Can you sell your leadership product?
What is a leader? A mentor once told me a leader is someone who can find others who will follow him (or her).
But as we all know, followers can be high-maintenance folks, requiring constant tending to whatever it is that attracts them; most of the time "it" is something intangible. Napoleon is reputed to have said, "A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." Intangible.
Leadership, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. So we asked our radio and online audience which of five characteristics is THE most important to being a successful leader. Two of the leadership traits we offered, courage and perseverance, got the lowest ranking, each in single digits. The highest ranking went to "ability to communicate," with about 40% choosing this one, followed by "ethical behavior," chosen by almost one-third of respondents, and "vision" selected by a little more than one out of four.
At first, I was surprised that courage and perseverance didn't rank higher, because it's my belief that both of these are defining traits of a successful leader. But surprise turned to clarity when I realized that our poll had revealed what we all know but don't always remember: There are two faces of a leader. One is the face leaders see when looking in a mirror, and the other is the one followers see. When seeking the definition of a leader, we have to be clear about which point-of-view is being sought: leadership traits we seek in ourselves or those that attract followers.
The face in the mirror knows courage and perseverance are definitely among the imperatives for leadership success. But to followers, these are merely raw materials used to manufacture the product they demand of leaders - that intangible "bit of colored ribbon" delivered by communicating a vision that is executed based on mutually held values.
Turns out, being a leader is a lot like being a business owner. To be successful in business, it's not enough to offer quality products you're proud of - customers drop the gavel on that judgment. Similarly, it's not enough for leaders just to please the mirror - followers are the customers of your leadership product.
In order to get others to follow you, both faces of leadership must be in evidence. Nurture those traits that success requires of you personally, like courage, perseverance, faith, commitment, etc., while simultaneously delivering what followers expect: ethics, communication, vision and performance.
Write this on a rock ... Are you finding followers for your "bit of colored ribbon?"
