Aristotle once said “Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them;” leadership is much the same way, as leadership does not consist in possessing a title, it consists chiefly in deserving that title.

And you earn and deserve your title as a leader in only one way….by actually leading: that is by positively influencing others through your words and deeds to do what they otherwise would not be able to do, if left to their own devices.

Today I want to talk to you regarding the four things that you should know about leaders, so that you can recognize the leader in you, if you haven’t already recognized it.

4 Things You Should Know About Leaders:

1. Leaders Aren’t Necessarily the Smartest People

Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room, but it is about knowing who the smartest people in the room are, and then relying on them as necessary.

You need not be a genius to lead, leaders don’t know everything, they know a little, about a whole lot; they’re a foot deep, and a mile wide; they’re able to see the big picture, around the corner, and beyond the horizon. Put it another way, leaders know what questions to ask.

2. Leaders May Not Have the Most Experience

Being the most experienced worker is not necessarily requisite for great leadership. Leadership is not so much about experience in a given field, as much as it’s about experience with people. Leaders know people; they know how to encourage people, how to challenge people, and most importantly, they know how to inspire people to be better.

3. However, Leaders Are Always Visionaries

Leaders may not always be the smartest person in the room, or the most experienced, but leaders are always visionaries; leaders are able to perceive what’s going to happen next….

Certainly you’ve heard the story of the guy who slipped and fell from the top floor of a 50 story building in New York City, someone saw him falling from the sky, and they yelled from their balcony, “Are you okay?”, to which he replied, “so far, so good.” This guy was clearly unable to perceive what his future held. 

Leaders are able to perceive what’s going to happen next, and when things look impossible, they use sheer will power to “will” their desired future into reality; by doing this, leaders create the status quo.

4. And They Always Show up Consistently

The other day my wife called me and said, “I think I left my wedding ring ($23,000 USD) at the movie theater…I went there to look for it, but I cannot find it.”

When I heard these words, I wanted to get upset, …but I didn’t, I calmly said, “Don’t worry about it, it’s just a piece of metal and some stones, everything will be okay, and you’ll get another one.”

I didn’t get upset because leaders don’t have the luxury of losing control; leaders have to show up consistently, especially when things are going wrong, especially in times of stress, especially when others are worried.

Leaders lead consistently, they show up the same, whether in heartache or pain, it’s just what they do.

In Summary

When it’s all said and done, leaders lead, through triumph and agony, when on top, and when it’s hard to stand, a leader’s job is to take others to the Promised Land.