What Is Your Motivation To Lead?

Many people accept management positions because it's the next logical promotional step for them.  Even more often than that, some amazing individual contributors get "talked into" becoming a leader of people.  If you want to be a good leader of people, you first need to analyze why you lead.  What is your motivation to lead people?  If it's based on a monetary want or positional power, it will be short lived and no matter how many books or blogs you read, you will never be a great leader.  You will hate it at some point and that will show.  Who wants to follow someone that hates what they are doing?

Manager's are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing.

-Warren Bennis, Ph.D. "On Becoming A Leader"

As is the case with employees and their motivation to work, a leader must look inside at their own motivation to lead.  

• Is leadership a calling for you or a job?  
• Do you actually enjoy having the opportunity to direct, guide, and develop others or do you think, "Geez, I have to develop them too?!"

The bottom line is, if your heart isn't in it, you will never master it.  

There are times in every leader's career when they go through a slump, a burn out, a period of questioning and wondering what they are doing.  All the politics and meetings can periodically overshadow what we are really there to accomplish.  This is normal.  And if you are going through a period like this, take the time to figure out what part of leading gives you joy and do more of it. 


But for some of you, this isn't a slump, it's your life.  You drag yourself out of bed each day and go through the motions but everyone knows your heart isn't in it and maybe never has been.  It's not a sign of weakness to admit you no longer love what you do - it's actually a sign of great courage.  Think of the impact you are having on so many people.  Don't your employees deserve a leader that actually wants to be leading them?  


So, why do you lead? Have you ever taken a good look in the mirror and honestly answered the question?  Maybe it's time you did.