With the exception of my first female
manager, I have not had the opportunity to be inspired by the women I have
reported to in my career. Many have been so concerned with their own
ladder-climbing that they ignored the effort and talents of their teams.
Now before you click off my post, I
don’t share this to bash my own kind but rather to provide a wake-up call. A
genuine leader inspires, leads by example, is compassionate and flexible. She
is a coach – someone her team can count on when the chips are down or when the
elusive work-life balance is just that – elusive. She looks not to promote
herself but her team for in doing so, she will be elevated. It’s called karma.
A leader knows her capabilities and
is unafraid to admit her weaknesses. Being authentic is critical because in today’s
environment, millennials can spot a fake a mile away. Encouraging collaboration
not competition is how a team succeeds. A baseball game is not won solely by
the pitcher but by those in the outfield, behind second base and even those on
the bench cheering.
She is not created by textbooks or
TedTalks, but by experience, self-reflection and self-knowledge. One should not
be promoted into leadership solely for accomplishments but rather by the amount
of people scrambling to leave positions they love to work for someone that
inspires them. That’s the clue that this person is a leader.
“When you know better, you do better.”
Get to know yourself and your team. Lead as you would want to be led. When you
are able to let go of the leader “title” and embrace the true meaning of
leadership, then and only then can you be inspiring.