thursday it had turned out to be. I could hear a conversation taking place outside my door. Two of the girls were talking about the changes that had recently taken place and how they just knew we were on the right path. They were so excited. You could hear it in their voices. 

 

At that moment, I knew I would do all I could to not let them down. This was so much bigger than me and so rewarding because of it. 

 

I invite you to come back often. You can learn more about me by visiting this page. I look forward to getting to know you and hearing your stories. I always welcome your comments or you can always send me an email. Before you leave don’t forget to check out some of the other categories. I have a feeling the post Words of Wisdom should be your next stop. 

 

Reference:

(https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/7-factors-that-influence-influence/)