EDUCATION BLOG

As I stated in each of the previous articles, there are five activities leaders do daily that are required to make their business grow, this is the fifth and last of the five. These actions are proven to be essential to the building and flourishing of any successful enterprise. There is no substitute for any one of them and they must be done daily.

The subject of this article is cultivating the expectation of leadership. Upon first considering this topic I must admit I was a little puzzled with what was meant. I finally went to the dictionary to better understand the statement. The word cultivate means to develop or improve by education or training; to train; or to refine. Expectation is defined as the act or state of looking forward or anticipating. And leadership is the act or instance of leading; guidance; direction. As I defined each word the meaning became clearer yet I knew I was missing something. The meaning I immediately got was: to develop, improve or refine the anticipation of leading, guiding or directing others. That sounds good but what does it mean to me in my business and how do I apply it?

Continuing to consider the above statements I realized how unprepared and ill-equipped people are to lead others. No matter how knowledgeable we are in our field or profession we still lack the ability to lead. By the observation above we are compelled to increase our abilities to lead others, being done through instruction and practice, not knowing when the expertise will be required yet knowing it shall. This capability comes upon all who advance to having others subordinate to them. Being subordinate does not imply they are inferior or less than another, only that their position in the scheme of operation is not overly contributory at this instance. When our businesses expand and associates are added we become leaders by the fact of necessity. We teach, train and explain procedures and processes to new people and they in turn look to us for help.

The inquiry now is how to prepare for this responsibility. We know there are schools of supervisory training but most supervisor aren’t leaders. They are normally considered bosses or managers who only give direction and orders to be completed. Leaders on the other hand possess a different mindset and thought process. They guide and give direction by example, showing their followers how to perform without driving them. They usually care about others more and reflect that with a coaching attitude. The traits of leadership are learned but they must become implanted in their characters as second nature, realizing they were once in a similar position themselves.

Acquiring these skills can come from various locations and influences. Most leaders have had leadership modeled for them; the best teaching is achieved through example, only be sure your following a good example. Next it’s received through training, from reading and listening to or communicating with other leaders and experienced businessmen. The third position is from within, each must have the self-discipline to understand and use the principles they have gained. Again the driving force comes from each person individually.

In summation, we all should prepare to be leaders because sooner or later we will be put in that position. Now is the time so we will be educated and trained to take our place with the great ones. As we learn to lead, opportunities will arise to use our new found skills, permitting us to perfect the ability and proficiency not only for us to lead but to create future leaders.

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