Another post from Scott Williams...good stuff

I may be re-posting some leadership things from Scott...hope you enjoy!

Leadership is an art and it’s an art that anyone can learn.  The harsh reality is just because someone learns an art form doesn’t mean they will be good or effective at that particular craft.

Think about all of the painters, musicians, communicators, or artists of any sort; although they have learned an art very few get through the threshold of simply being an artist, to being an effective artist.  That same statement is true forThe Art Of Leadership. There are many leaders who never become effective leaders.

Becoming effective is about creating the desired results and then some.

Here are 6 Steps To Become An Effective Leader:

• 1. Recognize- Recognize that leadership is a gift, an art, a craft… that has to be continually developed.  Seek out and be willing to learn from effective leaders who have developed this craft we call leadership.
• 2. Realize- Realize the fact that although leadership is a craft, it is not rocket science. STOP MAKING IT SO DIFFICULT.  I repeat, unless you are a leader at NASA, your leadership role is not rocket science; chill-out and quit making things so hard on yourself and others.  BTW- If you are a leader at NASA or a rocket scientist, you should probably be asking the tough question: “Is what we do still necessary or relevant?”
• 3. Remember- Remember The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you!”  Most leaders’ barley remember the bronze rule, let alone The Golden Rule.  As a leader it’s important to care about your people, to love your people, to care about their interests, care about their success… to treat them how you would want and expect someone to treat you.  Remember in order to become an effective leader you have to understand that ”Relationships Matter!”
• 4. Replicate- Replicate what works and don’t force things that don’t work.  Don’t try to be a replicate of another leader or simply replicate exactly everything you have read in a book, but rather replicate the effective “What Works” concept into an appropriate context of who you are and what you do!
• 5. Resurrect- Resurrect a dying team member; an effective leader has the ability to take a dying team member on the verge of being fired or giving up and help resurrect them into a story that begins with this sentence: “There was a time when so and so team member was on the verge of being fired and so and so leader believed in them… Wow, Look at how successful they are now!”
• 6. Reinvent- Reinvent the way leadership is carried out!  Break the box, find a new way, figure out what works for you, don’t be scared to be different, reinvent what might has been seen as irrefutable.  Reinvent out of hunger, creativity, thinking, believing, seeking etc.  Don’t reinvent for the sake of reinventing!  Remember the phrase,”Don’t reinvent the wheel” applies to those who reinvent for the sake of reinventing!

Have you seen any of these steps carried out?  Share your thoughts on these steps or what it means to be an Effective Leader!