Most people are in love with the idea of being a leader.
They are in love with the idea.
The idea of being a leader, however, is far from reality.
What is the idea?
It is most likely thinking that being a leader gives you power and authority.
And when you have power and authority other people can help you accomplish things for you.
But that's not the reality.
As a leader, people don't accomplish things for you.
They accomplish things with you.
You Don't Lead, You Serve
It is true that a part of being a leader is delegating and providing direction.
But an even more important part is motivating, inspiring and helping those you lead.
That's right, you help those you lead.
You are their servant.
You serve them.
You provide directions and enable them to be the best they can be.
You help them grow.
When The Cards Are Stacked Against You
Sure there may be some who say; "Well, if you have to motivate them, you've got the wrong people and you've got to fire them."
It is true that hiring motivated people in the first place will solve a lot of your problems.
But sometimes you are yourself hired to a position where you have to work with a team that is already in place.
And firing them all is not the most elegant solution.
Sometimes people aren't even unproductive, they are just confused.
In those cases you need to clarify the following yourself or in collaboration with your own boss:
- What's the direction?
- How do we get there?
- What is my job, in clearly defined objectives?
And yes, the job of everyone can be clearly defined.
Those who say; "Well, my job is kind of intangible", are really just saying; "I don't want accountability so you wont see if I make mistakes".
Now if everything is clearly defined you will need to set up frameworks that can be measured.
These frameworks and their objectives will need to be measured weekly, monthly and quarterly.
What gets measured can be improved.
Further, measuring efforts creates accountability.
If people continuously underperform you need to replace them.
And you can be confident in your decision to replace them as the data will show you if there is underperformance.
Push Yourself And Your Team
Over time you must continuously push your team and upgrade their ability.
And if they do not or cannot grow as quickly as the rest of your team, you must let them go.
If you do not, the great people on your team will eventually leave as they want to work with others who push them.
The Most Important Thing
The final and most important aspect of being a leader is that it is a relationship with people built on trust.
If people don't trust you, they will work against you.
That's why you need to focus entirely on building a trusting relationship with your team.
How do you build trust with your team?
You give them trust.
You show them that you trust them and believe in them.
You come up with solutions in collaboration with them.
Give them autonomy, and they will give you trust in return.
As a leader it is not your job to do their job.
It's your job to make them into the best version of themselves they can be.
By providing structure, guidance and support.
The Burden Of Being A Leader
I gave this article the title 'The Burden Of Being A Leader', because being a leader is not easy.
Being a leader is very difficult.
But being a leader is also a gift.
You get the gift of watching other people grow, and in turn they help you grow.
See you in the next one.
/ Mads