Looks like work

A common myth of making it to the top of leadership is that you don't work, others do it all.   If you study leaders and what makes them great is that what they do looks like work, why, because it is.  They may not be running machines, answering phones or teaching class, but believe that what they do is work.

Take a principal, they lead the school yet do not typically do any teaching.  My father was a principal for nearly 15 years.  Most of the students, parents and teachers that I still see from that time frame only remember him as their principal.  For the 15 years prior to that time, however, he was a teacher and a coach.  The days were spent with hands on instruction, guidance, running plays, reviewing film, grading papers and ensuring the students received the knowledge he was entrusted to provide.  As principal, however, many onlookers may just see a man that sits in meetings, that is in his office pushing papers, working on a computer or traveling to seminars.  The reality, as we all know, is that his role was to lead.

The work of a leader does look different than most of the work done by their followers.  This work, may entail more strategic thinking downtime, dealing with personnel one-on-one, moving from one person or task quickly to another, and may include more meetings.  A day in a life of a leader, though, still consists of work that requires work ethic, integrity in thinking and action, and ultimately setting and keeping the course for all of those "doing" the detailed work. 

After nearly 20 years of being in leadership roles, I found myself and other leaders in the office doing traditional work less than those that I lead.  What I also find true is that the stress level and "mind thought time" is far greater.  The mind thought time is those moments where a leader dreams, creates, runs thoughts and ideas and plans through their mind.  This is work, and how do you know.  A leader has a focused look, spends time on it, and uses it to formulate strategy and actions for the team.  This time may look like day dreaming, I say...it looks like work.

Resolute

A strong leader is willing to change their mind, yet they are not easily pursuaded by every group, idea or discontented followers.  In no way am I inferring that input and collaboration are not important, they are.  Input and feedback should always be rendered and given time to be considered prior to moving ahead.  Saying that, however, followers want and need direction that is consistent and they need to be affirmed by the leader that the course is solid and the destination is clear.  

A constant change or lack or consistency will ultimately lead to a lack of followers and a failed vision.  I have always likened consistent direction from a leader that is combined with room for individual decision making to be that similar to planning a trip.  Imagine that I told you I wanted to take a vacation and travel by car from Chicago Illinois to Orlando Florida and I wanted to arrive in less than 3 days.  I am going to allow you to plan the route, stops, food, stays and so forth and will provide $1000 to the budget to spend on all related expenses to getting us there.  

That is clear and direction communication and I have also allowed room for you to be creative, to make decisions and to act upon them.  If you come back to me and give me all the reasons why Florida is not a good way to go, or that maybe I should fly there to save time, I can listen to that, but in the end, if my destination is Orlando and I want to drive, those are not negotiable.  The rest is in your control and stays within the decision I have made.

Now take this to your world.  When you lead others at home, or in business you need to ensure they receive clear information and once the decision is made you stick with that direction.  The other key is that once movement is in place, don't get caught up in the details.  As in my vacation example, since I didn't specify what roads to take or where to stop, I shouldn't get involved in those details as the leader.  Your job is to monitor that the directive is carried out and you need to move on to the next idea.