Leadership - Merchant of Certainty

There is a great deal written about leadership. What makes a leader? are leaders born or made? Who is a leader? Who is not a Leader? You know all the questions ....

Being a leader is all about delivering a "feeling" of certainty whether it is to your clients, your spouse, your child, your manager, your boss, young children, your coach, your players or your employees. It is all the same.

So the question is now "how do you deliver that certainty?"

Countless authors have discssed this making careers and huge salaries out of it as whilst establishing global brand names for themselves at the same time.

I can tell you in the many years that I have been an employee, employer, supplier, son, coach, husband and father it comes down to these for factors.

1. When you say you are going to do something - do it. And if you cant then let the person(s) know that you wont be able to do it. Give them certainty by telling them WHEN you will be able to do it or WHEN you can get back to them as to when you can do it. People may not be happy but at the least they will have certainty.
2. Know what it is that you are talking about - this is a "no brainer" of course. Please who know more about subjects are able to deliver more certainty. Therefore it is important to understand that no matter where you are you need to be learning and researching that which you are talking about. This is so that you can deliver certainty. Clients, employees, employers, spouses even Children are much more integrated with the world today and they can sort out some one who really doe snot know what they are talking about. Be aware that in assessing leadership that you do your research that you do not fall for "fake" leaders that make you feel good but do not know all that they are talking about.
3. Communicate directly and with confidence -- different people have different styles of communication which they prefer to hear. But in moments of crisis and challenge leadership has the chance to be born. And in those moments people need to be communicated to with confidence and clarity. The way you give certainty is key to the amount of certainty you can give to people who are uncertain. Again these could be colleagues and children as well as employers and clients.
4. Are they putting others or the teams needs in front of their own. This is most important component of being a merchant of certainty or judging prospective leaders. Straight forward by how much they put the team/family/company needs in front of their own personal agenda. When I say the most important I mean the ability to demonstrate that you serve yourself through serving the greater good or others in your family team, or company is more important the other three combined.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/09/21/duterte-reportedly-orders-cops-to-kill-son-if-drug-smuggling-rumors-are-true.html

Here is an example of a leader who is putting the safety of his son in behind the "greater good" that being the ridding of drug smuggling in the Philippines - maybe just politics but it is a demonstrable example of Point #4

On that point if you are not as good at delivering on time or don't know as much about what you are talking about or direct in the way that you communicate compared to others around you. But; if you demonstrate the ability to put others and the team in front of your own agenda -- you will be seen as a leader more so than those who do what they say know what they are talking about and can communicate confidentiality but may not be showing they can put their own needs behind the team or others. Ask yourself if you see a person with less ability and communication but greater in their selfness to the team you will more likely follow that leader over others. 

Sorry there is no hidden algorithm here or shining piece of inspiration - just primary school ideas - but as Einstein said Success is 99% Perspiration and 1% Inspiration"

As I said before at times we are better than other times at being great leaders, displaying leaders or choosing leaders, so therefore it is virtually a never ending challenge to be and find leadership. That with experience one is more consistent at being better at over time.

But to help one along who wants to be an aspiring leader or wondering if a person is a leader you should follow then look to rate yourself or others on these variables.

The best time to rate these variable is in a time of uncertainty and challenge. Fair-weather leaders are no true leaders. As Nicolo Machiavelli stated to the Medici's in his book the Price "every one is willing to die for you when war is far away".

At TRT www.trt.com we have a term called TR"us"T which we discuss when rating a prospective employees for positions for promotion or suppliers and even clients. The phrase we use is " are they one of us?" "can they be TR"us"T'ed?"