>> So, transitioning into a leadership spot is partially, it's a decision.
Part of it is a decision that I want to lead, whether it's a passion or
a desire to improve on the objective.
Or I feel like I can make things better for the team.
And I feel that in a leadership position, I can exhibit the right kind of influence
that will get us to our goals and our objectives even quicker.
So the first step is making the decision that I want to be a leader and
that's different than just being a manger.
Like I said before, you don't have to have the position to be a leader.
A lot of the transition to leader often happens
by a real commitment to the key principles and key values of the organization values.
Bringing greater value to your organization
is one of the ways you establish yourself as a leader.
And oftentimes people become leaders unconsciously, but
I would actually not say it's unconscious, I would say it's subconscious.
It's subconscious because they want to see improvement in the organization's ability
to get things done, so part of what they will start to do is exert influence.
And you remember I said the definition of leadership is the art of influence.
And they want to exert influence because it would make things better for the larger
corporation or the larger organization, if we simply did these this way.
So there has to be some desirance of passion there to affect change and
to get closer to those objectives.
So making that shift starts with a decision that
I believe I can influence us to be better or to do better.
Secondly it's taking advantage of opportunities to show you
have the capability.
And third it's having a set of values that others are willing to subscribe to and
to follow and that will help drive toward that objective even better.
One of the elements of leadership that people should understand is that
there is a leadership levy, there's a tax you pay.
So you know we talk about executive privilege and
you know, kind of the benefit of being a leader.
Certainly depending on the organization there's status, there's pay,
there's the corner office.
There's the drivers, or whatever the case might be, depending on the industry.
But there's a real levy that's paid.
There's the saying, heavy is the brow that wears the crown, it's true.
And oftentimes people will say, you know what,
I'm going to take a leadership position, and they'll step up, and
then they realize it's not everything they thought it would be.
They thought well, when I'm on top and I have control over everything,
everything will be perfect.
The reality is there's real levy you pay and there's an obligation.
If you're going to step in that leadership as a choice and you make the choice.
Now, there are people who become leaders,
because they have an obligation and they feel an obligation
to step in because they're the leader that is needed at that time.
They're still making a choice, right?
So if you make that choice,
understand that it's not all butterflies and rainbows.
Sometimes there's toadstools and rain.
So part of what you have to acknowledge is that if you've taken
the steps to step into that leadership position, there is a levy you pay.
Part of that levy is is very deep and some of it's very, very heavy.
So approach it soberly, approach it soberly,
approach it with a sense of obligation and a sense of duty.
And realize that as a leader, when you step into that role,
there are prices that come with the benefits and the downsides.
And sometimes it's either firing someone, making tough decisions,
making decisions on where the company's going to invest but
that is part of what you're signing up for at that point.
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