By Andrew Beccue

In his wildly popular stories about leadership, John Maxwell talks recounts a story from one of his seminars. Maxwell is a well known leadership guru who authored The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership which speaks directly to the needs of leaders in life.  At a seminar where he was speaking about such leadership virtues, a young and eager gentleman approaches Maxwell about leadership. The young man says, “John, what is the one thing I need to know about leadership?” Maxwell very calmly replies, “the one thing you need to know about leadership is that there is more than one thing you need to know about leadership.”

How true is this type of statement in our daily lives? Everyone wants to become an expert at something, but we all want it at microwave speeds. Maxwell argues that being microwaved is the Americanized version, where we all want it n-o-w. His argument is that we need to be “heated” in a crock pot. By taking the time to do things right and to learn along the way, we’ll all be better off.

When it comes to finding a job, everyone touts “the need for leadership”. Employers want proven leaders; employees search for jobs where they can show their ability to lead. But leadership is not a learned skill that comes overnight. It comes from diligence, hard work and the willingness to listen. But most importantly it comes from managing yourself. You have to learn to be a follower before you can be a leader. You have to learn to listen to the needs of others before you can relay your own demands. » Read more: Career Tips: Birthing Leaders