How To Be a Leader

I have been privilged enough to have been able to hold a various number of leadership positions in my life, from my youth on up. My parents did their very best to provide leadership and learning opportunities for my siblings and I, and they succeeded in doing so. We volunteered, we were active in church, we were members of various organizations, and we did a lot in our schools. So, there were lots of leadership opportunities. I had some successes, but actually had more failures in leadership overall.

There was one grassroots college organization that I completely ran into the ground; it was a mess. My boyfriend happened to be an officer (which was very distracting), and I took over after another poor leader left office, so there was a lot to live up to, and I dropped the ball. The orgnization never recovered. However, a year prior at the same school, I took a dying campus organization and turned it into the most popular campus club that year, almost overnight! The leaders who took over after me continued to do well, and that club was very active and influential for years to come based on the foundation I laid.

I started an online publication years ago and was able to rally writers from across the country to contribute for free. I also tried my hand at marketing a home business network online and did poorly.

So, what's the difference?

There were a few common differences in each instance, and they all boiled down to either my willingness, drive, or ability to produce. There were some projects I took on where I was very proficient in the field, very confident and very driven, and there were some where I was not. There were some projects that involved people I really began to care about, and there were some that did not.

Can you guess which ones were successful and which weren't?

The more I began to grow and change, the better leader I became. The more I began to study leaders and leaderhip, the more effective my leadership became. Now, I am a successful leader in different arenas, and am laying the foundation for many good things to come. However, the successes come as I live out leadership - you simply have to be a leader to be a leader!

If you don't understand what I mean now, you will soon; trust me ;-)

The following information provides a surface look at what it takes to lead people, whether it be in business, a religious organization, or even just a group of friends. It's all sound and it's all true; however, great leaders are trained leaders. If you want to receive leadership training, you are going to have to invest in some personal development materials for independent study, and it would behoove you to also find a mentor or trainer to help you along the way. Leadership qualities and skills have to be cultivated, and it takes time and personal exchange to make that happen.

Be sure to take advantage of the resources offered at the and of this lens, and I hope you enjoy what I'm sharing from my own personal experience.

The good news is that almost anyone can be a leader. Even if you are shy, uneducated, and cynical right now, you can become a leader if you are willing to grow and change.

Understand this very important point:

If you develop the mindset and qualities that leaders possess, you will be a leader.

You don't have to be naturally or even artificially charismatic to be a leader. Some of the most ordinary personalities of our time have gone on to become great leaders, especially in business. Despite what you may think, leadership isn't based on how well you can use great, swelling words to move a crowd. It's not about being the most persuasive person you know. Leadership is about taking people from Point A to Point B, and doing so with integrity.

And with the right tools, any genuine, ethical, positive person can do that.

A great person once said, a leader is someone who takes you where you wouldn't go by yourself. This very powerful statement reveals the heart of leadership, which is taking people somewhere that they may not or cannot get to without you. Some savvy followers want to save time and effort by just taking the leader's advice instead of learning through trial and error. Some more needy followers do not have the capacity to go where they want to without considerable education and motivation from an expert. Most people fall somewhere in the middle - they know more than the average joe about where they want to go, but less than they think they do about how to pull it all together and make things happen.

They all, however, have one thing in common; they're all looking to go somewhere.

So, you don't have to actually look for followers - followers are trying to find you. If you are attempting to convince people to follow you, you aren't leading because they obviously don't want to go where you are trying to take them. Leadership is not about convincing, it's about directing. A choir director leads a group of people who obviously want to sing; he doesn't go into the streets recruiting people who may or may not have any interest in singing.

Leadership is about directing people who already know that they want to go somewhere, not convincing people that they ought to go.

Once you understand this, you can take a deep sigh of relief; it's not your fault that all of the mindless recruiting and begging and spamming isn't working. It doesn't work. Even if you use those methods "successfully", it's only because of the huge number of people that you have contacted and the law of averages.

What happens if you don't have time to hunt down 100 people and convince them that they want what you have just so that you can get 10 to listen to you and three to take action?

If you are a true leader, you can get those three to come to you.

Leaders are who they are because they are distinctively different from the masses. There is something about a leader that makes the follower want to follow. When people who want to go somewhere are tired of wandering or listening to people who see things no differently than they do, they being to look around for someone and something different.

The first major difference someone notices in a leader is his or her unique perspective.

The most valuable asset of a leader is his or her perspective. The way you see things and what you see are what make you unique, and if your line of sight leads in the right direction, people are going to want to follow you there. Whether it's about business, religion, politics, or any other subject, being able to see things clearly and/or differently sets you apart from the crowd.

Follow your perspective somewhere and people will follow you.

True leaders are always going somewhere. They have always got something going on that's bigger than what their followers have going on. That's why they're in charge. If the people you want to follow you don't believe that you have any more going on than they do, they won't follow you. You're no better than the people you lead, but you are in a better position. Otherwise, what leverage do you have to get them to follow you?

Many network marketers hit a brick wall when it comes to leadership because they haven't yet made enough money to sell prospects on their income, and they may not feel comfortable selling people dreams. So, what do you do?

A leader has more going on for himself or herself than just one opportunity. You have to be a package deal that is bigger than just Joe Schmo's Miracle Tonic. This is where charisma helps some people. However, for the uncharismatic, you need to be busy being someone bigger than your opportunity. If who you are is as good as what you offer, people will want to take advantage of what you offer to get a piece of who you are.

Who are you? Your education, experience, your background, and your outlook all contribute to who you are and what makes you special. You may not have a college degree, but if you are an expert on something or an enthusiast about something, you've got an angle from which to promote yourself. You've got something that others who are interested in those areas may want to connect with. Whatever direction you are facing, your passionate movement in that direction will attract and inspire others.

Be busy doing things and going places, not just being one thing and going to only one place. Followers are attracted to people who are on the move.

One of the marks of an established leader is his or her network. You can't do all that leaders do, gaining perspective and being "on the move", without making some valuable connections along the way. A true leader knows that he or she not only has to study subjects, but people and situations, and connecting with other people is the only hands on way to do that. Meaningful exchange builds character, one's knowledge base, and one's circle of influence, so networking is extremely important for someone who wishes to be an influential and wise example for others.

Leaders share - it's in their nature. They share because they are passionate. They share because they are fully persuaded that what they believe in is worth sharing. They also share because they know that the only way to grow their teams and organizations is to provide valuable information and perspective to those who need to know.

In sharing information, leaders end up engaging potential followers who are looking for knowledge; people looking for knowledge are usually trying to go somewhere. If the leader is the right person, the follower will want to hitch their wagon to him or her - no arm twisting required.

The lack of integrity is what keeps most knowledgeable, charismatic people from becoming real leaders. A leader absolutely has to have integrity.

You have to do what you say you're going to do. You have to keep your promises. You have to go above and beyond the call of duty. You have to be true to others. You have to be true to yourself. You have to be able to get things done, even in the face of adversity.

You've got to have integrity to be a leader.

Your integrity is what keeps prospective followers in your corner; they see that you can and will produce results. Your integrity is what keeps you going even when it gets tough and even when it seems no one will notice if you relax and take a few shortcuts.

Your integrity is what makes people respond to you, which is what turns an admirer into a follower.

Leaders don't follow followers, they "make the call", or give a "call to action". The call to action is whatever message the leader sends out inviting interested parties to come and follow. Usually at the end of an article, an ebook, or a conversation, a leader calls those whom he has engaged to act upon what they have heard or learned.

This is where many would-be leaders drop the ball.

What the call to action IS NOT: It's not where you strongarm or guilt-trip people into doing what you want. It's not when you start trying to convince them that you have what they need. If you do that, you become the follower, and that turns people who are looking for leaders off.

What the call to action REALLY IS: It's where you offer to help those who want help. Those who understand that they need assistance getting to where they want to go will gladly reach out for the lifeline that you offer them.

Some would-be leaders don't even wait until the end of a conversation to make the call to action; they just spread out the call like a fisherman's net, broadcasting what they want you to do and a limited time with which to do it in hopes that someone else who is desperate will feel a sense of urgency. That rarely works. An apt leader is not desperate for followers. An apt leader is busy doing and leading, so if you want to join them, great, and if not, then okay.

Are you busy doing? If so, you will soon be busy leading.

Real leaders really care about their followers; otherwise, they might get lost along the way to Point B. People who follow leaders do so because they need some help achieving their goals; if you don't truly care about people, how can you truly help them?

You don't have to be some bleeding heart who gives away all of your knowledge for free, but to be a true leader you do need to be invested in the success of those who are willing to truly follow. You didn't achieve your current level of success alone, so you pay it forward by doing your best to help those who want to be helped.

Quality leaders who care paired with quality followers who are committed produce success for both parties.

If you need more information on how to develop
your leadership skills, please send an email to
leaders@businessgur.us
with "More Info" in the subject line.

We will send you an invitation to one of our upcoming events!

Every four years, Americans endure a bitter battle to the finish between two viable candidates for the Presidency of the United States of America. This year, the race is between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, and it's one for the history books. Sen. Barack Obama is the first Black American nominee of a major political party, and if McCain wins, Gov. Sarah Palin will be the first woman to hold the office of Vice-President. Both candidates have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for their campaigns, with Obama setting campaign records. McCain, a war hero and former P.O.W., ran against his party's base and still managed to win the nomination, even after the experts and analysts had counted him out of the race. Obama was able to secure the Democratic nomination after only one term in Congress, and he was serving that term while running for President!

Both candidates have amazing stories.

However, being able to run a campaign and being able to lead the country are two different things. Many voters feel like McCain is too old and fraile, while many more believe that Obama is too inexperienced. They have both managed to rally the support of millions of Americans, but does that make them leaders?

It's good to care about the people, and it's good to believe in something, but one of the most important aspects of leadership is the ability to deliver on promises and make things happen.

Based on the marks of a true leader, which candidate do you think is best prepared to hold the highest office in the free world?

Leaders who really care effect people for years and years, even after they or their followers have moved on. My kindergarten teacher (I love you, Ms. Baker) had that kind of influence, and I know that Kathy Cox of Georgia will have that kind of effect on thousands of children for years to come.

Who is Kathy Cox? Cox is the current superintendent of schools for the State of Georgia. What does that have to do with you? You may have seen her on the Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? season premiere - she was the first million dollar winner! The deep part is that she donated that million to Georgia schools when she could have kept it for herself.

She talks about how much she cares for her students, but she really put her money where her mouth is! THAT'S a leader! Read the story here.