Guest post by Bren Boddy-Thomas
Bren is Helpdesk Manager at a Sonoma County's Exchange Bank and sits on the
HDI Member Advisory Board
Rah Rah Go Team! That’s cute on the football field, but look at it from a different perspective.
I’m not talking about someone who LEADS Cheers, but someone who CHEERS LEADERS!
When was the last time YOU cheered on a Leader? I don’t mean a manager. We all know someone who was thrust into the throngs of management. They’re the boss. They make decisions. They manage the team or department. But do they LEAD?
You can Google a million quotes and sayings about leaders. To be a true leader, someone others admire and want to follow, takes strength, competency and courage.
Traits of a Good Leader
- Honest - Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.
- Competent - Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
- Forward-looking - Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.
- Inspiring - Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.
- Intelligent - Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
- Fair-minded - Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.
- Broad-minded - Seek out diversity.
- Courageous - Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
- Straightforward - Use sound judgment to make good decisions at the right time.
- Imaginative - Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!
I’m sure all of us know someone who possesses these traits, someone who has taken the time to grow into a leadership role, someone we admire.
Whether you’re a subordinate and appreciate the work they do for you or on your behalf or you’re a superior – mentoring the individual and helping them reach their full potential. Take the time to thank them. You’ll be glad you did.
GO LEADERS!!
Give it some thought.
Posts
Yep! As I was reading this I was totally agreeing, and I realised that often I don't act accordingly- somehow I don't trust myself because I am exposed to so many people who act & behave differently. It inspired me to ask myself: "When exactly are you going to trust what you know to be true? When would be a good time to start doing that do you think?" This is an exciting time for me- stepping into the next phase in my own personal growth & development- I'm becoming gradually, a little by little the Leader I want to be! thanks for writing such a great post :)
ReplyDeleteHi Claire! We share similar stories. Would love to connect: DM me on Twitter @brenbt or email me: brendaboddy@yahoo.com - Bren
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. I love that you called out the difference between leaders and managers. I think often we hope managers will be leaders but often they're not. To really be successful an organization needs both and they don't have to be the same person. Thanks.
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