[February 6, 2017] … to be a great leader. One of the ways many leaders excel in their profession is by simply outworking others. Longer days, more intense effort, and generally more time and dedication to their line of work are how they got ahead of their competition. But it takes more than hard work for a person to show great leadership and that’s because it must be shown through the strength of character.
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to work for some of the greatest military leaders produced in America over the past 40 years. What they all had in common was that they were extremely hard workers. On a number of occasions I was embarrassed by their presence late in the evening when I returned to work to pickup something I’d forgotten and there they were.
One day I had the chance to ask one of my commanders what it took to be a successful senior Flag officer in the military (but it could have been for any occupation). I wondered why anyone would be in their office so late at night; surely he missed his family. His answer surprised me, “I’m here late because during the day I’m fully engaged with people.” That’s what leadership really is all about … people.
The secret of successful leadership was not hard work, per se, but being with people to encourage them, guide and influence them, respect them, and be part of their lives. Everything else is just paperwork. That commander was writing correspondence, returning email, studying, reading, but more importantly he was thinking about his vision and where his organization was headed.
“Leadership is influence.” – John C. Maxwell, author, speaker, and pastor
Leadership is about the leader’s good character but also about instilling it in others. This means guiding others to be successful, ensuring they are performing at their very best, are doing what they are committed to do, and doing it well. And it means listening to people and hear what they have to say. Hard work only gets us so far but is part of great leadership.
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