Helping Others Begin Their Leadership Journey
When leadership is about making things better it’s inclusive not exclusive; functional not positional.
Everyone who asks, “How can I help us make things better?”
is on a leadership journey regardless of position.
Three essentials:
Everyone leads when they believe in their own voice, embrace a vision, and exercise change-making-skills and strategies. Voice without vision – clear direction – dilutes life to meaningless chatter. Vision apart from change-making-skills frustrates and paralyzes.
Successful leaders:
- Reignite everyone’s innate desire to matter.
- Affirm the voice of others.
- Provide direction by clarifying vision.
- Develop everyone’s change-making talents and skills.
Leaders ask others:
- How do you want to matter?
- How does your voice align with organizational vision?
- Where do you fit in?
- What skills magnify your voice?
- What skills enable you to create communities – teams – who embrace dreams bigger than themselves?
The first time someone asks, “How can I help us make things better?” is the day a leader is born. But, beware, baby leaders die quickly. They need encouragement, vision, and tools.
Matter more:
“What can “I” do?” is good but too small. The question is, “What can we do?”
The difference is doing things “for” or doing things “with.”
Individual contributors always matter. Those who create and participate in communities dedicated to making things better matter more.
First steps for functional leaders:
- Once you find your own voice help others find theirs.
- Connect with people who want to make the world better in ways that fuel your passion.
- Learn skills that enable you and your community make a difference, communication, planning, and goal setting, for example.
Everyone can be a leader even if they don’t have a title or position. It begins by asking, “How can I help us make things better?”
How can leaders help others realize their own leadership potential?
Love your blog! I think it is also important to recognize that there are many ways that one can say “how can I help us to make this better.” Leaders need to listen and be aware that a potential or “baby” leader may not communicate in the way that is expected.
Beautiful post with wonderful questions. My favorite, “how do you want to matter.” I am going to use that one for sure.
Questions for new leaders: Do you want to lead or is this being pushed on you? Why or why not do you want to lead? What difference will your leadership make? Is this because you want to be a leader, or because you want to make the group successful? Is the group better off with you as leader or follower? Do you believe enough in the group’s mission to step aside and follow if someone else can better lead them? Have you been a great team member in a group where someone else led? Do you love the group members? Do you tell and live the truth? How can I help you? What can we do next?…
excellent ideas, I periodically ask myself “part of the problem, part of the solution?”
Dear Dan,
I agree that leaders should first find their voice. Unless they do so, they can not direct others. Besides “We” feeling they work “With”. Baby leaders die quickly is interesting concept. But sometimes I question myself, who is leaders? Is someone without vision, direction or self reflection is leader? I think, without knowing oneself, it is difficult to become leader. And to know oneself, one should be emotionally wise. And one who is emotionally wise, has internally driven energy. So, leaders should drive energy from within. This energy create energy for others to direct and encourage. This energy works as a flame and torch.
So, leaders should initiate spark and create feelings of belief that others have potential. Once others realize it, leaders show the path (goal) with torch (belief to achieve).
I think your premise is key: A leader’s responsibility is to train up other leaders. “Once you find your voice, help others find theirs.”
Great post, thanks.
The leader needs to communicate with their players in a provocative way. When I say provoke I don’t mean this in a disparaging way. Get your players to step to the edge and experience something different.