When you are leading well, you constantly look for what can give you and your team an edge on results while supporting your mission, vision, and values.
You could search for someone who is successful in an area you want greater improvement in, and try to replicate what they did to get there. The biggest problem with that strategy is, you are not them; you’re someone different. You have a different perspective, work ethic, values, constraints, and mental head trash that is unique to you. It is a better use of time to learn what ideas they tried and failed at, so you can be prepared to navigate the inevitable difficulties you will face.
When you imitate what successful people do, you will not stand out. That may be okay if your goal is to blend in. However, those who want to make a bigger impact also take a look at the opposite of what has happened or is currently being done, offered or supplied. They know that these are the neglected areas. Now, they may very well be neglected for valid reasons, but you may uncover a new way to address an unmet need that everyone else is ignoring and that could make a dramatic difference.
Here’s one of many tools from Karl Bimshas Consulting that will help you challenge your leadership perspective.
Also published on Medium.