Oh Captain, My Captain!
So, here you are, the leader! How does that role guide your day? Are you living up to your title? Do you ever question your capability to lead your team to the next level? Growth rises and falls with the leader, the captain of the ship. You are an instrumental lever in the success of the organization every day. This series on what builds a great leader is for you!
According to Chuck Swindoll, leadership is “…essential for motivation and direction. Essential for evaluation and accomplishment. It is the one ingredient essential for the success of any organization. Take away leadership and it isn’t long before confusion replaces vision. Volunteers or employees who once dedicated themselves to their tasks begin to drift without leadership. Morale erodes. Enthusiasm fades. The whole system finally grinds to a halt.”
Leadership is the ability to influence and guide people to accomplish a mission they are convinced is worthwhile. A leader exerts strategic influence. As he or she brushes the canvas with a portrait of the future, people are captivated by not only its possibility, but also its desirability. People are persuaded that the vision of what can be is so significant that they long to be a part of it, to make an investment, and to follow the captain of this ship.
A leader guides people by showing them the way, blazing a trail that leads to the destination. The journey is challenging, the pace is fast, but not too fast. A leader is often found at the crest of the mountain choosing the best path. People will follow that leader.
A leader coaches people toward a goal in which they believe. They are convinced that the mission is worthy of their best efforts and are willing to sacrifice. It is not only the leader’s dream. It becomes their dream.
Leaders discern what the team needs and when they need it. They distinguish between leadership and management. Leadership deals with where we are going and why we are going there. Management deals with how and when we will get there. According to Stephen R. Covey in Principle-Centered Leadership, leadership deals with direction, with making sure that the ladder is leaning against the right wall. Management deals with speed. To double one’s speed in the wrong direction, however, is the very definition of foolishness. Leadership deals with vision, with keeping the mission in sight, and with effectiveness and results. Management deals with establishing structure and systems to get those results. It focuses on efficiency, cost-benefit analyses, logistics, methods, procedures, and policies.
Team leaders realize that leadership and management are not only complementary, but also interdependent. Though leaders may not possess strong management skills, and even if they do, they may not have the time to employ them fully, they value that component and recruit people with those gifts into the process. Good leaders build strong teams through intentionally bridging strategic relationships.
How are you purposefully guiding your team? Are they being coached to improve? What do you discern needs to change? Have you connected the right people with the right needs?