After, over four decades of personal involvement, in, nearly, everything related to effectively leading, from identifying and qualifying, to training, developing, and consulting to thousands of actual, and/ or potential leaders, to serving, personally, as a leader, on various occasions, I strongly inform, those considering, seeking, becoming a leader, to be as – prepared, as possible, and pay keen attention, and maintain the necessary discipline, to recognize, and respect, consistently, the essence of effective LEADING! This means and requires, going, well – beyond, mere – lip – service, but making these characteristics, second – nature! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, using the mnemonic approach, what this means and represents, and why it matters.
1. Listen; learn; lessons; limitations; leadership: In order to ensure, your leadership is optimal, you must effectively, listen, and learn, from every conversation, and experience, in order to gain empathy, as well as learn essential lessons, to avoid repeating the same – old, mistakes! However, what few recognize, and fully understand, are the limitations, involved, because, one cannot and should not, try to do it, himself, but, rather develop a team, to become the best, he can be!
2. Empathy; emphasis; excellence; endurance; enrich; example: Once, one understands, a real leader must set an example, to follow, and believe – in, he begins to demonstrate genuine empathy, and place his emphasis, accordingly! He must demand his utmost degree of personal excellence, while never being satisfied with, good – enough! Enriching one’s group requires endurance, and persistence, to keep moving forward, while much of the rest – of – the – pack, gives – up!
3. Attitude; aptitude; attention; articulate; actions: Maintaining a positive, can – do, attitude (without wearing rose – colored glasses), and developing, a well – developed, aptitude, and skill – set, aligned with paying keen attention, positions a potential leader, to become a genuine one! He must articulate an inspiring message, and rationale, and his actions, must clearly, demonstrate his sincerity, and integrity!
4. Delve deeply; discover; daring: One must go – beyond the surface, and delve deeply, into all viable options and alternatives, in order to discover the best path – forward! It takes a daring leader, to have the nerve, to expand the limitations of his self – imposed, comfort zone!
5. Inspiring; imagination; innovate; integrity: Inspiring leaders have the combination of integrity, relevant imagination, and an inspiring message, to produce, common sense, aimed at the greater good, and encouraging, a real, meeting – of – the – minds!
6. Needs; nerve: Leading must be based on needs, and a real leader needs the nerve, to make the challenging decisions, as, and when, necessary!
7. Generate goodwill; growth; greater good; guiding: A true leader must consider himself, responsible for guiding his constituents, in the right direction! He seeks meaningful growth, by, consistently, generating goodwill, focused on the greater good~
Will you use the basic principles, and essence of quality, LEADING, in order to become a quality leader? Do you have what it takes?