Discussion on:

Best leaders know what they stand for

Leadership is demanding - it's easy to get 'foggy'. Then the mistakes occur, problems happen.

I think that most people confuse managing with leading. Grace Hopper said it best, you manage things and you lead people. People are not carbon copies of each other, everyone is unique in their interests, abilities and temperment. Most management techniques tend to lump everyone as if they were replaceable parts.

The article states that a leader knows what he stands for and he also knows what his company stands for. I read an article long ago by George Mcgregor-Burns that said that a leader leads his people to a higher level of need. Based on Maslow's heirarchy of needs, if the company is in survival mode then the leader should lead the company to become more secure. If the company is ready for the top need of actualization and the leader can lead the company there then you will see a very dynamic company; if this theory is correct. A leader who knows what he stands for should also know where he wants to go and how to motivate people to improve themselves to make the path forward happen.

I work with someone who is not a manager. And yet, when there are issues to be faced, she's always the one to pick up the standard, while the rest of us tip-toe by it. She's not afraid to take on responsibility, even when she is not the one responsible. She always goes the extra distance is there to shoulder the work, even when it really is not hers to perform. She always asks the right questions and steers the project forward. She's motivating and appreciative, and she is the dependable person to whom people turn when they have questions.

She really deserves to get on, but she doesn't get the credit she deserves in this organization. Maybe it's because she doesn't play politics and isn't interested in shining the spotlight on herself by telling the boss how wonderful she is. She just goes the extra distance and motivates people to get things done.

I have met very few natural-born leaders in my life, but she is one of them.