The Most Important Leadership Test In The World - Amira Eldessoky
This article really resonated with me. Just like you wouldn’t want a haircut from a stylist with bad hair, you wouldn’t follow a leader with poor leadership skills. It explains that true leaders gain that title by leading themselves first. By earning the respect of your team through effective self management and accountability you bridge the gap between managing and leading.
Essentially the article is another angle to the “manager vs leader” debate. It’s a simple concept really, anyone can manage people; hold them accountable to deadlines, demand certain hours worked and insist on role-required behaviors. But that’s not leading. Leadership requires you to get people to rally behind you, to want to support you because they feel valued and involved in the end goal. Warren Bennis, widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership studies, drives this point home when he says “Good leaders make people feel that they are at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel centered and that gives their work meaning
Amira Eldessoky — Wellness Advocate
Here’s the article on Forbes by Terina Allen
If you want genuine peace of mind when you go to sleep at night, you first need to figure out what gets you out of bed in the morning. If you want to open doors for others, it’s good to show that you can open some for yourself. And, if you desire to rest on your success tomorrow, you doggone well shouldn’t be sitting still today.
The most important leadership test in the world is based on your ability to successfully lead yourself first. Can you pass it?
Without even thinking about it, you take this test day in and day out when you demonstrate your willingness — or lack thereof — to effectively manage and lead yourself; to move yourself to action; to pay the price that leadership costs; and to appreciate the value of followership. If you want to lead, start with leading yourself to happiness. Lead yourself to career success and fulfillment. Show that you have the courage and mental fortitude to create your own path and lead your own journey. If you want to lead, you have the power — if you dare own it — to go ahead and do so with your own life first.
