I recently heard a sermon in church and one of the thoughts was that it is not a bad goal or objective to be financially successful but you really need to consider what you will do with that success. This got me thinking about what we do as leaders with what we have. There are many empowering resources that come with any leadership position and I pose the question “What are you doing with what you have been given as a leader?”
- Authority – As a leader, we have the authority to make many unilateral decisions every day. We must ask ourselves if this decision will impact the entire team or is it more self-serving. For example, will we use resources to provide benefits to upper management such as an executive office remodel or out of town seminar at a nice location or do we use these same resources to improve the working conditions for our blue collar sector. Neither choice is necessarily wrong but we need to evaluate which choice will provide the greatest reward and balance the benefits to all. A leader needs to respect the authority he has been given and use it intentionally if he wants to increase his influence as a leader.
- Responsibility – As a leader we have many responsibilities. Our greatest asset and our greatest liability are the same thing – our people. As a leader, we have the responsibility to reduce risk and protect our assets. Each and every decision should be based on the impact that the decision will have on your people. How much responsibility do you have? Are you making responsible decisions that will benefit the people that allow you to keep your job and make the business profitable or are you only looking at a small part of the big picture when making decisions.
- Influence – You have heard before that Leadership is Influence. If you are an effective leader, then you no doubt have influence on those around you. What are you doing with that influence? Are you a person of high character? Are you building trust? Are you engaged with those you are working with? All these are part of the influence that you have on those around you.
The bottom line is this – As a leader, you have been given many resources. What you do with what you have been given will directly affect your success as a leader. What are you doing with what you have been given as a leader?
Barry Smith 5/20/12 www.buildingwhatmatters.com
