I don’t want to manage anybody

Have you met anyone who prefers to go solo, refusing any assignment that requires them to manage people and resources? There are those who would like to just be individual contributors at work or in the community. They may work with others but do not want to have responsibilities toward managing anyone. If you force management responsibilities on them, they may not do well because of attitude, not because of competence. Some people have their minds set that way, and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with that. The only implication is that such people may not wake up the leadership giant in themselves.

Don’t get me wrong. Leadership is not about bossing people around, but about inspiring others to be their best. And when you do, people will look up to you. In fact, they may want to be on your team. They may seek your tutelage, mentorship, direction, or management. In that case, the least you can do is to provide the leadership that people desire in you. Going solo may produce a lot of results, but inspiring others and providing direct input to their endeavours will produce manifold results. Most of the big things that have happened in our world were results of concerted effort of individuals who have come together under effective leadership and management of resources. Even when you think of individuals who have seemingly made landmarks on their own, you must realize that they usually have people working with or for them behind the scenes.
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While it is not wrong to be a lone star performer, it is more beneficial to spread one’s influence on others, providing direction, inspiration, and support as they also grow into their success. If you are a talented person, or you are gifted in an area, you can expand the impact of your work and life by helping others to succeed. Don’t say, “I don’t want to manage anybody.” Instead ask, “how can I have a better impact on the world by growing other people?”

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Actions for the week

1. Make up your mind to accept the responsibility of leading and/or managing people. Great people inspire and support others.
2. This week, try to identify a few books or resources that can help you hone your leadership and management skills. Then get to work on them.
3. For item 2 above, you may even choose to start with my books.

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A quote to remember
"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things." —Ronald Reagan

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Until another time,
Dele Ola, Award-Winning Author of Be A Change Agent
​Click HERE to learn about and get copies of Dele’s Books