How to – Lead Leaders One thing that defines Leaders is that they have Followers. For organizations that want to grow and thrive, that just isn’t enough. Leaders also need to be able to find and develop Leaders. Granted, not everyone can be a Leader and not everyone should be a Leader.

There are certain things Leaders do to produce Leaders:

Talk – tell others about the experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from the successes and non-successes.

Coach – provide feedback and opportunities for guidance and direction so others can learn with someone helping rather than waiting.

Train – review the strategy planning required and the skills needed to insure strategy success. Provide opportunities for management development programs where they develop critical skills and you support the application of what they’ve learned.

Mentor – be the touchstone for potential leaders and provide the support they need to risk successfully.

Above all else, this requires the most precious commodity: Time. To grow Leaders actual time must be set aside to teach, show by example, and discuss how leading is actually done. Few people learn leadership well by being tossed into the leadership waters to see who can swim. The best leaders spent a significant amount of their time developing the leadership skills of others rather than looking how best to develop their own career.

Think about if you are a true Leader, or simply a person who is eager for followers. Your employees already know which you are.  3:29 PM •  0 Comments •

How to – Seek Risk It is often cited that while managers are risk-averse, Leaders are risk-seeking. When a Leader has a vision that they want their employees to embrace, they consider it natural to encounter hurdles that must be overcome along the route to success. Leaders are comfortable with risk and may see routes that hold potential opportunities that others avoid because they view them as potential problems. Leaders can see the possibility of an advantage and are willing to break a rule or two to get things done.

Ask yourself:

• Do you seek change or stability?

• Are you thinking long-term or short-term?

• Are you proactive or reactive?

• Do you seek to take risks or reduce risks?

• Do you take the blame or give it to others?

• Do you break rules or make rules?

• Do you have followers or subordinates?

Ask others how they see you to get a more objective picture of how you appear to others. You can see yourself as both a Leader and a Manager, but how you see risk can reveal how other people see you.  10:38 AM •  0 Comments •