Leaders

Questioning leadership is something I inherently do. I wonder, when in a leadership position someone questions me, will I listen to people like me? Will I take into consideration the concerns and perspectives of others when I am in a place of authority? I hope I do.

I bring this up because I hate when people in leadership use something that has nothing to do with them to promote their own popularity or make them seem like if they were not there everything would fall apart without their leadership. I do not care what company, club, or team you are a part of, if the leader is only making servants and not training those under them to become other leaders, then that person is acting selfishly. And do not get me wrong, a lot of people have great hearts and come across as very sincere with their motives for leadership, but my problem with that is actions speak louder than words.

I can say all day that I agree with this country being built upon grassroots movements, but then when I choose not to support the little people and just vote for big name candidates in elections because they are a Democrat or Republican, do I really believe that grassroots movements matter? Or am I just trying to be cool and relevant and say that I do and really do not, so I act pro-establishment?

My favorite radio station is ESPN on XM and my favorite personality is Colin Cowherd. Yeah he is a USC homer and kinda a jerk, but I like that about him. What that does for him, is also make him very perceptive about people and their motives. Today he was discussing about the very thing I'm typing on, blogs. He said that blogs use to be, and somewhat still try to be, anti-establishment. The problem with that is that the establishment own all the blogs. He referred to people who are all about doing "correct" journalism and hate companies like The New York Times or Time Magazine, and yet when they call and offer a job that same person would drop everything and take it.

Let us not lie to ourselves, our beliefs are only as true as our actions, and this is seen especially within social organizations. Where other people are involved by choice, and you are a leader of people not because you are their boss, but just their leader, it makes it more interesting. In that position you hold influence that a boss does not hold. You have the ability to actually have people listen to you and choose to follow you, not because they have to but because they want to. The problem this presents, is that causes many of those leaders to begin to believe that they are the reason for that group of people having interest and that they are the only one that can do the "job" that they do. That is when an organization becomes dangerous. If the cause is not the focus of the leader, and empowering the people that are a part of the organization to further the cause, then the leader has become inherently corrupt. Selfish really.

Ok, so all that is to say this. Good leaders train servants. Great leaders train leaders. If you are someone and you hold a position of leadership now or do one day, remember that you not only be judged by what you do while your in leadership, but also by the leaders you leave behind when you go. If you are not planning for what the company, club, or team will be after you leave, then your perspective as a leader is skewed.

"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results"

George S. Patton