Leadership Assault

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership”. Many managers like to use assault tactics in their office to get people to do what they want. This technique could not be farther away from true leadership. In actuality people want to trust their managers, they want to be part of something special and they want to be led by someone with great, fresh and bright ideas. The problem is most managers are so busy stroking their own egos that they have forgotten the true reason why they are in the position. I read someplace a quote that said, “Leaders are servants of people”. I believe that most managers today do not believe nor do they understand this concept. A true leader not only understands but s/he carries that thought in their day-to-day dealings with their team. A leader makes the team feel valued and actually includes them in the decision making process. “This is so simple”, you may say. Yes, simple. So simple that most managers believe that treating their staff as equals will diminish their credibility as a manager. They could not be more wrong. It will grow them and make them better, but I guess they would know that if they were true leaders instead of managers.