Leadership – the chicken or the egg?
If it’s true that the fundamental tasks of leaders is to make others feel good, who’s task is it to generate good feelings in the leaders?
This can be a bit of the chicken and the egg story. If you are a leader who makes your team feel good about themselves, they in turn will respect and support you, which will make you feel good.
But what if you don’t feel good? What if you are having a terrible time with a personal situation at home or your leader always being on your case?
It’s ok to be authentic and let your team know that things are tough for you right now. Often people who are expert at their role are thrust into a leadership role with little or no training and expected to continue to shine. This is not realistic.
Some people say leaders are born not made. I disagree. There is no doubt that some people have a natural charisma and the right emotional intelligence without any skills training. But that is the exception rather than the norm.
Sometimes clients say that they don’t know who they are anymore now they are a leader. That’s usually because they are usually trying to be what they think their version of a leader is.
Once they learn some skills, it can be a game changer. They learn you can still be yourself and be a good leader.
if you have been catapulted into a leadership position and want some skill building, drop me a line and let’s chat.
sharon@sharonstoneconsulting.com.au
