(FeatureSource) Ever wonder if you are meant to be in management
forever? Or, do you have what it takes to lead your organization to victories
previously never even dreamed possible?
“There is a distinct difference between the way a manager and a leader
approach their work,” says Dr. Lisa Williams, author of “Leading Beyond
Excellence: Discover How to Achieve Leadership Significance and Your Personal
Dreams with 7 Practical and Spiritual Steps” (Executive Publishers
International, $24.95 at www.TestMyLeadership.com). “Once you clarify your
current approach, you can identify ways to move yourself into the position you
desire.”
Find your leadership quotient and how to advance by taking this quick
quiz:
How would you describe your approach to dealing with daily tasks?
a. I administer tasks.
b. I innovate new ways to deal with tasks.
c.
I motivate others.
When contemplating your company’s status quo do you…
a. Accept and maintain company standards?
b. Challenge the standards and
develop new ones?
c. See beyond the current limitations to what could be?
What two questions do you find yourself asking most often?
a. “How?” and “When?”
b. “What?” and “Why?”
c. “What?” and “How?”
Where do you find yourself most often gazing?
a. I focus on the bottom line.
b. I set my sights on the horizon.
c.
I set my vision on the possibilities.
How would you describe yourself?
a. I imitate other successful people.
b. I’m an original. There is
nobody else like me.
c. I am constantly growing into the best person I can
be.
What do you spend the most time focusing on?
a. I focus on maintaining my company’s systems and structure.
b. I focus
on inspiring trust in my employees.
c. I focus on helping others reach their
potential.
When the heat is on, how do you approach the situation?
a. I try to do the right thing and to be a good soldier, even if I don’t
really believe in my position.
b. I do the right thing but always stay true
to my own person.
c. look for the good in every situation and strive to
maximize the greatest good for everyone.
If you answered most questions with the letter A, you are a manager.
Managers are concerned with ensuring the goals of the organization are met. They
have the position in the organization that gives them the authority to
accomplish objectives through others. They are excellent enforcers of
established rules, while leaders forge new frontiers.
“The majority of people will probably find themselves in this category,”
Williams says. “Most corporate development programs are excellent at imparting
information about internal operations and management skills but do not focus on
the development of leaders.”
To move out of management mode and learn how to become an effective leader,
educate yourself in the art of leadership. Read books such as “Leading Beyond
Excellence.” Attend seminars and training programs geared specifically for
leaders. Begin to look at the big picture and to innovate ideas. Eventually, you
will find yourself assuming a more prominent role of leadership.
If you answered most questions with the letter B, you are a leader.
Leaders set corporate culture and establish an environment where people can meet
organizational goals. Leaders are concerned about motivating others. They set
corporate direction and layout plans for meeting or exceeding last year’s goals.
They usually create based upon past performance. Leaders build from the past
while the trailblazer is creating from the possibilities.
“The sheer number of people leaders influence within their organization and
throughout their supply chain today is unmatched in history,” Dr. Williams says.
“It’s crucial that leaders begin to shift their focus from what has been done to
what can be done.” Reading books and completing the interactive process in
“Leading Beyond Excellence” will assist leaders in becoming trailblazers.
If you answered most questions with the letter C, you are a
trailblazer. Trailblazers set expectations based on the future and not the past,
on opportunities and not limitations. Paraphrasing the words of Robert Kennedy,
there are those who look at things the way they are and ask why, while
trailblazers dream of things that never were and ask why not? Trailblazers have
the power to transform others, organizations and society. They create positive
legacies for future generations.
Maybe you need to increase your effectiveness or want to maximize your
impact. Take a course in leadership that details the 7-step process for managers
to become leaders and leaders to become trailblazers. Dr. Williams offers a
leadership education program designed specifically to help aspiring leaders
become more effective and inspiring. With a little guidance and self-reflection,
you can go from simply being a good leader to being a great leader to becoming a
trailblazer.
