Aspire: May 2015

Friday, 29 May 2015

8 SIGNS YOU ARE A LEADER AND DON'T EVEN KNOW IT

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams
1 You are approachable: If people can approach you easily to ask for advice, counsel or just even give a listening ear to them, then you are it for leaders operate an open door policy. It was said while George Washington who at that time was the President of the United States was going a horse ride with some members of his entourage and had to cross a river, all of them crossed one after the other while a stranger waited by the bank of the river. When it was his turn to cross, the stranger asked if he could join him on the horse to which he agreed. After getting to the other side, he was asked why he had waited for the president to cross before he asked. His response was simply that' I didn't know he was the President, his only looked like a yes face'.

2 You maintain a smile even when under pressure: Leaders are not superhuman people that have no problems but they seem to maintain a good attitude even under pressure. A mentor of mine was asked if he had any problems and he replied, 'Maybe it came and I didn't know it was a problem'. Now that is what I call keeping cool when under pressure.

3 You have an open mind: Leaders are not rulers who wear the toga tagged' Mr./Mrs. Know All' Rather they keep an open mind on all subjects because leaders are learners constantly looking for ways to improve himself. After the body of Theodore Roosevelt was lifted from his bed, a book was found under his pillow. Someone said, 'Death had to take the President sleeping for if he was awake there would have been a fight.'

4You are straightforward: If you are a person who hits the nail on the head rather than beating about the bush then you are a leader. If you say the truth as it is without adding or subtracting or calling black white you have the leadership gene in you.

5 You are responsible: If your motto is 'If it has to be, it's up to me' then you are in the league of leaders for leaders accept responsibility even when it is not their fault. They don't pass the buck or play the blame game, they take the road less traveled by the masses, they take responsibility

6 You treat everyone equally: A leader does not play favourites or double standards he believes in what is good for the goose is good for the gander. As a leader, though difficult you should treat people equally regardless of class, race or colour. Someone mused that, 'If you can show kindness to a stranger then you are a citizen of the world.'

7 You are confident in yourself but ask others for help: One of my mentors said' A one man show is a show of arrogance which ends up in shame. Leadership has never been, is not and will never be a one man show. You need people to help you succeed hence the adage, 'Many hands make light work'.

8You are an optimist: If you can always see the good in every adverse situation then you are a leader, I would not forget in a hurry one Sunday evening when my graphics artist had to show me some drawings and for one hour we searched the system, we came up with nothing imagine 896 MB of content vanished. But rather than lose my cool, I asked my graphics artist if he had any money which we used in buying biscuits and laughed the issue off with the determination that we will do better than the previous and then a miracle happened, my mate got a software by which he recovered all the lost documents. So there you have it the 8 signals of you being a leader without you knowing it.