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Shephard or Sheep

Are you a leader or a follower? a Shephard or a sheep? Are you 'do as I say' or 'do as I do?' I often think how easy it is to slip into anyone of those roles. Is one of them more superior than the other? I mean, one will probably get more money than the other. "So let them earn their money!" I hear you say (or was it me?) I use to think like that, I actually was one of those who got the bigger bucks. I spent the whole time thinking that I had to earn this, I cannot ask anyone to do anything, I cannot allocate because I am the one who has the title and getting the renumeration. Needless to say I failed as a 'leader' burnt myself out and declared that I will never go back to that roll again.
Until.... I attended Mindlab. Boy I wish I had been going before that. To be a leader is not a foundtain of all knowledge who must be gleaned from and regarded as the one and only source. In fact I have grown to really dislike that word 'leader'. They just have a different job description which comes with more responisibility, organising and dare I say it, accountabillty. Quite often theses are the people who have to account for things, happenings and stuff ups. These are the people who have to have their eyes and ears everywhere. They often need to be all things to all people. The hats they were are endless some days, and they don't necessarily hang them all up at the end of the school day.
I have felt honoured that my team leader has given me one her hats to wear. She sees that I can do this role better becuase I have the experience and expertise. I am not doing it because I have extra time, because I don't. I want to do it. I want to lighten her load, I want to feel useful and feel like I can help. I want to learn to be a leader again, but in all the right ways this time.
How am I learning to be a leader this time? not as a sheep, but as someone who observes another leader. I use to look at my other leaders and could tell you all the things I didn't want to be as aleader, but I had no one I could point to and say that is what I want to be like, until now.
You can't rush these things, it takes time, like a good cheese.

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