Wilson and Associates Consulting Services

Are good leaders made or born? Do all good leaders possess qualities in common or is each leader distinct? In thinking through my personal leadership philosophy, I’ve determined three broad concepts that, to me, encompass leadership. They are: 1) Accept responsibility, 2) Don’t try to do it all yourself, and 3) Treat others as you’d like them to treat you. First, what do I mean by accepting responsibility? I mean accept that you are in a position of authority and must provide direction. This includes understanding your organization’s mission and understanding how it fits into the larger organizational picture. Once you know this, get a grasp on the status of your organization. Are you a healthy or unhealthy organization? Where are the problems? What are the pluses? Once you’ve come up with some reasonable assessment, establish long and short term goals that you want to accomplish. Do not keep them a secret. You need to communicate your standards and goals to your people. You must let them know what they can expect from you and what you expect from them. This includes letting them know what you like and dislike. If you have any idiosyncrasies let them know…sitting on desks and popping gum may be fine with some people, but if it drives you crazy, warn them in advance.

As a leader, you must be perceived as a person who cares and knows about the organization’s mission and cares about the people. You need to be ready to make decisions…including the tough and unpopular ones. If your employees know your standards and know that you have the good of the organization and their well-being at heart, it’s likely they’ll be motivated to do their best. The well-known English author John Donne wrote “No man is an island; each man is a part of the continent, a part of the main.” Applying this to leadership, you cannot succeed in the role of a leader by doing it yourself. Undoubtedly there is no leader who has either the time or ability to do all the work that needs to be done and at the same time train and motivate his followers. A credible leader should ensure each person in the organization has a productive full-time job, is trained, given responsibility, provide supervision, and is accountable for his or her actions.

A good leader must communicate to his followers that each person and every job is important and that the success of the organization depends on each person knowing and doing the job to the best of their abilities. I think leaders can reinforce and validate this by getting out into the work areas, observing what the employees are doing, talking to them, and by all means complimenting their efforts. It is the leader who sets the tone, who validates each person’s contributions, and at the same time says “We’re a team and as a team we can accomplish everything we want to accomplish.” The last personal leadership belief I want to leave with you sounds the simplest and easiest to do…Treat others as you would like to be treated. We all know how we want to be treated, but in the course of events and the frequent stress and strain of being the boss, this ancient principal is not always easy to put into practice.

Specifically, as a leader, be consistent in your leadership style and if at some point for the good of the organization you find that you must make some significant changes in your approach, let everyone know what changes are on the way. Be fair…listen to what your employees have to say and try to understand the situation from their perspective. After listening…make your decision. “Do it because I’m the boss” may work for awhile, but in the day-to-day environment that attitude wears thin on your employees and eventually results in resistance, lowered morale, and decreased productivity. Be willing to admit your mistakes…you will make some. It’s how you handle mistakes and misjudgments that will either gain or lose you respect in the eyes of your subordinates. Make it a practice to compliment and recognize those who are doing a good job. Give your people the credit for the organization’s successes. Take a sincere interest in your subordinates and their personal situations. If you’re a leader of a large organization, perhaps you can’t personally know everyone’s circumstance, but you can have that as a standard for your first-line supervisors.

Finally, I think it’s important to keep a sense of humor and be willing to laugh and have fun. Don’t be afraid to show the lighter side of your personality. You probably like that in your boss; your subordinates will like it in you…it’s contagious. How you handle leadership roles will be different from mine and the person working next to you. The significant point in this article is not whether you agree with my leadership philosophy, but that you think through and develop your own leadership style. Your organization and subordinates will benefit from your efforts.

Joe A. Wilson, Executive Vice President of Training and Co-Founder of Wilson & Associates Consulting, is a retired US Air Force Colonel with over 27 years of honorable service. Joe holds a BS degree and a MA degree in Business Management and Procurement. He is a lifetime member of the Society of Logistics Engineers, the Air Force Association, and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. His website is www.wilson-and-associates.com and his office number is (813) 818-0150. He can be contacted via email at jwilson@wilson-and-associates.com.

Personal Leadership Roles & Responsibilities Defined