When do you stop being Told what to DO?

Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. –Peter Drucker

Who tells your boss what to do?

It has always amazed me that in every position I have worked in my past, employees always have the same response to that question - Who tells your boss what to do? Their boss!

When I ask the same question up the Table of Organization, they give the Ouroborosish like response all the way up -

Nobody tells Leaders what to do

I love to see the shock on their faces when I tell them that Leaders are not told what to do! Leaders see (and work with others to find) efficiencies, problems, and solutions before they become fires. They spread their leadership. They know what their bosses are looking for and provide it before they are asked for it because they understand the vision.

So if your working your way into Management/Leadership, when do you stop being told what to do and change from being an Employee to becoming a LEADER?

You don’t become a Director, and then start becoming a Leader. Just like any job, you get a job only because your skills and experience will ensure that you will be successful in that Job. Once you’re in your new job, you should begin to work on learning the next level There is no better time to begin than now, when being a leader sticks out even more.

Leadership is the fast track to being promotable

As you can see, Leaders rise higher than Managers in an organization. So the sooner you develop Leadership Skills the more promotable you become. Managers usually can only Manage people in their technical area. Leaders have skill sets that make them successful in any area, because those skills are transferable.

Remember, Managers are EVERYWHERE! But leaders are hard to come by. Great Leaders are even more scarce, so keep on developing yourself and you will stand out in a crowd!