Leader – You Do Not Know It All!
You know, it’s funny when you ask a business leader if they think they are a good leader. 9/10 they will say yes. They have great leadership skills, no problems at all. Ask the team about that leader and 9/10 they will say the complete opposite! There is a problem in leadership today and a big reason for this is that leaders seem to think they know it all. The funny part is, these leaders are not true leaders at all!
The best leader is always learning
If you ask a true leader that very same question they may respond with something similar to ‘there is always more to learn’. Yes indeed there is. As John Maxwell says, the best leaders are always learning. Constantly. They are seeking ways to improve, to develop their skills, to find out what is working for others. They are listening, observing and very aware of what is required in their leadership to enable them to realise their vision and also very aware of shortcomings.
If you listen to the highly successful, high profile true leaders, you will never hear them say, “I’ve made it. I have nothing left to learn”. You will hear them say quite the opposite. And yet so many leaders, within the business community, are so heavily ego driven I’m guessing because they feel they need to be.
Ego is a huge barrier to a leader
Don’t let your ego prevent you from being a great leader. It’s the number one reason why leaders can’t graduate to inspiring, courageous and true leaders. If you remain driven by your ego, your results will suffer and you will have no chance of reaching the top level of leadership. You will however be known as an egotistical person and used as an example of how not to be in leadership. Drop your guard, leaders are not perfect – no one is. They make mistakes and do not know everything. They are human.
Time to drop your guard leader.
If you really do want to improve on your leadership and create even better results, follow these quick tips:
- The first thing you need to do is let go of the know it all ego position you may have chosen to adopt
- Take responsibility for the fact you do not know everything and not one style of leadership works
- Accept the fact that you can learn from others
- Get curious as to how the successful have created their success and ask questions, study a biography or better still build relationships with these people.
- Adopt the mindset that you can learn something from everyone and listen intently when people are speaking and sharing their stories with you.
A great leader is always learning. They are a student of their art. We need more students of leadership. Your scholarship is when as a leader you create your legacy.