Certified Change Management Facilitator/National Speaker
www.HowDoIChange.com
Things You Should Consider As a Leader
Nothing would be done at all if we waited until we could do it so well that no one could find fault with it. - John Henry
It’s important not to think of leadership as something that is temporary. It’s not something you should apply to a certain situation without taking it into the rest of your life, for the rest of your life. Effective leadership should be constant and ever present. To lead is an ongoing daily process by which we, and those who come into contact with us, should grow and constantly learn from. It’s a developmental process and you should always strive to improve upon. There’s always something new and wonderful to learn when it comes to the process of leadership.
Leadership will always Be. It doesn’t have a beginning or an end. It is in a constant process of becoming, just like our lives and the lessons we learn and grow from. In fact, it could very well be that leadership has more to do with our lives from day to day than we originally thought.
Leadership comes in all forms and shapes. Recently I went into a major department store and happened upon a lady who fell after she got off the escalator. I thought she was just lying there but someone who had spotted her just minutes before had run for help and already notified the store’s employees. He took the lead and got this woman the help she needed, and just in the nick of time too. Is this not assuming the role of a true leader?
This man may never have anticipated being the hero when it came to this fallen lady. But somehow he jumped into action and became the Superman in that woman’s life that very day. Leaders are all around us. They are you and I.
Patience Makes Perfect…Or Close to It!
As a leader you should always start with where people are before you try to take them to where you want them to go. - Jim Rohn
Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, or even a year. It took a long time for Rome to be recognized as the leader of the Ancient World. Remember to be patient not only with yourself, but with those who you are leading. If you expect things to be done within a certain amount of time and they might not be, let it go. Don’t focus on what isn’t yet done. Set a realistic time limit with a full understanding of each and everyone involved, including you.
Impatience, like any other energy in nature, can be felt by everyone you come into contact with. If you are trying to motivate others, but project the emotion of impatience, it is discouraging to those who are working with you towards a common goal. They may lose confidence in you and their ability to get the job done.
Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
Don't let anything stop you. There will be times when you'll be disappointed, but you can't stop. Make yourself the very best that you can make of what you are. The very best.- Sadie T. Alexander
As a leader, you are the role model of what getting to the finish line is all about. Your team can’t win unless you hold that vision for them first. Holding the vision is one thing, but getting your team to hold that same vision is another — a leader who can communicate in this powerful way gets the job done and then some.
Is winning positive or negative? You need to be a positive inspiration to your team at all times. If you are having a bad day, no problem, just don’t let it bring your whole operation to a grinding halt. Remember, whatever you are thinking and feeling as you lead, your followers will feel on some level. Your body language and tone of voice communicate your thoughts. Why not have all of these communicate something positive as opposed to something negative.
Be Confident
To be able to lead others, a man must be willing to go forward alone. - Harry Truman
You won’t get anywhere if you aren’t confident when it comes to effective leadership. Confident leaders believe in themselves. Maybe they aren’t sure if they can get the job done in the best and most efficient way possible, but they do know that they’ll take it step by step, day by day and get to where they need to be. Some leaders can see the goal way before they get there. Others take the steps necessary to achieve successful results on a daily basis, hoping that the final outcome will be positive in nature. Either way, one has to have confidence in oneself first, and just as much confidence in the team. Confidence is the daily fuel you need to get you where you want to go.
Be confident in the fact that you can do it. You can’t model confidence if you don’t have it yourself.
If you don’t think you have the confidence it takes to be an effective leader, think again. Don’t be your own worst enemy. You wouldn’t be on the journey of a leader if you weren’t capable of winning in the end.
Be Inspiring, Charismatic and Passionate
Difficulties mastered are opportunities won. - Winston Churchill
A leader needs to know what motivating people is all about. Being motivational, inspiring people and being passionate and charismatic about you mission can move people to do all kinds of things. Without passion in your voice and in your soul, people may be motivated to do nothing more than sit on their seats and not move an inch from there. You want people to be on your side, to do your urging and to create something wonderful and positive together. To do that, you have to provide the energy and drive to move them into action. Having your team members feel your passion is half the battle. If they can feel and see where you’re coming from, they are more likely to join together to get the job done efficiently. It has to come from you first. You have to model the energy, drive and behavior required to move forward in a positive direction.
The one-and-only General George Patton knew how to motivate those who served under him. He knew his audience. He knew how to get them going. Patton knew what buttons to press to get the massive results that he alone could not achieve. All of this came from what he truly believed was possible and then expressed through words that made his audiences laugh, cry and rise to their feet to cheer just about every time. Was he without controversy? No. But he didn’t let anything that was going on in the sidelines detour him from his purpose, to win each and every battle and not stop until victory was inevitable. Could he have done it on his own? No way! Patton needed to motivate his forces to do the work. It was his strategy and smarts that planted the seed, but it was those who served under him, those he motivated who got the job done…and what a job they did.
Do you believe there is an effective leader within you? It's there. Believe and give the leader in you a chance to flourish and watch not only your life change, but those around you as well.
Robert Landau of www.HowDoIChange.com, is a Certified Life Coach and Change Facilitator and National Public Speaker that has helped hundreds of people and businesses through all types of Change. To find out more or to register for a Free 30 Minute Change Coaching Session, visit Robert's website today.
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