There are times when leaders have to "Act the Part." What does this mean? Well in my opinion it is the responsibility of a leader to build a network of people and strengthen his/her internal community. When I think about the word community I am not stating the zip code in which you reside, this might be part of the community, but I am thinking about the people that you can have an impact on each and every day. As a leader there are going to be times you have to "Act the Part."
People want to be led and if at any given moment they do not feel you are a capable leader you will have lost trust in your community. For example in business their are many after hour social gatherings and most times these include alcohol and appetizers. It is the responsibility of the leader to set the tone if the leader begins to do keg stands the group were certainly follow. Sure people might have a great time but what type of reputation has been set? In these situations it is great to think about your people and how would they appreciate you spending time with them. Time is so valuable and we rarely have enough of it to "act the part." There are times in which everyone has to let loose but this should only happen in the confines of your closest of companions.
"Acting the Part" does not mean changing who you are or what your values might be. It simply means treating people with dignity ad respect at all times. If this is something that a person really has to work at odds are they are not a leader and will never be one. Leadership is not easy; it is challenging, but if you genuinely care about people you are likely to have success. Remember to "Act the Part" because whether you like it or not everyone is watching!
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2 comments:
Your sentiments are well received, to be sure. But they inevitably beg the question: Where does one draw the line between "acting the part," as it were, and manufacturing a superficial persona only to be shown, to put it bluntly, for personal gain.
I believe a melding of one's real and personal traits and the bottom liner attitude can be attained without dawning a artificial mask of one's true self. In my experience, intelligent professionals can spot a phony from a mile away. I thought I was becoming particularly adept at identifying these "phonies" and outing them to my coworkers, only to find out they knew they were phonies the whole time.
I would agree as I leader these Actions have to be sincere. If you are not willing to make these sacrifices leadership is probably not the right role for that person.
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