A leaders commitment to leadership is all about developing the right thinking.
If your thinking doesn’t change, then your team and your business won’t change.
Effective leaders have an attitude of success. Their actions are the result of their attitude, and attitudes are the choices leaders make, day in, day out.
Is your attitude one of success?
Why or why not?
What is a choice you need to make today?
The quality of leadership is directly proportional to the ability of a leader to follow someone else and be led.
Throughout history, all the great leaders have been led, mentored by someone more successful than themselves.
For example, Oprah Winfrey was mentored by celebrated author and poet, the late Maya Angelou. “She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life,” Winfrey said. “Mentors are important and I don’t think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship.”
American business magnate Warren Buffett is often considered the most successful investor of the twentieth century. He was mentor to Microsoft cofounder, Bill Gates who turned to him for advice on numerous issues.
Virgin Group co-founder Richard Branson asked British airline entrepreneur, Sir Freddie Laker, for guidance during his struggle to get multinational conglomerate Virgin Atlantic off the ground. “It’s always good to have a helping hand at the start. I wouldn’t have got anywhere in the airline industry without the mentorship of Sir Freddie Laker,” said Branson. (source)
For 22 years I was led by someone much wiser and more successful than myself and this impacted my leadership journey to huge effect. His passing has been a major loss in my life and I will be forever grateful for the strong leadership he provided me to bring about a change in my thinking and behaviours.
Your quality and effectiveness as a leader will be determined by your level of teachability.
Who is leading you?
Are you really listening?
Leaders have followers – that’s why they’re called leaders.
The authority of a leader is diluted if the followers work out that the leader they are following is not being led. Nobody has all the wisdom and all the answers and a secure leader will always ask for guidance. It is not what you say, but what you do as a leader that truly counts. It’s what the team observes and the quality of your leadership will be determined by your ability to allow yourself to be led. The experience of being led for 22 years empowered me because of the wisdom I gained to raise my level of leadership and influence to make me the most effective leader I could be.
Who empowers you?
Who builds you up?
Who calls you out when you make a mistake and gives you advice to move forward?
Most people feel they are beyond being led and many people struggle their whole lives. The quality of leadership and the quality of peoples lives will always be determined by the wisdom they seek. Google, for example, is driven by people wanting wisdom but this is nowhere nearly as effective as a personal one on one relationship, being led. The quality of leadership will always be determined by the level of success that is obtained by that leader. Failure will always reduce the level of respect a leader has.
If you truly want to be the leader, then success is not an option – it is imperative.
How successful are you right now?
Success will give you influence and the more influence you have as a leader, the more effective you will become.
Do you have influence?
Where do you need more influence?
The quality of your leadership will be determined by your ability to seek and associate with people more successful than yourself.
If you were to currently rate the quality of your leadership from 1 to 10, with 10 being maximum quality, what would you rate it?
What do you need to improve to increase the quality of your leadership?
Are you willing to be led?
If you are not currently being led, who could you approach to lead you, to empower you to increase your influence?
