Not only was I hopeless at most sports (except table-tennis, but don't hold that against me!), I was generally bad enough to never be chosen as the 'team captain'. (Ironically, I am now a fully qualified Personal Trainer who leads Group Fitness classes and has another business specialising in Personal Training for people with back problems!).
My mother was a Deputy Principal of a school before she retired. My father used to call her a 'born organiser'. I think this is why they divorced in later years, perhaps she was too organised for him? I believe I do possess a number of traits from my mother, but these only developed in later years. Sometimes we clash because of it, but as I have gotten older, I appreciate the reasons why. Two headstrong leaders with a 'thruster organiser' style are always going to butt heads at some-point! Yes, I am a true "D' style, for those of you who know DISC profiling.
I am proud of this fact. I love being a leader- it is the most satisfying, rewarding, frustrating and mind boggling thing I think I will ever have to do, but I wouldn't change a thing. Actually, I'd probably just change the disappointment of not being a leader when I was younger, knowing how rewarding it has been later in my life.
Even my Grandmother (my mothers mother), was a leader- she used to run the hospital auxiliary for many years and was always leading new drives for charity events and spurring people on. So my guess is that perhaps you can be a born leader...or at least pick up some of these traits from your up-bringing.
Being an average student with average grades also never saw me as 'head girl' material, although in my later years I excelled, ironically in English and Computing. I used to think that successful people were always only the smart people with straight A's. How wrong i was!
So, after studying leadership and management and learning all about different leadership and management styles, at the prime old age of 20, I was ready to now be a leader. I had my qualification and I really thought that was it...isn't that all there is to it?
Strangely enough I soon realised that Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of life. If you are a good leader, people will follow you. Can you inspire others to come on the journey with you?
I am in the middle of leading the launch to market of a brand new technology service line. One of my responsibilities also falls to Sales and Marketing and product and brand development. I am so excited to see the impact Leadership can make on a team of committed individuals and the trust they have in me that we can all make it by the 1 October deadline.
One comment I heard this week from one of the team about this new technology line was "That looks good enough to eat"! probably not what I expected to hear while sitting in a review session looking at the products design, but he was so pleased with the look and feel, I don't blame him!
Leadership is about inspiring others, getting people to believe in themselves, but also and perhaps most critically, communicating the message, good or bad and dealing with those who are perhaps not playing as part of the team.
So 'cheers' to those reading this blog in leadership roles, even though it can be tough at the top, just remember to keep inspiring others to follow you and that leadership is not just a state of mind, it should be a way of life. Leaders are not born, they are made, it is a skill that is learnt, with hard knocks, disappointments, triumphs, tribulations and a general learning about yourself as a person. So go out and lead, the world needs more people like you!
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