I’ve worked for my share of bad bosses. Truth is, I used to be one of them.  Hard as it is to admit, my idea of leadership was once predicated on the idea that, as the leader, there was no one smarter on the team than me. Therefore, it stood to reason, the organization was best served by those under me simply doing everything I instructed. As long as that were the case, all would be well with the world. As a listener to this show, you know nothing could be further from the truth. The best leaders understand how to leverage the collective brain power on their team. They actually encourage team members to, in addition to trying new things, to try new ways of doing old things. It’s okay to be wrong. Right? As long as you take what you’ve learned and use it to your advantage next time. Listen In Below Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS To be a leader others will want to follow, you must: * Exhibit trust * Get your hands dirty * Share the blame (when appropriate), not just the credit This Episode is Sponsored By State & Liberty Clothing Co. See that pic over there on the right? That’s me three months after receiving my first shirt from State & Liberty. Not bad, eh? I was mortified when I tried it on the first time. You see, my stomach was a bit larger than my chest. Seeing the shirt on me in that condition, however, motivated me to get serious about my fitness. Now, it looks great! Get 10% off your order at State & Liberty when you use the discount code ‘readtolead.’ They also offer gift cards at their website if you’re not quite sure what to get (or which size) for the special men in your life. Or, order two sizes. You can always return the other at no charge! Show Transcript (loose) How to Be a Leader Others Can’t Help But Follow Prior to my transition to self-employment in 2013, I spent 26 years as a broadcaster. During that time, I had the privilege of working with a number of wise and experienced leaders; none of them more so than a man named Matt Austin. As much as Matt was a great example to me of what leadership should look like, he served as equally great an example of the kind of man I hoped to one day be; firm, fair, compassionate, kind, trusting and smart. I wanted nothing more than to please him. Coming from Matt, the words “well done” were like music to your ears. After working alongside him for 14 years, the last 8 as his second in command, here’s what I’ve learned about what it takes to be the kind of leader others will follow anywhere. 1- Trust Those You Lead to Do What You Hired Them To Do Among the many things I appreciated about Matt, was his unwavering faith and trust in his team to do our jobs. His stance was simply to trust until there was a reason not to. This level of trust motivated us to want to honor it as best we could. It also made us feel safe in seeking his advice and help if and when struggles arose. Were there the occasional bad eggs that took advantage? Sure. But they were often easily and quickly identified. As a result, they weren’t around long enough to do any real damage. 2- Don’t Ask of Your Team What You Aren’t Willing to Do ...