Page 110 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

You Cause People to Follow You Even Though They Don’t Have To • 91

People say that you have to be born with it. That’s foolish. That’s
like saying to become a CEO, you have to be born with the ability. No,
you learn it, like everything else. The ones who say they are born with it
just got exposure earlier than the next person. That person was lucky to
have a parent, teacher, friend, early boss, or neighbor who exemplified
wise ringleader bearing and comportment.

What Does Being a Leader Look Like?

If you choose to lead (because it is your choice), you
■ Think “we” instead of “me”; you put forth individual effort to
create team-based wins.
■ Have other awareness not just self-awareness and campaign for
others, not yourself.
■ Understand that being a leader is a service job—service to
employees, social causes, and customers.
■ Improve your people’s reputation, not your own alone, and you
keep it about others, not you.
■ Grow others and share credit; you make it possible for others to
use their abilities and take people to places they normally wouldn’t
go on their own.
■ Don’t just focus on your work but focus instead on the business
as a whole; you get a large number of people moving in a similar
direction where they’re able to accomplish a great thing.
■ Build a team of like-minded people around you and fill in gaps
of what’s missing in your own expertise.
■ Take responsibility for your own weakness, even if only in
private, and you get skills or put people around you with skills.
■ Grow things and free up capital, and you see where the
company can go and where you can be of help.
■ Keep whatever team you lead moving.
■ Do more than get everything done; you make a huge impact
every day.
■ Spark ambitions in others—both those under your direct control
and those who aren’t.