Leadership Must Start With You
Being a good leader is difficult since for people to follow you, you must earn their respect and set a good example. If you want others to be well-disciplined, then the first person that needs to be disciplined is you. This is the thought behind being a good leader and is something that Retired Brigadier General Becky Halstead also agrees with.
Leading People
As a leader, if you want the people following you to produce good results, they must manifest discipline so as to do the things required of them. However, for them to show proper discipline, you show that same kind of discipline as well. General Halstead notes that in the military, if you want other people to do something, you must be ready to do that thing as well. It is a very good definition of leadership since as a leader; you must be the one leading others in doing the task and not simply ordering them around.
If you want to become an effective leader, then you must build proper discipline in yourself first before expecting discipline from other people. It is difficult for other people to follow the orders of someone they don’t respect and look up to. By disciplining yourself first, you are a living example of how you want other people to live theirs.
Double Life; Double Standards
One of the biggest flaws leaders have is the mentality that as long as they behave well in work, then they can completely forget about it when they are outside the clock. This is a very bad outlook in life since leading a double life sets up double standards. A good example of this is if you expect those under you to follow your rule, then you must present the same kind of discipline on- and off-work. If they see you outside of work and are ashamed of how you behave, you can’t expect them to take you seriously during work hours and to follow your lead.
Respect is something given to those who are worthy of it. If you want others to follow you, they must respect you first. If you want them to respect you, then you must show that you are worthy of that respect 24/7.
Training is an Investment
Constantly training to improve yourself is a hallmark of good discipline. It is a form of investment and the best way to become a better leader is by investing in yourself first. Training builds character and that is something that great leaders must have. General Halstead has stated that “leadership is a fusion of heart and mind—it’s character and confidence.” This simply means that to be an effective leader, you must carry yourself in such a way that you exude confidence and charisma and to do this, you must continuously practice and invest in yourself.
Strive for more; don’t quit. As you train yourself, it becomes tempting to quit but, as General Halstead puts it, “it becomes a habit and that’s a bad habit.” If you wish to improve yourself, then learn to grit your teeth and follow through. Only then will people follow your lead and try to become better themselves.
As a self-professed “manager from hell,” Steve Caldwell learned through the hard knocks of making mistakes while building a career. Today he serves as a leadership coach, mentor and role model guiding high achieving managers to become the strong leaders their companies, employees and the world needs. He is also author of the book Manager Mojo – Be the Leader that Others Want to Follow (available on Amazon).
“In all arenas, we suffer from a lack of leadership talent,” Steve observes. “Every day employees are promoted into management with no training or support to guide their development into leadership positions. You don’t have to be born to lead. You can learn to lead.” He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (415) 670*9543.
