Leadership, vision, purpose, and their impact on ourselves and others.
What people or characteristics spring to mind, when you hear the word Leadership? All of us have different ideas about what makes a good leader. If we were to name names, many different types of people would appear on the list. There would be some similarities between lists, but there may also be differences.
I do not believe there are any commonalities in the traits of the people on the lists, even though the names may be different. Many books have been written about leadership.
Amazon searches revealed that there are over 57,000 titles that contain the word leadership. This is a lot to take in, including research, opinions, conjectures, and perhaps even some facts. As the topic has already been discussed in detail elsewhere, I will not attempt to summarize or describe my perspective on leadership. I’ll mention a few traits that I think are common to most, if they are not all, of the great leaders.
To me, characteristics like a clear vision and purpose and the ability of communicating those to others come to mind. Their passion for this purpose can permeate the group they lead or their peers, and the motivation to reach the goals they set becomes almost contagious.
“Leadership and influence are the same.” – John Maxwell.
John C. Maxwell is my favorite author when it comes to books about leadership. Maxwell is a leader in the field of leadership, having written more than 50 books. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker at corporate events and conferences.
I’ve read his books and heard him speak several times, so my views are certainly shaped by his unique perspective.
My goal is to provide you with more value during your time spent reading this article. I don’t want to just regurgitate the same information. Instead, I would like to offer you a different perspective on leadership. You may even be able to assess your own leadership abilities.
It’s possible that your actions could impact others in your sphere.
I studied leadership by asking questions and studying leaders. It’s a common idea and method, I know. But I want to share some of the questions that I ask. These questions will hopefully get your wheels turning and inspire you to discover more about the leader in you. They certainly did for me.
How can we become better leaders?
What can we learn about great leaders from ?
Why do people develop their leadership skills?
Each of these questions will help us to better understand our strengths and weaknesses as leaders. Understanding our natural strengths and weaknesses is important.
It’s a great way to expose some of my weaknesses. To improve, self-evaluation is essential. Don’t let your gaps in leadership abilities deter you. But the last question is crucial.
Leading can be difficult, if it is not impossible.
It is important to understand what motivates others and, more importantly, what motivates you to develop your stubborn leadership weaknesses.
It is important to know what motivates us at a deep intuitive level. It becomes so ingrained in us that it becomes a part of our very core. If we don’t, we will give up when the going gets tough and settle for what is easier and safer.
In the subheading I mention Vision and Purpose. They are interrelated with leadership. In my 46 years, I have asked these questions to many great leaders.
What vision and purpose guides their leadership?
Instead of diving into the purpose and the vision of others I ask the same question… What is behind Your leadership, and what is the vision that guides it?
The ability to identify your vision and purpose can give you the understanding and motivation needed to overcome any challenges that your leadership will face. It is not uncommon for the process of becoming a successful leader to be lonely, similar to building a business.
You will encounter people who will challenge your leadership skills, and those who will doubt your business knowledge. We will doubt our abilities at times, whether it is to be able to lead others or run a successful company. This is the time when we need to reflect on our purpose and vision and why we do what we do.
I think we all have a leader in us.
In this context, I would like to ask you a last question.
How does a leader influence people?
This article is titled The Leading Impact because I think that true leadership can have a profound impact on other people. Great leadership in business can create jobs, incomes, wealth, stability and financial freedom.
Great leadership in life can influence generations through its ripple effect on the lives of those around them. Great leadership can inspire a passion for being a better person than yesterday. This flame can then spread to other people who will take on the role of leadership and continue to impact lives.
It doesn’t really matter if you learn how to lead yourself and never consider leading a group of change agents. You can make a big impact with your leadership, whether it’s on a small group or even generations.
All of this is possible because you decided to define your Purpose and Vision, and to become the Leader that you were meant to be.