Welcome to part three of this series of posts where I tackle quick fire leadership questions. I receive lots of questions from various platforms which require concise answers. So in this series I will be sharing my responses to these questions.
Question 1: “What is the most important questions leaders should ask themselves?” – Karla Munden
This is an important topic, one which focuses around self-awareness. Although there are many questions a leader can ask themselves, the most influential question should be focuses their power and what they do with it. Allow me to explain.
True leadership is not a suitcase full of tricks and skills designed to serve themselves. Ultimately, the greater the leader the greater the level of influence. As a leader becomes more influential they receive more power from the people they lead which leaves two options:
- Keep the power
- Give the power back
However, in leadership, as a leader develops more influence they naturally develop more power and there are two things they can with that power when moving towards an “outcome”:
The idea of a positive outcome is subjective and, as the saying goes, “in the eyes on the beholder”.
When a leader decides to keep the power they serve their own ego which targets creating a negative outcome. When a leader decides to give the power back they act in confidence with the aim of creating a positive outcome. A positive outcome for the leader and the people they lead creates more power which creates more influence.
- A positive outcome
- A negative outcome
The way I differentiate these is that a positive outcome is one where the leader uses their influence to create an outcome that is mutually beneficial for both parties involved, hence positive. On the other hand, a negative outcome is one where the leader uses their influence to manipulate another person solely for their own personal gain, hence negative.
Where a leader places their power determines their level of influence, which ultimately decides on their success as a leader. As you can see, the most important question a leader should ask themselves is: Where do I place my power?
Understanding this will open up the awareness to whether or not the leader is failing in some areas or not.
Thank you for reading, JT
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