Leadership is a powerful and often mishandled trait, especially in forums and blogs where a person finds himself in a position that people look up to. Recently, we discussed how Leadership is Influence and how we should always be striving to Work ourselves out of a job. But leadership is not all that abstract. The truth is, we control our own destinies.
You can find smart, talented people who will only go so far because of the limitations of their leadership. — John C. Maxwell
Quality Leaders Control Their Own Destiny
Leaders are directly responsible for the way they’re perceived. This is not something that comes about simply through actions, though our behavior does play a significant role in how any of us is perceived. Instead, good leadership is, to a large degree, all about perceptions. A person is a good leader because of the way they are perceived.
When crisis strikes, the ability of a leader to calm the ensuing uproar rests upon his ability to create a perception of calm. When situations spin out of control, leadership is highlighted by the ability to convince the people that everything is under control. It very well may be that the whole operation is in danger of falling apart, but by creating the perception that they’ve got the situation well in hand, the leader instills confidence in his people.
How does this leadership characteristic pertain to forums management? Leadership principles remain the same, no matter what the venue. Principles never change.
In a community setting, there is often behind-the-scenes conflict. Often, there are factions within the hierarchy of community leadership, and when these factions disagree, each side can struggle over an issue at length. Frequently, there might be more than one issue, and different individuals can find themselves on different sides of each argument. Depending on how divisive the issue is, the divide can be quite harsh and defined.
During times of internal debate, the leadership hierarchy might be perceived by an outsider as a war zone with smoke lingering over a battlefield and bullets flying back and forth. But, with good leadership, the outsider will never see that war zone. There will be a unified face put forward by the group.
“But that’s lying,” you might say.
Not really. An honest leadership organization will recognize that there will be conflict, and agree to disagree, instead, putting the best foot forward for the community. This sense of unity will inspire confidence in the membership of the community. They will see the forum being led and maintained by a unified group of individuals who respect each other, and comprise a group that’s devoid of internal bickering. This is usually in the best interests of the community as a whole.
In the next part, we’ll see how Gossip Affects the Leadership Structure
