Monday, October 23, 2006

What is a Leader?

What is a leader? This is the big question. Does a leader smell different from a “normal” person? Can someone be a “born leader”? This is a complex question (though you probably guess that leaders don’t smell different from other people).

In a simplified world, I would say there are three types of people: Technicians, Managers, and Leaders.

Let’s start with Technicians. First of all, don’t confuse these people with “followers”. Good followership is an important aspect of good leadership (but we’ll get to this in a later post). Technicians on the other hand are typically the grunts who, while being extremely competent from a technical standpoint, are often wearing blinders and only focus on one specific task. Technicians usually do not have a clear vision of the “big picture” of what he or she is working on, and therefore often do not have an internal sense of urgency, are indecisive, and avoid anything different from the familiar.

Managers are often given authority over their team by others. In contrast to technicians, they are goal oriented people. They are able provide their people with a detailed plan of attack to accomplish the tasks that must be completed to accomplish their goals. Managers tend to be highly organized and efficient to the point of seeming bureaucratic. Because of this, a manager can often become like a task master or drill sergeant, seeking recognition for him or herself often at rest of the team’s cost. Many managers think themselves to be leaders, having read a book or two on leadership or attended a so-called “leadership seminar”. Young leaders, please be wary of falling into this pit-fall. An inflated ego is the surest way to alienating your team and failure to achieve your goal.

Leaders understand their followers’ needs and provide them with a vision to help satisfy these needs. They see the big picture but also know how to help their team accomplish the specific tasks needed to achieve the ultimate goal. Leaders take on the responsibilities of leadership. They are willing to pay the price in getting the resources and tools that are needed to achieve the team’s goals.

Leaders are results oriented, allowing their teams the flexibility to make their own decisions. They trust their teams’ expertise and ability to get results. Instead of barking out strict orders, leaders set an example for the team to follow. Most of all, a true leader is people oriented. They focus on their people, giving clear and constructive feedback, acting as one part coach and one part cheer leader to energize their teams. A leader is given his or her authority from the followers, and therefore has a commitment to help them achieve the vision.

Hopefully this gets you all on the right track on understanding what is and what isn’t a leader. Often times we see people trying to “be a leader” by just bossing others around. This couldn’t be farther from what a true leader should be. But more on this next time.

-Jason

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