Musings on leadership and more

The art of leadership is a difficult and fundamental subject/skill for which few, if any, have ever mastered.  Some have a high leadership IQ.  It seems toinclude a grasp of organizational synergy, human understanding, and an intense desire for success through the achievement of others.

Some years ago, a military journal had a good article describing a self-test for personal leadership.  The first question said it all.  Are you strong enough to issue an unpopular order or directive from above as if it were your own?  Unfortunately, over the last 15 years some of my subordinate managers and leaders were prone to say, the Colonel wants or says ..., whenever the directive was going to be unpopular, which was frequently the case as my last two leadership positions were turnaround projects.

If your organization respects you you, the members will do what you ask;

If they respect and admire you, they will do more than you ask;

If they simply like you, they may do neither.