5 Things a Good Leader Knows

Originally published at www.cnmsocal.org as part of the 5 Things Friday series.

This morning I walked past a coworker’s desk and noticed a very full flip chart sheet with leader written in bright pink at the top. Surrounding the word were all sorts of attributes and descriptions of a leader.

The sheet had very little white space left and it got me thinking, “What does it take to be a good leader? There seems to be a lot of expected of this person, can one person really do it all? What are the key aspects of being a good leader?”

While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, below are five things that I believe every good leader should know.

1. A leader knows that leadership does not equal authority

First and foremost any discussion about leadership should cover the definition of leadership. To some, leadership is just another way of saying the person in charge. This isn’t good practice though. Everyone has leadership qualities and can become a leader, even if they never get a fancy title.

I define leadership is the act of lifting up others around you in order to make something happen. Dr. Robert Ross defines it as Hope in Action. You might define it another way. But to have leadership at all you need two things: 1) a team and 2) shared goals.

There might be a boss of that team and there might not. The leaders are the ones that get the group moving in the right direction. In the video below, you see someone start dancing. This person has the vision, and if what we were witnessing was an organization, you might say this person is the boss. But it’s the second person that showed leadership by stepping up.

Leaders are everywhere on a team. They are the ones that are staying quiet when they know it’s the best thing for the team. They are the ones speaking up for the same reason. They are the ones acting on someone else’s vision. A leader might be an extrovert or an introvert or any type of person. There is no set type of person that becomes a leader, and there certainly is no set title.

2. A leader knows they must always be learning and improving.

What works today may not work tomorrow. What works with one team may not work with another. A good leader knows that there is no end to the knowledge that can be acquired to do a better job.

Take Blockbuster for example. They continued to offer the same products and services as time went on, despite the changing landscape. You don’t see Blockbusters anymore. They might have had very smart people on their team, but they weren’t flexible, and they weren’t interested in learning how to better serve their clients.

3. A leader knows how to make things happen.

I mentioned before that to be a leader of anything you need to have a team and a shared goal. A person becomes a leader when they do something to move towards that goal, especially when obstacles are involved.

Let’s go back to Blockbuster. They have a team and a goal to make money through movie rentals. Someone who stood up to say, “Hey everybody, maybe we should move this online,” would be a leader because they are saying something that is bold and difficult. Another leader would be someone who said, “Yes! And I’d love to do some research to see what would be necessary to make that happen.”

4. A leader knows that their style is not the only style.

I’m an introvert and like to think by writing alone. Others like to think out loud. A good leader knows not only their style and the strengths and weaknesses that come with it, but also the styles of their team members and how best to work with them.

5. A leader knows that goals are more important than egos.

Sometimes the best thing for a leader to do is to stand in the shadows or not say anything. Sometimes it means letting someone else take credit for your idea. A good leader knows that the goal is the most important thing, not the credit for getting everyone there.

Do you agree? Am I missing anything? Let me know in the comments.