I recently wrote of my travels to China, the land of the fake Rolex. And in that article I wrote about the importance of discernment. Today I offer you a test of that discernment skill that I am sure that you have been practicing and perfecting since I wrote about it several weeks ago.

There are leaders and then there are “leader wannabes.” So, how do you tell them apart? Some times it takes a little while to distinguish between the two. But, fairly quickly you will be able to tell which one is the genuine leader.

There are many ways that you could discern a real leader. But consider with me a few minutes these three distinguishing characteristics of real leaders.

Here they are:

Their Message – A wannabe’s message is not clear. You are never really sure what they are saying or what it means. A real leader’s message is clear and unambiguous. There is no oblique symbolism and secret or subliminal messages. They say what they mean. And more importantly, they mean what they say.

Their Method – A wannabe’s method hurts those around and leaves injury in its wake. A real leader’s method is encouraging. Real leaders don’t tear down their followers or demoralize their team. A real leader does not have a “method to their madness.” In fact there is no “madness” at all.

Their Manner – A wannabe’s manner is closed, or at the very least, guarded. A real leader’s manner is open and transparent. Real leaders don’t do back room deals in smoke filled rooms.

What does your message, method, and manner say about your leadership? Does it identify you as a leader? Or does it indicate that you are a wannabe? Let’s work on our message, method, and manner in these coming days.
Photo credit: .Martin. / Foter / CC BY-ND