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Forget the Love Boat! Come Aboard the Leader Ship!

Welcome to 2015! This is the time of the year when folks are busy making resolutions. Professional folks are not any different. Every year seems to bring a slew of professional resolutions from becoming more organized to professional development. This is the year of leadership.  From figuring out what great leadership is, to becoming a great leader, my internet trolling has determined that 2015 is the year of the leader.

 
I am not an expert on leadership. I can only comment on my personal experiences and what I have learned about leadership from reading and coursework. I think that leadership is an art and a science all at once. It requires a skill set- the science, and a set of characteristics related to personality and personal character that cannot be taught- the art.

 
I have been fortunate to have had the experience of good leaders, great leaders, and bad leaders. I have learned more from bad leaders many times than the good ones. It seems determining great leadership starts with what not to do. I also have this ingrained thing that makes me want my manager to be a great leader. Unfortunately the two are not necessarily related. You do not need leadership to be a manager. Hence the reason that the Dilbert cartoon strip is funny. Too many of us can relate to it. Many of the greatest leaders I have known, were not managers.

 
Before I tell you about the good and the great leaders, I am going to tell you about the bad. The bad leaders insecure about themselves and their abilities. They can be micromanagers of whatever areas they manage. Many times they feel the need to dictate to other people how to do things. Unethical professionals are always bad leaders. Modeling unethical behavior, such as fraud or lying, is never good. Bad leaders are afraid. They are afraid that the people they lead will become better than them in some manner.

 
Now let’s talk about the good and the great. Good leaders keep everything satisfactory, striving for everybody to be okay. The thing about good leaders is that they are competent in their skills, but that they do not have the qualities of great leaders. They are not vile, micromanaging dictators, but they do not possess the qualities to get to the next step- great leadership.

 
As I said earlier, leadership is an art and a science all in once. Great leaders leverage the art in a science in a manner that creates magic. Great leaders inspire greatness in others. They push people to achieve greatness in themselves. Great leaders are competent and qualified. They are confident in their abilities and are not easily threatened.  Great leaders do not find the need to dictate or micromanage. They inspire people. When great leaders are managers, they not only lead the team, but are part of the team.

 
Part of the reason that 2015 is the year of the leader is that it not only applies to those that are in management positions. It applies to everyone on the chain, even job seekers.  Every company wants people that produce results. Part of leadership is achievement. Part of achievement is production. Leaders are producers. Companies do not want to hire lumps, they want to hire producers. Companies want leadership characteristics in each of their employees.

 
Welcome to 2015. Forget the Love Boat. Book your next cruise on the Leader Ship! All Aboard! I welcome questions, comment, ideas, and anything else you would like to say to me. I can be reached at kcirincione@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below also. Happy New Year! ~ Karen Cirincione

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