‘Doing the right thing isn’t always easy and isn’t always popular, but isn’t it enough that its right?’
Senora Roy
We can all be good leaders
All of us are leaders to some extent. Because we are able to inspire others to achieve greatness.
Each of us is unique. That is why we are always good at something different even though we might not know at first what it is. If we do things with passion trying to improve on what fascinates us, we can share our joy with others. For example, swimming, writing business books or flying kites. By sharing our joy with others to make them interested in what we like doing, this is what it means to me to be a leader. We show the way.
We can motivate people not only in one area, such as cooking, painting or improving quality of life, but basically at everything. We can help others to become a better business student, a better parent, a better business teacher, a better business manager, a better CEO, etc. Or, simply just a better person.
To me, being a great leader also means to influence people to do the right thing without setting any definite time frame for them to accomplish it. Because it takes time to realize the difference between good and bad actions, improve and change.
Leading by example
Leading by example makes the most sense to show others how to be a good leader, in my opinion. If you do something great with your children, for example, pick up rubbish from the sidewalk near your home or donate old clothes to those in need, you are the leader to them. And they will learn from you.
You can use this method to share anything with your colleagues at work, so they can improve too.
That is why in many articles which I publish on the Internet, I try to show how to improve something, or how I have improved my life over the last couples of years. I also try to show how I failed as learning from mistakes is always a priceless lesson.
Motivating through actions is always a better way than just commanding others what to do from official position of authority.
My first steps with leadership
The first time I got interested in leadership was when I was in college studying business management. I was invited by two different companies to participate in two leadership seminars in Central Europe. The first one was organized by McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting companies in the world, and the second one was hosted by General Electric (GE), one of world’s most successful conglomerates, formed by Thomas Edison and Charles A. Coffin.
During those two leadership events, I had a chance to meet with other people who were equally passionate about the art of leadership. Those people, the same as myself, care greatly about improving things in life, influencing the society to change from bad to good, empowering others to overcome their personal fears to do great things – one step at a time.
It was a truly amazing experience. And, I am very grateful to both McKinsey & Company and General Electric (GE) for inviting me.
How to become a good leader?
Here are a few tips on being a good leader and leadership which you might find useful:
- Always do the right thing. Set goals which will benefit you, benefit stakeholders, the whole society and natural environment in the long-run. For instance, in your private life, you can lose weight, save water, minimize food waste, drive slower, invent products that change lives for better.
- Know what is right. Understand the differences between moral and immoral behaviors, e.g. do not steal money, do not cheat on your wife or husband, do not bully your classmates, always eat dinner with your family.
- Ask why something happens. Do not blindly follow whatever other people ask you to do, instead make your own decisions. Do not let others to decide for you what you should eat or drink, be confident about your choices. Do not eat too much fast-food despite tempting TV commercials, question why companies put so much sugar in food products.
- Motivate and inspire others. Show them what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.
- Share knowledge to empower. Spread valuable knowledge to your friends and followers, so they can also achieve higher quality of their lives – they will thank you for it. They will be grateful. Do not shy away from pointing out bad quality products and services.
- Care about people. Do not cause any harm to others by paying attention to what you do and what you say. For example, slow down before reaching the crossroad when driving. Never laugh at those who have less money than you, or are less fortunate than you.
- Foster change and innovative solutions. Try to change the things in the world which are not good enough. For example, change the way you cook by trying new healthy recipes. Choose to get to work by bike rather than a car.
- Take actions. Actions always speak louder than words. You can stop buying from companies which act unethically, or refuse to fully agree to terms and conditions which service providers require you to comply with. Everything is negotiable and you get what you negotiate, not what you deserve. Question whether your company acts ethically?
- Speak out about problems. Many problems which you face in your daily life are common for all people around the world. You may tell your friends about the product which you purchased being of low-quality, or inform your family about restaurants which offer disgusting or questionable food.
- Take risks. Do not be afraid of doing things in a different way than the majority of people. For instance, start selling fresh fruit juice, organize weekly meetings with your friends to discuss health-conscious decisions.
- Make strategic decisions. For your own sake always do things in your life that bring benefits to you in the long-term. Do not take shortcuts – they will always come back at you to bite you in the ass. Stop smoking! Start cooking healthy meals. Make friends with people who care about you. Start reading more smart books instead of watching pointless TV shows.
- Respect others to gain respect. Keep your promise. Do not mislead people. Do not lie. Do not gossip. Do not be evil!
- Follow natural instincts. Stick to your guts and listen to your inner voice when making decisions after you also analyze facts and numbers. Privately, stick to eating healthy food that makes you feel good. Stop drinking too much sodas and alcohol. Exercise more often to feel happier afterwards.
Good leaders are not afraid of doing good things
I love writing for people about how I try to live a better life and become a better person, setting an example, leading. Creating the vision of what I want my life to be and what I want the life for millions of people around the world to be, makes me fulfilled.
I try to promote high-quality products and responsible consumer behaviors that are good for people, environmentally friendly and benefit the society in the long-term. It is important for me to be myself, do what makes sense, have integrity even though nobody is looking. That is why I will never promote unethical products or services. I just do not want to lead people in the wrong direction.
And, the most important thing – I am not afraid of doing the right things.
