When is a Leader in Charge

Many will say that if a leader is not visibly causing movement all of the time he or she is not in charge. I believe that a leader is effective and in charge when that leader has the group moving in the right direction. If a leader has a group moving to accomplish a goal then that leader is effective. Now some leaders are more effective than others and their groups will move faster and with more passion but others are in charge also. In my opinion the true leader is the leader who knows how to motivate his or her people to have a desire to get the job done. There are many different types of leaders and each type has its plusses and minuses, but the leader who motivates people intrinsically is the best leader. This leader may not have to issue many commands or bark out directions but if his followers understand the way that he does business and are aggressive he will enjoy more success than all other leader types. I compare the leader to the driver of an automobile. He will make adjustments in order to get the automobile to go the speed and direction that he wants it to go. I always harp on the leader having self confidence. No one in the world will follow anyone who is visibly lacking in confidence. People want to feel safe and secure. They feel this way when they are around a confident leader and quite frankly this is the main factor which draws people to leadership. People won’t follow anyone who appears weaker than they are. It has been proven that most leaders turn out to be people who have physical characteristics which set them apart from the crowd. The leader is in many cases taller, physically stronger, and more attractive than his or her followers. It seems that in cases where this is not the case the leader is more aggressive than the followers. A good case in point is groups such the small military unit, gangs, and sports teams. The leaders and team captains are known for their strength or fearlessness. Look back at most championship NFL teams. When you think about the famous teams of history the middle linebackers stand out. The middle linebacker is the most fierce headhunter on the defense. A good middle linebacker will singlehandedly make more tackles then any other player on his unit. People such as Lyle Alzado, Ray Nitzscke, Mike Singletary, Dick Butkus, and Ray Lewis immediately come to mind. I’m sure that you have heard these names even if you are not a big fan of football. The one thing that they have in common is that they were known for their fierceness. They were team captains because the team would rally around their actions. Other players would be inspired to play better when they were in the game. The true leader will never allow his followers to sense his own fear or intimidation. He or she always seems to have the right actions or words for the situation. Military leaders who seem to keep a level head in hard times garner the respect of their followers. The Sergeant is always known as the hard nosed tough old soldier who younger troops rally around in times of danger. The true leader has wisdom and expertise which is indispensable to his unit. When no one else knows just what to do they know that they can rally around their leader who will have an answer to the problem. All good leaders are optimistic in times of trouble. Their optimism serves to quench the doubt of their followers in rough times. The team captain is constantly attempting to rally his men when they are down. No matter what the score he will not let go of the belief that they can and will come back. His focus is fixed on accomplishing the goal. Riceland Enterprises