THE ACCENT OF LEADERSHIP BLOGS

“Accents are recognizable right away. There is an accent in leadership. You can recognize quite quickly if one has it or not. These Leadership Blogs are written to Enhance the Accent”

John Maxwell says that the truest definition of leadership is simply influence. There are those that have positions yet have no influence and then those that have no title yet influence greatly. Leadership’s top quality is the ability to influence. Our passion, connection, communication and heart for our mission and team can make great impact on our teams we lead.

John Maxwell also says this, “He that thinketh he leadeth, and hath no one following, is only taking a walk.” If you’re are not influencing and are alone, are you really leading? Losing touch with your people/team is a huge leadership landmine. It will damage your credibility and destroy your influence.

Let’s talk about how to avoid losing touch? (principles from John Maxwell)

1.Recognize the landmine. Unfortunately, losing touch is an easy thing to do. A leader can be tempted to withdraw by both success (“I don’t need to see my people”) and failure (“I don’t want to see my people”). Understanding that it can happen is the first step to avoiding it. Getting busy and failure to plan can cause us to lose touch as well. We must realize that follow up and connecting is a priority for any leader.

2.Value people. All leadership is influence. And what is influence if it doesn’t involve other people? No matter what your organization produces or does, it needs people to function. WE need people to lead. Leadership becomes effective when we acknowledge that people are our most appreciable asset, and treat them accordingly. A “thank you” goes a long way!

3.Avoid positional thinking. Our position or title shouldn’t define our leadership. That’s positional thinking, and it will cause us to disconnect as a leader. Just because we have a title doesn’t mean we are influencing our team. It’s so important that we stay connected and real. Relationship can influence the heart more than a title.

4.Love the people you lead. Do you see your people as cogs in the machinery of your organization, and yourself as the operator? They can tell if you don’t care about them or value their time, heart and service. Loving your people makes the difference in their willingness to follow you into anything, no matter how hard the battle.

Have you lost touch with those you lead?

If so, what can you do to reconnect today?