Back to basics

When I was in high school, I was involved in a program for all four years that appeared on my transcripts as Leadership Education. Some of my readers will recall it more or less warmly under other names; none of them will have forgotten our quirky but accomplished instructor. In between listening to his exploits as a helicopter pilot and lectures on our glorious history, my classmates and I managed to pick up a thing or two about leadership. He gave one definition as "the ability to influence others." This is a greatly simplified summary, but it's a starting point.

There aren’t literally just right and wrong ways to influence people. The carrot and the stick shouldn’t be the only tools in your toolbox; the good cop and bad cop aren’t the only hats you’ll be wearing. Leadership involves finding ways to engage your team, as you can’t just force people to buy into your plans. Don’t make your employees jump through hoops without a good reason, one where they can understand the part that they play, and they’ll trust you so much more. It may take a while, but over time as you demonstrate sound judgement with their welfare in mind, you’re more likely to earn their respect and get them all reading from the same page.

As with many major life disciplines, managing people (successfully) is a blend of art and science, and some people will go farther than others. There are techniques which can be taught and habits which can be developed. Some people seem to naturally possess the instincts, good judgement and charisma that attract followers. Although they aren't really born with it, leadership may seem to come more easily for some than others. Most people, though, become leaders (or better leaders) through hard work and lots of trial and error. Think about the people in leadership positions who have been major influences in your life - certainly in your career, but also perhaps on a sports team or in a school setting - and ask yourself if they got lucky in the talent lottery, or if they got to be that way because of their experience, background, and learning from their choices.

I don’t need to tell you that you’re going to make plenty of mistakes, and that it’s okay. You already know that. You probably also know that you need to learn from those mistakes and think about how you’ll handle it better next time. No one’s perfect, after all. Yes, try to avoid making them in the first place and don’t be negligent. But don’t be afraid to try new ideas, or ways to improve on old ideas. Don’t get complacent. Your team probably wants to be successful as much as you do, so as long as you’re transparently sharing your vision with them they’ll get behind you.

Chances are, you're reading this blog because you are a people/team manager, intend to become one, or just have to deal with one on a regular basis. Whether you're here because you want to become a better boss, or simply want to know how your boss thinks, this is probably not the starting point for understanding how to lead and manage people. There are a ton of books on the subject written by more intelligent people than me. That being said, you’re more than welcome to stay and hang out. I may even have some good stories, and you never know what you might learn.

Are you in a position where your actions are influencing the behavior of others? Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you’ve enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.