Leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned.
The proof of leadership is found in the followers. So why do some people emerge as leaders while others can’t influence no matter how hard they try? I believe that several factors come into play:
Character–who they are
Relationships–who they know
Knowledge–what they know
Intuition–what they feel
Experience–where they’ve been
Past Success–what they’ve done
Ability–what they can do
I like the leadership proverb that say, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” If you can’t influence people, then they will not follow you. And if people won’t follow, you are not a leader.
–The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Are people following you, or are you only taking a walk?
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Great post, Dave -
I’d like to add, that in order to be a leader, it is essential to do things that make people want to follow you. This has nothing at all to do with puffing up your chest or saying you should be followed; these things will only gain you temporary traction, if at all.
You cannot control whether people like you and respect you or not, the decision is not that easy. You must decide to be a respectable person and do respectable things. Only then will you gain your voice among the masses.
This usually comes down to providing the most value.
Russell