Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1330321
76 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2021 Leadership is Hard An effective leader needs to possess a unique skill set to manage people, schedules, equip- ment problems, and quality issues. The people part is the most difficult because the success of a leader is based on their ability to inspire oth- ers to follow them. There is a significant dis- tinction between a "manager" and a "leader." While the measure of success of both is based on the ability to accomplish things through others, the differentiator is in how each does this. A manager can direct others to do some- thing based on their managerial title, whether the others want to. A leader gets things done through others because the others have bought into the leader's vision freely and sincerely want to do what is being asked of them. Considering this, remember that a leader can be a manager, but a manager cannot be a leader. As my fellow author and friend Warren Bennis once told me, "A manager does things right, a leader does the right thing." If It's Lonely at the Top, You're Doing Something Wrong A couple of months before I wrote the Octo- ber 2016 column, I had just ended 18 months of intensive training to become an independent certified leadership coach, teacher and speak- er with the John Maxwell Group. John Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert who has sold more than 13 million books and trained more than two million lead- ers worldwide. One of the first lessons I learned was regarding the relationship of a leader "being at the top." In both your personal and business life you will always run across others who are willing to give advice on things they've never experienced. Let's use an example most of can relate to: using a travel agent. They may sell you an expensive vacation package and say, "I hope you enjoy the trip," then you nev- er see them again. In contrast, good leaders are like tour guides. They know the lay of the land because they've been there before, and they do everything they can to make the trip enjoyable and successful for everybody. A leader's credi- bility begins with personal success, and it ends with helping others achieve personal success. To gain credibility, you must consistently dem- onstrate three things: 1. Initiative: You have to get up to go up. 2. Sacrifice: You have to give up to go up. 3. Maturity: You have to grow up to go up. Key takeaway: If you show the way, people will want to follow you. The higher you go, the greater number of people who will be willing to travel with you. Leadership is Influence: Nothing More, Nothing Less The core principle of leadership in the John Maxwell leadership philosophy is this state- ment. After spending six years studying, learn- ing, and now training leadership teams with my clients, I have come to realize that any oth- er definition of leadership is just fluff. Lead- Figure 2: The best leadership comes from inspiring and helping others achieve greatness.