What an Introverted Writer learned that Helped Him Step Outside of His Shell
- Sep 4, 2014
- 3 min read
Leadership is one of those skills that is hard to teach and difficult to learn. I’ve read so many books on how to be a great leader, yet really, like anything else in life, you need to practice in order to be good at it.
I’m a quiet introverted guy, slow to anger and when I do become angry I usually bottle it up inside. I’m not a natural leader – but then again, Steven Covey always famously said that he’s never met a leader that wasn’t born, meaning no matter what your abilities are, you need to practice to develop them. Even the most charismatic leaders practiced their craft. There are a couple of famous photographs of Hitler practicing his speeches in front of mirrors.
I realize the usefulness of leadership and how you need it, no matter what vocation or life path you choose. If you want to be really great at something – no matter if it’s being a good family member or the CEO of a company – than you need to be able to influence and persuade people, and to do that you must be a great leader.
Just recently I finished editing a book of short stories called Amazing Adventures, inspired by the pulp fiction magazines of the 20s and 30s.
It was during the production of the book that I made a couple of blunders as a leader—doubtfully they will be my last. For starters, I didn’t clearly define my expectations to the writers which caused a lot of confusion. I should have had the writers sign an agreement so everybody was on the same page, so to speak.
Communication is a key component of leadership and it’s not as easy as one might expect. It involves not just talking but listening to understand. As the editor of Amazing Adventures, it was especially challenging since the writers were spread out across the world and came from various different backgrounds. Not only that but I had to mainly communicate through social media and email which has its advantages but also its drawbacks. While electronic communication is great for convenience, it doesn’t allow you to develop a deep understanding of a person’s values or perspective—both important components of communicating.
Building relationships are also key to a great leader. You need to have a level of trust and respect for one another. Napoleon was well liked by his troops because he used talk to even the most junior rank (remember this was a time when armies were commanded by kings and to speak to somebody beneath your station was unthinkable). Napoleon would remember his soldiers’ names and he never had any comforts that his army didn’t have. The soldiers felt united in Napoleon’s cause because nobody of importance ever treated them as anything more than a commodity.
The third aspects of great leaders is sometimes you have to be a hard ass. Let me get this straight: I hate being a hard ass and you probably do too. In fact, very few people like being hard asses. Most people tend to avoid conflict if possible, but a great leader seeks out conflict because out of the fire comes steel. Greatness comes when boundaries are tested and old ways are abandoned.
By all accounts Steve Jobs was not a very nice man—to put it mildly. He was hot-tempered, demanding, combative, and downright hostile. Yet nobody can dispute he was a great leader and during his lifetime he built one of the most successful companies ever.
As a writer and producer of films, I’ve learned there always will be a difference of opinion and I’m working on cracking a few skulls when somebody falls down on the job. I’ll never be a Steve Job and don’t want to be, but I need to learn how to channel the mercurial Apple co-founder and get things done.
To improve your leadership skills you need to step outside of your comfort zone. You could try leading a project of some kind. It doesn’t need to be big at first. Perhaps it’s a sports team. Perhaps you can do what I did and edit a book. It was a great learning experience and I can’t wait to start Amazing Adventures 2 where I will put into practice all the leadership lessons I learned from the first one. And that is the most important aspect of leadership: that you continue to learn and grow. Good luck!
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