Wednesday, October 17, 2018

You Don't Need a Fancy Title to be a Leader

Here’s what I’ve learned from my brief time in the adult corporate world:

The number of zeros on a paycheck stub corresponds directly to the amount of respect your subordinates should give you. A fancier and more descriptive job title equates to more money, power and influence. Therefore, we must treat a person with those credentials like some deified creature we need to thank our lucky stars for allowing us mortals to grace his or her presence on a daily basis. After all, they’ve earned such a status, so they’re the real leaders. Not us; we’re just the ants toiling about in the farm, secretly waiting for the Queen Bee to come give us the nod of approval.

And that’s just not a sound business model.

Anyone can demonstrate leadership skills. There’s no age, years of experience or job title that serves as the definitive threshold between leader and subordinate.

There’s this notion that just because one does his/her job the way one is supposed to, that no credit should be received and no praise given. If you’re just meeting expectations, then obviously you shouldn’t let anyone know how much you appreciate someone, right?

For this very reason, a dearth of essential skills plagues our “leaders” in the workplace, government, school systems, and more. If our leaders aren’t, well, leading, then we must take it upon ourselves to pick up the slack.

At this stage in our lives, many of us find ourselves stationed on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder and in one of the lower tiers of the socioeconomic food pyramid. But that doesn’t mean our voices can’t carry a significant weight. Quite often, poor cultures are established from the top-down, but nothing should stop us from trying to fix them from the ground-up.

So the next time someone steps up to the plate and helps you out with that project you’re working on, let that person know how much you appreciate the assistance. Psychologists study positive reinforcement for a reason. That reason being, IT WORKS. So no matter how big or small the task, even if it’s what’s expected of that person, the power of a “Great job, I really appreciate your help on this,” goes a long way.

And if you consistently dole out that praise, you’ll see a ripple effect across your sphere of influence. Positive reinforcement encourages us to practice behaviors that will earn a similar reward, therefore you’ll constantly have people doing what they’re supposed to, which increases productivity and makes everyone happier. People will then be inspired to go above and beyond because they know a token of appreciation awaits them at the end of the tunnel. In due time, this feeling will circulate and everyone will feel empowered to constantly lift people up, rather than let so many great efforts go completely unnoticed.

And that, my twentysomethings, is how you can play a role in creating a culture that our “leaders” too often fail to build themselves. A culture that will foster your growth and development and make you the best version of the person you're trying to become.



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