Leaders make more leaders. You aren’t a leader if you don’t. But how do you go about making more leaders? By acting as a career agent, you can successfully combat disengagement and serve the role that a leader is meant to serve- growing others. But how do you play the role of career agent? Here are three easy steps: 1. ASK & ASSESS: Asking simply involves deploying the question, “What do you want out of your career?” in individual meetings with your subordinates. You may want to break this down into what they want 1 year, 3 years, 5
“An idea hit me: Why not create a for-profit business to help provide shoes for these children? Why not come up with a solution that guaranteed a constant flow of shoes rather than being dependent on kind people making donations? In other words, maybe the solution was entrepreneurship not charity.” Blake Mycoskie, TOMS Shoes Although Blake and his TOMS shoes have spurred the whole concept of one-for-one business models, he isn’t alone nor the first to consider how business can be a cause. With decreasing government funding for charitable causes (and I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing)
What is leadership? In one word, leadership is influence. It’s the ability to accomplish things through others. Taken to the next level, and as the noble ideal that leadership has become (as opposed to say, management) great leadership involves positive influence that leads to positive results. Leadership makes others, and therefore the world, better through focus on people. With this in mind, here are some of the great leadership quotes that espouse what real leadership is: “Lead from the back- and let others believe they are in front.” Nelson Mandela “Leadership is about making others better as a result
Are you currently thriving in a position and considering transitioning into a leadership role? If you’re not sure, consider the following: Are you praised for displaying company values and known for always delivering? Are you a good communicator? Do others come to you with problems or to get your advice? Do you enjoy the role of leading/encouraging your co-workers? If you answered “yes” to the above question, you should definitely consider a role in leadership. So how do you transition from being a “doer” to a “leader”? Tips to Ensure a Smooth Transition into a Leadership Role suggests the following:
Leaders take control of their personal and professional development in order to continuously grow and maximize their contribution. As a leader do you have a professional development game plan? If you do, here are some good ideas to consider, and if not, here are some ideas to get you started: 1. Read- Commit to reading a sampling of the following: A book about leadership a month. For recommendations on books to start with, see our Top 10 Leadership book recommendations. Downloading the app Good Reads and selecting the “Business” category can help you select some good titles. Once you begin rating