The Many Hats of Leadership

Today let’s talk about leaders, and the leader that lives inside each of us. It’s easy to think about leaders as those who are somehow above our level – the president of your division, the president of your company, the president of the United States – and those are all leaders.

Did you know that you are a leader?

Today, let’s talk about what makes a good leader, and where leaders show up in our lives. Take a look at these examples:

• Have you ever sat behind someone at a red light and when the light turned green, they started driving? That’s leadership skills right there. A good leader pays attention to the conditions around them and reacts appropriately at the right time. If you don’t believe that taking off when the light turns green is showing leadership, think about how you feel when the person in front of you fails to go when the light turns green. Do you get irritated? Wonder if they’re on their phone? Clearly, they aren’t paying attention to conditions that affect themselves and others, which is a breach of leadership responsibility.
• Have you ever been part of a club or civic organization? If you were part of it for any length of time, you probably noticed that a handful of members did most of the work, while the rest showed up, maybe spoke up, maybe even complained, and yet they didn’t often – or ever – pitch in. They wouldn’t take a committee position, wouldn’t take on a project, and wouldn’t even think of accepting a nomination for the board or an officer position. In order for that club or civic organization to continue existing, that handful of active member/volunteers shouldered all the responsibilities and all the work. Those were the leaders.
• Are you a parent? Then you are a leader. You may not always feel like a wise leader or a good leader or a popular leader, and yet you are a leader. You provide structure, safety, and sustenance to your offspring. You make decisions for them and help them participate in the decision-making process as their ability to do so develops. You provide guidance, boundaries, and love in balanced doses, helping them grow into responsible adults.

Those are all examples of everyday leadership, and yet we often don’t view them as such. Some days, maybe many days, we take our everyday roles for granted, going through the motions without analyzing what it is that we’re giving to others and showing others by our example. Today, can you start thinking of yourself as a leader? If that’s tough, these three episodes of the world’s second-shortest podcast might help:

Want an idea to help you lighten up as a leader? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Do you need help being a good leader to yourself? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Do you know why ego is important to good leadership? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

On this National Leadership Day, spend ten or 15 minutes thinking about the leadership roles you play in your life, and how you lead others, either literally or simply by example. How can you be the best leader in each of those roles, and how can you help those you lead become better leaders, too?

Wags,
Sandy Weaver
Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness

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