Welcome to Leadership

The realization suddenly overcomes you: I am in a leadership role, and I am not prepared.

If you are in a leadership capacity of any kind, you’ve experienced the rawness of this emotion. It’s uncomfortable and frightening.

And yet, as leaders, we are called to rise up, push through waves of perceived inadequacy and guide our people to accomplish a mission and vision that is compelling.

Are you there? Have you been there? I hope I’m not alone.

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In this series titled “Welcome to Leadership”, my goal is to help you flourish as a leader by equipping you with battle-tested leadership principles, insights and tactics.

Before I begin, I want to tell you what this is not. This is not a series to help you become a great manager. Rivers of ink have been spilled outlining the tactics and processes of great managers.

But great managers do not equate to great leaders.

You can be a great manager – get results, drive change, move the needle – and still be a poor leader.

So, if you are looking for advice on becoming a great manager, look elsewhere. This series is not for you.

But, if you desire to be a great leader – a leader that gets results, drives change, moves the needle AND inspires others to do their best work – this series is for you, and you will find immense benefit from reading, digesting and applying the content in it.

Here’s a sneak peek at some the content we will unpack as part of this series:

• Welcome to Leadership Part 1: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know Discovering your lack of knowledge is a hard but necessary part of the leadership journey. You won’t know everything, and that is OK. You can use this as a tool to develop your integrity and character.
• Welcome to Leadership Part 2: Character Traits of Great Leaders Great leaders share common traits that separate them from the pack. I discuss 5 key traits that are true of every great leader and how you can grow in each of them.
• Welcome to Leadership Part 3: Leading Yourself You will have an exceptionally difficult time leading others if you cannot lead yourself. I talk about how to lead yourself well and the practices that accompany those already doing it.

I’m excited to be teaching you, and I believe that exceptional value will be found by those who desire to make a lasting impact through their leadership.

If you haven’t already, please sign up here to get all of the articles in this series delivered to your email inbox. You won’t be disappointed! You’ll also be subscribed to The Better Leader Newsletter – the premier newsletter for leaders.

Guiding Principles for the Series

This series is built upon a few guiding principles that I believe are important to share with you. They give color and meaning to WHY I am sharing this series with you, and they expound upon my desires and intentions for its impact.

1. Beliefs Drive Action

I believe that belief drives action. I have 3 core beliefs that are primary motivators in writing this series:

1. I believe the best of you is ahead of you.
2. I believe you are capable of far more than you realize.
3. I believe you get better when we do things together.

You will see these beliefs sprinkled throughout the series. If you find these beliefs disagreeable, no problem. You can stop reading now. But for those of you that align with these beliefs, you will discover their impact in the way you learn from this series.

2. Leaders Are Learners

Speaking of learning, I believe leaders are lifelong learners. Leaders never stop discovering new truths, new insights and new tools that help them lead others well. I want to cultivate a spirit of curiosity and open-handedness in each of you. Be willing to check assumptions at the door and approach this series with fresh eyes. The greatest growth comes from a real desire to learn.

3. Learning and Teaching Creates the Most Change

When you read, you learn once. When you teach, you learn twice.

I believe that the process of change occurs when knowledge is internalized, applied and taught.

My encouragement to you: tell others about what you are learning. Share it on social media. If you have a friend that you know would benefit, email them a link and talk about how it has impacted you.

It is in this process that you cast votes for the better leader you want to become.

4. You Can Get Better

It all begins with a mindset shift. As Michael Hyatt has said:

Exchange limiting beliefs for liberating truths.

I believe you can get better, and I believe this series will provide the most value for those that believe the same. After all, my tagline is “Be a better leader”, and my aim is to help you do just that.

Anywhere that you hold on to a limiting belief, exchange it for a liberating truth. And the truth is – you can get better!

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You are now prepared to get the most out of the “Welcome to Leadership” series. My personal mission is to help leaders flourish, and I believe this series will further that mission through you.

Before you dive into Part 1 of the series, I want to ask a favor from you.

As you read and learn, if you discover anything that is helpful to you, please share it with others.

You can quickly share on social media using the buttons available in the article, or you can email the content to a friend. It’s just one small way you can expand your impact as a leader.

And finally – is there something else you would like me to write about? I’d love to know. There are many topics that can be covered in this series. You can click here to contact me and share your ideas.

See you in Welcome to Leadership Part 1: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know,
Thomas