So You Are The Boss...

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day and an incredible week coming to a close for you. Boy, it has sure been one incredibly busy, blessed week!

I am reading "5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential" by John C. Maxwell. It is a great book, one that I would highly recommend to you. Heck, I love John C. Maxwell and would recommend that you read any of his books and apply the wisdom you can gain to your life.

Anyways, I wanted to share a few excerpts from "5 Levels of Leadership" with you on this beautiful Friday morning. Before doing so however, I would like to briefly address leadership and being a leader. People often believe that leadership is a position that is to be attained rather than a life to be lived. You can recognize them; they love to use titles, they believe - and live out their beliefs in their actions - that they are to be served rather than serve and they desperately want to be "in charge", to be "the boss." Sadly, these individuals don't appear to realize that a title does not make them a leader; it simply identifies their responsibilities. The way a person chooses to live their life - where they find their strength, what they value, their morals & ethics, how they treat others, how they serve others, their work ethic, their ability to make decisions... the totality of who they are - will all determine what kind of leader they are (yes, we are ALL leaders at some level!) and the effectiveness of their leadership. 

The title does not make you or me a leader - this type of leadership in the "5 Levels of Leadership" is referred to as "Positional Leadership." If you choose to lead from this position, those to whom you are given the honor & privilege of leading will not follow you beyond your stated lines of authority. It is fairly easy to see and understand this concept within business & organizational structures. I would also like to point out that this applies to ALL aspects of your leadership. Being a Father or Mother, Husband or Wife, are all "positions" of leadership also. Are the followers that we are blessed to have in our lives following us any farther than our stated lines of authority?

You and I will choose how we lead, what type of leaders we will become and ultimately, the effectiveness of our leadership. As we do so, I thought these excerpts from the "5 Levels of Leadership" might be beneficial to us.

• "Before you can grow and mature as a leader, you must have a clear understanding of your values and commit to living consistently with them - since they will shape your behavior and influence the way you lead. As you reflect on your values, I believe you should settle what you believe in three key areas:
• Ethical Values - What does it mean to do the right thing for the right reason?
• Relational Values - How do you build an environment of trust and respect with others?
• Success Values - What goals are worth spending your life on?"
• "Often to make themselves look better or to keep people from rising up and threatening them, positional leaders make other people feel small. How?
• By not having a genuine belief in them.
• By assuming people can't instead of assuming they can.
• By assuming people won't rather than believing they will.
• By seeing their problems more readily than their potential.
• By viewing them as liabilities instead of assets."
• And, we have to decide how we will be described...
• "Top-down - "I'm over you."
• Separation - "Don't let people get close to you."
• Image - "Fake it till you make it."
• Strength - "Never let 'em see you sweat."
• Selfishness - "You're here to help me."
• Power - "I determine your future."
• Intimidation - "Do this or else."
• Rules - "The manual says..."

              Or will we be...

• "Side by Side - "Let's work together."
• Initiation - "I'll come to you."
• Inclusion - "What do you think?"
• Cooperation - "Together we can win."
• Servanthood - "I'm here to help you."
• Development - "I want to add value to you."
• Encouragement - "I believe you can do this!"
• Innovation - "Let's think outside the box."

Please Friends, no matter who you are or where you are, recognize that you are a leader and you are leading. It is not about your title...it is about who you are and how you choose to live your life.

Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for any of you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish those precious families and friends.

Kev