A Fact of Leadership

“If you think [being a leader] is easy, you are doing it wrong.”
Aubrey C. Daniels

It is often discussed whether leadership is an inherit or learned trait. My feeling is that some leadership skills do come more naturally to some but that no one can be a great leader without real effort. Likewise, I believe anyone can learn the skills necessary to become a leader. Yet still, some people think being a true leader is easy—and if they do, like the opening quote suggests, they must be doing something wrong. Leadership takes consistent, focused effort.

Consistency

Consistency is key to successful leadership and this means consistency over time. And not a day, or a month, or even a year—this means real time. Being consistent for a long period of time is not easy, yet great leaders are able to find a way to provide constancy day in and day out.

Consistency is critical to successful leadership because it builds trust. People in general have a lot of instability in their lives however, when they find someone they can rely on and trust, they generally want to follow that person.

Leaders who are consistent are also labeled as sincere and genuine meaning people do not believe they are being deceived by the leader or are being told one thing only to have the person do the other. When a leader is consistent in word and deed, people gain respect and appreciation for that person.

Focused Effort

Good leaders work hard. If a leader is not setting an example of strong work ethic, what makes them think their followers will work hard? Hard work day in and day out is required for successful leaders. They set the example for others to follow.

Leadership takes calculated effort. Not just effort but effort that is thought out and will maximize the benefits to the team. A lot of people can work hard, but it takes a special person, a leader, to work hard and smart simultaneously.

Focused effort takes patience, and diligence. Being a great leader or becoming a great leader does not happen over night. And regardless of our focus and effort, we all make mistakes. However, great leaders find a way to bounce back quickly and become better from what they have learned.

So, if you believe leadership is easy, or that people are naturally born great leaders, you are wrong. Every great leader must work hard and be consistent to be successful. Truly great leadership is not easy for anyone and the moment it seems easy to us, is the moment we must be doing something wrong.