Give Your Hundred Percent in Whatever You Do and Become a Champion

The power of motivation is often either underestimated or brushed aside by some people. People fail to realize that motivating someone in any arena of life only cultivates more force in generating positive feelings. To pat someone on the back, to congratulate someone when the going gets great or to vouch for someone during his peak form is a mere reinforcement of your support to a person. However, the real use of motivation comes in when the chips are down; nothing seems to be working fine and when someone is under pressure to perform.

When the going gets tough, all that one needs is someone to put an arm around the shoulder, reaffirm the faith and ignore a few mistakes. On the contrary, most people go wrong in this context and run out of patience. They create an atmosphere of extreme pressure and instead of creating a scope for a comeback, they pull the person deeper into stress and kill the performance totally. This in turn results in loss of love, understanding and results.

Think about it - how do you handle a situation at work/home when someone makes a few mistakes and perhaps repeats them? You run out of patience and let all hell break loose and go on an emotional and moral rampage destroying a person's confidence and make him feel like an 'idiot'.

Or do you go even crazier by making your anger visible and treat the person without any respect, use abusive language and express disgust? There may be things at stake; however, just lashing out on a person would not help. It only deteriorates the situation.

Look around for the most successful leaders from any walk of life. Their success is not a result of their individual brilliance; it is because of their ability to bring the best out of others in all circumstances, especially when the going gets tough. It is their ability to stand by a person in bad times, assure support and express faith which eventually wins the day for them.

The person receiving support during such times will obviously bounce back and when he does, he will always remain obliged to you. He would want to perform more for you than for himself, he would feel so obliged that he will always have you in mind before he goes out there to perform again. In simple words your ability to handle a person with care in tough times will not only help the person, it will also get results and create a great work atmosphere.

Leadership is never easy, and great leaders are not born every day. However, we can always pick up a few magical tips and work around them to get the best out of others and ourselves.

Here's what you can do to help a person out of tough times:

• Be patient, assure support and sound advice to help the person.
• Control your anger, hide your emotions and choose your words with care.
• Think results, but results will not come until you get the person to perform.
• Support a person in tough times and win him for a lifetime.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Give-Your-Hundred-Percent-in-Whatever-You-Do-and-Become-a-Champion&id=9808440

How to Communicate When Something's Been Done Badly

When you are in a leadership role, you will understandably hope that everything always goes well.

You will also probably hope that everyone working with you performs to their full capabilities and does everything necessary to support whatever the particular enterprise is.

However, what do you do when that isn't the case?

For most people who find themselves in a leadership position, this can be something of a nightmare. It is one of the biggest challenges when coaching leadership because so much depends upon both an individual set of circumstances and personal judgment.

However, here there are a few basic tips that may prove useful if you find yourself facing such a situation:

1. Make sure that you understand all the facts. Is sometimes easy, when facing disappointment, to subconsciously move into identifying someone you wish to blame. That can be disastrous if you happen to get it wrong and attribute responsibility to someone who, in fact, had little or nothing to do with it. So, make sure you understand all of the facts involved and once you are sure that it appears to be a performance-related issue, get someone independent to verify your conclusions before doing anything else.

2. Concentrate on solving the problem as your top priority. Inspirational leadership is about the showing you understand what is important and fixing the problem should be considerably more important than trying to understand how it happened and who is accountable.

3. Be certain that you understand the difference between a genuine mistake that can happen as a result of an error of judgement and poor performance which is perhaps typically attributed to questionable attitudes or shaky work ethic etc. Your tactics for dealing with the two should be significantly different.

4. Be clear whether a lack of training or required skills was an issue. If it is, do not hold the individual accountable but do something to bring them up to the required levels of ability.

5. If the issue is to do with a genuine mistake or a lack of the required skills, your approach to the individual should be consultative and advisory with the emphasis on helping them to learn. Do not under any circumstances enter into the allocation of blame or recriminations and retribution.

6. Almost inevitably as a leader, you will sooner or later have to face an individual who has a negative mindset or who lacks a commitment to the objectives in hand. See this as a mutual challenge for both of you to address and again do not be tempted to slip into angry confrontation, lecturing or handing out threats. These approaches are virtually never productive.

7. If you are dealing with such an individual, it's necessary to work with them calmly to try to understand what the drivers are behind their errors of approach or commitment. In the vast majority of such cases, the individual is not irredeemable and it is simply a question of putting in place, where humanly possible, training programmes or development aids to address the causes of their attitudes.

8. Finally, where you are trying to deal with such a case, never hide the truth or your perceptions from the individual concerned. This is neither in your interest nor theirs because they are unlikely to be able to deal with their performance issues unless someone has calmly discussed the matter with them and encouraged them to both recognise the problem and to do something about it.

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Communicate-When-Somethings-Been-Done-Badly&id=8733104

Give Your Hundred Percent in Whatever You Do and Become a Champion

The power of motivation is often either underestimated or brushed aside by some people. People fail to realize that motivating someone in any arena of life only cultivates more force in generating positive feelings. To pat someone on the back, to congratulate someone when the going gets great or to vouch for someone during his peak form is a mere reinforcement of your support to a person. However, the real use of motivation comes in when the chips are down; nothing seems to be working fine and when someone is under pressure to perform.

When the going gets tough, all that one needs is someone to put an arm around the shoulder, reaffirm the faith and ignore a few mistakes. On the contrary, most people go wrong in this context and run out of patience. They create an atmosphere of extreme pressure and instead of creating a scope for a comeback, they pull the person deeper into stress and kill the performance totally. This in turn results in loss of love, understanding and results.

Think about it - how do you handle a situation at work/home when someone makes a few mistakes and perhaps repeats them? You run out of patience and let all hell break loose and go on an emotional and moral rampage destroying a person's confidence and make him feel like an 'idiot'.

Or do you go even crazier by making your anger visible and treat the person without any respect, use abusive language and express disgust? There may be things at stake; however, just lashing out on a person would not help. It only deteriorates the situation.

Look around for the most successful leaders from any walk of life. Their success is not a result of their individual brilliance; it is because of their ability to bring the best out of others in all circumstances, especially when the going gets tough. It is their ability to stand by a person in bad times, assure support and express faith which eventually wins the day for them.

The person receiving support during such times will obviously bounce back and when he does, he will always remain obliged to you. He would want to perform more for you than for himself, he would feel so obliged that he will always have you in mind before he goes out there to perform again. In simple words your ability to handle a person with care in tough times will not only help the person, it will also get results and create a great work atmosphere.

Leadership is never easy, and great leaders are not born every day. However, we can always pick up a few magical tips and work around them to get the best out of others and ourselves.

Here's what you can do to help a person out of tough times:

• Be patient, assure support and sound advice to help the person.
• Control your anger, hide your emotions and choose your words with care.
• Think results, but results will not come until you get the person to perform.
• Support a person in tough times and win him for a lifetime.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Give-Your-Hundred-Percent-in-Whatever-You-Do-and-Become-a-Champion&id=9808440

Intimacy Is Attractive (By Jeanna Gabellini)

Many years ago I attended a 70th birthday party for an extraordinary coach and leader, Chuck Roppel. The invitation said the price of admission to his one-man show was that you had to wear a dress.

I had no idea what we were in for at this event. We dolled ourselves up and were delighted to see that even the men attending wore dresses (although some very reluctantly!).

The dresses were used as a potent metaphor for the different "dresses" or "roles" we wear throughout our lives. We have the dress of being a good student... or a rebellious one. The dress of an employee for this company or an owner of that one.

We have our dresses that stay on for decades or the ones we try on and tear off immediately. Each dress leads us to the next dress.

Chuck's one-man show took us through all the dresses of his life up to that point. I thought I knew him well after being in a leadership program with him for a year and hanging out with him for over a decade.

I was wrong.

Chuck revealed so much about himself at his celebration that most people were moved to tears and/or hollering with joy. He created so much intimacy in the theatre that the room buzzed with admiration and love for this amazing man.

He did it by simply being himself and inviting us into his journey. He told stories, tap danced, sang, and dressed in his own ball gown at the end. He held nothing back about who he has been and what he craves for the future. It was sooo attractive.

I believe more intimacy can be allowed into all of our lives. In fact, I'd love to see more of it in the business world. Much more. I mean real intimacy.

Too many people are hiding behind what will look professional or trying to make a good impression. Some folks don't even know they have armor on. When you withhold who you are, you pinch off the flow of abundance. You repel instead of attract.

Now, I'm not promoting airing your dirty laundry. We don't need to know all of the details of your past. But we are attracted to people who know how to create intimacy by fully showing us what's underneath the dress.

We want to see You. Simply you. Be good at allowing YOU to come through everything you do in your biz, and your 5-Star Clients will come a knockin'.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Jeanna Gabellini is a Master Business Coach who makes it effortless and exciting for conscious entrepreneurs to attract all the clients they want without doing more, working more, or marketing more. Grab her FREE audio on dialing in your biz here: http://masterpeacecoaching.com/freecd2

http://ezinearticles.com/?Intimacy-Is-Attractive&id=9823497

How Does A Leader KNOW What To Do?

Fairly, or unfairly, those in positions of leadership, are often held responsible, for whatever happens under their watch. Often, this means, they're given credit for something they had little to do with the success of, as well as blamed for things they didn't do (or couldn't have foreseen). Therefore, I thought it might be useful, if we tackled this somewhat, thorny issue, by examining the components that go into, how a leader makes a decision, and how he knows how to proceed. This includes the period leading up to any decision or action, including training, preparation, experience, etc, as well as how this acquired knowledge, judgment, expertise (hopefully), and wisdom (also, hopefully), can be used, synergistically, to be ready and prepared, and to feel confident, and capable of proceeding. How does a leader KNOW what to do?

1. Keep keen eye; knowledge; kaleidoscope: Leading is often quite challenging because it is confused by a kaleidoscope-effect! Few things are completely black-and-white, and therefore, to become a great leader, one must be able to make some sense out of the often-confusing signs and signals. Can you keep a keen eye on what is most important, and avoid getting distracted by the minutia, and/or lower priority matters? Is the knowledge you've acquired, gained, and remember, useful, or merely a bunch of strewn-together data, which you have not put together in a logical, methodical way?

2. Needs; nuances; noise; nose: Great leaders filter out the distractions and empty, less valuable noises, and focus on priorities, needs, and concerns, both from an immediate, as well as longer-term perspective. They've studied their organization's history, heritage, and mission, and realize the necessary nuances, which will best serve their specific group. Perhaps most importantly, they are ready, willing and able, to put their nose to the grindstone, and work, harder, more consistently, and effectively, than others.

3. Options; opportunities; open-mind; opts: It takes an open-mind, to become the best leader possible. No one knows it all, and therefore, one must be willing to consider and evaluate alternatives, without prejudgment, in a wise and competent way. Do you know the various options, and what the pros-and-cons, of each are? Will you be ready to take advantage of opportunities, which might present themselves, or to make your own opportunity? Finally, do you have the self-confidence, judgment, and true leadership skill, to opt for the best alternative, and to take action in a quality and timely manner?

4. Why; where; when; what; who: Why do you want to be a leader? Where will you take your organization? When will you act? What will be your strategic and action plan, and what will you personally do? Who will you develop, to help you make an even greater, positive impact?

It's not always crystal clear, at the beginning of a leader's deliberations and considerations. Using these attributes and concepts, however, a true leader will KNOW what must be done, and will do it!

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Does-A-Leader-KNOW-What-To-Do?&id=9452145

Leaders: If You Want To Get It Done, CLOSE The Deal!

Nearly every candidate running for office, and almost all individuals, serving in positions of leadership, claim to have the answers, or at least some of them. No matter how great an idea or plan may be (and few have no flaws or gaps), one's plan never moves forward, in a meaningful, significant manner, until, and unless, someone become a real leader, and takes steps, to CLOSE the deal. When does a plan transform from merely being empty rhetoric or promises, to realistic solutions? It's not when it's introduced, no matter how great the idea is! It is also not during a campaign, speech, etc. Rather, only when a leader, focuses on solutions and results, and takes the steps necessary, to create, develop, articulate objectives, needs, priorities, concerns, etc, and motivate others, introducing both a well-considered strategic, and action plan, does there become a path towards achievement. Therefore, capable leaders realize they must sell their approach, and get others to buy in, and thus move forward towards closing the deal, and getting things achieved.

1. Cooperative; creative: While negativism may attract similar individuals, it rarely develops sustainable solutions! Great leaders seek a cooperative, unifying approach, continuously explaining, how only when individuals work together, for the common good, are solutions achieved. Beware of the risk of boring others by using the same-old, same-old approaches and words, but use a creative, positive system, to get others to agree, and buy into your agenda, adopting it, as their own!

2. Listen; learn; lead: Empathetic leaders listen carefully to what their stakeholders feel important, and are concerned with. They pursue priorities, which address these needs and concerns. Why else would others listen, and follow? They continuously learn from everything they do, and observe. If you want others to care and do more, then you must lead by example.

3. Options; opportunities: Don't rule out an option, merely because you may not have initially thought of it! Consider viable alternatives, analyze the pros, cons and ramifications, and be prepared to take advantage of opportunities, as they present themselves.

4. Sustainable system; strengths: We each possess certain areas of strength, as well as weakness. A great leader uses his strengths properly, while addressing his weaknesses, by escaping from his comfort zone, and asking others to join in the effort. Doing so, one enhances the probability of developing and building a relevant, sustainable system.

5. Empathy; example; earn; elicit: Listen effectively, and see things through the eyes of those you serve, so you can be perceived, as an empathetic, caring leader! Never ask anyone to something you won't do, and set an example by your attitude, actions and behavior. Earn respect by your deeds, and show you deserve to be listened to! Elicit a desirable response, because you communicate properly, etc.

Just like in selling, there's no deal, in leadership, unless, and until, you CLOSE. You have to actually ask, or you won't get a response!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Leaders:-If-You-Want-To-Get-It-Done,-CLOSE-The-Deal!&id=9454356

Importance of Leadership

Being a leader is very important in any management position. Not only do should you want to manage your employees, but you should want to inspire and help them grow. According to Gary Yukl, leadership skills can be divided into three separate groups: task orientation, relation orientation, and participative leadership (Yukl, 2003). All three of these categories are very important, and I have personally dealt with managers who have lacked in all three of these categories. Therefore, to become a better manager, I will take what I've learned from them and do things differently.

Task orientation is one of the most important categories in leadership. Task orientation refers to the way a manager handles tasks and puts them in order of importance. In my own experience, I have worked with a manager in the restaurant industry was horrible at doing this. They would handle things that could be dealt with at a later time before talking to a customer who is complaining for instance. When I get into a leadership position, I will be sure to organize my tasks. This would make it possible for goals to be met, customers will be satisfied, and employees will, in turn, feel organized too.

Relation orientation is the way a leader interacts with their employees. Relationship-oriented leaders are focused on supporting and motivating the people on their teams rather than focusing solely on themselves. Communication is a huge part of this category. With an information peer relationship, for instance, low levels of self-disclosure and trust are in effect (Modaff, Butler, & DeWine, 2011). In my experience, I have worked with many managers who have this problem. Working in an atmosphere where this happens, many employees do not feel they can turn to their superior, and therefore do not have a leader.

The category of participative leadership simply is defined as having a manager who is actively working with you to accomplish goals. These goals could be related to the company or even with your own success. When having a manager who lacks in this category, the business can sometimes fail. A leader must be constantly working with their employees to exceed expectations and improve the company. Participation as a leader is one of the most important categories of leadership.

When wanting to become a leader, there are many things you need to consider about yourself. It is possible to do a leadership assessment, which will help you identify what you need to improve on. My goal is to be a manager one day, but not only do I want to be a manager, I also want to be a leader to my employees. Helping my employees to succeed will, in turn, help me succeed. Evaluating the three categories of management will help me to accomplish that.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Importance-of-Leadership&id=9449409

Why We Need KINDER Leaders

If there has been an important theme or message, to learn from this current election cycle, it is, there is far too much vitriol. hatred, prejudice, and empty rhetoric, in today's elections and campaigns, and not enough genuine caring and empathy! How can anyone ever hope to become a relevant, respected, listened to, and meaningful, effective leader, unless there is a shared - feeling of respect, true positive feelings, a positive, can - do attitude, and far more kindness? While there are many assets needed to lead effectively, what good are they, until and unless, stakeholders and constituents are willing to listen carefully and objectively, and that will only occur when they believe their leader is truly empathetic? Today, perhaps more than ever, we need KINDER leaders!

1. Knowledge; keep peace; know right from wrong: An uninformed leader is generally the most dangerous type! He proceeds without realizing (or caring) what the possible ramifications of his actions and rhetoric may be. One must acquire relevant knowledge, and use it properly, so he may proceed wisely. Much of the leadership process is attempting to unify those with differences, and to keep the proverbial, peace, so there can be a meeting of the minds, for the common good, and the best interests of the organization. To do this, there must be a high, moral fiber, so as to understand and know right from wrong, and proceed accordingly, on a consistent, regular basis!

2. Integrity; ideology; ideas: Those in leadership must understand that empty rhetoric and promises, will soon fade away, and that a necessity of leading effectively, is maintain absolute integrity. While one should remain open to alternatives, etc, he must maintain the standards of his ideology. The best leader is the one who has a vital, vibrant vision, and persists forward, introducing and implementing ideas, which will benefit the group.

3. Niceties; needs: Remember that, for most people, their favorite sound, is the sound of their own voice, and hearing their name mentioned, and being thanked! Why can't we disagree on approaches and philosophies, while maintaining a commitment to being nice, respectful, and polite? One is only leading, when he priorities the needs and concerns of those he serves!

4. Dreams; delve deeply; deliver: Why would one want to be a leader, if he lacked a dream or a vision? One's dreams motivate both ourselves, as well as others, if we articulate them properly, Put a plan into shape, and a timeline, and a dream transforms to a goal! Delve deeply into the possibilities and alternatives, ponder the best course, and them proceed, in a timely way, so as to deliver on your promises!

5. Empathy; endear; enrich: Leading should not be about serving one's personal needs or agenda, but rather the needs, priorities and concerns, of those you serve. When a leader listens effectively, seeing things through the eyes and perspectives of others, he becomes capable of genuine, enriching empathy. Doing so, will endear him with many others, because he is doing something positive, to enrich the group, and the experience of his constituents.

6. Relevant; reliable; rational; rationale: True leaders don't merely act like they are busy, but prioritize, so their actions are relevant and rational. When you explain your reasoning, in an open, honorable manner, others will embrace you as being reliable, and appreciate your taking the time, and making the effort, to explain your rationale.

Why should someone try to be a KINDER leader? More importantly, why would someone want to be a leader, unless he is willing to proceed in a kind, caring, respectful way?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-We-Need-KINDER-Leaders&id=9451014

Leadership Qualities: How Consistent Is Your Behavior?

A good leader can set the tone for an entire project, or even a whole business. Their behavior sets expectations and standards for the rest of the team. As a leader, maintaining awareness of your behavior and ensuring that it stays consistent helps to stabilize the work and goals of the project.

Consistency is one of the key leadership qualities to focus and progress. Consistent behavior sets the bar for expectations from your team, your customers and your audience. It reinforces values and reaffirms that they are important to adhere to. It encourages work to happen, even little-by-little with the knowledge that the goal will be reached in the end, through steady progress. It lets people know what to expect from you, and once they know what they can expect, it allows a trust to grow.

Examining your behavior to ensure consistency takes some self-inspection. Do you follow through on the promises you make and do your actions match your words? Do you stand by your values and quality standards even when they are difficult to uphold? Do you set goals and timelines and then take the appropriate steps to ensure they are met?

Evaluating your behavior for consistency can be difficult, as it puts a magnifying glass on moments where decisions may have been made that sacrifice brand, trust, and values, often in the name of saving time or money, or simply finding an easier way to do something. It can expose forgotten promises and uncover moments of poor leadership.

However, to further develop as a leader, you must look at the weak points in your leadership qualities to improve them. Once you can see where inconsistency occurs in your behavior, you can identify the cause and work to solve the problem. The solution can be as simple as creating more reasonable goals or timelines, creating protocols for dealing with issues that arise in a way that quality is ensured, and values are upheld, paying attention to verbal promises and language, or aiming for better time management.

Consistency in your behavior must grow into a habit to be effective, but the way to start is by examining the point your behavior is at now, identifying where it needs to be and finding the actions and patterns you need to establish to give consistency the opportunity to take root and grow.

Look for ways to keep making your behavior more consistent to grow your relationship with your team, audience, and customers.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-Qualities:-How-Consistent-Is-Your-Behavior?&id=9450630

The Importance of Leading by Example

How do you impact your followers in a positive light continuously? You allow them to view you in a constant positive light at all times. A good leader walks as he or she talks. This is leading by example. Without leading by example one can greatly diminish their leadership vision. Followers need to see you exuding what you have instilled in them. They need to see you practice what you preach. Leadership can be summed up into three categories; influence, inspiration and motivation. Below I will go into detail regarding these categories and how they help a leader to lead by example.

Leading is measured by one's influence. It's of importance to set high goals for those who you are leading. This allows them to see room for growth under your leadership. It also affords you the opportunity to model the expected qualities and behavior that will help  reach the goals that have been set forth. Here is where you influence them by your hard work and dedication. Your constant poise and respect for everyone around you. Your actions are being watched at all times-and what you allow your followers to see affects how they behave significantly.

Inspiration and motivation ignite fire within individuals like nothing else. It allows a leader to have a baton to pass from follower to follower to reach the common finish line. If your followers have no fire it can be because they see no fire in their leader. A leader has to set an example of inspiration and motivation that sparks others to want to be on board, and work at their top potential. Inspiration and motivation goes past just pep talks, it goes forth in behavior. A leader has to inspire and motivate others via their personal behavior. Their personal behavior sets the tone for the appropriate energy which all followers need to exude. Inspiration and motivation are the key elements to get others going in a positive light, and as a leader that light starts with you.

Leading by example allows you to continuously impact your followers in a positive light. How you behave can either help your vision as a leader or diminish it negatively. The example you set molds the type of followers you have behind you. Many are looking to you for inspiration and motivation to be all they can be. This helps to stress the importance of always modeling the expected qualities and behaviors.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Leading-by-Example&id=9451419

How to Become a Values-Based Leader

Business leader and educator Harry Kraemer’s four principles. 

Values-based leadership is the solution for today’s leaders, says Harry Kraemer, the former CEO of Baxter International and professor of management and strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He recently spoke on leadership from his book From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership at the Northwestern Alumni Association’s Leadership Symposium.

Kraemer highlights the values-based foundation with his four principles:

1. Self-Reflection: “Values-based leaders are people who take time to think, to ask questions,” says Kraemer.

Questions values-based leaders should be asking themselves include: What are my values? What do I stand for? What matters? What examples do I want to set? What is my purpose?

“It is turning these value-based questions into action.”

Kraemer points out that this is not self-absorption. “Without self-reflection, how is it possible for one to know himself or herself? And if I don’t know myself, how can I lead myself? And if I cannot lead myself, how can I lead others?”

Kraemer suggests taking a 15-minute daily personal inventory, something he does each day. Ask yourself these questions:

-What did I say I was going to do today?

-What am I proud of?

-How did I treat people?

-How did I lead people?

-How did I follow people?

-If I could live today again, what would I do differently?

2. Balance: Kraemer says values-based leaders should have a balanced perspective in the hope of achieving a global perspective. They should understand all sides of the story, seeking to understand before being understood. This will translate best if you understand yourself (self-reflection) and then the members of your team.

The more you relate to each of them, the better leader you are going to be, he says. Genuine interest and respect for team members is essential.

3. True Self-Confidence: This is not arrogance, or a false ego boost, says Kraemer. Instead, it is a definitive turning point in one’s self-growth.

“When, as a person, you have reached a point where you can confidently say, ‘I don’t know,’ and ‘I am wrong,’ you have true self-confidence. Leadership is not about control; it is the ability to influence people,” he says.

4. Genuine Humility: This stems from one’s roots and origins. Kraemer poses the question, “How did you get where you are today?”

He says one of the most common responses he gets is: “Hard work and having a specific skill set.”

While he agrees those are important factors, Kraemer divulges his personal formula. “For me, it is a combination of these four things: luck, timing, ‘the team’ and my spiritual ‘somebody else involved in the play.’”

Kraemer says the foundation of genuine humility is through others, the people and relationships from early in life and career.

He also emphasizes that leadership does not require a specific title. “You can lead long before you have anyone reporting to you,” he says. “Most people cannot relate to someone who thinks they are God-like. A values-based leader is not trying to be right; he or she is trying to do the right thing.”

There is power in leadership roles to inspire others. “In leadership, you are blessed to have enormous impact on people.”

http://www.success.com/article/how-to-become-a-values-based-leader

10 Signs You Really Are a Leader (and Might Not Know it)

Many times people who influence us the most aren't even aware they are leading us.

We often feel that to be a leader you need to be born a leader, or be drawn to leadership, or have a leader-ly position.

We think of leadership as a title that has to be deserved or earned.  

But leaders are rarely, if ever, born. If we had to isolate a factor that creates leaders, it's probably some combination of circumstance and persistence.

Many, many leaders walk among us--in all kinds of people, places and positions.

Some of the greatest leaders you'll ever meet aren't even aware of their own leadership.

Here are 10 signs that you may be one of them:

1. You have an open mind and seek out other people's opinions. If people are drawn to you because you are open to others people's opinions, you are a leader.

2. You offer advice and counsel. If you find yourself advising your colleagues, and your friends are asking you to counsel them--if people seem to seek out and value what you say--then your empathy is strong and your perspective has real-world usefulness to those around you. If you often help those around you navigate their rough patches, you are a leader.

3. People count on you. If people rely on you, it follows that they trust you to follow through and deliver on your promises. If you hold yourself accountable and demonstrate the kind of day-in, day-out responsibility that leads others to trust you, you are a leader.

4. You're a good listener and people confide in you. Being able to listen to others, having people speak to you frankly without worrying about who you'll tell or how you might use that knowledge against them, are signs of strong leadership--not to mention of being a nice person. If you understand that listening is more important than speaking, and if people know they can confide in you, you are a leader.

5. Others follow your example. The most powerful form of leadership isn't persuasion or argument or force, but example. Whether times are good or bad, people notice who's present, who's effective, who's working hard without distraction. When that person is you, others naturally follow you--and you are a leader.

6. You insist on excellence. As Aristotle said, we are what we repeatedly do, and therefore excellence is not an act but a habit. When you are in the habit of standing up for excellence and you hold yourself and those around you responsible for quality, you are telling others that you act rather than talk, show rather than say, deliver rather than promise. If you are not making excuses or blaming others but holding up the standard of excellence and quality, you are a leader.

7. You have a positive attitude. Positive, optimistic people make people around them happy. A positive outlook doesn't blind you to problems or issues but allows you to seek out something good in almost every situation and to know that eventually things will be all right. It's the kind of spirit that keeps people motivated and spreads optimism, and it means you are a leader.

8. You treat people with respect. Knowledge may give you power, being smart may give you an advantage, but when you give respect you will always receive respect in return. If you look for the good in everyone you meet and respect them for who they are, it's likely that they hold you in high esteem and that you are a leader.

10. You are confident and passionate. Most people are always watching each other, looking for cues about how to behave. Being confident means moving with assurance, being passionate about what you believe and refusing to let anything get in your way. If you work consistently toward a cause with vision and confidence, you are a leader.9. You genuinely care about others. If you spend time supporting, guiding and sharing your knowledge with those around you, giving them the opportunity to achieve success, and if you care about their well-being and do all you can to help them attain their own success, you are a leader.

Are you failing to see something important within yourself? Weigh yourself against these traits, reconsider what you think you know, and recognize yourself for the leader you may really be.

http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/10-signs-you-really-are-a-leader-and-might-not-know-it.html

6 Powerful Leadership Lessons for A Successful Career

We tend to think of powerful leaders as figures of moral stature or financial acumen and believe those in authority should stand out from the crowd. In fact, we often put them on a pedestal, believing that few have the potential to match their genius.

But dynamic leaders are similar to the rest of us in many ways. They set goals and work toward them sometimes falling short. The main difference is that great leaders consistently meet and exceed their goals. They set higher goals, and meet those as well. Sometimes falling short, these men and women are not deterred from persevering in an ongoing quest to reach new heights in their climb to success. Many claim the following six strategies have helped to pave their way.

Clear Vision

Successful people have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish, whether it's inventing an amazing technological device or housing the homeless. Many write down their vision or brand it to share with the world. Soon countless others become aware of and impressed by their ability to fulfill their mission.

Commitment and Determination

Although a visionary's quest may grow out of a dream, it must be guided by realistic commitment and determination. Recognizing that no one will nurture their dream the way that they do, a strong leader will commit everything to make it happen rather than depending on others and then blaming them when it fails.

Resources and Mentors

A wise leader knows that wisdom can be fostered by collectivism. Working with a steering committee, a corporate board or a focus group, can mean the difference between success and failure. Planning for a project's needs and utilizing available resources are critical steps to a successful outcome. Many outstanding leaders attribute their success to the guiding force of a mentor or success coach.

Caring and Sharing

No matter how successful great leaders become, they show care and concern for employees and others associated with a particular enterprise. They listen to ideas from their colleagues, give credit where credit is due and unselfishly share the accolades with those who contribute to a project's success.

Surviving Failure

As an all-star basketball player once said, "It's the ninety-nine missed shots that lead to the single winning shot." Smart people learn as much from their mistakes as they do from their successes, while recognizing that failure serves to clarify the ultimate goal of an endeavor. When efforts lead to an undesirable result, they try a different approach instead of giving up.

Risk Taking

The most successful careers often involve some risk taking. An investment of time or money may not always lead to success but failure to take a risk means there absolutely is no chance of success. Astute leaders are able to balance potential risk with prospective gain and often triumph as a result.

Anyone can be a leader, but not everyone can lead effectively. The above qualities are used by many acclaimed successful people to achieve success and become role models for those they inspire.

http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Powerful-Leadership-Lessons-for-A-Successful-Career&id=9315101

6 Essential Steps To Making Your Action Plan Relevant

There is no single aspect of leadership, which is more essential or meaningful, than gaining the skills, abilities and necessities of quality planning. The better one becomes capable of thoroughly analyzing situations, with the intention of learning priorities, needs, concerns, and alternatives, the better he can develop the best course of action, and a plan for getting there. Nearly every leadership training program dedicates time to the significance of both strategic and action planning, yet very few organizations, and their leadership, ever go beyond surface efforts, or over-reliance on the safe, popular, same-old rhetoric and ideas! It is the intent of this article, therefore, to review the six essential steps one should follow, to assure he makes his action plan, relevant and meaningful.

1. Fully review needs and priorities: How can you hope to develop a meaningful, relevant plan, if you don't first thoroughly review the needs and priorities, which will make the biggest, most important difference. Maintain an open mind, listen far more than you speak, avoid empty rhetoric, under-promise and over-deliver! Address current concerns in a forward-looking manner, and you make your potential action plan, far more meaningful!

2. Consider options and alternatives: Never prejudge, but rather consider options and alternatives! Think about the what-ifs, from a positive, can-do, action-oriented perspective. How will every possibility impact your organization, and what are the potential possibilities and ramifications (both positive and negative)?

3. Develop your team carefully: No individual, regardless of talents, assets, intellects, skills, etc, can do it alone! He needs to involve both co-leaders as well as stakeholders, etc. We often hear people discuss the need to delegate, but beware that unless you do so with care, and select the right people, there may be more harm than benefit! Don't merely choose yes-men, or friends, or those who you believe you can dominate. Seek individuals with absolute integrity, and the highest level of personal responsibility, who you can count on, to do what they promise to! Train and oversee the members of your team, and carefully articulate your expectations, and their responsibilities/duties, etc.

4. Delegate effectively and properly: How will you break up responsibilities, and how will you assure a minimum of redundancy? Delegate by clearly identifying what each individual should and must do, and obtain a high level of assurance your confidence in them, is understood, and how they will communicate with you, as well as the timetable, etc. If you find the right team, your possibilities are exponentially enhanced!

5. Step-by-step, with contingencies and responsibilities: A wise man once told me, Do you know how to eat the elephant? One bite at a time? When we look at any project in increments/steps, we create a can-do mindset, which becomes self-motivating! Don't over-simplify the process, consider all foreseeable contingencies, and clearly articulate responsibilities, in a well-considered manner!

6. Start!: No matter how great your hopes, plans or expectations, no action plan becomes meaningful, until, and unless you actual start and proceed!

Leaders must create, develop, implement and pursue, an action plan that is relevant, and makes a significant difference, for the better! Become the best leader you can be!

http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Essential-Steps-To-Making-Your-Action-Plan-Relevant&id=9309021

Why Narcissists Think They're Better Than You

New research on grandiosity and the Lake Wobegon effect.

                      

A central aspect of narcissism is grandiosity. That is, narcissists tend to think highly of themselves. In particular, they tend to have a positive view of themselves compared to other people.

To be fair, almost everyone has a reasonably positive view of themselves. The “Lake Wobegon effect” is the observation that people generally think they are better at a variety of skills than they really are. The name comes from the radio show created by Garrison Keillor in which all of the children in the fictional town of Lake Wobegon are “above average.” Of course, everyone can’t be above average...

A central question about narcissism, then, is whether this tendency to enhance one's opinion of oneself applies to every trait. A paper by Emily Grijalva and Luyao Zhang in the January 2016 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin explored this issue.

The researchers did a meta-analysis of a number of studies relating people’s degree of narcissism to their tendency to enhance their view of themselves. (A meta-analysis examines the data from many different studies to capture broad trends in research that may only be evident when looking across a large number of studies.) In the studies within the meta-analysis, participants filled out an inventory that measured their degree of narcissism, and then rated themselves along a number of personality traits. In these studies, other people who knew the participants also rated them along those traits. The key question for the team was whether one's degree of narcissism predicts the difference in ratings one gives to oneself compared to the ratings other people give him or her.

Overall, there was a tendency for narcissists to have an enhanced view of themselves. Interestingly, narcissists were particularly likely to enhance traits that reflect their ability to influence the world. So narcissists perceived themselves to be more arrogant, extroverted, honest, and open than other people thought them to be. They also thought themselves to be more intelligent, better leaders, and more physically attractive than others thought them to be. 

Narcissists did not strongly enhance all traits, though. Traits that reflect an ability to be part of a community did not tend to be enhanced. Narcissists did not think they were more conscientious, fair, likable, or reliable than others thought them to be.

This pattern reflects that narcissists inflate their view of themselves in order to enhance their self-esteem. That means narcissists are focused on having an outsize impact on the world around them. They want others to know them for their individual ability rather than their ability to work with a team. As a result, they are focused mostly on traits that reflect individual leadership and greatness rather than positive traits that would make them better members of a community.

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201512/why-narcissists-think-theyre-better-you