What is a Leader? What makes a GREAT Leader?

         I am going to preface this blog by saying that recently I have had to make some really hard decisions about my business, and recognize that my views today are biased by that.

        "What is a leader?"  is the question I have been posed.  I think the real question is "What makes a great leader?".  Anyone can lead.  There are plenty of people out there that do lead in various positions, industries, families, friend groups.  By definition, a leader is a person that leads or commands a group, organization, or country.   Anyone can be placed in that position, but what makes a leader successful?

        I've been in leadership roles many times before, and I have been lead by various leaders.  Some leaders are very good with words, but don't offer much else.  There are leaders who don't say very much, but put in a great amount of effort.  There are some that do both.  If you are going to use words as your main form of leadership, then you need to take action on them in some form or another to back them up.  If you are going to lead by example, you still need to be able to communicate effectively to the rest of your team what it is you're trying to accomplish.  For me, the best leaders were ones that can do all of this to some varying degree, but the main thing they did that stood out, was bring a humanness that engaged everyone.  We all want to feel valued and not just as another cog.  So leaders that can make you feel like an integral part, regardless of what your position is, are the ones that become the most successful.   In this instance, my value of success is not monetary, but in getting others to feel empowered to do the work themselves and become leaders of their own.

        Just because you lead does not mean you have to carry the burden alone, nor does it award you the luxury of profiting off the hard work of others.  It is a responsibility that takes everyone involved to achieve the goal set out.  It also means that you are responsible for the outcome, good or bad.  Being a leader isn't easy, and it is definitely not for everyone.  Although anyone can lead, not everyone should lead.  There needs to be confidence and trust in your decisions, which should be calculated and ideally swift.  No hesitation.  It requires a thick skin.  Though it should also require empathy, compassion, and self-awareness.  With all that in mind, remember that leaders are human.  They are fallible.  They will make mistakes.  They will make unpopular decisions for the good, and unpopular decisions for the bad.  Leaders have things going on in their lives that they carry with them into the work.  This makes leaders courageous.  Leaders aren't necessarily the smartest in the room, but should surround themselves with people that are smarter than they.

        I know this is a bit all over the place, but we are complicated beings, and as such leaders are.  Mix in a bunch of other complicated beings that a leader is in charge of and it is a miracle that anything gets done.  Leaders have to be many things and they have to do many things, but I also think it is important of a great leader to know when to step back and pass off leadership to someone else more capable.  Being a leader is hard and sometimes doesn't feel worth it, but it is also very rewarding.