When asking ourselves how we can improve as leaders, it is important to understand that leadership is a journey. Some may say that leadership is intuition guided by common sense (which is not quite as common as we would like)! But many have found that if they really strive to improve as leaders, and realize that being a good leader is an art that requires ongoing thought and work---then they can find success in the journey.
Sociologists tell us that the most introverted of people will influence 10,000 others in an average lifetime. If that is so, then what span of influence could people have who become intentional about it?
Leadership is a 360 degree proposition. We all influence others around us. We lead up, we lead around and we lead down in organizations. But the reason being a good leader is so important to managers and supervisors in organizations is because they (managers & supervisors):
- are the primary reason employees (especially their direct reports) will stay with or leave an organization;
- are ultimately evaluated on how well their employees perform;
- have the most influence on employees who are new to the organization.
This can be daunting to the line service or maintenance professional who has been promoted to manager or supervisor but has never had formal leadership training.
Over the next few weeks, this column will focus on leadership skills as they relate to service in the aviation industry. We will also examine some famous leaders and what made them so good at leading or influencing others.
*(Source: from the book As One, Individual Action Collective Power, by Mehrdad Baghai & James Quigley)
About the Author
Christine Hill
Christine Hill, executive vice president and co-founder of ServiceElements, has been in teaching, facilitating, and coaching for 30+ years. She has a Master’s in psychology/education from Northern Arizona University and is passionate about helping organizations, teams, and individuals with development of human interaction skills.