Want to Go Places (Part 2)?

Continued from yesterday... There are advantages to being in front or on top of an organization. Here are some additional reasons why leaders like to be “out front”... 3. Leaders in front get to determine the direction: Many believe that the leader in front controls many things within the organization. The truth is, there are many things he cannot control. For example, the only people who have total control in their lives are those that don’t lead anything. They are accountable only to themselves, not others. But this is a fallacy, because everybody leads somebody or something, including themselves. Good leaders get to control mainly two things: direction and timing. Unfortunately, if they aren’t leading well, they can’t even control those two things. 4. Leaders can set the pace: Leaders love progress. It’s one of their primary motivations. As a leader, you probably love moving forward, and the faster, the better. But that can also work against you. If you are running so far ahead that your people can’t follow, then your organization won’t succeed. Achievers (like me) often cross the finish line first, but leaders rarely do. A good leader’s success comes from bringing others across the finish line with them. Unfortunately, the journey with others is slower than the journey alone. That’s true in every area of life where you are trying to lead. A trip to the grocery store is much faster when you go alone than when you take your children. A business trip with colleagues is never as fast as one by yourself (e.g., It can take 30 minutes just to get everyone to agree on a place to eat!). As a leader, you may be able to model the behavior you desire in others, but you will not be able to go as quickly as you want. The only people who may fight for progress the way you do, and want to move quickly, will probably be other good leaders. 5. Leaders enjoy being in on the action: Because leaders like to make things happen, they always enjoy being where the action is. But many times that is not at the top or in front of an organization. Major decisions are made in those places, but usually the action really occurs in the middle of the organization. That’s where most of the exciting activity is. As a leader, are you finding it difficult to be fulfilled where you are? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/