Painless Leadership – Four Lessons I Wish I Had Sooner

January 20, 2011

Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.

Dr. Haim Ginott – Child Psychologist and Author of Between Parent and Child

 

Formation: Teacher and Kids by cobrasoft

My first leadership role came as a homeschool teacher to two children. Ironic, as I practice abstinence, a measure that I hope reduce the chances of having children later in life.

I’m glad I did the teaching, however. The experience has given me many good things, among them patience, negotiating skills, and I have even been told that I am a relatable person. If that made me relatable, what was I before?

An answer to that question can be found by looking at my now refined leadership abilities. The good news is that I have leadership abilities. The bad news: I’m no Winston Churchill.

There are four things I have learned that you must know before stepping into a leadership role, which apply to business and parenting. Teachers have the same issues and can benefit from these as well.

So listen up:

1. The people we lead are entrusting themselves to us. The responsibility is greater if you are a Christian, because then God is also entrusting them to you.

2. All the things you got away with doing as a child are about to bite you back. The presence or appearance of any character flaws and negative mindsets will be amplified and reflected back at you. Slacked off at work? So will they. Acted like a jerk to authority figures? Guess who’s the authority now!

Come on, be happy. Isn’t this what you wanted? If not, you have two options:

  1. Abandon your post as fast as you can
  2. Work with friends, a lifecoach, a parent, or anyone else you trust so you can change your mindsets, acquire new habits, and communicate that change to the people you lead.

3. Understand what is expected of you. The consequences of not doing so are a life of hard work, a bad leadership experience, and as a bonus, you get to make the person who made you a leader look like a real idiot. I don’t want that and neither do you.

Once you understand what is expected of you, turn that into a vision for the future that you can explain to those you lead without lecturing. If you are teaching someone to read, tell them that reading gives them the freedom to learn anything THEY want to learn.

4. Know how much you are willing to negotiate, and what tactics you will use if the people you lead do not follow well.

If the people you are leading are better at negotiating than you are, then you will not get the results you are looking for. This is bad, especially if you cannot fire them. If this becomes your situation, learn how to say no and back it up with consequences. If you don’t do this, the consequences for you result in bad performance, no matter how many people you hire and fire.

Companies have systems for dealing with people who negatively impact their coworkers and profit margins. Employment contracts, first and second warnings, suspension, and termination sound familiar to most of us. When your system is tested, enforce it, or else nobody will respect the value of your time, your words, or the vision you have for the future.

Are there any lessons you have learned from teaching or leading others?

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