Cole Powers | iAm CareerTech Intern
It is often said that the best leaders lead by actions not by words, this belief has been demonstrated to me in many different ways throughout my athletic and educational careers. You can tell a lot about a leader by the way they act. The most effective leaders are very transparent with those they lead, and they make sure that everyone knows why they are doing what they are doing. Finally, the best leaders are not willing to sacrifice any circumstance to better themselves, rather they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the better of their people.
Leadership expert Simon Sinek describes in his book “Start with why” and in various TED Talks videos a system he calls the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle is composed of three rings of understanding, the outermost ring is a company’s understanding of WHAT they do. Understanding what you do is the least sophisticated level of understanding. The middle level of understanding is knowing HOW you do what you do. The most successful companies first understand WHY they do what they do and the same principle applies to leadership. If you try to get a group of people to do something you will have minimal success by simply telling them what they are supposed to do and how they are expected to do something. People need to know why they are doing something in order to feel that they serve a purpose. A true leader understands that each person in their company serves an important purpose. Understanding why you do something at all times, creates an internal driving force. The best leaders need to be approachable people, if the people that you lead feel that they can’t even speak to you about company issues you have created an environment where a leader is very demanding. If leaders adopt the attitude that they are not omniscient they might be surprised by the ideas that emerge from beneath them.
Simon Sinek discusses in another TED Talks video the importance of sacrifice as a leader. Many people think that it is acceptable to sacrifice others for personal gain, however leaders must think in the opposite way. Leaders must be willing to make personal sacrifice for the gain of the group. Leaders must sacrifice more time and effort than anyone else in the group, and they must be willing to make tough decisions for the better of the group. If everyone in the group trusts and respects the leader there will be much more success and unity. When followers and leaders are all working in unison everyone can reach their full potential.
Leaders must be very careful when choosing when to act or not act, leaders must always follow through with what they say they will do. When leaders choose to speak instead of acting they must choose their words carefully. Leaders must encourage those who follow them by making sure they always know why they are doing what they do. Leaders must also be willing to make sacrifices to make those around them feel safe and help them to reach their full potential.
Works Cited:
Sinek, Simon. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. New York: Portfolio, 2009. Print
“Start with Why – How Great Leaders Inspire Action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
“Simon Sinek: Why Leaders Eat Last.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
