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Why should you lead? I think that this is a very important question that is sometimes overlooked. In certain instances people are placed in leadership positions and they lack the skill or will to lead. At times others might work hard to become leaders, but they do it for self-gratification, or just to claim a title for their own self-centered resume. Not that my opinion matters anymore than the other billions in the world, but I will share it with you anyway. I really abhor the idea of seeking leadership positions for selfish pursuits. But even the person that gained the position for themselves can grow to be a better leader once they realize that by working for those outside of themselves will actually benefit them more in the long run.A person should lead for many reasons that are beyond their own glory. Truthfully the glory of leadership comes from the effect that one has on the individuals that he or she leads and the on the organization in which the leader leads, whether she leads a small team in the organization or the entire organization. The goal of the leader should be to accomplish the mission of the organization while at the same time improving the individuals that are being led as well as improving the unit.A good leader will affect others that are within their proximity even if they are a peer or fall under another leader. A great example of that would be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was such an influential leader that he was a catalyst for change in America and is still studied in leadership classes today. Now I understand that leaders with that type of charisma are few and far in between, but the idea that our leadership should have a long-range effect still applies. If you were a school administrator in charge of the math department, individuals in the language department should receive a residual benefit from your proximity. They should also see you as a leader even though they do not report to you.Accomplishing the organizations goals is the number one reason to lead. Businesses hire managers they believe will sustain and hopefully improve productivity. They have a certain goal and try to identify a person that will help them to reach that goal. If that manager's production is consistently below the company's expectation he should expect to look for another job. A leader has to be committed to the craft. Whether the position is head custodian, Chief of Police, or Girl Scout troop leader. That commitment usually comes in the form of extra hours, creative innovations, and an innate drive for success. Commitment cannot be overstated. It definitely speaks louder than words. If you are only 80% committed, you can only hope that the person under your supervision is at least 60% committed. For every percentage of commitment that the boss lacks, he can expect the workers lack of commitment to be multiplied by two. If the boss is only 70% committed, the worker is 40%.A committed leader inspires others in the chain of command and across the command also. Have you ever worked for a committed leader? I am talking about the leader that is at work when you get there and has no problem putting in some extra hours after it is time to close up shop. Or have you had the type of leader that comes to work energized and with new ideas that she thought up while she was away from the job? Those are your committed leaders and their commitment has an affect on those around her.Please do not confuse coming in early and staying late as a tell-all sign of commitment. There are some people that do it just to avoid being home. I am talking about the manager that is accomplishing mission essential tasks during the extra hours. He might be working on a school bulletin board or using the extra time to develop an employee awards program. I had a Sergeant that would run to physical fitness training in the morning and then train with us. He would show up to work early and by the time I got there he would be reading a US Army manual. When we were released for the day, he would hang around and talk with anyone that wanted to talk to him. He never announced to any of us that he was committed. His commitment announced itself. The result was absolute success on all of our missions. We saw his level of commitment and tried to match it.Why should you lead? You should lead because something inside of you is burning to get out of you. That something is passion. You should lead because you are passionate about the organizational vision and are prepared to take on the arduous task of leading everyone to the promised land.What is your leadership motivation?
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