The Purpose Of: Leaders
The purpose of any leader could vary from organization to organization and position to position. The purpose of a manager, for example, could be to keep the people in an organization moving in the right direction. On the other hand, a CFO may not have as much to say about the individual people the organization has but how they use the resources the company possesses. This list of varying people, positions, and purpose could go on and on but I do think there is some purpose that applies to every leader in any position.
I believe the first purpose of the leader is to show others how. Show them how to do something or how to be something. John Maxwell says it this way,
“a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
I feel like this is becoming lost on many. This idea of leading by example isn't necessarily a thing of the past but it oftentimes feels like the exception instead of the norm. True leaders begin with I do, you watch then moves it to I do, you help and as we continue to transition it becomes you do, I help. You see where this is going. The first purpose of a leader is to show others how to lead in whatever it is they do.
The next purpose of a leader, and I think it’s very tightly knitted with showing, is equipping. It could be as simple as making sure our people have everything they need in order to be successful. It also could be making sure they know what they need to know in order to be successful. Training and resourcing our people for both their and organizational success is so crucial. When we train and resource our people it’s showing we believe in them, in their tasks or positions, and want them to succeed. I think when this happens well, our people feel valued and will give of themselves more. When they give of themselves more the best leaders reciprocate with more equipping.
The final thing that I think defines the purpose of a leader is, in my opinion, is the most important one. It’s the idea of influence. Leaders use their influence, who they are, to move people from where they are to where they want to be, even if they don’t realize they want it. When we really break down what it means to lead, whether that’s a CEO, CFO, or a part time manager at a fast food restaurant, we understand leadership is influence. When we use our influence we are telling others to follow us and even though its imperfect. People want to follow others they can trust.
What have I missed? What are some purposes of leaders that I didn’t mention? Keep going, you have what it takes!