They’re everywhere, yet we often don’t notice the great leaders because we’re hard wired to be critical. Where are the leadership role models?
If you look with fresh eyes, you’ll observe that many leaders are there for you to model. When you don’t know which way to turn, when every decision you want to make seems wrong, when you can’t seem to find the right way to inspire and motive others, you just need to look around.
Open your eyes and look for the leaders you admire; they may not be perfect but they may have some attributes you’d like to know more about. What are they doing that you’d like to try?
You don’t have to watch great leaders from afar; get up close and personal. Here are some suggestions for learning from them:
Adopt a learning mindset: It takes humility to know in your heart that you have a lot to learn. Be curious about how you see a great leader behaving. You’re sure that you admire something, but specifically what is it that they are doing that makes them compelling leaders? What behaviors make them particularly effective? Is there something in their behavior that you could adopt and feel comfortable with? Keep a list of what you observe.
Ask them to mentor you: Trust me, chances are that they’ll be flattered to mentor you. Plan to go to them armed with the things you’ve observed that you find compelling in their leadership, and develop a set of questions about those things that you’d like to know more about. Ask them what you need to know more about!
Follow them around: Ask if you can follow the leader you admire in action – for an hour, a day, or a week. Note what they do that engages others. Observe how they make their vision clear. Take notes and ask more questions about what you see them doing.
Create an action plan: Once you have figured out what you’d like to try, make it part of an action plan to become a better leader. Ask your mentor, a friend, or your coach to hold you accountable. What are you willing to try? Do it, adjust what doesn’t work well for you, and try again.
Keep observing and learning: Be relentless in your quest to observe great leaders. Continue to ask yourself what they’re doing that you could be better at. There is always room for improvement.
Try focusing on what you see that’s right in great leaders. Watch the leaders you admire and reach out to them to discover more about what they do and how they do it.
