If you visit this blog regularly you are well aware that my posts are related to what makes for an effective leader, business effectiveness and personal development. If this is a first visit for you, go through some of the archives for a quick read of ryanwallpaper.
How about what a leader isn't? The opposite of a leader is a pessimist! "Skeptic" works just as well. I am often asked by young aspiring people - Are leaders made or born? I think "both" is the best answer for many reasons. It is almost a "what came first - the chicken or the egg?" type of question. I do believe that there are several natural qualities that a leader has to have. The most important I feel is that of Optimism. The world's greatest leaders past, present and future ALL have an innate optimism towards the possibilities of the future. Leaders believe in improvement, they are unsettled by mediocrity, they have an appetite to generate change (just about the time the followers get comfortable from previous change). The status quo is an annoyance. This is all because they believe things can always be better. They have a positive view of what can be.
Marcus Buckingham states it perfectly in The One Thing You Need to Know when he writes the following:
"'I am not satisfied.' This is the mantra of the leader. As a leader you are never satisfied with the present, because in your head you can see a better future, and the friction between the 'what is' and the 'what could be' burns you, stirs you up, propels you forward. This is leadership."
This reality of a better future originates from a bend of optimism that lives within them. I do agree that we can work with negative people and provide or get them the appropriate counseling to dislodge their negativity. As you help said individual get over their negativity, understand that you might be making them "less negative" and that is not the same as positive. "Less negative" likely lands someone in the rank of average. As my friend Chad Eudy says: "Average is just as close to the bottom as it is to the top."
Skeptics can bring value to an organization. Let them serve in that role to help make you better. Imagine them like an on-board customer that finds things that other customers may not like. Perhaps put them in the legal side of your business. Please do not let them lead others - they will not be effective and will wear other people out.
Do you have a natural belief that you can make the future better? Do you have people leading your teams with a tendency toward positivity?
Is your company infected with negativity?
Research great leaders who led causes and companies to a much better future and you will find optimism through and through their nature. Here a few you can research:
Mother Teresa
William Wilberforce
Martin Luther King Jr.
Howard Schultz
Danny Meyer
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