4 Metaphors for Better Leaders

“Leadership is the art of convincing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations” – Kouzes & Posner

Leadership is not a position, it's a mindset. By investing in specific skills and practicing you will become a better leader. Managers get things done by the use of authority. They wield carrots and sticks. Leaders inspire action through influence. Here are four metaphors to inspire better leadership:

1) The Ear - “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” - Stephen Covey?

The ear represents listening. Were you ever told as a child that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason? You should listen twice as much as you speak. My four year old daughter hasn’t gotten the memo yet but the saying is true for the rest of us. Listening is perhaps the most powerful tool leaders have for building relationships.?

Listening is more than just letting the other person speak. It's about being curious and asking great questions. Listening to others builds trust and equips you with more information. Great listener listen to understand, not to respond.

Leaders who fail to listen will not be listened to you.

2) The Fishing Rod - "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." - Chinese Proverb

A leader teach their team how to fish.?It is not the leader’s job to solve problems but rather to enable the team to solve their own problems.?

When you solve a problem for your team, you rob them of the opportunity to learn and grow. This does not mean to ignore problems. Rather, you must coach your team and guide them towards finding their own solutions.?

Socratic questions allow you to guide people to their own solutions. By helping them to think through their problem, assess the obstacles, and pick a next step, you have a much greater chance of creating buy in and action. Your team will be more motivated to execute a plan they had a hand in creating.

3) Books - "A book is a gift you can open again and again." - Garrison Keillor

Knowledge can set you free if you would only apply it. Books represent learning. They also represent documentation and the spread of information.?Great leaders are intensely curious and love to learn. Books can help us learn faster by leveraging the expertise of others. The most important factor in book learning is taking quick action to apply the knowledge and adjust it to your needs.?

When leading a team it's your responsibility to be competent, credible, and know what you're talking about. Education is not the knowledge of facts but the process of training your mind to think.

4) The Shield - "Leaders ensure their team has everything they need to be successful. When voids are recognized, they find ways to fill them. Most importantly, they stand by and stick up for their team." - Ryan Kassner

The shield represents two things. Equipping your team with the tools they need to survive in battle and protecting them from above. A strong leader accepts blame and gives credit.

Great leaders are in the front lines of battle when danger is present. When success is imminent they get out of the way and let their team achieve victory.

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. – Lao Tzu

Thanks for reading my article. If you enjoyed this please consider sharing with a friend or leader you know. They might thank you for it. What other metaphors or traits make a great leader? I would love to get your opinion in the comments. You might also enjoy some of my other content on LinkedIn. Click?here?to see more.