Leadership, It’s Not Just a Word

When we look up to someone that person, whether they know it or not, is leading. Where we live, where we go to school, and for sure where we work, there are leaders present. Be it a community leader, a teacher leading a class, or a manager leading the group by outlining a project and then a supervisor leading the way to accomplish the work at hand. These are just a few examples of leaders we see everyday. There are different styles and treats to a leader. What style defines what type of leader.

Anyone in a leadership role is a person that holds a responsibility in which as a leader you contribute to key organizational out comes and provide direction to the group as a whole. There is and has to be trust and integrity when being a leader, and in my opinion this is the corner stone to leadership. You opinion may differ and I respect that because there are many more building blocks to leadership. But, with out the trust of those you are leading and the lack of being honest along with upholding ethical principles that are ones integrity, the leader will soon enough see that he/she is not a leader in the eyes of those to be lead.

There are those in a position of authority that think they are a leader but really don’t measure up as a leader in the eyes of those being lead. It might be due to the leader not fully knowing or understanding the position or job of dealing with people. Or the leader might have a “my way or the highway” leadership style or a leadership style where the followers are leading and the leader is just a figurehead. The worst case leadership style is when the line is crossed of an individual miss using the leadership role in favor something or someone more so over the group that is being lead. If this is the case then for the most part the group will go into a mode of just respecting the position and not the person that is in the position of leadership. It would become a notion of going through the motions in a manner of speaking.

Leaders should not think of themselves as simple managers or supervisors; but rather as “Team Leaders.” Thinking of yourself as a manager or supervisor places you in a position of traditional authority based solely on respect for the position, which places you in a position of power. By understanding the personal work preferences and motivations of your team members, you as a individual, rather then your position, will earn their respect and trust. By earning the individual respect of those you lead, having the trust, and not compromising on integrity the end result is having a basic structure of developing a Team that is being lead with leadership.

Leadership is not just a word but a make up of a group of many words that have true meaning. Just like the group of many individuals that one leads have a true meaning. In the fire service those in the position of leadership, for the most part, know this and lead by the example of trust and integrity.