Relationships – do they matter to leaders? Absolutely yes. True leadership is relational. People won’t go along with you if they don’t get along with you. Will you follow someone you don’t like? Why would someone follow you if they don’t like you? The leadership you provide is both horizontal and vertical. You can lead volunteer organizations, you can lead your peers, and you can lead those above you. I have loved seeing leadership from those I work with at all levels, be it the Colorado Springs business owner or the non-profit volunteer. It shows their personal growth, their ability to step up and most importantly their ability to step into the leader’s shoes. The ultimate compliment for a leader is having a team that can and will step in to your job. It allows you to move ahead. If no one wants your job, you are failing as a leader. You haven’t created an environment for others to grow, you haven’t shared a vision of how they can take over.
We also need to lead ourselves. As we learn to lead ourselves, we become better at leading others. Leadership requires relationship. Leadership is influence. Leadership is a day by day process. Great leaders are not created in an instant. It takes a step-by-step process, working day by day to improve, build relationships, grow, share the vision, help others to buy in, invest in them and create an organization that everyone wants to work with and an environment that many people want to follow you. Are you ready?