We all have the potential to become a leader, yet many fall short in developing their ability to become one or to reach beyond the status quo. There are a variety of reasons why this may be so ranging from not knowing what to do to sheer laziness in becoming the best that they can be as leader. If you want to develop your leadership abilities then the five points covered in this article may help  you to overcome areas that may be holding you back.

 
1: Become a Follower.
 
The heading of this topic may sound counterintuitive to you but consider this. There are potential leaders who view becoming a follower as something beneath them, whereas it is an essential quality for moving forward. There are few if any leaders in the world who have become one without the help and advice of other leaders. Excellent leaders have learned to be excellent followers in their development.
 
Find yourself a mentor. Follow him or her around. Watch what they do and glean the positive elements of their actions. A leader-mentor is someone who has more experience than you, someone who you look up to and want to be like. Someone who shares your values, ethics and principles.
 
A mentor will help you become focused and motivated; provide you with honest feedback; teaches you to problem solve and encourages your growth and development.
 
You need not be ashamed to follow and be inspired by someone. You will learn much more than if you walk alone. It takes a bit of humility to follow someone, but if you don’t you will never have what is needed to guide others. Following a mentor also prepares you to become a mentor of other potential leaders.

 
2. Be A Continuous Learner.
 
Make a point of nurturing a growth mindset. You can’t know everything, but you can become an expert in your field. And it is in this capacity that you will be trusted. Open your mind to not only learning the ‘hard technical skills’ in your area of expertise but also the ‘soft skills’ you will need to relate to others. Leadership is about engaging others to move forward, to follow a vision and to have others take action on a shared vision. In order to do that leaders need necessary soft skills to engage their followers.
 
3: Know your Values and Commit to them.

Great leaders believe in firm positive values. Take the necessary time to uncover your values and then live and defend them. One of the major breakdowns among leaders is that they do not follow the values they preach. This is most unfortunate because followers become jaded, skeptical and seek to remove themselves as a follower. Here are five key values of successful leaders.
 

• Integrity – leaders cultivate trust by doing what they say and being fair and consistent with others.
• Responsibility – leaders keep commitments and are accountable for them.
• Wisdom – leaders temper their knowledge with good judgement and concern for others.
• Communication – leaders are open to other points of view, listen intently and engage others in solving problems and getting things done
• Trust – leaders cultivate trust among their followers by consistently doing what is right and by walking the talk.​

 
4. Become a Public Speaker
 
One of the most stressful and difficult skills is to become a public speaker. Yet if you want to become a leader you must acquire the ability to speak in front of an audience. There is no doubt that public speaking can indeed be stressful, and even scary, but it’s a habit you have to get into. Public speaking can be learned through practice as many have witnessed, for instance:

• Rowan Atkinson, best known for his character Mr. Bean, gets nervous and uncomfortable when he has to speak in public.
• Tiger Woods who is one of the greatest technical golfers had to learn the art of public speaking in typical Tiger Woods style through consistent practice.
• Warren  Buffet, one of the world’s wealthiest philanthropists had a crippling fear of public speaking and worked hard to overcome his panic.
• Adele, well known for her vocal range and singing voice, has tremendous anxiety and even given to vomiting, before stepping before an audience.
• Sir Richard Branson the famous adventurer and billionaire and one who commands a hefty fee when speaking, yet he too gets nervous before entering the public stage.
• Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most revered public leaders but he too was terrified of public speaking.

 
 
5. Passionately Adhere to Your Vision
 
Spend the necessary time in cultivating your vision – where you would like to be. Followers follow a leader with vision. It has been said that most people like to be led but they only follow leaders who are passionate about their vision. In the process of leading with passion be yourself rather than being like someone else. Let your authenticity shine through your actions and continually act with integrity.
 
These five steps alone will not make you a leader, but if you master them you will be on your way to become one. A measure of a good leadership is the ability to influence, thus by following these five steps you will learn what it takes to influence others.
 
Thank you for reading and as always take care, be safe and become the best version of yourself.
 
Richard Fontanie
 
Resource: Become A Leader: Find the Leader Within You.
 
Type in “Leader” in the search bar on the Front Page at www.fontaniemagazine.com and you will find 94 references for leader and leadership.

If you were to build a house, you would begin with a blueprint. This blueprint proves useful because it contains more than directions on how to build a house. It also describes the finished house. 

So, what does this have to do with leadership?

Recently a colleague of mine asked an audience of leaders to tell him the characteristics of an ideal leader.

Their answers were (in the order collected):

A good listener, enthusiasm, passion, shows appreciation, a visionary, role model, trusting, integrity, organized, knowledgeable, credibility, persuasive, charisma, team building, clarity of purpose, problem solver, attitude of service, leads by example, patience, willing to act without complete knowledge, understands followers, consistent, empowers other people, and adapts to change.

I'll add that this is essentially the same list that I received from other audiences when I asked this question. From this comes some useful insight.

• Notice what the list contains: All of these characteristics relate to the human side of leadership. That's interesting because I often hear people minimize this side of leadership with terms like "soft" or "touchy feely."

Actually, applying these characteristics requires more strength than not.

• Notice what the list excludes: Absent from this list (and all lists from other programs) are characteristics such as stern, mean, serious, short tempered, vindictive, tough, angry, harsh, punitive, controlling, violent, or ruthless.

And that's interesting because many popular representations of leadership emphasize at least one of these "hard" characteristics. In fact, these characteristics are the refuge of those who lack the strength (or the skills) to apply the human side of leadership.
​

• How about you? How would you rate yourself as a leader compared to the list of positive characteristics? If you were to survey the people who report to you, how would they describe your leadership?

Would they list characteristics from the "soft" list or from the "hard" list? Could you become more effective by improving upon any of the "soft" characteristics? And how about the other leaders in your organization? Do they truly maximize human potential?

People want leaders who treat them with genuine compassion, courtesy, and respect. They want leaders who help them become more successful. They want leaders who inspire them with a vision for a better world and show them how to go there.

​See also my articles on A Manager's "Soft Stuff" Is Their "Hard Stuff." and under the tab Leadership Qualities on the side bar

Thank you for reading,

Richard P. Fontanie

(From a soon to be released e-book – How To Become An Influential Leader)

​A note before reading. Shadows can reflect both positive and negative aspects of leadership. Shadows used in this article reflect the darker or negative side found in LeaderManager behaviour.

In the article Workplace Culture I explored how the Shadow in the workplace affects workers and in Wellbeing under Spiritual Discoveries I linked the concept with our inner selves. This article explores the role of the leader or leadership team in removing the shadow.

LeaderManagers need courage to bring the shadow out into the open and give people reason to hope, but that hope needs to become reality for the shadow to be lifted. When LeaderManagers bring the shadow to light they cut through the stereotypes, biases, myths and tensions found within a given community or society. In the process they promote change, and that change often has repercussions.
​

From a socio-political perspective we see examples of the difficulty in speaking the ‘truth’ and the upheaval it generates. Take for example, the reactions Martin Luther King experienced in bringing the shadow of racism to the fore, or Mahatma Gandhi in freeing India from British rule, or Nelson Mandela in loosing the chains of apartheid in South Africa, or Agnes Macphail, the first woman elected to the Canadian Parliament, or Rosa Parks, who moved from the back of the bus to the front of the bus, or currently Pope Francis who has embarked on a renewal within the Vatican. Consider also that these men and women of courage achieved or are achieving societal or institutional change through peaceful means. 

However, most LeaderManagers are not societal change agents – they are the necessary force that guide change within the workplace or within local community organizations and institutions.  They too need courage to speak the truth. 

What do these people do to lighten the darkness? 

Champion a new or renewed vision and engage workers and communities in the process. Often workers are kept in the dark as to where the organization is going and are just expected to do and not question. It’s like the manager of one organization I worked for who said, “It is not for us to question why. It’s for us to do and die.” A harsh statement if there ever was one. Needless to say workers in that organization were unhappy, disengaged and looked for a way out of the organization. A clearly stated vision engages workers around a sense of purpose with which they can align their own sense of purpose. When one’s sense of purpose is aligned with the organization, commitment, engagement and loyalty follow.

Redesign structures which encourage collaboration and cooperation. Highly bureaucratic structures reflect stultified silos which are not conducive to people working effectively across boundaries. This came to my attention once again when I heard, “l don’t care what you say, I report to another VP.” Structures that encourage collaboration and cooperation are flat where employees understand their boundaries and where the boundaries don’t bind them in effectively working with others. Employees of flat organizations don’t hide within the silos they know that the vision of the organization can only be achieved by people working together for the benefit of the whole.

Make processes fluid and open. In line with collapsed silos these LeaderManagers work at developing more open and fluid processes. Processes can either cause “red tape,” or encourage “green tape.” Rigid organizations usually have too much “red tape” which inhibit workers from effectively doing their job. “Red tape” occurs when the leadership team reacts to one-off or exceptional situations with new rules and regulations which in effect slows down the whole of the organization. It’s like one grain of sand in the inner workings of a time piece.  The small grain slows the whole mechanism and on occasion even causes it to stop. The time piece works well when nothing gets in the way of the wheels of motion. So too organizations will work well and move forward when their processes are fluid allowing people to get on with their work.

Open doors to a set of positive values. Such values could include compassion, joy and honesty. A compassionate workplace gives new meaning to work; a joyful workplace makes it a fun place to work; and an honest workplace opens the door for greater justice, trust and cooperation. 

Organizations have values whether they are stated or not. People who are sensitive to the vibes of an organization can feel its values. Now add to the mix the behaviour workers exhibit. They will reflect what the organization believes to be of value. The darker shadow always reflects negative values, the light always reflects positive values. Positive values are those that move an organization forward. These are the values that LeaderManagers must champion as they help organizations move out of the shadow.

Find solutions to problems, not bigger problems. Problems always have a cause and an effect. Strong LeaderManagers go to the cause of the problem and find ways to solve it. In the process they don’t create bigger problems than the one they are attempting to solve. A concrete example of this occurred in a correctional centre where a problem occurred on the food serving line. About a month prior to the occurrence a certain food type was served that caused severe diarrhea among the inmates. They were promised that that food type would not be served again by the Director of Custody. Unfortunately he didn’t tell the cooks his promise. You guessed it. A month later the food type was on the menu. The inmates went on a sit-down strike. The custodial staff wanted to go into the cell block with clubs and shields, but the LeaderManager found a peaceful and more lasting solution. He sat down with the leaders of the inmate community and sorted out a solution that included bringing them into the kitchen and showing them what was available. The solution, extra baloney sandwiches. The problem was solved without causing a bigger problem.  LeaderManagers find solutions without creating bigger shadows. 

Thank you for reading,
Richard P. Fontanie

Sherry Knight, my friend from Dimension 11 writes some advice for those thinking of moving up and taking a leadership role. She references Saskatchewan but the message may be applied you no matter where you live. 
​
There are some things to consider when you are looking for your own future success. One of the most important is to recognize your own strengths and those areas where you want to be better than you already are. Sometimes when things go wrong you need to remind yourself that challenges can be fixed and you can fix the problem if you have the skills or you can find someone who can.

Success is in your hands: 

• Show up to work every day, on time – people who are ill often or take a lot of time off are often viewed as not having the best interests of the organization in mind
•  Listen – it is the most important communications tool you can use – your mother possibly told you, you have 2 ears and 1 mouth – listen twice as much as you speak and then ask relevant questions about what the other person just said
• •Continue your education – take every program made available to you to increase your knowledge and skill – employers want people who are life long learners
• Volunteer for projects – it gets you noticed by your boss and possibly by the leaders of other departments
• Attending meetings – be early, speak up, don’t sit there quietly – be noticed for doing the right thing and letting others know you have valuable ideas
• Be a team player – everyone looks to those individuals who help others to get the job done
• Lead – every time you have the opportunity – organizations are always looking for people who know when to lead, when to step back and when to get out of the way
• Value everyone’s contribution – you may be a higher rank than another in your organization yet it is important to know everyone has a part to play – those who get promoted are often the people who understand and show every person from the janitor to the executives are needed to make the organization whole
• Show respect to everyone – applying for a job? – in many organizations everyone has a say in who gets the job offer.

Over the next 4 years your chances of moving up within an organization or moving to a new one are better than they have been in the past. You are responsible for your growth and your career and your trajectory towards your ultimate goal so plan how you are going to move forward.

Know you can do it, do everything you can to make yourself a valuable part of your organization. Success is in your hands.

From Knight Views. A Dimension 11 Publication. Find it here. Printed with permission.

"Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself.
It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult."
Warren Bennis on "Becoming a Leader.' ​

​It is often said that simplicity is the hallmark of a genius. Strong leaders take complex concepts and boil them down to a simple statement or formula that provides the basis for understanding. Now I don’t pretend to be a genius, far from it, but I have found that there are four simple questions leaders need to ask.

1) Where are we going? The answer to this question lies in the organization's vision, mission, goals, and measurable objectives. Without these statements no one is sure where the organization is headed. We have witnessed numerous occasions where management and staff ran around in circles and operated with sheer frustration when they were unclear about the overall direction of the  organization. 

2) Who is doing what to get us there? Once the management team knows where the organization is going it is ready to work on designing an effective organizational structure. This includes detailing various roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, Job descriptions and specific work objectives to get the job done. With these in place, work is now structured to accomplish an end and everyone within the organization should know what to do and where they fit.

3) What are we doing today to make things happen? We will never get to our destination unless we make something happen. So clarifying daily, weekly and monthly tasks and priorities to accomplish the work is absolutely necessary. By keeping to task we make things happen.

4) Did we accomplish what we set out to do? The old dictum “you can’t improve unless you measure.” is true today as it was when it was first uttered.  The leadership team requires relevant data to evaluate how well and how much was accomplished during the period under review. By keeping score and having the appropriate data it can answer the question: "Did we do what we said we were going to do?"

What to do: Before something runs amok in your organization ask: Do we know where we are going? Are we clear about who is doing what? Are we focused on achieving results on a regular basis? Do we have the tools in place to measure results?

Want to learn more? Mark Light has an interesting book entitled “The Strategic Board.” He fleshes out these four questions in greater detail from a board leadership perspective. 

Workplaces "are a-changin" to borrow a phrase from Bob Dylan's title song "The Times They Are a -Changin". When we think about it, hasn't change always been with us? Every generation sees a shift in how we build and relate to each other. I think of my father, a mechanic, who worked on the Model T and Model A Ford and advanced to vehicles with sleek designs, automated transmissions, travelled farther, faster and with greater efficiency which could only be a dream back in the 1920s. Change in the automotive industry was constant. He also witnessed massive changes in the social order, having lived through two world wars, the impact of coming of television and the spread of the entertainment industry, the exploration of space, the advancement in education and the dawning of the computer and the information age.

Massive changes these were. All affected the way we work, play and relate to one another. Yes the times were "a-changin." And they still are. However some things don't change. These are the legacy of great leaders of the past who can continue to inspire today's workplace leaders.

What I find as we move from one generation to another is how successful companies were and are open to change, both on the technical and socio-cultural sides of the business. They understand the "yin and yang" of business.  This means attracting leadership that continuously advance products and services but also can inspire loyalty, commitment, and fervor in the workplace. In today's workplace what are the qualities leaders need to do this? I suggest they are the same ones that have marked the leaders of the past. However, I think we need these qualities more than ever today. Leaders keep employees when they:

Have Integrity. Leaders with integrity practice what they say or "walk the talk" as the saying goes. They walk with consistency, honesty, trustworthiness, and moral up rightness. They hold themselves to high ethical standards and deal with others with respect and dignity. One of the greatest compliments one can give a leader is to say, “Her/his actions show he/she has integrity.”
 
Show Gratitude. Great leaders count their blessings and understand they are leaders only because they have followers. Without followers who do they lead? Their gratefulness is exhibited through a strong sense of appreciation for those who work for them and with them. They are humble when they receive praise and point to those around them who help them achieve the company's vision and goals. 

Champion Values. Great leaders clothe themselves in the values and principles that guide the organization. Too many businesses spend time mapping out their values and then the leaders fail to champion them. One of the most demoralizing behaviours within organizations occurs when people see their leaders contradict the values everyone is expected to up-hold. Leaders can only champion values if their behaviour is consistent with those values. Championing living values goes hand in hand with integrity. 

 Encourage Participation. Great leaders understand that the way to achieve commitment to goals and strategies is to engage participants in determining what action to take to make them come alive. This requires strong influencing and communication skills. They encourage employee participation in the planning process and those expectations that affect them. Great leaders don't say "Do this and that!" Rather they say "How do you think we should do this or that?" They are consultative rather than directive; however, they can be directive when the need arises such as in an emergency or crises situation. Even in a crisis though they often call upon their key advisers to discuss options. Sometimes business leaders can be mini-dictators, and when they are they primarily operate by creating fear. Great leaders don't lead with fear but inspire with hope, encouragement and engagement.

Take Time to Listen. The art and skill of listening is a lifelong challenge for some, but for great leaders they are a necessary attribute. Great leaders don't close their ears to receiving new ideas, ways to improve, the story of a troubled employee, or, a plea for help to solve a problem. They are empathetic listeners who try to understand the context of a problem, issue, or employee difficulty and engage those affected in determining a solution. An empathetic listener may not have to say anything, but evidences that h/she is listening. The point here is that great leaders take time to listen before they act or encourage others to act.

 Promote Continuous Learning. Great leaders are open to continuous learning. They are eager to challenge their own thinking and not afraid to change a course of action or learn from both mistakes and successes. In today's business world great leaders know that the only way to keep ahead of the curve is to continuously improve people, processes, products and services. They identify as a priority training dollars for both technical and transferable skills during economic up-swings and down-swings. It takes courage for leaders to protect training dollars during economic down turns particularly in a culture where employee training is viewed as an expense rather than as an investment in the growth and regeneration of companies.
 
Lead Without Micromanaging. Great leaders know how to delegate and then get out of the way. Leaders who micromanage become the thorn in the side of those whose responsibility it is to carry out that which has been delegated. Leaders who micromanage have difficulty in letting go, they want to be 'doers' rather than leaders. Leaders set the boundaries for the delegated responsibility: they clearly state what they are delegating, put the matter into context for the delegatee, identify when the matter is due, hand over the responsibility to get the job done, and then get out of the way. When the matter is completed they review process and outcomes with the delegatee; and, if there are problems along the way, they engage the delegatee in finding solutions rather than providing solutions. If the person doesn't carry out the responsibility, then the leader needs to understand why. If it is because the person doesn't have the skills then a teaching moment presents itself; if it is because the person doesn't want to do it, is a procrastinator, or other factors are in the way, then a performance coaching session presents itself. Whatever the situation, great leaders divest themselves of micromanaging and arm themselves with managing the behavioural issues surrounding the delegated task.

Do the Usual Things Well.  When the normal functions of an organization work well, great leaders stand back. To get to that level they ensure the usual requirements of the organization are done well. They put in place appropriate policies and review those that are outdated and make changes where necessary, follow sound hiring practices and lead the marketplace with better salaries and benefits. In short, they hire the best and pay them well. They continually promote process and operational improvement strategies; ensure technological tools are current; keep products and service relevant; scan the marketplace environment and adjust their market and sales strategies accordingly; and keep sound stewardship over all their resources. Yes, they do the usual things well. 

 Show Compassion. Great leaders are compassionate people. They are contributors to their communities in several ways. They encourage employees to become involved in extending themselves to those less fortunate. Examples abound in our community alone where leaders donate portions of their profits to contribute to such causes as the Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start schools, University expansion, United Way, hospital expansion, libraries, health research, and scholarship funds, to name a few. They also encourage employees to contribute in a direct way with food drives, fund raising, and volunteering. Great leaders have learned that in "giving" they "receive."

Celebrate and Socialize. Great leaders understand that it is not always work that counts. They encourage employees to celebrate achievements both from a business and a personal perspective. They promote opportunities for company socialization to bolster camaraderie and team spirit. Sometimes they combine these with learning events or office retreats; often they are promoted as a recognized dimension of the corporate culture. 

Lessons Learned: Change has always been part of growth and development. Without it we stand still. And when we stand still we start to go downhill and growth atrophies. Great leaders understand this. They also understand that employees want to work in a place that is alive with enthusiasm and joy. They know how to engender loyalty, even in a time when research indicates that employee loyalty is waning. They know that exhibiting personal integrity, living strong personal and company values, showing gratitude, listening deeply and being compassionate are the intangibles that make a difference in the workplace. They are also confident that the way to foster loyalty is to encourage engagement and participation, make sure all the usual things are done well, delegate without micromanaging, view learning as a necessary adjunct to personal and corporate growth, and celebrate and foster socialization within the workplace. If you want to become a great leader check how well you are acting on these attributes and develop a strategy where you think you can improve.  

Author: Richard P. Fontanie, MSW, FCMC  Up-dated from Fontanie Leaning Solutions.

Note: Image from Freedigitalphotos.net