What does it mean to be a leader?

Audio Version

I used to hear my pastor use a quote by John Maxwell that says, “He that thinketh he leadeth, and hath no one following, is only taking a walk.” In this statement, Maxwell is saying that leadership is influence. I believe everyone has a circle of influence and being a leader is not predicated on the number of people who are following you. I will go to the extent of saying that being a leader is not always determined by anyone following you at all. Although eventually, someone must follow this leader, I believe that a leader can begin the journey alone and still be a leader because a leader must learn how to lead him/herself first.

As a high school business teacher, I desire to see those who I have influence over to begin to grasp the concept of what it means to be a leader and to understand the importance of leading themselves first - even the slogan of the academy that I lead is "Lead Yourself 1st". I believe that there's a greater meaning behind this slogan and have come to discover that there is a book entitled Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude by Michael S. Erwin and Raymond Kethledge. I have not read this book, but knowing that a book exists that supports this slogan validates the concept that I hold about being a leader - it starts with you!

A leader must be willing to discipline him/herself to become the leader that he/she was created to be. John Maxwell states in his book, Developing the Leader Within You, "the first order of things to be changed is me...after I consider how hard it is to change myself, then I will understand the challenge of trying to change others." In other words, the leader has to begin working on personal flaws and habits and through this personal journey of leading his/herself, he/she will see how difficult it is to implement change in his/her own life and have more compassion for others.

So what does it mean to be a leader? It means to be a person who displays having the determination and wherewithal to hold him/herself accountable to the actions, attitudes, and principles that he/she desires to see in others. This determination will require the leader to pay close attention to the details in his/her own life as he/she continues to develop within those areas of weakness and to enhance those areas of strength. There is a book entitled Strengths Based Leadership by Barry Conchie and Tom Rath that talks about the concept of leading from areas of strengths and not from areas of weakness. Although I agree with this concept, the point I am making in this conversation is that leadership begins with a person who has made a daily commitment to personally improve, from the inside-out, and will hold him/herself accountable.

Application:

As a father, I want my children to incorporate habits that are beneficial to their lives and to represent themselves in a way that displays themselves as being intelligent. My words of advice and instruction will not hold the weight that I would like them to hold if my children do not see those habits being displayed by me. Therefore, I must make sure that I am first leading myself in the areas that I am emphasizing to them, or if I realize that I am not, then I must begin leading myself in those areas.

For example, my wife and I wanted our son to read more. I understood that the best way for him to incorporate this habit without a lot of opposition was for me to display this practice in my own life. I needed to begin reading more to validate its importance. I could have simply told him to read, but I understand that people watch what you do more than listen to what you say. As I led myself first by reading more, it helped me present this valuable habit that my wife and I wanted to see in our son.

Question:

Does everything have to be perfect in this person's life?

Answer:

No, things do not have to be perfect in a person's life to be a leader. Perfection is not the expectation or even a requirement of a leader, but improvement is. Therefore, imperfection should not be a reason not to address issues but a reason to improve. If I see an area that needs to be addressed in someone that I have influence over, I address it. As I am addressing the issue or if I have some time to spare before addressing it and realize that what I am addressing is also an area that needs addressing in my own life, then I also must make the effort to improve in that area as well.

Conclusion:

A leader is a person who influences someone, but the first person he/she must lead is him/herself. The leader must commit to exhibiting the attitudes, actions, and principals that he/she would like to see in others. When the leader focuses on holding themselves accountable, other people will want to take the walk with you. Being a leader always begins, inside-out.