Life is saturated with individuals who claim to be leaders, but do little to deserve the title.
The way I see it, there are two kinds of leaders in the world: those who lead and those who simply boss other people around. I’m afraid the later is the more popular choice here in America from politicians to managers and supervisors to heads of households.
Donald Clark, a leadership expert, sums it up best: “Although your position as a leader gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in your organization, this power does not make you a leader…it simply makes you the boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around.”
Sound familiar in areas of your life?
We all need someone to believe in, someone we can place our trust as we continue our journey through life. Sadly, we’ll listen to just about anyone’s rhetoric in the absence of true and profound leadership. The “bosses” of the world long for our respect, our dedication and our commitment, but do very little to give us reasons to do so. Respect is something that needs to be earned and dedication can only come from a deep appreciation from someone who fully understands that bullying will never stand for leadership.
If you have a chance, I strongly recommend reading Lee Iacocca’s, “Where have all the Leaders Gone?” It’s filled with insight for every American citizen – I only wish more so called “leaders” would pick up a copy.
