Co-Founder Taliferro
Introduction
Everyone has a different definition of leadership. Some people believe it's about platitudes, or is it? Leadership is an elusive quality, but how you inspire others matters most. It takes a strong personality to lead and understand the different types of leaders out there - because we all are leaders in some way or another.
Please don't take it for granted
Leadership is a privilege, not a right. You may think you are entitled to be in charge because you were born first or because you have the best office and an enormous desk, but even if those things are true (and they're probably not), that doesn't mean leadership is something that's owed to anyone. It's not like leadership falls from the sky as rainbows or unicorns do; it has to be worked for and earned—and often, it can be challenging to find as either mythical creature would be.
Leadership is also a responsibility rather than an expectation or entitlement. You aren't automatically entitled to all the respect that comes with being in charge simply because of your position; instead, it's up to YOU (yes again!) to earn this respect by doing what's suitable for everyone around you—not just yourself! And if no one else agrees with how well YOU are doing at this whole leading-people thing? Maybe it's time for self-reflection before jumping back into another leadership role.
Don't be a leader without followers
As a leader, you are the one who sets the direction and inspires others to follow. It would help if you had followers to be a leader. Without followers, there is no leadership.
Leadership is not just about inspiring people; it's also about motivating them toward a shared goal. If your team hasn't bought into your vision and isn't willing to put in the work required for success, then there's no way you can lead them successfully.
Decide who you want your followers to be
Decide who you want your followers to be. Knowing who you're leading and what they need from you is the most crucial part of leadership. If you don't know who you are teaching—their demographic profile, experiences, and expectations—you can't effectively guide them toward their goals or achieve yours. You won't know what tools or tactics are best for reaching your audience.
If the person in front of them isn't properly prepared for the task at hand (or doesn't have the skills needed), it's easy enough for them to fall back on platitudes instead of being honest with themselves about what's holding them before today.
Women as Leaders
I always felt that women were better leaders. They were more prepared. They had their shit together and knew what they wanted to do. On the other hand, men were all over the place—they didn't know what they wanted or how to get it. I couldn't tell you how often I've heard my father say that men are inherently lazy and incapable of authentic leadership.
It wasn't until later in life that I realized he was a bit wrong about that assessment: Men are definitely capable of being leaders; it's just not their natural inclination because of how society has conditioned them from childhood onward to behave differently than women across almost every facet of life from education to career opportunities and even at home (e.g., having wives who take care of children vs. husbands doing chores around the house).
We are all leaders who can make our own choices
If you're a leader, you might be surprised to hear this. But leadership isn't just something that happens to people with fancy titles or who work at fancy companies. Leadership is an attitude. It's a choice.
Leadership isn't about the title on your business card, the size of your office, or the amount of money you make—it's about how you choose to lead yourself and others by example every day.
Leaders are people that create value and use it to achieve their purpose. Leaders are people who have a purpose and use their leadership skills to achieve that purpose. They create new ideas, develop teams, and make the world a better place for everyone. You can't be a leader if you don't create value.
A leader's job is to inspire others to follow them toward the future they've created for themselves and those around them. Being a positive force in your world will help give you an edge over other candidates with similar resumes; after all, who wouldn't want someone leading them who has already proven themselves as someone with high character?
Leadership is an elusive quality, but how you inspire others matters most
It's one of those things that we all know it means, but no one can quite define it. We all have a leader in our lives and have seen different types of leaders, but the question remains: What makes someone a good leader?
First, let's talk about the qualities most often associated with leadership. The first thing people think of when they talk about leadership is some platitude or cliché like "leadership is character" or "leaders lead from the front" (or something like that). These statements are accurate as far as they go, but they don't explain much; this type of thinking leads to another round of platitudes rather than any meaningful insight into how one might become better at leading others. The best way I've found to explain this concept is through examples from everyday life:
Conclusion
Leadership is a funny thing. It can be a complex concept, but it's always easy to recognize when someone else is doing it. Leadership isn't about power or authority; it's about inspiring others to follow you in pursuit of your vision. If you want others to follow you, lead by example and show them how awesome it feels. The accurate measure of leadership is not how many people follow us but how many lives we change for the better because of what we do as leaders.
Tyrone Showers