#davesdailychallenge (114): Going Deeper Into Leading One’s Peers. On the 71st daily challenge we discussed one of the most difficult leadership challenges one will ever face…leading one’s peers. Today, we are going to discuss one tactic to find success during this most difficult of leadership challenges. Imagine you’re a part of a team, a group, a business segment, a college club, or any other collection of people that has goals to accomplish. This group has a leader, set of leaders, or team members that take it upon themselves to lead. Now imagine that leadership element moves on. They could have been promoted, graduated, or just plain left. Now you have been selected, for one reason or another, to fill the leadership vacuum. This is a big opportunity for you and applies to countless millions of people leading teams and projects throughout the world. With this opportunity comes the inherent challenge of leading the people you just counted among your peers. In order to do this I encourage you to keep one key thing in mind throughout your time at the helm:

Don’t forget where you came from.

Let’s unpack what I mean by this. The people you are leading are much more similar to you than different. As a leader, you certainly have special responsibilities and trust but if you come in on a Monday morning and forget what it’s like to be in their shoes you will lose them. Seek to be a servant to your team and create allies that can support and champion your efforts internal to the group. Even better, ensure that your priorities reflect their thoughts. No leader ever accomplished anything worthwhile alone and you are no different. While you now have the added responsibility of leading your peers, and that will mean performing difficult tasks from time to time, you should never forget that the people you lead, regardless of how friendly you are with them, can often be the difference between success and failure. You are in this together. Good luck.