Leadership

I recently read a leadership book that really hit home with me.  There are many great points in there and I'm sure I will write a post about this book, but today's is focused on leadership.  How do we lead in our day to day life?  We are all volunteering for the leadership positions we hold (i.e. boss, husband, father, friend, etc...) so no one is forcing us to do this.  What comes with leadership is incredible responsibility.  This is a great thing, not some weight that ties us down or holds us back.  We get to influence others and impact their lives in a positive and uplifting manner every day.  Tomorrow might not come, so let's make the most of today and every moment of it.

The two primary positions to lead from are power and authority.  Power would be when you force someone to do something based on your seniority or superiority to them.  Authority is when you influence them to take action based solely on your beliefs and the rapport you've built with them.  Which sounds better to you?  Both can achieve the desired outcome, but one of these builds and sustains relationships.  You can lead from authority at any time and in any situation.  You do not need to be in charge or superior to them, in fact, you could be a subordinate and lead from authority. 

The best influencers the world has ever seen have all lead from authority, not power.  People will be moved to do whatever it takes and then some for the cause when we lead from authority.  Jesus never once lead from a position of power because he had none (in terms of rank and file), yet 1/3 of the world identifies themselves as Christian and two of the major holidays in the U.S. are based on his life and our linear timeline is based on his lifetime as well.  I would say he was able to influence people.  We can all choose which method is best for us and at times both will be necessary and I would encourage you to lead from authority when you intend to accomplish monumental feats.