LEADERSHIP

Everyone write down the first name that comes to mind when you think of “leadership”. Now we will divide into groups according to who you chose.

How many of you chose President Obama? How many of you chose an entertainer or a popular figurehead within society (Bill Gates, Oprah etc.) Why is that? What forms our opinions of what a leader should be? What characteristics should a leader possess?

STEPS TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL LEADER.

Establish your Vision Figure out what you’re passionate about and set goals for yourself. Write down what it is that you want to achieve and set a realistic path to getting there “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”

Do Your Research It is essential for you to assess your environment and evaluate how your vision fits into the world around you(are there competitors; who is doing what you want to accomplish?) and also to seek advice from professionals and other individuals who can give you valuable input. “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them”

Commit to your Goal Its very easy to say hey I would like to do this but much harder to actually do it. If being a leader was easy then everyone would be one; however, it’s not it takes hard work and determination. Leaders realize the obstacles that stand in their way and plan accordingly. “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans”

Commit to your Goal cont’d Leaders must be able to use their vision as motivation and have to be willing to take risks in order to achieve greatness Think of the innovator’s who drop out of college to go after their dreams; what risks are they taking?. Leaders must be able to deal with disappointment. Sometimes you will hear no a lot more than yes! You must be able to let nothing get in your way or discourage you from achieving your goals.

Network, Network, Network!!! Leaders must also be outgoing people and unafraid to communicate what they want. Leaders are bold and set themselves apart. How many of you have business cards or plan on having business cards? How many of you have already introduced yourself to new people and have gained new contacts? What do you do when you go to an event or conference; do you seize every opportunity that is possible?

Gain Support One of the most important aspects of being a leader is being able to lead… effectively! You must be able to gain support from your peers while being strategic (don’t share your vision with everyone!) and also by them to be as equally motivated to reach your goal as you are. “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not followers”.

Gain Support cont’d Once you have your support system established it is important to understand the significance of being able to delegate tasks efficiently while empowering the people behind you at the same time. You must have reasonable expectations of others and remember that leaders take control without being overbearing or over- demanding. “You do not lead by hitting people over the head- that’s assault, not leadership”

Take Responsibility Leaders must take responsibility for not only themselves but others as well. Once you have a vision and are on your way to getting people to follow your lead, you have a image to uphold and have total responsibility on the success or failure of your venture. How you plan, delegate, execute, market etc. all take a part in how successful you can become. “The price of greatness is responsibility”

Stick With It! Many small businesses and other ventures fail because of poor planning and the lack of commitment/faith into the organization/company. If you see that you are not being successful, don’t just give up! It may just take some reevaluation or some alteration of your vision to make it work. Don’t forget that you can also be successful in different areas; leaders must be able to diversify and continually expand their horizons.

Empower and Give Back!! This is the most important part of being a leader, and unfortunately one of the most overlooked. It is important to give back to your community and always think of ways to provide opportunities for others to be successful. Knowing that you helped someone to want to do more with their life or inspire them to do something great is not only beneficial to you but to many. Remember to pay it forward, and remember the people that helped you get to where you need to go.

Exercise I would like everyone to take about 5-10 minutes and come up with a business idea or organizational idea. How will this idea benefit others? What will you do to accomplish your goals? How will you incorporate the steps to being a leader in your plan?