John's Blog

It seems that my rant the other day about bullies and leadership turned out to be somewhat prophetic. I went to work and was told that I should start each day by standing in front of my mirror and saying "Today, I will be a leader". Right; like that's gonna' happen! I'm not really a "stand in front of the mirror" kind of guy; I'm far more likely to stand at the mirror and say "Damn, I've got to go to work today!" I found this piece on Why you must lead far more useful and on the money:

"It is impossible to lead anyone or anything without putting some of yourself, and your point of view, out for everyone else to see....Most people in jobs that require leadership skills don’t fulfill the leadership role. Cynically speaking, even those who posses it rarely work for those that do....it’s these pseudo-leaders, people in authority with little conviction or leadership ability, that choose who get promoted into new leadership roles, adding more trash to the leadership pool.....Being a leader rarely means taking forceful control over people, things or decisions. Instead it means a willingness to listen to others, and treat them with respect. Their opinions should contribute to your thinking for how best to apply your influence. The value of a leader is their positive effect on a team, not the force and power they have at their disposal. Focusing on the former is going to make good things happen. But someone that focuses on the later (force and power) is an empire builder, who is basically in an arms race with everyone else, and probably has no idea what to use those arms for should they ever win their political and power wars."