In the last post, we looked at the power that leaders possess. Here, I’ll take a look at what makes a leader a leader. While there are many descriptions and lists of leadership characteristics, there are a few that seem to be universal.
A Compelling Vision
So where are you leading your followers? A leader has a vision of the future. Something that isn’t here yet, and will take work and time to get there, but is possible. An effective leader has a very clear vision, one that is almost tangible. A vision that offers hope of a better future, a place that others want to be. Nobody wants to follow a vision that takes them to a worse place – although they may be willing to suffer hardship to get to a better place.
Having this vision is central to leadership and directly impacts other essential leadership components such as passion and inspiration. It isn’t enough to just have a loose idea of the future, the vision must be clearly defined and articulated. Write it down as best you can. Try to formulate a simple statement that encompasses your vision. It isn’t a good vision or goal until it’s outside of your head. Which leads us to our next vital component of effective leadership…
O Come All Ye Faithful
Sorry, I couldn’t resist the holiday cheer! But it is a very appropriate statement in this case because we’re talking about communication. Not just communication, but creating the faith in others that they want to follow you. This is why it is so important to clearly define and articulate your vision – you have to share it with others. You should be able to describe it easily to other people. And frequently. As a leader, nobody should have to wonder what it is you’re all about. Why? Because you will tell them straight up consistently and often.
You need to tell people where you are going and if your vision is compelling enough they will join you.
Passion, Enthusiasm, and Optimism
These three go hand in hand and all spring from your vision. When the vision is compelling, it is a source of motivation. Most people, even the extremely unmotivated have little trouble getting started when they are working on something inspiring. It becomes a positive circle in which the vision feeds the action, passion, and motivation and they feed back into the vision. It is hard to get motivated and passionate about a ho-hum vision.
Hope springs eternal and it also is the fuel for the journey. A positive outlook is attractive and draws others into following you. People like to be around positive, energetic people. You need to believe that your vision is possible – if you don’t you need to choose something you can believe in. Think Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, he was always depressing to be around – not exactly an inspiring figure.
A Plan
Finally, a leader must have a plan. You must know how to get there, or at least a pretty good idea. Your followers want to see progress, action, something being done to reach the goal. The vision can be a prize that can get a person through a rough patch along the way, but if no progress can be seen, if the leader seems to be uncertain, then the followers will begin to lose interest. Have a plan. Create milestones. Chart the progress. Take the time to step back and reflect on how far you’ve come from time to time. Leaders hate to be stagnant and are always changing and reworking things to better fit their vision.
Control
Leaders will not hesitate to enforce boundaries or redirect the course of events to stay on track. The first sign that things aren’t quite going right is the feeling that things aren’t quite going right. Evaluate it against the vision and if it doesn’t fit, redirect. Non-followers can damage your following through negativity. Leaders employ a “healthy surveillance” to monitor the goings-on within their sphere of influence and act accordingly.
Leadership in Context
Just to bring things into perspective a little, let’s take a look at the recent presidential election. In my opinion, Barrack Obama won because he demonstrated stronger leadership qualities than his opponent. Obama campaigned on a vision of hope, restoring American status in the world, a new energy future, and better health care. He was able to convey the hope well and I think that this was the primary reason that he one so convincingly.
In order to keep us engaged however, he’ll have to fill in some blanks and operate on more than just hope. We’ll need to see a plan and the milestones along the way. He’ll need to repeat the vision often and clearly.
Other characteristics that I’ve seen described as essential to leadership are:
- Sacrifice – This one goes with passion. If you’re fired up about your vision, you’ll go to great lengths to see it through and be willing to put up the time, money, and effort to achieve it.
- Moral Character – People hold their leaders to a different standard. We expect them to be better than us. Make sure you demonstrate the qualities that your followers expect. A part of this is to “practice what you preach”. Related to this are credibility and honesty
- Self-Confidence – When you have a clear idea where you’re going, there is a degree of certainty about your actions that creates confidence in yourself and your followers.
- Emotional Intelligence – AKA empathy, it’s the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others. Great leaders are able to feed off of, address, and even develop desired emotions in their followers.
- Desire – You have to want it.
- Comfort Zone – Ironically, although leaders push their followers outside of their comfort zones in the pursuit of a better future, the leaders themselves create a new comfort zone within the vision. They provide a structure or framework from which to operate. The leaders don’t have this safety net however, and must draw on their own drive and passion to persist.
- Win-Win Thinking – Leaders get the advantages of power, but they have to bear in mind that following is voluntary and that the power is received at the whim of the followers. In other words, the followers must see the advantage of following. For that to happen, the leader must operate from a position of mutual reward.
Leading & Massage Therapy
Your clients come to you to be led. That’s a part of the therapeutic relationship. It’s up to you to exercise that power in the most effective manner for your client. Pay respect to client-therapist boundaries; to the effects your actions, words, and attitudes can have in either a positive or negative way. Understanding leadership is an important part of leadership.
Where are you leading your clients? Are you on the same page? Are the benefits balanced? Do you have clarity about your vision? Do your followers? How can you use your power for the most benefit? These are all questions you should ask yourself in your massage practice so that you can truly own your role as a therapist… and a leader.
So where are you leading your clients?
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