In a video titled “Look In The Mirror” by Duane Cummings, available through Leadercast Now, Mr. Cummings brings to light that each and every one of us are leaders at all times even if we don’t see it ourselves. He mentioned that many times people perceive leadership as a certain definition but “leaders are everywhere and within everyone”.
Some simple examples of leadership that he shared are not things we typically view as leadership characteristics such as:
- Holding the door open for someone else
- Teaching your children how to do something
- Giving up your seat for someone else
Society would primarily view these actions as minding your manners or “doing the right thing”, but Mr. Cummings suggests that we view leadership too narrowly. He believes when you look at something from a narrow perspective things become distorted.
In the video, he commented, “most people are leading all the time and they don’t realize it”. He encouraged viewers to look in the mirror and have confidence in who they are regardless of “good, bad or indifferent.” He pointed out that we sometimes dislike things about ourselves that end up being the things that others love about us and vice versa, stating “authenticity and being present are probably the best leadership traits one could have.”
Mr. Cummings stated that honesty and integrity come from trust and trust comes from intent. He said if you trust that a leaders intention is good, that signifies a great leader because “Great leaders are going to make mistakes and errors in judgment. But if they go left and everybody followed them left and they were supposed to go right, if that group thinks that their intention was right, they will get back on board and go the other direction immediately. There will be no question.”
The old saying “honesty is the best policy” is the foundation for becoming a great leader. Once you have honesty and integrity, trust and intent will follow!
Don’t be afraid to uncover the “inner leader” in you!
Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash