Developing Leadership in Uncertain Times
I want to start this article by stating that I have respect for leaders of every scale during this season. If I was running the show in 2020, I don’t know where we would be. It is basic human nature to point fingers and assume that we would succeed if we were given bigger and better responsibilities, but we are seldom to credit our leaders for the pressure that their decisions hold. Instead of doubting the current leaders that have been placed in our every day lives, we have the choice to overcome judgement with proactivity. We can develop leadership ourselves. Many of us want respect, but we are slow to give it. Many of us want grace, but we are quick to respond in irritation and anger.
The unexpected events that have led up to July of 2020 have been sobering. Some have lost hope, some have lost respect, but some are using this time to adapt and prepare. Leadership is a skill that goes stale without practice. However, each time we practice, it grows. I want to share some qualities that a leader has consistently. These qualities aren’t fickle and can help us become leaders to those in our daily lives.
1. Leaders develop credibility by being themselves consistently. There is no glove for what a leader is – as humans, we have many different strengths and weaknesses. Decide who you are and be that – no matter who is around. When people see this attribute in you, they begin to trust you.
2. Be willing to jump in the pool. If someone is drowning, you cannot save them by yelling at them to swim. A leader will meet others where they are at in order to help them advance. You can still have authority even if you make yourself approachable. Be someone who chooses to see others for where they are at.
3. Encourage ideas. Build your friends, influences, and team from what you lack. Don’t get so stuck seeing in your perspective that you miss something brilliant. Thomas Watson said, “The fastest way to succeed is to double your failure rate.” If you stomp on the soil of failure, your success won’t bloom either. Don’t let people stay in their failure – bring them out quickly with encouragement and move forward. Let, “don’t give up” be your motto, because eventually those who never quick will succeed.
4. Publicly praise those who have worked hard. This could be a mom who praises her child at dinner for doing the dishes or a boss calling out hard work on a project. Those who feel appreciated will always put in their best. Remember that.
5. Be slow to speak. There are plenty of proverbs and quotes that reference our tongues as our biggest enemy. Be careful of what you say because words can damage others severely. Especially in a place of work, watch out for sideways conversations – a rude joke can break a team up as time goes on. No one remembers a great leader by their crude words.
Leadership isn’t a popularity test and will often be built over time by those actively seeking strong leaders in their life. We are going to see leaders fail from time to time – leaders are people like us. What if instead of disregarding our leaders altogether, we choose to assess their strengths and weaknesses and use them to shape the leadership growing inside of us? In hard seasons or not, we ultimately have the choice to be who we want to be. No one can take that away from us.
Olivia Johnson
July 20, 2020