How do you become a better leader?

How do you become a better leader?
Some people in leadership positions, especially when they
are relatively fresh in the role, wonder how they can
become a better leader. The other circumstance for those
that are at it a while longer is the frustration or lack of
satisfaction you get when things don't work the way they
should or you expect them to. There is a fundamental
tendency to look for outside causes or reasons before
looking at ourselves. Recently at a seminar in Ohio,
Antonio Thorton said something very profound that fits
really well for leaders and individuals in authority
positions:

"If you want to keep getting what you're getting, keep
doing what' you're doing!"

This goes for the performance results of your team members
and those you lead, the work product, the participation in
class, or during meetings, - pretty much every walk of life
or work you encounter. If you really want to be the role
model and the leader you are capable of, you need to ask
yourself what you have been doing to cause the results you
are getting.

Gordon Selfridge summed it up like this:

- The boss drives people ; the leader coaches them

- The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will

- The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm

- The boss says: "I"; the leader says "WE"

- The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader
fixes the breakdown

- The boss says "Go"; the leader says "LET's Go!"

In my experience there are two main areas to look at:

1. Skills

2. Attributes

Skills is something you have learned and keep applying and
refining. Most of the time your skills are not what causes
the results to be as they are (unless you are in a
profession that depends on your manual skills, like a
carpenter, tile setter, etc.)

Attributes is where it is. How ambitious are you? How
confident can you be about yourself and your team? How much
of a role model have you been, and most importantly, how
clearly have the visions, strategies, and goals been
developed and communicated among those from who you are
getting what you're getting?

The Performance IQ system I use for assessments and
coaching is a great first step to explore and discover what
your own Performance IQ actually is and how you score
across 12 drivers which determine your attributes for
success. There is a place on the internet where you can go
and test yourself by looking for the search term
PerformanceIQ. Should anybody decide to do this, you need
to enter the abbreviation AMC in the form where the company
goes to get an evaluated result.

In case you are on the fence but still would like to get
yourself on the path to success, try this approach:

"To get what you desire, change what doesn't work today!"

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Axel Meierhoefer is a published author, educator, coach,
consultant, and the founder of Axel Meierhoefer Consulting
LLC (AMC LLC). His motto is" Helping others help themselves
achieve success". If you would like to be notified of
future articles go to http://www.meierhoefer.net/blog or
send an email to AM@Meierhoefer.net