EP #54 What is the meaning of what you are asking for? Leadership 101

Many people think they know what they want but haven’t taken the time to discover what they are asking for.  It is easy to say, I want to be a great leader or business person or salesperson or wife, husband, chef, manager, etc. but do not have criteria or even what values or beliefs or behaviors a leader, etc. would have or what they would demonstrate to be a good leader, etc. Here is a shortlist of 10 things that are necessary to be effective at a leadership level. 

1.       Be an excellent communicator – which means ask for clarification, command respect, add value to people
2.       Know the rules and have clear boundaries – avoid bad-mouthing people you know. Have a clear idea of how to be and how to do it.
3.       Readers – in other words, read, read, read.  A lot of great ideas come from books written by people who have blazed a trail.  You still have the ability to make what you learn to fit your style.
4.       Problem solvers – problems are challenges to learn and grow.  Using creativity and intuition to get answers,  try different ideas and methods
5.       Resourceful – they have internal resources, such as compassion, intuition, choice, flexibility, perception, listening skills, clear boundaries, intelligence, effective emotional state management, clear goals, creativity, balance, perspective
6.       Coachable and trainable – leaders are open to learning new things, new ideas, new ways of doing things.  They accept challenges in a positive light.
7.       Self Mastery – they believe that the way to lead others is to be able to lead yourself. To be able to lead yourself, you must master yourself, know your inner world, what your values are, what motivates you, what inspires you.
8.       Visionaries – they must be able to see the big picture, step back and look at things from a variety of perspectives, see beyond where they are now, beyond convention, and persuade others to engage.  See something that no one else sees. 
9.      Emotional Intelligence - the ability to identify and manage their own emotions and the emotions of others. 
10.   Trustworthy – in other words, you can count on them to do what they say, say what they do, and keep you informed.

Some of these overlap but for certain, a powerful list from which to start your own journey.  The ability to lead oneself and manage oneself is a hallmark of effective leadership.  Effective leadership involves being and doing qualities of people, not just behavior (doing).

Anyone who wants to achieve something in their life needs to be self-aware. Without self-awareness, you are clueless about why something may or may not be working. With self-awareness, a person tends to have more empathy and compassion. Where does your journey begin?

Here is one of my favorite quotes about leaders:

 Genuine leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, are not only instruments of change, they are catalysts for change... Lincoln's obsessive quest for results tended to create a climate for risk-taking and innovation.  Inevitably there were failures, but Lincoln had great tolerance for failure because he knew that if his generals were not making mistakes they were not moving... The president viewed the failures of his generals as mistakes, learning events, or steps in the right direction... An often overlooked component of leadership is this ability to learn from people and experiences, from successes and failures.  The best leaders never stop learning. Lincoln on Leadership, by Donald T. Phillips

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