True North Leadership #2 Is…

…you can only lead people.

You can’t lead machines; you operate them.

You can’t lead tractors; you drive them.

You can’t lead computers; you program them.

You can’t lead a vision; you cast it.

You can’t lead a strategy; you develop it.

You can’t lead a facility; you maintain it.

And so on….

You can only lead people. Only people can decide to willingly follow you. You can force people to follow you, but that’s not leading, it’s bossing.

Leading is always about people. So if you are going to lead, you better have passion for people. If you don’t, the people you are trying to lead will know it and will only follow you kicking and screaming because they have to. You will have to drive them and drag them. Chances are…you’ll be worn out before you get to the finish line.

Does your leading feel like hard work and drudgery? Maybe you are leading the wrong thing. Why don’t you try actually leading your people for a change?

True North Leadership #1 was: it’s not about you.

True North Leadership #2 is: you can only lead people.

Watch for #3 next week and ”raise the level of your leadership, one stone at a time.”

Adapted from chapter 2 of 16 Stones, available in print at 16stonesbook.com, and in E-book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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