the art of leading

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It’s nice to meet people who get the job done. You can rely on them for many things. But don’t count on ‘responsible’ people when you need true change. People who are merely ‘responsible’ strive to maintain the status quo.

Granted, they do it in the best way possible, and run the present state of affairs in a reasonably effective manner. But they won’t be too enthused about jumping out of that ever-comfortable box. When faced with opportunities to do so, they’ll resist change. Their maxim is Minimum Effort.

Leadership entails another layer above the responsibility level. That layer is proactivity. Yes, I know it may be an overly used word. But it involves qualities that are important for leadership and change.

Proactive people are the ones who see things based on their potential instead of their present state. When faced with a challenge, they will think about what step they could take to overcome it, instead of putting it off.

Most importantly, they won’t stop at “getting things done”. They’ll go above the threshold of minimum effort, since it’s obvious to them that change requires maximum effort and creative thinking. It requires initiative.

As a leader, make sure that you’re proactive and not just responsible. Develop the mindset that is necessary for change and improvement instead of the one that’s enough for comfort. Seek to attract people of that same mentality into your team. They’ll not only get things done, but contribute to the evolution and realization of your vision as a leader.

Categories : Proactivity, Responsibility //