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Renovate Your Leadership Potential
I’ve been thinking about leadership a lot lately because sometimes I feel like a leader and sometimes I don’t. I hear all kinds of things when I am out speaking about leadership – “Leaders are born,” “I don’t have to lead because it’s not my job” and “I’m no good at leading.” It seems everyone has an opinion about leadership; it’s an issue that affects us all whether we like it or not.
Not only do we all have opinions about leadership, I believe we are all called upon to exercise leadership – no matter what role we may play in an organization or in our lives. Some of us may be involved in leading in government or business, guiding young minds, leading a family, standing up for what is right, or organizing a dinner, a carpool or a household. Everyone has a leadership role to play. And we are being placed in leadership roles time and time again.
But what happens when we don’t feel like leading, we’re frustrated with people in general or we don’t feel like we have a voice? Or when we struggle with feeling the lack of natural ability to lead, don’t want to lead or just feel plain burned? If you’re like me and have ever felt you fit into one of these descriptions, then it’s time to take a look at renovating our leadership potential.
I believe there are seven keys to being a more effective leader.
Authenticity. Being authentic means being exactly and precisely what is claimed – being genuine. As a speaker, I’ve always strived to be as authentic as I can be at any given time. I want to be the same person, exactly and precisely what I say I am, on the platform and off. But I struggle when I feel low or I’m going through rough spots in my life.
As a motivational speaker, no one wants to listen to someone whine. But sometimes I want to whine and pout, and then it’s hard to do my job. When I’m down, I question myself and feel guilty for not feeling up. Or I feel that if I go out and motivate when I feel low, I’m a hypocrite.
I have found a way through this craziness – it’s called authenticity. I simply let my audiences know that I, too, struggle. I find ways to share and be authentic no matter what I’m going through. People can then relate to me and feel they are not alone with their own struggles Sharing authentically, without going into all the messy details, will naturally cause people to follow you. People want to follow a leader who is authentic.
Attitude. Attitude is more important than anything else if we want to step up our leadership potential. But I often forget how important this is. Over this past year I had not been practicing what I teach. I had let my bad attitude slip into our construction company and create discord. A trusted mentor gave me a wake-up call when she told me that the company was struggling because it had a leader with a bad attitude. She was right. My attitude stunk.
As I changed my attitude, I saw things differently, people responded to me differently and things gradually changed. I learned my own lesson once again. I guess I still have renovating to do, too.
Aptitude. Aptitude is defined as the capacity for learning or natural talent. I believe we can all learn and we have each been given natural talents. It’s how we use these two things together that make the difference in our effectiveness as a leader.
As I step out to move my speaking business forward once again, I am balancing my time between learning and working within my given talents. I read and research everything I can get my hands on about my topics as I prepare. Then I take my learning and add my natural talents. I believe this is how we thrive as leaders. Combining learning with natural talents will build your leadership capacity right now.
Action. Action is essential to leadership. If we want people to follow us, we had better be moving and staying ahead of our team. As a good friend of mine always says, “Let them see your taillights.”
Accountability. Accountability means answerable or explainable. Without accountability, it’s easy not to get things done. I’ve been witnessing this once again in my life. I have been furiously planning and writing new programs for next fall. I’ve been having fun but it’s so easy for me to get off track. What I realized during one of my sidetracks was that I forgot to plan for accountability. I now have recruited some people I need to answer to, people I have to explain my work – or lack of work – to.
Adjustments. Adjustment means correction or modification. There are times every week when I need to make adjustments. As a leader, it is critical that we are open to making corrections or modifications when needed. Pay attention to the responses you receive from others and be willing to make adjustments when needed.
Awesomeness. Being a leader can be awesome. When we develop ourselves through the first six steps, we truly become awesome and can be truer to our full leadership potential. But remember – these seven steps are not a one-time deal. Leadership is an ongoing development process.
7 Keys to Being an Effective Leader
1. Take responsibility. Being a leader means the buck stops with you. Take responsibility and move on.
2. Take growth seriously. As a leader you can only lead people where you have already been. Focus on growing yourself and others will grow with you.
3. Take hold of a huge vision. People follow people who have huge visions for life and work. Create a huge vision for why you lead and then share this vision regularly with others.
4. Take advice from others. Leaders need other leaders to lead them. Do not be afraid to get help with your leadership skills. Look for and take advantage of those with more leadership experience and who can help you be a more effective leader.
5. Take the focus off yourself. Being a leader is not about you. When you live focused on others, people will naturally follow you.
6. Take charge. Don’t be afraid to just do it. If you know what needs to be done – do it. Step up to the plate and take charge.
7. Take time. True leaders develop over time – they are not born overnight. Take time to develop your skills and ask for help along the way. Acknowledge your weaknesses and recognize the areas where you need time to grow.
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