Leadership is the ability to influence one or more people to support a common goal or cause.
Some level of leadership is often necessary to make any kind of social organization function properly, whether it’s a family, a business, a government, or a charity.
We all step into “leadership” roles every now and then, even if it’s something as small as helping a stranger cross the street or giving a friend advice on how to get a new job.
Leadership is most effective when we match our strengths with other people’s needs. It’s about finding a “common goal” and then working together to achieve it.
So the first question to always ask yourself as a leader is, “What is in my power to help this person become as happy and successful as possible?”
As most of us know, we’re an incredibly social-driven species. Throughout our evolution we have depended on cooperation with one another to survive and adapt to our environment, and that need for social connection is still strong today.
Successful leadership can often be the social glue that keeps people working together and cooperating with one another to overcome common obstacles and achieve amazing things that benefit society as a whole.
However, the one common trap that many leaders fall into is putting themselves above the “common goal” of the organization, whatever that goal may be.
Successful leadership is always about more than self-interest or wanting to be “in charge” of things. Instead, it’s a genuine desire and ability to bring people together and help everyone fulfill their individual role in an organization.
For an organization to work as effectively as possible, it’s best that everyone involved is aware of the bigger mission of that organization.
What service does your organization provide to society as a whole? What role does everyone play in making that organization work? These are the types of questions that every great leader should be able to answer instinctively.
Great leaders look beyond themselves and see the bigger picture. They also have an uncanny ability to communicate that bigger picture to everyone involved in the organization.
This is the key difference between building a strong and loyal team of followers who are focused on a common goal, instead of a bunch of individuals just clocking in 9-5, collecting their paychecks every 2 weeks, and not caring if the organization actually does well or not.
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