Leadership is Both Simple and Complex

Leadership is both simple and complex.  It is simple because it is focused on establishing a clear vision.

It is complex because so many various elements are included in establishing that clarity and in empowering others to lead with them.  True leaders are on an ongoing journey, seeking their own true selves and the true selves of those around them.  A leader’s ability to lead depends on the quality of their relationships with others, as well as their relationship to themselves.  Leaders must know and be able to lead themselves before they can effectively know and lead others.

Leaders develop a vision which reflects the core values and principles of an individual or a group, then design strategies and set goals which help that individual or group turn that vision into reality. Leaders use a variety of tools, like listening, planning, and re-establishing vision to motivate people to work together toward common goals.  While using these tools well is very important, there is something more basic, more essential to becoming the leader you have the potential to be.

Being a leader is about personal development, about discovering your true self.  It is not enough to read the right books, find the right opportunities, hear the right speakers, learn the right method, or even follow the right people on twitter.  Each of those things can be an important step, and each can help you uncover more of the leader you can become.  They are steps toward becoming; they are not the final answer.

Being a leader is, in many ways, more about who you are than about what you do.

The joy and challenge of leadership, like so many other things, is that you grow and learn.  As you do, you begin to appreciate how much more there is to learn, how much more you can grow.  There is not a point at which you arrive, you are a Leader.  You become a leader, one step at a time.  You learn from experiences.  You trust your intuition.  You do your best.  You are always beginning, over and over.

Leadership is both simple and complex.

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