7 Traits of Influential Leaders: Part 2
Leadership is a skill that everyone should develop and cultivate. Being a leader does not necessarily have to mean being a manager or a politician – it could also mean being a thought leader, or even just being a great parent. The ability to inspire, direct, and guide others is something that is incredibly valuable. Something that can help you to accomplish more and even raises your confidence and self-worth.
In this series of 7 posts, we’re going to examine what it takes to be a leader by looking at some of the most important traits that history’s greatest exhibit. Every leader is different and part of your journey to becoming one is going to be discovering your own ‘leadership style’. With that said though, there are still definitely some common traits that you can develop and some lessons we can learn from influential figures from history. And what you’ll find is that in some ways, the most important aspects of being a great leader are not what you would expect.
I hope this series will change the way you approach leadership and help you to drastically improve your own results.
Part 2. A Great Leader Takes Responsibility
In my last post, I suggested that great leaders need to care less about being liked and more about owning the position they have been trusted with.
The reason you need to care less about how others see you is that this then allows you to take responsibility. You might be passing on orders but for all intents and purposes, those are still your orders. Own them and don’t apologize.
Likewise, when things go wrong because your team was working too slowly, you need to take the flack with your superiors and take responsibility. You were leading them, so if they didn’t get the work done, that’s your responsibility. Throwing your colleagues under the bus will again only make you seem weak and like someone who makes excuses!
What’s more important, is that by taking responsibility for targets not being met and mistakes being made, you are creating a safe ‘buffer’ for those beneath you. They know that they can make decisions and do what they think needs to be done and not worry about the possible repercussions.
This extends even further to taking responsibility for your own actions and decisions. Leaders make decisions quickly and with confidence and that’s not because they always have the answers, but because they’re willing to take the flack even if their decisions prove to be wrong.
I recently had a fantastic experience with one of my leaders in regard to this. I am responsible for managing the recording and editing of an online service that my church produces each week. Under me is my son who does the video editing each week. Due to a video editing oversight when the service was streamed on Sunday, there was a 2-minute blank spot in the video which made everyone think the internet had gone down.
I spoke to my Senior minister, George, and let him know what had happened and he was very understanding. The following week we were in the office, somebody asked George what had happened with the video service on Sunday. Georges response… ” We messed up. it was a technical over the site.” He never blamed me, he didn’t blame my son. Even though he had nothing to do with the editing process, he simply took responsibility as the senior leader and said nothing more about it.
For my son who is 17, that gave him the confidence to know that it was ok to make mistakes. He double-checked his work the following week to ensure he didn’t make the same mistake but was still able to continue editing confidently, rather than nervously for fear of making a mistake (which is so common with many leaders).
In summary, If your team makes a mistake, own it, it’s your mistake. If your superior gives an instruction or makes a tough decision, own it, it’s your decision. Avoid playing the blame game in leadership, you will lose credibility with other leaders and you will lose the trust of your team,
Want to read ahead? Download the eBook with all 7 traits here:
If you would like to learn more about effectively growing in your leadership, why not check out our FREE Goal setting guide. See below for details. https://leadcommunicategrow.com/free-goal-setting-guide/
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