Are Leaders Born or Developed?

I didn't start out as a take-charge leader who expected everyone to follow me. I was too busy trying to go unnoticed.

When I was young, my mom told me that some people are born leaders and some people are born followers. And that I was a follower.

I carried these words with me for years. Then I joined the Navy. And my life changed forever.

I have always been good at tests. So passing advancement exams was not difficult and I made rank fairly quickly. But the higher up you get, the more responsibility you are expected to assume. And so the day came when I was offered the chance to become a Communications Watch Officer, responsible for running an entire watch section,

Why You Might Be a Leader

I have to admit I struggled with the decision, worried that I didn’t know how to lead others. But this isn't like a job interview. You really don't get to say no thanks. And after a few days, it became apparent that my mom was right. No one on my watch section thought I could do the job. I went along with whatever the other CWO's said, whether I thought it was the right thing to do or not. It wasn't long before I was relieved of that position.

Maybe you can relate to my experience. You’ve always assumed that leaders are just born that way. You might say things like, “Oh, nobody would listen to my thoughts. I’m not the take-charge type. I’m too shy and quiet to be a leader.”

Why Leadership Styles Matter

Sometimes, it’s not the fact that you’re not a leader that holds you back. It’s the belief that leaders must behave in certain ways. For example, when you think of leader, you may think of someone that comes in and barks orders at others, like a drill sergeant. This was my leadership style at the time. I mean, I was in the military after all. Wasn't that what was expected? Besides I was one of the few women on the watch at the time. Didn't I have to be as tough as the men in order to gain their respect?

While that’s one way to lead, it’s not the only way. There can be many styles of leadership. Some leaders are democratic, meaning they don’t just make decisions alone. They invite others into the process with them, carefully weighing feedback from their followers.

Other leadership types include transformational leaders. These leaders inspire and motivate people set and achieve BIG goals. They’re often visionaries who can predict trends and patterns before they become mainstream. They share their vision with others but they prefer to avoid the messy day-to-day details.

Why You Should Lead

Fortunately, my story ended well. I was soon transferred to another command where I met an amazing female lieutenant. She saw something in me and gave me another chance, this time as an Assistant Special Security Officer. But she didn't just throw me out there and let me sink. She guided and mentored me. She showed me I didn't have to be "one of the guys" to earn their respect. Under her guidance, I realized I could be a leader—and a good one—without having to use the same bossy techniques others did. Instead of micromanaging everything, I preferred a more laissez-faire approach. I wanted to be hands-off as much as possible, trusting my team to do their jobs correctly after they’d gone through training. I wanted to guide and mentor them as my lieutenant had done for me, not stand over them with a whip and a chair, barking commands.

Just as different personality types make the world interesting, different leadership styles do, too. There’s no wrong or right way to lead.

In fact, some of the best leaders practice situational leadership—that is, they select a leadership style based on what’s needed at the time. If others are slacking off and not getting the work done, these leaders will become autocratic leaders, making sure that tasks are completed correctly and on time. And if you don't believe that's possible, just ask some of the people who have worked for me!

I listened to my lieutenant and began studying leadership. The more I learned about the different styles, the more confident I became that I could lead effectively.

 

I spent an entire career in the Navy. I even had a chance to serve as a CWO once again. I never forgot what I had learned about leadership. I took those skills with me into civilian life. I have successfully led everything from conference planning committees to 1500 Girl Scout volunteers to Food Safety and Quality Assurance Departments to Network Marketing teams. And never once did I ever doubt I could manage it successfully.

 

And to LT Terri Roberts, thank you! I couldn't...no that's wrong.  I WOULDN'T have done it without you. 

 

Being a Published Author

I've been struggling with my 2nd book.  And no, I'm not going into a pity me sob story about what's holding me up.  It's a combination of a couple of things. 

What I am going to do is tell you about my experience with publishing my 1st book.  About how simple the actual process was.  About all the doors it opened for me.  About how my life has changed since I've been able to add "best-selling author" to my bio.  And about why you should think about publishing a book as well.

With all the technology advances and access to things like Amazon, writing a book is a lot more doable today than it ever used to be. Gone are those days of having to find a publisher to pitch your book to and waiting to see whether they'll accept it or reject it. Now, it's just a matter of writing the content - and if you've already been blogging for a while, you have a wealth of content available for repurposing.

Self-publishing is so easy anymore.  You can create an ebook in a few hours.  I know because I've done it.  Don't believe me?  You can check one of mine out for free right here. 

There's just something that screams expert when you can say you're an author. This builds a level of credibility that can't be beat. Think about it: anybody can set up a blog and start sharing their expertise on a topic. Anybody can write articles and submit them to directories or share on other blogs as a guest expert. Anybody can be a guest on a podcast. But not everybody will put in the time and effort to become an author. If you take the time to do this, not only are you building your credibility, but you're also a step ahead of many others in the market. That’s the power of publishing a book.
 

And think about how credible you’ll be when you take books with you to a speaking engagement or in person event, where your dream-coaching client may be. Handing someone a book rather than a business card makes an unforgettable first impression. Or maybe you have a chance to meet with a prospective client who is local - wouldn't you want to be able to hand them a copy of your book? Talk about an extremely powerful way to show your expertise and credibility!

As you can see, writing a book is an excellent way to build your credibility and now is the perfect time to do it.
I mentioned self-publishing. And it is a viable option for getting a book published. There are a couple of drawbacks, however.  It is very difficult to achieve best-seller status with a self-published book. Not because they are not worthwhile reads.  Most writers simply don't have the marketing knowledge to push the book to #1 on their own.  The other drawback is that it is very difficult to get a self-published book into the bookstores.  Most writers just don't have the contacts necessary to make that happen.  But if you are simply wanting to publish a book as a source of some additional income and to share your expertise with your market, then by all means, self-publish!  

If you are searching for an actual publisher, be aware that there are different types.  Based on the type of book you are writing, you will probably be most interested in either a trade book publisher or a hybrid publisher.  I am sure you are familiar with at least one of the big trade book publishers:  Simon and Schuster, Random House, MacMillan, or HarperCollins.  I'm equally willing to bet you can't name one hybrid publisher.  What is a hybrid publisher?  They are somewhere between self-publishing and trade book publishers.  They can be very helpful if you are just starting as a writer.  Just be sure to do your research as the services they offer can vary greatly from one publisher to another.

Being a published author completely changed my business.  Yes, it created an additional stream of income for me.  But that's not the only benefit.  It opened doors to other opportunities like speaking engagements.  It gave me entrance into an entirely new circle of people.  It created instant credibility.  And it gave me the satisfaction of being able to say "I am an author." 

I had something I wanted to share.  My story.  My knowledge and experience.  Do you have a story inside you?  Let's write a book!