I once believed in the school of thought that leadership is lonely at the top.
I remembered teaching on few leadership platforms along this line.
I learnt over time that this wasn’t true.
Leadership is about people which is premised on relationship. It means “IF” you have such mindset, it is not an accurate description of a good leader.
….A good leader is people centred.
….A good leader value relationship with his or her team members.
….A good leader helps his or her team members to rise through the ladder of leadership.
….A good leader leverages on different skill sets he or she is surrounded with.
Connecting with people and helping them climb the leadership ladder would prevent you from becoming lonely at the top.
A true leader is dynamic, not static.
The true leader will go up and down the ladder from time to time. The leader does this to help people achieve their potential and then come down to get another group of people to take up again.
A true leader has influencing characteristic that empower people at different levels.
John Maxwell said that; “If It’s Lonely At The Top, You’re Not Doing Something Right.”
He also said that; “Making It To The Top Is Essential To Taking Others To The Top.”
Dr. Sam Adeyemi always emphasise that leadership is about service to people, not waiting on people to serve you. It is about offering value.
I believe leadership is about replicating yourself in others. It is also influencing people in a positive way to become the best version of themselves. This I can confidently say I have enjoyed from Dr. Sam and Pastor Nike Adeyemi.
The more people you develop to best version of themselves, the more successful I believe you are.
Avoid:
- Insecurity
- Incompetence
- Pettiness, or
- Jealousy
Avoiding these will help you enhance your ability to reach out to others and leverage on varying skill sets you have around you.
It is an effective approach to achieving success in your leadership journey.
When you get to the top, you will most likely have a form of healthy relationship with people that work with you “IF” you practice the model described in this article.
Therefore, leadership shouldn’t be lonely at the top.
Cheers!