I have a business colleague who uses this line all the time. He's trying to figure out how to grow companies, change products, and work with customers. Seems like every time he comes back to "leadership and incentive." After being his friend for about 5 years and watching the truth in those words I've come to believe him. That's why a lot of what I write and do is focused around those two aspects. It's not always transparent, but they are always there.
Delegation is the key to authority
There are lots of ways to be a leader. You can be a boss whipping people in to shape. I kinda hate that approach. I prefer the idea of a leader. Taking a stand and rolling with the punches that come with it. I have a few simple guidelines I follow for how to be a good leader. It came from working on sustainability for one of the world's largest companies.
This is generally how I make decisions.
Problem Statement
Vision Statement
Mission Statement
Stakeholder analysis and involvement
Actionplan
Communication (outward)
Feedback (inward)
Every time I hit a challenge I start trying to figure out what's the problem, what's a vision that works, what's the mission/objectives, involve the community (which usually refines everything), and then step into the action plan. Whenever there is success it's time to communicate it. Lots of opportunities for that when you've planned well. Then work in some feedback so that you can tweak things for your audience, peers, team, bosses, etc.
Leaderfull
One of the things that I also believe in for leadership is giving passionate people authority to do shit. You can't do this with wimpy dweebs that don't care, but for the truly passionate I think "Give them authority and get out of their way." I do my best to turn Minnow Support Project into a place where people with ideas and passion can get them to work. Don't come to me and say what should I do!!!! I don't know. I don't know what you're passionate about. Come to me with your passion and tell me how you think you can change the world. I'll see what I can do to help fit it into the plans. I'll give you room to operate and just try to support your dreams.
I can't micromanage a fiction publishing house, a website launch, a new bot creation, a radio station, a few country channels, a shit ton of bots, 3500 people, abuse and everything that comes with MSP. I just try to give people that are passionate about one of those aspects some guidelines and then free rein. So, far it's basically been amazing!
Incentive
The other aspect of this is incentive. In lots of video games you have to grind stuff out. What can you grind out in Steemit?
SP, SBD, and Steem are the easiest to think of, but in some ways aren't the most valuable.
Followers, friends, resteems, and connections I think are a much bigger deal. Status is a huge one. Perception of you. These trend towards long term success as opposed to short term metrics.
So, if you're a redfish or minnow or even plankton dont' ask how much did I earn today. Think about how many friends and followers you've put together. That will have a much longer impact on your success.
As for status I think that's a big one too. You'll notice there are a shit ton of ranks in the Minnow Support Project. Lots of steps. Lots of ways to get higher up on the totem pole in there. It might look complicated, but it's not that hard. I try to think of ways that people can add value and then make ranks to show the value they contribute. I think people want to be recognized for what they do. It's free for me to give recognition for the hours people put in.
I try to say please and thank you. I try to tell people I'm grateful for their friendship and support. I drop little pictures of cakes and tea into comments I write back. it's an effort to be thoughtful for the kindness and effort people show. And the amazing thing is that on this platform more than anywhere else I've seen in life what you give is given back a thousand fold.
Call to Action
Ask yourself how can you make this place better. If you come up with some cool shit I'll be the first to support you.
Ask yourself how you can take action so that you're not looking for a central authority to make some change, but you're actively being the change while gathering support.
Finally, to be a good leader try to reward the people around you with as many of the different things you can give. Many are on chain. Others are off chain. Show gratitude and lead the way.
PS Don't be afraid to call out some exceptional folks
If you haven't been around MSP you wouldn't know that we've had a few Moderators that have been around since basically the beginning helping out and making that place awesome. The first three we've had are still there day and night helping that place to grow and be awesome. So, I just want to send some love to
They're excellent examples of leadership. And I'm so happy to be on this journey with them.
Namaste Brothers. Good Times!