Sneak Peek From Tom Goodlet’s Upcoming Book, Listen Like Jesus (Working Title)
I once had a man come up to me during a break while I was teaching an all-day seminar on leadership. He said, “My sister gets so mad at me because I tell her you are either a born leader or you are not.” He went on to explain that, in his opinion, some people are meant to lead. And, if you are not born with the inherent ability to lead, then you should just accept your lot in life and give up. He also implied that he was born with it and that his subordinates should accept that and quit their complaining. Now, let me stop and ask you, “How excited would you be to be assigned to that guy’s team?”
I would argue that everyone is a leader. Why? Because everyone has some sort of influence over someone else in life. It is why we have descriptive titles that explain to others the relationship and influence we have in connection to other human beings in this world. I guarantee that you hold some of these descriptive influential titles like aunt, uncle, co-worker, neighbor, spouse, parent, sibling, son, daughter, volunteer, resident, or student.
For better or worse, you influence someone else’s world. The debate is not whether or not you are a leader. The question is whether you are a good or bad leader. Do you influence people’s lives for the better or worse?
In my own leadership life, I have had to make some conscious decisions. About twenty years ago, I chose to embrace my influence rather than abdicate my leadership roles. I decided about fifteen years ago not just to be a good leader but to pursue becoming a great leader no matter where I find myself on the organizational chart. Then, about ten years ago, I decided to dedicate the majority of my time to raising other leaders, which included the rapid skill-building of my own leadership. In other words, I would need to continually learn a lot so I could teach a lot. And I decided five years ago that I want anybody who knows me to win, anyone who meets with me to have a better day by the time our meeting has concluded.
Who do you want to be? What kind of leader do you want to be? How do you want to influence others? If you decide to be a great leader, then a great many people will win. The good news is great leadership can be learned.
