Leadership is about excellence, but a leader does not command excellence. What a leader does is build excellence. A leader creates excellence, being all the best that they can be and doing what is right for the organization.
We are living in constant social change. We are living in a moment in the history of humanity where the ways we have worked and lived have been primarily from the head. We have been living in a lot of doing and very little being, which does not and has not given us the results we seek.
During my over three decades of observing, training, developing, consulting to, and working with over a thousand leaders of all different size and scope organizations, I have observed that the vast majority of those in leadership positions violate what I consider the first rule of being an effective leader, which is don’t waste time. The most prevalent waste of time in leadership is the start- up period often involved when someone first ascends to his position. Time and again, I have observed individuals, whose tenure in office is often only a year or two, begin their regime without their agenda…
An essential factoid of leadership must be that lying leaders lose loyalty. This must be understood, not merely as a cleverly written alliteration, but rather from the central issue, which is that no leader can be successful if he does not develop a loyalty from those around him. This includes members, donors, sponsors, as well as his personal entourage, which includes his family and friends.
In 1976, the little movie Network came out. All told, the movie earned four Academy Award Oscars for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay. Peter Finch plays the role of a suicidal news anchor, distraught over the state of affairs of the network industry, network news and the world.
It was a cracker of a question. Surely there cannot be a fresh surprising question after 2,000 years, but there it was. “What would Jesus’ DNA be like if He had no earthly father? Of, course, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son, had no earthly father, and we need to be quite sure and clear and certain about that. To think otherwise would be sin. To some questions there are no straightforward answers, and on this occasion the questioner was not being daft, or contentious. When it comes to perseverance, the only way we can learn that lesson is by persevering. There is no easier way. These leaders had answers. Of course, they had much more than answers!
In light of the recent mindless rioting spattered across various cities in Britain, at its peak the extremity of the damage caused and the knock on effect of how much it would cost to restore normality shook the seats of parliament to the point of considering Military action. Leaders themselves the military would have shown an understanding and clarity of the task at hand, unlike the pack of delinquents that the military would have had to oppress. So how does a riot start?
Good leadership begins with you. Everyone talks about developing good leadership skills. The truth is that the only person who can really teach you how to be the best leader is…you.
Don’t die before you are dead. Learn how to become a visionary leader and live your dreams. Discover how to inspire those around you. Remain motivated all the time. Overcome apathy, despair, hopelessness and more. Know the leader’s greatest asset is vision!
Talks devoid of personal stories are toothless, powerless, and non-consequential. Especially, if you are a leader, you need personal stories from your own struggles, ups and downs, mistakes, and triumphs. Such stories could be able to touch the inner most being of the people you are trying to influence. They generate commitment from your people, and earn you authenticity to lead by example.
