Leading = Empowering others

I still remember when one of my kids said years ago that he wanted my job.  I thought that was great!  Then he learned more about what my job entailed and rethought his position. 

The funny thing is though, I can still picture him taking my job someday.

I have spent the better part of my working life watching, analyzing and learning about management styles and effective leadership.  Just for the record, management and leadership is not the same thing.  In my journey, I've seen some very ineffective managers, much less, leaders.  I've also seen some excellent leaders and managers.  I've also learned from being on the receiving end, what people respond to and what turns them against you.

I would like to think that I've tried and have been successful at emulating what I have perceived as effective leaders.  (This is a "success" journal entry, so indulge my self-congratulatory tone.)  While I still have a lot to learn and improve, my style has been effective and has yielded positive results.

The first and foremost thing that I have to say about leading is that you have to have a love for people.  You have to want to do what's best for the team and the organization, which in turn, is going to benefit your client/customer.  You have to set expectations and trust people to get the job done.  You also have to empower them to do their job, making sure that they have the tools and the support to do the best job possible.

You also have to be decisive, yet thoughtful.  You must be flexible about circumstances and methods, yet firm about standards and ethics.

And you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission and in turn, your team will be willing to do the same.

There's so much that I've learned in the trenches that wasn't in the textbooks in business school.  And there's so much more to learn (that I'm sure is not in a textbook anywhere - even at graduate school.)  However, there is one guiding principle that should be in one's mind - strive to have a concern and empathy for those who are in your charge.  They are people and deserve the respect and love that everyone desires.  And they will perform like their lives depended on it.

At the end of the day, giving your team the tools to accomplish the mission and entrusting them to do the job will go a long way.  I think that people are self-fulfilling prophecies - you can predict a disaster and that's what you get.  Or you can project a stunning result and guess what?  That's what happens. 

Just an aside ... I marvel that I have been given so much responsibility and that I have a team that looks to me for leadership and direction.  Some days I feel hardly up to the task.  And other days, I love being in charge and I love seeing progress and accomplishments and people really rising to the occasion - and to know that I had something to do with them achieving such things!  It's not about a power trip - I think that I'm far to humble for that - it's more about making a difference.  Sounds trite, I know.  It's like when a builder or artist completes their project and can stand back and admire their work. 

Only my work is people work.  That is my God-given talent and calling in life.  What a privilege and responsibility.  And I wouldn't want it any other way.