John Maxwell, who I think of as The Godfather of Leadership says leadership is influence and nothing more. I agree because he is smarter than me but that got me thinking. Its pretty commonly held that leadership and being a boss are different yet when people ask "How do I become a better leader?" there is something amiss in the question.
If we dig deeper, it's often because they want people to follow them, or more specifically, do to certain things. So its more like "How can I better get person(s) A to do behavior B?" Whether this is a home environment (parenting) or a work environment (being a boss, manager, owner, etc) that is often the problem needing a solution.
So isn't the real question, how do I get people to do what I want them to do?
That goes back to an off shoot of what I was getting at in yesterday's post. A big part of leading others is going to go back to leading yourself. In other words...Are you taking care of the goose, and is the goose doing the things it wants others to do? In that sense, I think my official stance is that leadership is influence AND EXAMPLE or maybe BY EXAMPLE.
So that brought me to think, leadership boils down to YOU. What are you doing? If there is something you seek from others. Leadership is doing that thing.
In my profession, I am called a leader but what I am really more gifted at is teaching. So I can lead by teaching sometimes and by serving the needs of others but the "by example" is needing some attention.
Helping others do something is teaching or serving. Leading others is doing it first. Two (not totally) separate things that I feel get confused all the time. I have actually known some great teachers who were not the greatest of leaders and sometimes they had more followers than the leaders.
And I've know great leaders who are not gifted teachers and their followers were different.
But if you find someone who can lead (through influence by example) and ALSO teach? Well, then you have the answer to that original question.
That person is leading well because they are able to lead themselves first or they wouldn't be setting an example, they'd be teaching from the sidelines.
That makes me think of out of shape football coaches who are NOT leading their players by example on the field but are STILL great leaders and teachers. They teach football. But they often lead in the areas of discipline, mentality, character and other areas that serve that team.
I would love to know how leading your self better (aka taking care of the goose that lays the golden eggs) would help you lead others better in your life. I learn so much from your responses!
By the way, had 300 readers yesterday when I posted. I appreciate that!
Best,
Anna
- Anna Smith, MSA, NASM CPT
- In my professional and personal life, I have always sought to lead people, teams and projects with one mission: positive influence and impact. As founder of Revolution Personal Training Center, I lead an award winning private studio to impact thousands of lives using the concepts I still teach today. As President of Elevate Your Life from 2016, I switched into a consulting role providing mentoring to those seeking to build a business in the fitness industry. I have effectively taught thousands of people on sales and leadership, generating millions in sales in the fitness and wellness space, as well as multiple award winning and recognized top producers in nationwide companies. Today, I am focused on writing and sharing what I have learned along the way. Uncommon Optimism is the underlying theme of knowing that NO MATTER what life throws our way, we are always able to focus on what we can control - ourselves… Join me on the journey as I share what I've learned to help you elevate your self, your business, and your life.
