Leaders Versus Cheerleaders

Everyone wants to describe themselves as a leader. Everyday, new books on leadership come out on the market. Leaders are seen everywhere ? business, society, and, of course, politics. Yet, in our culture where greatness is often measured by noise rather than accomplishment, I thought it would be helpful to define the factors that differentiate the true leader from the notorious "cheerleader."

* Cheerleaders are thermometers, while true leaders are thermostats. Where thermometers measure the weather, thermostats change it. This is the perfect analogy in my opinion. While thermometers stick their fingers in the wind to see what direction the wind (or crowd) is going, the true leader determines his or her course and follows it. They do that which they believe is best for everyone involved. Often true leaders have to change opinion before they can be recognized as a leader. They are willing to do this in order to make a true difference.

* Cheerleaders are often victims, while true leaders are always owners. Cheerleaders will often blame anyone or thing other than themselves if something goes wrong under their leadership. With true leaders, in the words of Harry Truman, "the buck stops here." True leaders want responsibility for the decisions they make, apologize for their mistakes, and will look to share honor with others when things go well.

* Cheerleaders focus on themselves, while leaders focus on the cause. There is nothing more dangerous than getting between a cheerleader and a microphone, TV camera, or photo op. Such people are interested in themselves and very little else. True leaders are concerned about the cause or the project. "Who" gets the credit is not nearly as important as the project getting done! This is one of the biggest differences between cheerleaders and true leaders.

So how does one become a true leader? You become goal oriented, know what you are going to do before you set out to do it. You become a person of principal, so you are not tossed flippantly from project to project. You build those around as much you do yourself, creating a strong and integrated network of people working on the same cause and all on the same page. These are the steps one takes to become a true leader and to avoid the temptation of being a mere wannabe.

Kevin J. Price
Principal
HoustonBusiness.com

---

Innovation Management ? Selecting Good Ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Encouraging Behavior That Gets Results

You're the boss, and you have every reason to feel... Read More

Business & Family Safety and Health Rating

For good reason, practically every endeavor in life is rated.... Read More

The Dripping Faucet in Every Organization

Each day millions of workers spend 8 hours or more... Read More

5 Ideas To Leverage The 3 Stages Of Career Development In Your Organization

In most industrialized nations, the average age a student graduates... Read More

The DNA of Motivation

It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More

The High Cost of Employee Turnover Among Project Managers

Imagine for a moment this scenario from a frustrated Senior... Read More

3 Tests To Hire The Best

Question: What's the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to have... Read More

Is Your Business Ethical?

Ethics - in a profession or trade - is that... Read More

Warning! Meeting In Progress; May Be Hazardous To Your Career

There ought to be a sign posted on every closed... Read More

The Ten Keys to Maximizing Employee Performance

1. Let people know what you expect. If people know... Read More

Performance Management Made Easy

Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee... Read More

Why Free Agent Thinking Is Good For Your Company

It's no secret! Day after day the news is riddled... Read More

Employee Retention: Five Leadership Fundamentals

Are your management practices on the right track? Retaining your... Read More

Measuring Creativity, DIY style

Creativity measurement is often required in order to benchmark existing... Read More

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person

Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into... Read More

Sending Documents Through Email? Dont Get Burned by Metadata!

During a recent seminar I gave located in the suburbs... Read More

Profits and Business Success - 5 Profit Traps to Watch Out For

The old saying 'You have to spend money to make... Read More

Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......

There is a growing movement in the spiritual... Read More

Make a Difference - Sweat the Small Stuff First

My background is in retail management - yes, running stores,... Read More

Think Time... Its Now Or Never

I recently read an article published in the June, 2005... Read More

The 70% Solution: Practical Testing and Version Control

"What do you mean you need to push back the... Read More

Issue Management Methodology for Tracking Project Issues

1. What is an Issue?An issue is an incident, circumstance,... Read More

Which ITIL Process Should We Implement First?

The following question is usually debated a lot amongst IT... Read More

The Paradox of Job Enrichment

Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company.... Read More

Learning To Let Go

If you have the entrepreneurial spirit (which clearly you have!),... Read More

The New Five Truths of Employee Motivation

Motivation is a term that is so widely used, yet... Read More

What to Ask When You?re Invited to a Meeting

1) Where is the agenda? A meeting without an agenda... Read More

Employees Commit Corporate Fraud

Imagine the following scenario; Ten years ago you decided to... Read More

The Key to Successful Performance Objectives

Have you ever tried to drive somewhere without proper directions?... Read More

Humor in Business

With the advancement of computer simulators, anybody can repeat all... Read More

Turbo Charge Your Career With The Most Powerful Leadership Tool Of All: The Leadership Talk: Part 2

In Part One, I described the Leadership Talk and how... Read More

The Significance of the Mundane

This article begins with a tip of the hat to... Read More