So You Thought You Knew A Thing Or Five About Leadership!

The most common things we know about leadership often disguise other leadership ideas that we have failed to identify or comprehend.

Leaders - They Come In All Shapes And Sizes.

I think we all realise the truth of this one. During the course of our lifetime we will inevitably meet or come across a wide range of different types of leaders good, bad and average. There are the formal leaders which are those persons elected to leadership roles within the community ie politicians, board chairpersons, club presidents and so on. Then there are the informal leaders - people with experience and wisdom that are acknowledged leaders in their particular fields of expertise. Both types of leaders incorporate a combination of different leadership styles.

Leadership - It Is A Process.

Some people are 'born leaders' and can assume a leadership role based on this innate ability although they may not always develop to their full potential without training and exposure to things throughout their lifetime that push them to grow and expand. Leadership ability for most of us though is a life long process that we develop through exposure to knowledge, circumstances and situations that allow us to learn new skills, increase our knowledge, develop the right attitude and mindset - leaders are readers.

Leadership - It Most Assuredly Starts With You.

"Action speaks louder than words".... Our every day actions contribute to how we are perceived as a leader. This includes the way we deal with our family, our friends and our co-workers. It involves how we run our personal and business responsibilites and even the way we talk to other people.

Habits develop out of repeated actions and our characters are formed by our habits. So it is important to repeat the actions that develop the right habits and through this we can shape our characters in the right way.

Leadership Is Shared.

Leaders by definition operate as part of a group or groups in which each member has responsibilities and work to perform. Effective leaders teach, develop and encourage group members to work together to fullfill their responsibilities as part of a shared team goal. They build up trust and confidence within their teams based on their actions and not just on their words and create an environment of mutual respect.

Leadership Styles Should Evolve Depending On The Situation At Hand.

Leaders need to be able to think on their feet and adapt their leadership style to suit the situation at hand. Some situations call for forceful action on the part of the leader (think of emergency situations) whilst other situations may require a softly softly approach. Good leaders learn to recognise what types of actions are appropriate for a given set of circumstances and then apply the appropriate style of leadership behaviour.