Leadership on the Field of Play

Learn From Bad Role Models We all recognize good leadership when we see it. But it has been my experience that there is just as much, if not more, to be learned from examples of poor leadership.   Bad examples are not always easily listed, but here’s a tip: If you see a leader behave in a way that makes you think either 1) I’m glad I’m not the one getting treated that way, or 2) I will never treat anyone that way, you have witnessed a poor example that you can learn from.

Cultivating the  leadership  gene is no piece of cake.  Leaders earn their  stripes  on the way up.  One good incubator is  to volunteer to take on the  task no one wants. This will be a test of your mettle, attitude, and commitment.   Tackling a hard problem is a risk—but one with significant upside.   Difficult tasks are often so because they are labor- and time-intensive.   This may mean long hours, working weekends, and absorbing ridicule from coworkers.   The latter occurs because those who realize that they don’t have what it takes to persevere often resent those who do. It’s not pretty, but it is reality. Completing a difficult task successfully is a feather in your cap and will get the attention of your superiors.   That is good.   You may also become the go-to person for hard jobs.   That is also good, even if it seems counterintuitive.   You can hone yo...

Ok, you just became a leader, usually in one of two ways.   Maybe you have ascended through the ranks; or maybe you have been recruited from outside to bring fresh breath to an organization. In either case, the first thing to remember is “It looks easy until you have to do it.”   What does that mean, and how can it be the same whether you are an insider or an outsider?   A few thoughts: Being the leader is much different from not being the leader.   That sounds dumb or self-evident, but many new leaders miss it.   You will need to nuance this distinction. Things that you were able to accomplish from farther down the food chain become much more difficult as a leader.   Leaders don’t get to work behind the scenes in relative obscurity in the same ways that minions do.   Leaders can influence and guide, but their accomplishments have to be carried out by their team.   If you try to insert yourself, you compromise both your own effectiveness ...

There is a thriving business out there based on self-helping people to “become leaders.” I think there is value in this type of education. On the other hand, I don’t believe that everyone has a leader hidden inside. And that’s OK. We are not all born to lead, and in fact I have worked with many folks who are not interested in leading. And that’s OK. Others have what it takes, but are not motivated to take a leadership role even when it presents itself. And that’s OK. The point is, you can’t teach someone to lead. But leaders can be honed once the leadership gene kicks in. Yogi once said of his mentor, Bill Dickey,   “Bill is learning me his experience.”   In short, you can’t lead from a recipe.   Education does not trump natural ability and. experience.   Theoretical concepts emerge naturally in leaders; they are not learned and then applied.   That is not a pleasant fact.   But it is true. The best leaders in my experience have be...