Sometimes leadership can seem so overwhelming.
In reality, though, leadership is simpler than it first appears.
In many ways, great leaders master some very basic things that other people miss. The advice in this post is so simple you might be thinking “well, my mother used to tell me to do that”.
Maybe that’s the point.
You can have a Ph.D. in leadership and read everything there is on leadership and still not be effective.
And yet there are leaders who have little formal education but who lead powerfully and effectively every day.
Often, these leaders gain influence because they’ve mastered a few basic skills others miss.
Here are 5 of my absolute favorite basic leadership skills that are far too easy to overlook. Some you can start today (as in right now), while one or two may take some time.
Still, these deliver far more than you’d think they would. Own them, and you’ll become a much more effective leader.
1. Make Someone Else The Hero
Few of us have a healthy relationship with ourselves.
The narcissists make it all about them.
Insecure people focus on themselves because they can’t bear to give anyone else air time.
And even people who lack confidence can end up being selfish because their lack of self-esteem means no one else gets attention.
How do you escape the trap of narcissism, insecurity or low self-confidence?
Just make someone else the hero.
I learned this years ago from my friend Reggie Joiner (who does an exceptional job of pushing other people into the spotlight). Recently, Dave Ferguson released an incredible book called Hero Maker. Believe it or not, the key to becoming a reproducing church and creating a generation of leaders behind you is making someone else the hero.
Bottom line? Push other people into the spotlight, and you’ll create leaders, not followers.
This has other applications too. If you’re a preacher, like me, make sure you point to God, not to yourself when you speak. Worry more about whether people connect with God than whether they connect with you.
What else does this principle look like?
Well, if you’re a writer, make your reader the hero. The filter through which I try to run every post I write on this blog is what I call a “helpful” filter. I want the post to help you as a reader. I want you to win.
Think about it. You and I love leaders who point beyond themselves to someone else. Why not be that leader?
So when you struggle with narcissism, insecurity or low self-confidence (and we all do…me too), step aside and make someone else the hero.
It works. Every time
2. Do What You Say You’re Going To Do When You Say You’re Going To Do It
If there’s one piece of advice I want my sons to remember, other than everything I taught them about Jesus, it’s this:
Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.
It puts you ahead of about 99% of the planet.
Think back on your last week. Who frustrated you most? Probably the people who didn’t do what they said they were going to do when they said they were going to do it.
Now picture the people you lead. Who are you most likely to promote, reward or even want to hang out with? The people who do what they say they’re going to do when they say they’re going to do it.
Doing what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it is the basis of trust. It’s also the basis for confidence.
Hey…sometimes I’m still the guy who didn’t do what he said he was going to do when he said he was going to do it. But I try so hard not to be that guy.
So what do you do if you struggle in this area? Just stop promising and start delivering.
When your walk catches up to what your talk would have been, reintroduce your talk.
3. Focus On Outcomes
Also in the ‘please stop driving me nuts’ category are people who focus on process, not outcomes.
I realize it’s axiomatic these days to say the journey is more important than the destination. But not always. Really. Come on. What fun is the journey if you end up nowhere with any meaning?
It’s frustrating when you ask someone if something is done and they tell you
Well, I emailed him.
She never got back to me.
I’ve called 5 times.
I think they must have changed their address or something.
And they feel like the project is complete because they tried.
Trying isn’t the same as doing.
Often, I feel like saying “You didn’t hear the question. The questions is Is it done?”
A few years ago, I started encouraging the leaders I work with to stop focusing on process, and start focusing on outcomes.
When you focus on outcomes, you eventually stop emailing someone who never returns emails and you text them instead, or call them, or go to their office, or release them and find someone who will help you get the project done.
If you focus on outcomes, you’ll also have a shot at mastering #2. If you don’t, you never will.
And getting things done actually makes the journey more enjoyable, at least in my view.
