Just as there are positive and negative aspects in every season of life, there are both positive and negative aspects to every level of leadership. If you are new to leadership and you receive a position, then there are things to celebrate. I’m going to tell you about four of them.
1. A Leadership Position Is Usually
Given to People Because They Have
Leadership Potential
Most of the time when people enter a leadership position, they do so because it was granted or appointed by some other person in authority. That probably seems obvious. But think about the implication: It usually means that the person in authority believes the new leader has some degree of potential for leading. That’s good news. So if you’re new to leadership and you have been invited to lead something, then celebrate the fact that someone in authority believes in you.
The best leaders promote people into leadership based on leadership potential, not on politics, seniority, credentials, or convenience. If you have a new leadership position, then let me say welcome to the first step in your leadership journey. You have a seat at the table and have been invited to be part of the “leadership game.” You will have opportunities to express your opinion and make decisions. Your initial goal should be to show your leader and your team that you deserve the position you have received.
Whether you were invited to lead a week or a decade ago, it’s never too late to express gratitude to the person who invited you to the leadership table. Take the time to write a note or an e-mail to thank that person and express the positive impact that leading has had on your life.
2. A Leadership Position Means Authority
Is Recognized
When an individual receives a position and title, some level of authority or power usually comes with them. Often in the beginning that power is very limited, but that’s okay because most leaders need to prove themselves with little before being given much.
As a new leader, you must use the authority you are given wisely, to advance the team and help the people you lead. Do that, and your people will begin to give you even greater authority. When that happens, you gain leadership, not just a position.
3. A Leadership Position Is an Invitation
to Grow as a Leader
The journey through the 5 Levels of Leadership will only be successful if you dedicate yourself to continual development. If you believe that the position makes the leader, you will have a hard time becoming a good leader. You will be tempted to stop and “graze,” meaning you’ll stay where you are and enjoy the position’s benefits instead of striving to grow and become the best leader you can. If you want to make an impact, start with yourself.
The leaders who do the greatest harm to an organization are the ones who think they have arrived. Once they receive the title or position they desire, they stop growing. They stop innovating. They stop improving. They rest on their entitlements and clog up everything. Make the most of this opportunity in leadership by making growth your goal. And strive to keep growing. Good leaders are always good learners. To be an effective leader, you must believe that the leadership position you receive is merely an invitation to grow. If you do that and become a lifetime learner, you will continually increase your influence over time. And you will make the most of your leadership potential, no matter how great or small it might be.
4. A Leadership Position Allows Potential
Leaders to Shape and Define Their Leadership
The greatest upside potential for people invited to take a leadership position is that it affords them the opportunity to decide what kind of leader they want to be. The position they receive may be defined, but they, as people, are not. When you first become a leader, your leadership page is blank and you get to fill it in any way you want! What kind of leader do you want to be? Don’t just become reactive and develop a style by default. Really think about it. Do you want to be a tyrant or a team builder? Do you want to come down on people or lift them up? Do you want to give orders or ask questions? You can develop whatever style you want as long as it is consistent with who you are.
If you are new to leadership—or new to a particular leadership position—it is the perfect time to think about the leadership style you desire to develop. If you are an experienced leader, you can of course reevaluate the way you lead and make changes. However, you will be working against your people’s past experiences and have to overcome their expectations.
As you move forward, consider the following three things:
Who Am I?
Good leadership begins with leaders knowing who they are. Successful leaders work hard to know themselves. They know their own strengths and weaknesses. They understand their own temperament. They know what personal experiences serve them well. They know their work habits as well as their daily, monthly, and seasonal rhythms. They know which kinds of people they work well with and which kinds they have to try harder with to appreciate. They have a sense of where they are going and how they want to get there. As a result, they know what they’re capable of doing, and their leadership is steady. Knowing yourself on a pretty deep level isn’t quick or easy. It is a long and involved process. Some of it isn’t particularly fun. But it is necessary if you want to become a better leader. Self-knowledge is foundational to effective leading.
What Are My Values?
Your values are the soul of your leadership, and they drive your behavior. Before you can grow and mature as a leader, you must have a clear understanding of your values and commit to living consistently with them—since they will shape your behavior and influence the way you lead. As you reflect on your values, I believe you should settle what you believe in three key areas:
If you answer these questions and commit yourself to living your values in these three areas, you’ll be well on your way to developing the integrity that makes you attractive to team members and makes them want to follow your leadership.
Immature leaders try to use their position to drive high performance. Mature leaders with self-knowledge realize that consistently high performance from their people isn’t prompted by position, power, or rules. It is encouraged by values that are real and genuine.
What Leadership Practices Do I Want to Put into Place?
If you want to become a successful leader, you must not only know yourself and define your values, you must also live them out. You will not grow as a leader unless you commit to getting out of your comfort zone and trying to be a better leader than you are today. Write a declaration of commitment to growth that describes what you will do to grow and how you will approach it. Then sign and date it. Put it someplace where you can reference it in the future. This marks the day you committed to becoming the leader you have the potential to be.
As you think about the way you will define your leadership, take into consideration what kinds of habits and systems you will consistently practice. What will you do to organize yourself? What will you do every day when you arrive at work? What spiritual practices will you maintain to keep yourself on track? How will you treat people? What will be your work ethic? What kind of example will you set? Everything is up for grabs. It’s up to you to define it. And the earlier you are on the leadership journey, the greater the potential for gain if you start developing good habits now. (You may want to look at my book Make Today Count for the twelve areas I focus on and the habits I use daily to manage my life.)
The bottom line is that an invitation to lead people is an invitation to make a difference. Good leadership changes individual lives. It forms teams. It builds organizations. It impacts communities. It has the potential to impact the world. But never forget that position is only the starting point.