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Excerpt from the 2011 Trainers Reflections #29, by Dr. L. Michael Hall, Author of 'Unleashing Leadership - Self-Actualizing Leaders and Companies'
A real leader leads people. He or she does not lead machines or processes. And why not? Because you can’t lead machines or processes! When it comes to leadership, it is people that you lead. You lead their minds and hearts. You lead them into the future from the present. You lead them by inspiring a bright future that bridges the gap between the present state and the desired state. When it comes to machines, a person manages the machine’s activities, maintenance, use, etc. But not so with people. People can hardly be managed at all and if you do find a way to manage them, they will resent you for it! And in the long term, all your techniques, manipulations, games, control, etc. will fail. Witness what’s happening in the Middle Eastern Countries.
So, a real leader leads people and leads them by bringing out the best in them via empowering them to be their best selves— to learn how to do self-leadership and to become leaders. The circle completes, leaders create the next-generation leaders! So are you doing that? Have you begun? Are you ready for this as a stretch goal?
Question: Do you want to be a leader? Great! Then get out of yourself, get over yourself, and spend time with people— listening to their hearts, hearing their hopes, dreams, fears, worries, doubts, etc. Then co-create with them solutions that will bridge the now—then gap, the gap between aspiration—and innovation. That’s what a leader does. A leader traffics in the future and returns to the now with a vision about how to go “back to the future” with a group of people for an inspiring purpose.
So great leadership is not about you, it is only through you. If you are too busy, too important, too self-absorbed to step out from behind your ego, your status, your greatness, your busyness and so on—you are not yet ready for leadership. You still have a lot of growing up to do. You have a lot of transcending your own ego, reputation, and lower-needs.
So here’s my challenge to you: Set a goal within yourself to make it your objective to not only lead but to be a developer of leaders. Think more widely and expansively than just yourself. Perhaps the greatest act of leadership you may ever do is that of developing, grooming, and turning loose great leaders from among those you train and coach! When I interviewed Graham Richardson in April and asked him the why question, “Why do you do what you do? Why Executive Coaching?” his answer was quick and succinct: “To turn loose great leaders into the world.” May you and I do the same as well!
If you don’t want to be or become a real leader and develop other real leaders than don’t click on this link!
