Watching the Olympics it is easy to get inspired by the competitors’ athleticism and success. We may picture ourselves doing the high dive or jumping over hurdles and finishing to the cheers of the crowd! What an experience it would be in front of such a huge audience!
However, if you went out to a track and tried to run as fast as you can, and to jump as high as you can, you would probably land in a heap on the ground. Successfully running track or jumping hurdles would be impossible for most of us to accomplish because we are not ready. If you haven’t even walked a mile in a long time, trying to do these things would not make sense.
To learn something difficult, we have to start out slowly at first and the same is true when it comes to leadership. In leadership we need to first learn how to follow well. Learning to follow well allows us to understand our own strengths and how to collaborate. It also helps us understand the needs and frustrations of those we will someday lead. Additionally, following strong leaders is an opportunity to learn how to build a team and align them around a vision. You can observe what works, how they think and how they work through obstacles.
Growing into a strong leader also requires learning the skills needed for leadership and testing your abilities in gradually more difficult situations. If you are swimming for the first time, you don’t want to jump into the middle of the lake and hope you can make it back to shore. The results could be disastrous! When it comes to leadership, it’s wise to start with committees or smaller projects where we can test out our abilities. This allows us to hone our skills, learn from our mistakes and then exercise our leadership in even greater ways.
So often when we talk with teams they are frustrated because leadership does not seem to understand their needs, seems out of touch with how to resolve their issues, and is not open to feedback. These issues would be less likely to occur if the leader had gone through training and preparation first. Therefore, one of the highest priorities for any leader is to continue their learning, as well as preparing leaders coming behind them. Let’s use every day to continue to learn how to run well as leaders!
Want to be more intentional when it comes to your leadership? Check out the variety of leadership development support we offer:
Leadership Development & Strategic Planning