One of America's brightest leaders and thinkers
Some people have a natural knack for leadership. They have an innate ability to motivate, inspire, and be a role model. For many others, it takes years of hard work to acquire the skills and attributes that belong in a leader. With hard work and dedication, however, anyone can be one of America’s brightest leaders and thinkers.
They often rise to the top because unlike the fortunate few born with this trait, they are not afraid to put in the hours necessary for success. Leadership is about more than just picking up your paycheck — it’s about being able to reach out your hand when someone needs it most or when a challenge arises through which you can help others grow from that experience.
Those great leaders never take credit for the successes of others, but are quick to recognize their achievements. They understand that teamwork is the key to reaching any goal you set in life, whether it’s a family, personal or business milestone.
Leadership requires an individual to be selfless and help others, yet at the same time have a desire to be recognized for their efforts. Great leaders serve as role models and inspire others to be better versions of themselves. This is accomplished because they realize that being unselfish is much more rewarding than being selfish or materialistic. And maybe once in a while they need to be reminded that they are appreciated and respected by those who follow them.
You can find these traits and more in America’s brightest leaders. Some are famous celebrities who have used their public platform to spread awareness of a cause that’s important to them. Others are people you may not know because they may be working behind the scenes, but they are making a positive difference just the same.
When you look at some of today’s organizations most valued for their leadership skills — you will see several common denominators among them; integrity, hard work, vision, and people skills. These great leaders understand that it is important to develop people and never lose sight of the goal in mind, yet at the same time make sure that everyone feels special for what they do for the team.
The most amazing thing about these leaders is that they are not afraid to set new goals. They understand that the world is a changing and a moving target, so it’s best to adapt quickly as you try to get ahead of the curve.
In his book, The Art of Leadership: Leading from the Frontline (John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2002), James C. Collins shares many important principles for anyone seeking leadership opportunities in today’s business environment. These include but are not limited to; “Leaders have an immense amount of influence on their followers, but very little time in which to do it.”
“The following leadership principles are true for all leaders, whether in government, business or social organizations, and for followers as well. The Principles are based on a decade of research into the practices of exemplary leaders and our ongoing study of leadership across a variety of disciplines.”
Collins goes on to say that these Principles are not presented in any particular order. “Rather, they provide an overview that can help leaders determine what practices to emphasize from those most important to less important over time. While the principles don’t flow directly from one to another, they do correlate with one another and support each other indirectly. For example, it is hard to have a coherent vision or strategy without a strong sense of identity; and it is hard to develop coherence with your followers without first communicating a clear vision.”
Imagine winning the lottery! Imagine how you would feel! Then wake up from that dream and realize that you are already a winner. You just need to be willing to accept the challenge of being one of America’s bright leaders so that you can share with others those same feelings that you experienced in your dream. Then share that vision by being a role model and giving the gift of sharing it with those around you so that they can obtain the same joys in life.
When you allow this to happen, America will be a much better place to live because these leaders are going to work hard towards developing a better life for everyone. They will do this by leading and inspiring others in an effort that makes Joe, Mary and Jack proud.
The following are brief excerpts from an article written by Gary Liss and published at www.garylisslaw.com. The article is entitled, “How to become a one-person Board of Directors for your small business.”
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
“Now I want to share with you the secret I discovered in 2006 that, once you learn it, will make it easier than ever before to be a “one-person board of directors.” In the past I would speak at board meetings and see the faces relax when they realized just how much work always went on behind the scenes that they were not aware of. This surprised them and often prompted them to ask questions, thinking perhaps there was something they could do or learn that would help my business. I would explain that as the owner, I didn’t have time to sit around and wait to be informed. Instead, it was my responsibility to keep informed. I would say things like, “I hate surprises. If something is going on that I need to know about, I want to know about it right away before anything comes up that will make it more challenging than necessary, or worse cause me a delay or detriment in some way. If there is something that has to be done, I want to know about it as soon as possible.”
The board would usually respond saying, “We are so glad you told us about that. We had no idea what was going on. Our confidential information always seems to spill out of the folders into which we file it and that upset us very much because we thought it was secure. We want to support you, but we don’t have time to keep up with everything that happens in your life as a CEO.”
I would say, “Thank you, I appreciate that. Now how about you help me!” I would tell them exactly what they could do to assist me in keeping tabs on everything. I would give them a list of things they did well and didn’t do well, so that we could find a way to cover it all and make things run smoothly for both of us. Now you probably think this is all very much above board and above the head of a small business owner, but believe me it does work! It is done by setting up ways for the owner to be connected in real time to many different departments within the business that might have their own agenda.
Conclusion
This short article demonstrates just a few of the things that America’s bright leaders can do to become successful. It is also important to note that the most successful people are usually ones who have a burning passion and a willingness to do whatever it takes to be perceived as successful. There is an old saying, “It is not what you know, but who you know.” These people can learn anything they need to learn in order to succeed in life. They then take their newly acquired knowledge and use it as a source for developing new strategies for success that may not have occurred had they stayed within their comfort zone.
Post a Comment