Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1401769
40 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2021 We had about 15 people in the room, including the operations manager. I was feeling pretty good about my communication skills as I saw a sea of nodding heads while I spoke. One wom- an, "Sally," nodded enthusiastically aer some- thing brilliant I had obviously just said, but then I noticed a very slight delay before others began to also nod. I began to feel a bit deflated as I realized that many in the room were taking their cues from Sally and not necessarily from my charismatic dialog. When I asked the team if they were ready for the level of commitment, support, and work the project required, most of them looked first to Sally, and not the opera- tions manager, before verbally agreeing. It was clear that Sally was the "real leader" on the shop floor, the one everyone looked to for help and guidance. While this is not the norm, nor should it be, there are informal leaders in every company. Positional leaders have a title but not always a following while real leaders have a following but not always a title. Position- al leaders influence positionally while real lead- ers influence everyone. How do you become a real leader? Real leaders be- come real leaders because of: • Character • Relationships • Knowledge • Intuition • Experience • Past successes • Ability Remember the saying, "e title does not make the leader; the leader makes the title." Everyone Communicates, Few Connect is is such an important concept that John Maxwell wrote an entire book on it. e ability to connect with people is an essential component of leadership and a "must have" for great leaders. "You can't move people to action unless you first move them with emotion. e heart comes before the head." — John C. Maxwell Connecting with people is not easy. We need to touch a heart before we ask for a hand, and the first heart we must touch is our own. In other words, we cannot lead others to places we've never been to ourselves. What does it mean to connect with ourselves? It means un- derstanding the answers to the following ques- tions: • Do I ask, "How can I help you?" • What is my greatest asset? • Am I applying my strengths? • How can I use my strengths to coach others? • How well do I relate and communicate with others? • Do I like me? Am I likeable? • What can I do to project my sincerity and add value to others?