Leadership is a Choice

Choice

Leadership is not defined by a position or popularity.  Leadership is a choice. I can debate this point with a number of contemporary leadership authors but you have to agree that everyone has a choice. You also have a choice as to the type of leader you portray. There are great leaders then there are great, bad leaders.

I call the great, bad leaders: “Tater Tot Leaders.” I use the analogy of a school cafeteria. One kid throws a tater tot, and I have to admit, the size and shape are conducive to throwing. Then another kid throws one. Before you know it, the whole table is throwing tots. The one kid that threw the first tot is a leader, he has followers but he led in a bad direction. I can use the same analogy to some very bad world leaders that had whole countries following them.

Some authors will deliberate that leaders are born. I will argue that there are some circumstances that may be advantageous to your quality of life and your opportunities because we aren’t all born on a level playing field. However, as life progresses, your ability to lead and the direction you choose to lead are entirely up to you. In fact, this type (power) of leadership stifles the leadership potential within the organization. These types of leaders lack the ability to reach their potential because they associate power or lack of power as vulnerability that deteriorates their leadership. On the contrary, once you think you need invincibility you become a fairytale leader that will allow the organization to perish because you try to live forever without setting up your organization to thrive in the long-term.   

Positional leaders take the power wherever they go, so to speak. These people define leadership as power, and they think there is a finite amount of leadership. These people will not promote leadership for everyone.

So let us create some leadership. Get on board the leader-ship. Choose and accept your role as a leader. Over the years we (my colleagues, family, and I) have tried to simplify the topic of leadership success. Through research and experience we broke it down to four areas that will balance your opportunities: 1) Self-Management – Organization, 2) Communication – Listening,          3) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Team Building, 4) Character Education – Service Learning

These four areas are intertwined. Success in all four areas will balance the leadership process and your life. There will always be empty seats on the leader-ship. So, climb on board.It's your Choice.