Control is not leadership;
management is not leadership;
leadership is leadership.
If you seek to lead,
invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself
— your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct.
In today’s highly competitive world, leadership skills are essential for any successful business. What does leadership mean? Leadership typically refers to actions like guiding, directing, or managing others; it involves starting the right activities to reach a specific goal. However, it also describes someone who holds a leadership position. How can leadership be applied in so many different ways? And what truly defines a leader in these various situations? The answer lies in understanding that the most basic trait of leadership, and of those who lead, is personal leadership.
There is an ongoing discussion about whether leaders are born or made. The answer is both. Some individuals are natural leaders, while others need to learn specific skills or refine their abilities to succeed as leaders. Certain people possess the confidence and charisma to stand out and serve as good role models for others. These individuals usually require little guidance in developing their natural talents. On the other hand, many others must work hard to improve their leadership qualities to achieve success. Leadership training has become a significant industry in today’s corporate world, which we can discuss another time. However, today’s focus is on personal leadership.
What is personal leadership?
It is the ability to direct your own life and to lead yourself in the direction that you would like for your life to take. The ability to define what you want out of life and how you are going to get there is the first step in developing leadership, both personally and corporately. Personal leadership means leading, directing, and taking action. It means living each day to its fullest. It means taking the time, making the proper effort and finding the correct tools to achieve the goals that you want to achieve so badly. Knowing what you want out of life, figuring out what success means to you specifically, articulating your goals, knowing that those goals are part of your purpose for being alive, is the essence of personal leadership.
Personal leadership also means accountability, to yourself and to others. I know that’s a “four letter word” in many circles. But, it means that you have made a conscious decision to use the special, specific and unique talents that you have been given to reach further, higher, deeper, wider, to reach your goals. It means that you have come to the realization that you have the potential to develop further. It means that you have determined the course you need to pursue, and that you are the master of your life.
You are a leader. You are an important leader, even if you lead no one except yourself through your daily life. Figure out what you want to do, where you want to go, who you want to be. Find out how to get it done. The first step in becoming a leader of repute of other people is to be able to demonstrate that you can lead your most important follower. You!
Thoughts?
Photo Credit: Bert Kaufmann via Compfight cc
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