There is an old saying that I share with all the sporting teams that encourages them to lift when they are losing momentum during a game.
“When a brave person takes a stand, it stiffens the spines of others.” – Billy Graham –
To me, this paints a vivid mental picture and is what a leader does in times of adversity and the team has their backs to the wall. One courageous person, does what it takes and stands up against the odds and leads by example. Then a decisive psychological affect starts to compound and becomes contagious to all other players, winning back the momentum and more times than not, winning the game. That shift though, started with one person, a natural leader who sacrificed their own well being and safety for the sake of the team.
Leadership is a skill and like any other, it can be learned, and that means it requires practice.
You don’t just get a promotion to supervisor or manager and all of a sudden you become a leader. As convincing as that two day off site course on leadership was, it doesn’t qualify you as a leader.
The reality is, it takes work. Leadership is not a rank, position or title. If you are a good leader, you work harder and longer than everyone else, you LEAD BY EXAMPLE. The more you do this and practice it, the better you get, but it all comes at a cost, which is your time, experience and stepping up when no one else will. The other hard part about leadership is it is difficult to measure. There is no real metric that measures leadership. It’s an accumulation of lots of little things that anyone of them by themselves is innocuous and useless. Literally pointless by themselves. It is the small things, the one percenters and putting others interests before your own that makes a great leader.
One of my favorite leadership fables is that of Mahatma Gandhi. This story defines the true meaning of leading by example and not following advice, but more so action.
In the 1930’s there was a young boy who had become addicted to and obsessed with eating sugar. His mother decided to get help and took the long and hot journey with her son walking many miles and hours under the scorching sun.
She finally reached Gandhi and asked him to tell her son to stop eating sugar, it wasn’t good for his health. Gandhi replied, “I cannot tell him that. But you may bring him back in a few weeks and then I will talk to him.” The mother was confused and upset and took the boy home.
Two weeks later she came back. This time Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said “”Boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.” The boy nodded his head and promised he wouldn’t. The boy’s mother was puzzled. She asked “Why didn’t you tell him that two weeks ago when I brought him here to see you?”
Gandhi smiled and said, “Two weeks ago I was eating a lot of sugar myself!”
How you can use this advice starting today.
Are you at a junior or rookie level within your organisation?
Don’t use that as an excuse to not lead by example. Remember, leadership is not a rank, it is putting other people first. Whilst what we say matters, what we do matters more.
This week, what can you do to have your employees or your co workers watch your actions, more than your lips?
Are you aware that the best discussions happen after you read this email?
A chapter in my first book entitled, Be You. Be Great. was ‘Be the hero of your own story’, which highlights how an act of kindness and leading by example can impact the people around you.
The audio chapter runs for 8 minutes and once you have listened to it and providing you enjoy it, I would love nothing more than for you to share it with your team and people you care about.
Have a great week ahead.
Ritch