Five Truths About A Leader’s Life
Leaders are needed! People want to be led by leaders who live lives that are consistent with what they claim to be important.
I am unashamedly part of the leadership development/consulting industry. The industry was pioneered by gurus like Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell. They have all provided invaluable tools and resources to leaders through the years.
But, one tool is the grand daddy of them all. One tool rises above the rest to deliver the influence and the impact all leaders desire.
A Leader’s Most Important Tool
One tool overcomes the stagnation and the skepticism that follows leaders as they try to change the culture of a team or provide moral and ethical leadership within the framework of business.
Books, blogs, podcasts, videos, and conferences created by leadership experts can provide us with tools for becoming better leaders. There are plenty of tools available to anyone wanting to be a leader of influence. But this tool is available to everyone.
The Most Powerful Leadership Tool – Ever
My life is the most powerful leadership tool I have.
No tool has more influence than the quality of the life the leader lives.
I may be able to use pep talks to motivate action in the beginning. I may be able to coerce action for a period of time. But the carrot and the stick methods of leadership are both short-term solutions. They are both band aids that do not succeed in inspiring followers over the long term.
5 Truths About A Leader’s Life
1. My private life impacts my ability to lead.
The idea that my private life is separate and has no impact on my moral authority to lead is foolish. If I claim to be one person as a leader at work, but am someone else in private, my inconsistent life will damage my ability to lead in the long run.
2. Words may inspire followers but actions convince them.
Over time, nobody cares what I say, if my actions are not in alignment with my words. I will lose my team, my spouse and my children if they hear me claim a value is important, but I act in opposition to that claim.
3. HOW I am is WHO I am.
My character is the sum total of my habits – the good ones and the bad ones. How I act on a habitual basis is truly who I am as a person. It does not matter who I think I am or claim to be. My habitual actions truly paint who I am.
4. Leaders who go first have followers.
Leaders lead from the front. They set the example and are willing to do what they expect others to do. To expect my team, my spouse, or my children to do something that they have never seen me do will result in me being alone. If no one is following, am I really a leader?
5. Humility inspires trust. Arrogance creates doubt.
The ability to say “I was wrong.” Or “I don’t know” or “Please forgive me” creates trust. Everyone knows I am fallible because we all are fallible. If I act like I don’t make mistakes, yet everyone knows I do, how can they trust me? They will always have doubts.
The Bottom Line:
People are disillusioned when they see their leaders’ lives are inconsistent with what they claim to be important. Our leaders in Washington are great examples of uninspiring leaders. We hear great words, but see little action that is worth emulating.
What people see me do, how they see me live, will inspire them to follow me or create apathy towards me. My life says more about me as a leader than any management tool or fad I try to implement.
I left the corporate world to start my own leadership consulting business because I truly believe leadership is the answer to what is ailing our homes, businesses and our country.
Our lives as leaders in our businesses and in our families will cause more people to follow us than any well designed leadership tool a leadership consultant can teach us – even if it is something I designed at Anderson Leadership Solutions.
Question:
What area of your life has the most positive and the most negative influence on those you lead?
Dave
I hope you are well? I wanted to compliment you on this blog. The consistency of who a leader is across their life is key. No one is perfect, however you have raised awareness with this to help others consider their level of consistency and integrity. Thank you.
Idea – are you interested in doing guest blogs on each other’s sites?
Let me know. Jayne
Thank you Jayne. Also, I am interested in doing some guest blogging. I will email you directly.
A leader has to be true to himself. Both in and out he should be a man of integrity. What he says , what he means and what he does should all be the same. That infuses trust.
people follow him whom they trust whether it be through a trough or a crest.
Our ability or willingness to make sacrifices to insure our actions match our words does infuse trust into every relationship. Great point.
Very insightful as always, Dave. I’m on a mission to inspire leaders to always “be real” instead of giving in to the temptation to project conflicting images, especially on social media. It’s a challenge of the times.
It is often counter culture to be consistent in the way you describe Kris. Bravo for being another voice screaming for Integrity.