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You can learn leadership skills from anyone!
As part of my six year stay in the military, I encountered one leader who I would characterize as inexperienced rather than incompetent. This leader achieved the rank of E-8 ( for those not versed in enlisted rank structure, it is one rank from the top of the enlisted side) but had never gained much experience in leading others. During his tenure in the military he had taken on roles such as aides to seniors and technical positions, but his leadership skills had not been sharpened. Needless to say, the people who were overseen by this "leader" were the lab rats for his own personal and professional development. While we can say "he was a real nice guy" and "he meant well"; he dropped the ball and fell short in meeting the expectations of others.
What was the lesson I learned ?
WHILE IN THE PURSUIT OF A LEADERSHIP ROLE, SEEK KNOWLEDGE.
This may come from:
- First hand experience
- Reading about other leaders
- Researching the skills and techniques needed and then implementing them yourself
- Mentoring with an accomplished leader.
I also realized you can learn from the actions of a poor leader. The failures of a poor leader serve as the foundation for successes of a strong leader. Once I made that determination, I was no longer disappointed by the ineffective actions of any one in a leadership role. I book-marked the experience in my "knowledge bank" and explored the right path for myself. The key is the maturity to recognize the difference and the willingness to accept new challenges within yourself.
Submitted by: The Emerging Leader
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