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Forward Leadership

"Great ambition, the desire of real superiority, of leading and directing, seems to be altogether peculiar to man, and speech is the great instrument of ambition."
  --- Adam Smith

True leadership is all about learning people in the direction they should go. A true leader does this by example and doesn't have to toot his or her horn and shout from the rooftops that they are the leader. Followers can tell who is the leader and who is not simply by watching and observing the one in charge. It doesn't mean that the one in charge is putting on a show or pretending to lead, but for true leaders, it shows by their actions.

There are three things a leader should do that will solidify their position as a leader: be available, be curious, teach others. All great leaders possess these three attributes in some form. They always make themselves available to others to help them with their projects and to guide them to success. These leaders are also very curious about many things including how to develop others, how to create better products and services, and how to better themselves. Finally, great leaders share their knowledge and experience with others to help them succeed in their careers and in life.

"Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."
  --- Colin Powell

Being available for others is a sign of a great leader. Even if the leader has provided similar answers in the past, the leader never tires of helping others come up with solutions. This trait helps to further the success of the company, empower followers, and sharpen the skills of the leader.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
  --- Walt Disney

Great leaders try new things and look for new opportunities at every turn. They don't stay stuck into the regular routine simply because "that's how we've always done it." They seek to expand their minds by tapping into others' both outside and inside their organization.

"In the long run, your human capital is your main base of competition. Your leading indicator of where you're going to be 20 years from now is how well you're doing in your education system."
 --- Bill Gates

In order to answer the questions of others, great leaders use what they've learned from their mind expansion experiences and share it with others. They also use their past and present experiences and learning to educate those around them. They are not afraid of giving away too much information because their goal is to develop people who can take over their job. By doing so, they create a team of knowledgeable students who ultimately also become the teachers.

"A leading authority is anyone who has guessed right more than once."
  --- Frank A. Clark

It is true that some people are born leaders. But it is also true that one can learn to be a great leader. Sometimes it is simply taking that first step of action. It may end up being the wrong step, but people admire, and will follow people who make a decision and take action over those who paralyzed by analysis.