Allow me to state boldly that our world is imperfect. Look at the balance of right and wrong in countries and their leadership. Right here in America, imperfect is creating riffs across the aisle of red and blue politics. Debates are rising over the right leadership style. So who is right and who is wrong? Are we confident in our political leaders?
Business has gone from firing people, to laying them off, to downsizing, and into the new term of repurposing people. To be repurposed sounds very degrading and demeaning especially if you had given your all to the company and now you are considered waste. Waste in a very nice way mind you. We tend to be heading farther into imperfect waters with the absence of real leadership.
There are three key concepts a real leader should possess. They should display courage, be confident, and genuinely care.
A leader who is worth their weight in gold stands courageously for what is right, best, and in the interest of those they lead. Even when the tides of the masses are raging against an idea, a team, a direction, a real leader stands in the storm for those that follow. The real leader has the courage to stay the course if it is right or shift if it is not. They are able to stand by an idea, even against better judgement at times. This is courage. And courage is what separates greatness from average. Are you a courageous leader?
To calm the minds of those who follow it matters a great deal if their leader is confident in their direction and decisions. After all, many are trusting that the leader will not abandon them along the journey. Real leaders speak passionately and confidently about those around them, not only about challenges but also about successes. Real leaders are confident in the followers of make something happen. And a real leader is confident enough to share the credit for success with those that actually did the hard part, the worker or volunteer, and made it happen.
And finally, a real leader needs to care deeply about the mission and the people attached to the mission. Too many times I have seen “smoke and mirror” leadership in this area. The leader speaks of care for the people and does something completely against his or her words and loses the trust of the people. Be a real leader and care for your people. Without them and their hard word, their sweat and toil, you have nothing. You are nothing. Your leadership ability is like a magic act, now you see it and now you don’t.
I encourage you to practice the 3C’s of courage, confidence, and care. If you genuinely practice these concepts of real leadership you will be a hero among those who follow you and trust you. You will be the guiding light that others are willing to follow. You will be respected and revered among those who need you to genuinely lead. My suggestion to you, as a leader, is to go and lead right. Pay attention to the thought of courage, of confidence, and genuine care.
