Читать книгу Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership - James M. Kouzes, Beth High, Джеймс Кузес - Страница 11

Another essential lesson we learned when analyzing Personal-Best Leadership Experiences is that leadership is a set of behaviors and actions that are available to everyone. Leadership is not some mystical quality or the private reserve of a special class of charismatic people. It is not a gene or a trait in the DNA of a blessed few. It is not a single personality characteristic or a special innate talent that some people have and others do not. It is not a singular strength, and it is not a gift from the gods.

We repeat: Leadership is a set of behaviors and actions that are available to everyone. Let's check out that claim! For each of the questions below, please answer “yes” or “no.” Have you ever:

 Spoken about one or more values that you hold dear?

 Set a personal example of what you wanted someone else to do?

 Talked excitedly about something that might be possible, even though it didn't exist today?

 Asked someone else to go along with you to do something?

 Tried to make something work better than it was currently?

 Been one of the first people to try something new or different from what you were used to doing?

 Listened intently to someone else's point of view, someone you didn't necessary agree with?

 Helped someone else learn how to do an assignment or work better?

 Said “thank you” to another person for a job done well?

 Taken part in a celebration recognizing the accomplishment of a colleague?

These are just some of the actions that leaders take day-in and day-out when at their best, and if you answered “yes” to many or most of the questions above, then congratulations because this means you are already leading. Maybe you are not leading frequently enough, but you are leading. On the other hand, if you answered “no” to most of these questions, we think you'll agree that all of them are actions you could take if you were convinced that doing so would be beneficial, resulting in greater well-being and productivity for yourself and others.

Leadership is in the actions that you take. It emerges from the values that guide your decisions and behavior. It results from the visions you have for yourself and others. It is evident in the changes you initiate and the challenges you accept. It appears in the trust you build and the connections you strengthen. It's about how you lift others up and how you make others feel valued.

Even though we can demonstrate to you that leadership is something you—and others—can do, leadership myths persist. And clearly those myths include believing that leadership comes with a title or position, that it requires a set of direct reports, and that leadership is some genetic quality that is in short supply. Becoming an exemplary leader begins with the belief that everyone is capable of leadership and that you can be a better leader than you are right now because you can learn to improve your skills and abilities. It is also essential that you believe that your actions matter and that leadership makes a difference.