Leadership Part 4

“True leadership is not found in those that point the way, but is found in those who physically lead for others to follow…” — Rick Cox

Part 4

The third type of leadership is found in the Transformational Leader. This is the one who through diligent study learns how to become a proficient leader. There are literally hundreds of books available for purchase on leadership. Depending on your type of person, several of them might be right up your alley. Different people connect with different writers therefore; I encourage you to find those books with writing styles, which will best suit you. Again, allow me to say this is similar to anyone who having no natural gift, still desires to learn and play a musical instrument. It is possible, not only to learn, but become a very good or even an excellent musician.

Regardless of the path one takes to become a leader, those choosing to become leaders must first be trustworthy. They need to be a person of character and integrity putting the requirements of others ahead of their own. Secondly, they must have the ABILITY to communicate. In other words they must be able to make clear their vision. Be that as it may, the leader must get people to trust and believe in their capacity to lead, for then and only then will the leader be able to inspire others to achieve the objective and complete the vision, which they are so articulately paint with their communication skills.

A common weakness I have seen in this type of leader is the inability to emotionalize and personalize their experiences. A leader without the ability to emotionalize and personalize their experiences will find it difficult at best to inspire others to see or achieve the shared vision. The ability to emotionalize and personalize is imperative if one expects to effectively motivate others. More often than not this type of leader has only gained his or her leadership perspective through the study of one or more books. With only book learning and little to no personal experience or emotional involvement, their ability to lead is without foundation. As previously stated, unless one is a trait leader, it takes personal experience to be able to emotionalize the vision and thus motivate the followers with enough energy to persevere through to the achievement of the objective and complete the vision.

This emotional connection as well as personal experience will come when or if the Transformational Leader stays with it, pushing through to the point of gaining the needed insight to fill the position. A Trait Leader will have this already by virtue of their inner gift, for this gift allows the Trait Leader to act as if they have already been through the experience. Conversely, the Situational Leader winds up in leadership simply because they rose to the occasion. That is to say a situation presented itself and they rose up to fill the need, continuing until the reason for their leadership was completed.

In the long run, those who do become good Transformational Leaders often exhibit greater patience and skill. The reason is they now understand the, who, what, when, why and where aspects of leadership. They have now lived through and personally experienced the emotional ups and downs. In other words, they not only have the necessary qualifications to lead, but are now able to fully explain the process by which they are leading.

So, if you have even the smallest desire to be a leader, but do not feel you have the same natural gift you have seen in friends or colleagues, do not despair. With study and persistence you can become not only a good, but a great leader.

It is important to note many get the inkling for leadership after observing someone they knew or for which they worked, either doing nothing with it, or doing a horrendous job of it, especially if that leader was one possessing the natural leadership gift. As a matter of fact, one of the quickest ways I know to inspire people to become leaders is when they feel they can do a much better job. When we become a student of what it takes to make a great leader, we can become one. Like everything else in life, it is up to us. As the old adage says, study to show yourself approved. If you do, it will pay off.

Ah, but becoming a great leader is not without its downside. There is a side to being a leader many never see and know nothing of…

Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…

Respectfully,

Rick Cox