Each of us, at various levels of life, may have occupied one form of leadership position or the other. It may be in the family, place of work, community, etc. However, that you are in a leadership position does not make you a true and good leader. This is because leadership is an art that is built, not conferred. You may be conferred with or given a position of leadership, but what will not be given to you is the art of good leadership - you build yourself into it. Any good leader you see today made their choice to develop their leadership skills based on the laws that we shall be looking at. Let us take a look at some of the laws that should be upheld as a good leader.
The first one is the law of influence. Good leadership is void of coercion and it is not a call to ruthlessly force your subordinates to be conformed to certain demands. You are to influence them by your actions. This is why I believe that a good leadership is not gotten by coercion nor by mandate, but it is earned. In your place of work for example, you may earn a managerial position because of your qualification and your years of experience, but to be respected and trusted, you have to earn it. As a good leader, you have to influence, inspire, and motivate others through your actions, character, integrity, competence, good communication skills, and your determination towards what you are doing.
The next law is the law of process. You have to understand that building a good leadership skill does not happen overnight, neither is it automatic, rather it takes time, process, and it is systematic. It a journey of learning and development, not a destination. To build up a good leadership quality, you have to take time to invest in personal and professional abilities. This includes reading and gaining more knowledge, training, through mentoring, by interaction, etc. When you do all these, you will sharpen and improve more on your leadership skills. It is worth noting that what greatly impacts on you is not what you do only once in a very long while, but what you do steady as a lifestyle.
Another important law to consider here is the law of empowerment. I have come to understand that success is actually amplified when you invest in others. Empowering others to succeed is a higher form of success. As a leader, you have a duty to others and not just yourself. By empowering them, you have given them the necessary authority, responsibility, and tool to grow and it will also reflect in the overall growth of the team. Remember that when you invest in others, you are also indirectly investing in yourself.
The next one is the law of effective navigation. As a good leader, you should be able to guide your team through challenges and obstacles. In order to do this, you also need to know where you are going. Of course, you cannot guide others beyond where you know. So you need to have a clear vision of where you are going to, so as to be able to carry the team along. It does not only stop at having the vision, but you also need to develop the plan that will guide you through to get there. Remember that the bulk of the success of your team rests on your shoulders and it is your responsibility to act in their best interests.
The last law to look at here is the law of legacy. As a good leader, you have to understand that everything does not start and end with you. In fact, the true measure of your worth is in what you have left behind as a legacy. It is not just about your current achievement but what you will be remembered for, and the lasting impact that you have made. There are many ways you can leave a legacy, like mentoring them towards success, creating a system that outlives your presence, etc. To make for good and effective leadership that will be remembered for long, you need to consider the future in everything you do in the now. That is; look beyond your tenure as the leader and create an impact that you will be remembered for.
Thanks for reading
