"Leadership today is less about what we know and more about what we're willing to discover.'"
- Diane Branson

There's much psychology behind the concept that there are leaders in this world and there are followers. Systems have been used and profiles have been documented to support this concept showing dominant traits of individuals that would indicate which side of the leader/follower coin one might land on. Although there may be strong behavioral traits that consistently run through one or the other, there are still many factors that play a role in one being successful as a leader or follower. For this blog, I'm going to focus more on leaders. As the quote above suggests, one indicator of good leadership is defined as what one is willing to discover, rather than what one already knows. Let's explore this further.

Many people have the mistaken idea that a successful business owner or entrepreneur is assumed to be a good leader. You may be surprised to find out, however, how often this is further from the truth. I've been witness to seeing business owners with terrible leadership succeed, and great leaders with poor business models fail. The point is that one's "position" in the hierarchy of the workforce does not dictate whether they will be a good leader, nor does their knowledge or background. Many times one's position is dictated more by circumstance than ability, but one can excel as a leader if they're willing to continue to discover - within their position as well as within themselves. Not having leadership experience, or a "leadership profile" certainly does not mean one can't be a good leader.

This concept may be more clear when looking at the dynamic of your home life. Having recently had our second child, my wife is now a "stay-at-home-mom." Although I appreciate much of the old-fashioned ways of life, I feel the term itself is very underserving. Instead of my wife being a stay-at-home-mom, I've recently named my wife COO of The Helvin House. I feel this title is much more fitting as she has now found herself managing such things as schedules, meal plans, inventory, budgets, etc. - all the things to help keep The Helvin House operating smoothly and efficiently. While she's spent most of her workforce life not in a leadership role, she has certainly found herself in that position now, doing a tremendous job. Her success is possible not from what she already knows, but rather from what she's willing to discover every day.

Whether you are in a leadership position in life or not, be a better leader of yourself by continuing to discover the possibilities that are out there.

Jeff R. Helvin is Blogging for Balance - a balance of both personal and professional aspects, to ultimately achieve more in life overall.