Leadership By Choice, Making The Decision To Lead
Leadership by choice, have you made the decision?
You’ll always find that there is much to be said about leadership. There are methods, models and best practices, but people seldom pause long enough to recognize that leadership only happens when someone decides.
Recently I wrote about why leadership matters and contained in that article were 25 questions each touching a factor relevant for leadership success. The truth is it could have been 50 questions, or more. One question that is seldom addressed is, “Have you made the choice to lead?”
Anytime we seek change, whether it is a personal, professional, or some combination of the two, it will only happen when we decide. Sometimes people believe that they want to change, but they aren’t hungry enough to see it through.
Making the decision to lead isn’t always the same as making the commitment. First you have to make the conscious choice, and then you have to be hungry enough to continue the pursuit.
Leadership by Choice
When you believe you’re ready to make the choice and commitment you might want to ask yourself a few important questions.
- Why do you want to lead? Can you answer this question? If not, you can make the choice, but the commitment might be lacking. Understanding why you want to lead will guide the answers to the questions you’ll ask when you think it might be time to quit.
- What is the purpose? What are you leading and why is it important? Wilderness survival is based on need, but many business cases for creating purpose aren’t that simple. People will work hard for a purpose that they believe in, you’ll need purpose.
- Why should people follow? Clarity in purpose and direction will help inspire a following, but also critical will be the credibility, dependability, and reliability of believing the pursuit is worthwhile and achievable. Followers believe.
Success in leadership is leadership by choice. Someone making the decision for you will most likely not create the desire for success that is necessary to endure the journey.
Have you decided? Is it your time to lead?
– DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
