Having attended every leadership school the United States Air Force had to offer me as a military officer, I know a thing or two about leadership. I'm not writing this article to brag or boost, but to point out the fact you have good leadership skills as well.
Case in point, leadership like many other things have more than one definition. Webster's Dictionary defines leadership as something that leads and in essence this is leadership in its most organic definition.
The fact of the matter is, we are all leaders in our own right because we lead our life. Leading our personal life is the foundation for leadership and with training and experience we give our self a chance to develop our leadership skills and abilities.
Sadly some people do not think they are leaders. Why? The primary reason some people do not think they are leaders is because they don't think they are enough, in other words some people do not believe in themselves, have low self-esteem and or have never really learned what being a leader is all about.
One thing I can tell leadership is not is this, leadership is not a title. Leadership is an individual who is willing to work hard making a difference for an organization and or for him or her self. Leadership entails service above self, the greater good and oftentimes sacrificing his or her personal life so others can benefit.
I can tell you from personal experience during my 20 year career from second lieutenant to lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, I worked for some good leaders and some, not so good leaders. So the question is, what is the difference between a good leader and a bad leader?
What a great question and I'm glad you asked what is the difference between a good and bad leader. In my experience, the primary difference between a good and bad leader is a lack of respect for the institution of leadership. For example, a leader never puts him or her self before the mission and or vision of the organization.
The organization and its mission, value and most importantly the people they serve come first. A good leader embraces the mission and values of their organization and make it better by giving subordinates and or employees and opportunity to be the best at what they do.
On the other hand, a bad leader will stifle the expertise and opportunities of their employees or subordinates, thus going against the grain developing a strong and cohesive organization. As I stated before, there is a marked difference between a good leader and a bad leader and we have likely all experienced and or seen both in our career.
So how do we crack the code to become the best leader we can be? I subscribe to everyone to be leaders of influence and the reason why is as a leader you must lead by example.
We we lead by example, we sacrifice the ego to gain trust. Keep the organizations missions and values front and center, train and allow your employees and subordinates to develop their leadership skills, and lastly repeat the process with succeeding leaders and new employees.
In other words, the more qualified and experienced leaders you have in an organization, the stronger the organization will become and this is where you want to be. Remember, we are all leaders whether we identify with it or not, we all lead our lives and have the ability to lead others as well.
Keep this important point in mind, we are enough and sufficient to be the best leaders we can possibly be. Start your journey today because the leader in you is ready to lead.
Paul Lawrence Vann is a inspirational speaker, author, certified professional coach and talk show host. Paul leads Wealth Building Academy, LLC; a speaking, training, information products and coaching business. Paul is author of the book, Living on Higher Ground and co-author of 101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career. He has been interviewed by hundreds of radio stations throughout the U.S., and was a regular on Channel 9, WUSA's, Mind Over Money Show in Washington, DC. Paul's clients include Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, military and educational institutions through the U.S. and Canada. He hosts The Wealthy Speaker Show providing empowerment to thousands around the world. Subscribe to Paul's free ezine, Living on Higher Ground at: http://www.paullawrencevann.com/
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