Leaders Create Other Leaders, Not Dependents

In this era, a lot of people measure true leadership by how many followers someone has. What they fail to understand is that what makes a good leadership is not by having many followers, but by how many leaders they have created for tomorrow. Understand that leadership is very different from control. That you are a leader does not place you at the centre of every decision, neither does it make you the final voice in every matter, nor the most visible individual inside the room. What makes you a good leader is by how many people you have empowered to be strong enough to stand on their own.

As a leader, if you are not around, will things still go well, or must everything be dependent on you? When a leader creates dependents, then they are already building weak systems. When they are absent, everything will just collapse or get stalled. Or your teams will just be waiting for your instructions to act, or maybe they are even scared to take any step because they are afraid of making mistakes. In such environment, the leader might see themself being overworked, overwhelmed with activities, stressed, and may eventually burn out. Even if they produce result, it is usually short-term and may not be sustained in the long run.

If the system is revolving around just one person, then it is very limited, no matter the capacity of that person. What if something happens to the person, does it mean the work will not go on? As a good leader, you need to build systems that will work even without you being present. Which means that you have invested your time, energy, to mentor others, impact them, share knowledge, and build them to take responsibilities. As as good leader, you are not just to delegate tasks, but you are also to delegate authority. This will produce other leaders who are confident, bold, and can think, decide, and act even when you are not around.

Creating leaders requires an extensive level of patience. Trust me, people will make mistakes, they may even fail, but you should recognise that it is still part of the growth process. As a leader who also wants to see the growth of other leaders, you should allow room for learning. That is, instead of punishing every error and mistake, it will be better to correct, guide, and encourage the person. When you constantly do this, they will become more competent, better, and more confident. They will even stop seeing themselves as helpers to you, rather they will begin to see themselves as contributors and part of the decision.makers.

In addition to having patience, you also learn the power of showing examples. If you want to instill integrity in others, you also have to have integrity yourself. People will learn more from what they have observed their leaders do, instead of what they say. As a leader, when you admit your own mistakes, others will also learn that mistakes are not dead-ends. As a leader, if you are given to continuous learning, others will also be inspired to continue learning. What you do will serve as an example for the people coming after you. You have to understand that leadership is not just a title that is conferred on someone, it is also a lifestyle that others can copy, emulate, and imitate.

As a good leader, you have to create a legacy. If you have held any form of leadership position in your life, just ask yourself what impact you created while you were there. You will not be remembered by the title you have held, neither will you be remembered by the orders you gave, but you will be remembered for your impact, the legacy you created, and the mark you left. If you have not replicated your abilities, your capacity, and your knowledge in others, then you have not really fulfilled the demands of true leadership. Remember that it is not your position that makes you a leader, because position may change, and even power is not permanent, but it is the positive effects you have created in the lives of others that makes you a true leader.

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