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SECURITY: Competence Never Compensates for Insecurity

You Can’t lead people if you need people John Maxwell

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all of the credit for doing it – Andrew Carnegie

Margaret Thatcher elected to three terms as Prime Minister of Britain, the only person to accomplish this in the modern era, had a steal-resolve and would not compromise principles of sound leadership. She stated once, “To me consensus seems to be a process of abandoning all beliefs, values, and policies in search of something in which no one believes…What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner, ‘I Stand for consensus’?”

Margaret Thatcher was known as the “Iron Lady.” She received that name because of her resolve to not compromise convictions and beliefs. INSECURE leaders are dangerous people. They are a danger to themselves, their followers, and the organizations they lead. This is true because leadership positions amplify personal flaws. Whatever baggage you have in your life only gets more difficult to bear when you are trying to lead others.

Insecure leaders have several common traits. Here are four such traits.

They Don’t Provide Security For Others

An old adage states, “You cannot give what you do not have.” People without skill cannot impart skill to others, people without security cannot make others feel secure. For any person to become an effective leader, the kind that others want to follow, they need to make others around them on their team feel good about themselves.

They Take More From People Than They Give

Insecure people are on a continual quest for validation, acknowledgment, and love. Because of that, their focus is on finding security, not instilling it in others. They are primarily takers rather than givers, and takers do not make good leaders.

They Continually Limit Their Best People

Show me an insecure leader, and I’ll show you someone who cannot genuinely celebrate his people’s victories. He might even prevent them from realizing any victories. They might even take the credit personally for the best work on the team. Only secure leaders give power to others! Insecure leaders hoard power. The better that people are around an insecure leader, the more threatened they feel and the harder they work to limit other people’s success and recognition.

They Continually Limit The Organization

When followers are undermined and receive no recognition, they become discouraged and eventually stop performing at their potential. The entire organization suffers when this happens.

In contrast, secure leaders…

Believe in others because they believe in themselves

Are not arrogant

Know their own strengths and weaknesses

Are not threatened by other team member’s success

Build high performance teams by maximizing their best performers

Highest goal is for the team to succeed

As a leader, how well do you understand and respect yourself? Do you know your strengths and feel good about them. Have you recognized your weaknesses and accepted the ones that you can change? When a person realizes they have been created with a particular personality type and unique gifts, they are better able to appreciate the strengths and successes of others.

How secure are you as a leader? When a follower has a great idea, so you support it or suppress it? Do you celebrate others victories? When the team succeeds, so you give them credit? If you answer NO to these questions, you may be dealing with insecurity which in turn limits you, your team, and your organization.

The French novelist who wrote “The Human Comedy” stated, “Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself.”

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!