I am fortunate to have worked with quite a few outstanding leaders, and unfortunately, I've also worked with a few leaders that sucked big time. I've seen decent managers turn into good leaders and good leaders fall from grace. The recent stories about leaders falling from grace got me thinking about what is a leader. Leadership is defined as the capacity to lead by Merriam Webster. That definition just doesn't work for me, so I've come up with a new and exciting definition of leadership (drum roll please....)
Leadership is what you do when no one is looking.
Leadership is not defined by direct reports or managing people or projects. Leaders are defined by their actions - how they communicate, carry themselves, their output, and their ability to inspire. Even more important, though, are the actions that a leader takes when no one is there to watch, document, justify or notice what you do. HR pros are in the unique position to work with and observe leaders behind closed doors, before the big meeting. We see their values, their heart and if they walk the talk. We see leaders in good times and in bad. We see them push forward, inspire, strategize, question, follow, listen and make very difficult decisions. We also see them run, demand, yell, play favorites, blame and hide.
We all have the ability to be leaders. How do you respond when no one is looking?
Friday, December 4, 2009
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1 comments:
Love your take on this Bonita. As someone raising a teenage son, I often use a similar quote that "Character is about who you are when no one is looking". (Which he rolls his eyes at of course.)
Of course Character and Leadership go hand in hand, but as you've mentioned, I've seen more than my share of "leaders" run, demand, yell, play favorites, blame and hide. HR has a unique position and perspective on these behavoirs that others in the organization often don't get.
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