Leadership versus Management- To be an effective Leader you must be able to "Influence" others. Being an effective Leader is not the same as being an effective Manager Leaders influence; Managers keep the "status quo" operating at an optimal level of performance. Leaders have to be able to influence others to move in another direction.
People choose to follow leaders because they have vision. A leaders vision inspires and motivates others to take action. A Manager typically does not focus his or her efforts inspiring or influencing others on a daily basis. How does one inspire others to follow? One inspires others to follow through their character, their knowledge, their actions and having a successful track record of significant achievements.
Take a few moments to write down on a sheet of paper, your most significant accomplishments that others received measurable benfit that improved their performance or helped them achieve a known goal. Then, list all the leaders you have developed by name? Follow this list by listing all the actions you initiated that significantly changed the results or path of a business, a charitable organization, an employee(s) or a friend(s). Follow this up by writing down how often you are approached for advice that is specific to the needs of an individual or someone in your business that has no reporting relationship to you? If your list are quite long, you are more than likely viewed as a leader. If not, no worries, you just need more experience and or/you need to change your focus from you to them. One note, being a manager does not mean you should not work on being a more effective leader. Do people follow you because they have to or do they follow you by choice? The best leaders have followers who choose to follow because their leadership has impacted them on a personal level. People will judge you by your actions and the impact your actions have on them personally. The words you choose have less meaning when compared to your actions. Work to develop meaningful relationships that have measurable value for the other person. Develop a deep and clear understanding as to the needs and desires of your people.
A test to help you determine if you are a Leader or a Manager. Join a charitable organization where no one knows you on a personal level and work to achieve a leadership position. To achieve this objective, you must remember why people would want to follow you. They have no predisposed reason to follow you such as status or rank. They will choose to follow you based on what I detailed above. Work on improving the organization by communicating and implementing your vision. Rally support around your vision by communicating not only how your vision will improve the organization, but how it will impact the team, the community and specific individuals. Meet with key stakeholders to answer questions and communicate your vision. Take the time to understand the needs and desires of the community, the team and all of the volunteers.
If you are able to effectively accomplish this objective, you will know you have what it takes to become a great leader.