Leadership – Far above ‘I’

I have met scores of individuals claiming to be leaders and have also read numerous books and on the topic of leadership. I earlier thought that leadership was all about the position the person holds – the cabin office with a name that he sits in. Yes, the position holders too are leaders; but real leadership is about people wanting to follow you due to something much more than the prestige your job title gives you.

When the leader goes beyond selfish I

Such followership comes only when the leader goes beyond selfish I, and genuinely takes care of the people around. Several types of leadership development programs or leadership training courses in Bangalore or anywhere else can push you a bit higher in your journey of becoming a better leader.

A quote by a leadership coach and author, John Maxwell, says:

“When we learn to turn our focus from ourselves to others, the whole world opens up to us.”

 What does it mean? When the focus is no more on I, My, Me, Mine, any individual can rise several notches higher in their leadership journey.

Another quote in the movie Spiderman says,

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

So true! If you are a leader you have power, and you must use it with a sense of responsibility. What use you put it in completely depends on you.

Characteristics of a Leader

The list of expected characteristics of a leader usually talked of also includes

• Vision
• Communication
• Decision making
• Self-regulation

Most often these are parts of and talked about in any leadership development program. Practice exercises and role plays would again be present in such a course so that participants get to experience how it is to use those skills.

Why choosing the right kind of leadership development program

However, what would matter the most for a leadership training happening in Bangalore, or in your organization is giving current and experienced leaders an opportunity to share their experiences, fears, moments of joy, etc. and ask them to mentor or coach the first time leaders.

Any such leadership training must also assess needs and target measurable objectives in terms of what the participants will be able to do at the end of the development program. This means if the participant will communicate “better”, what would change in the results he has to deliver – will he be able to sell more, persuade people to take any action?

But most significant of all I have already personally experienced and noticed, is the less focus on oneself. For better or worse, leaders can drastically change your organization. That is why choosing the right kind of leadership development program is so essential to create the right type of leaders in your organization.