Remember we talk about this in the past. About comfort zone? So for today Lead Others, we will need to take off from there. So lets begin the 9th Snippet Sharing session.
After building your capacity for self-leadership, you would enter the realm of leadership for others. There are 9 points that will prepare you for that role. The #1 is DEVELOPING THE COURAGE QUOTIENT. It simply means being daring enough to step out of your own world into a world where you can show others the way. In business, this 1st element is shown in the following examples 1. Make the right decision even if it is not popular 2. Lead yourself and your team into the unknown (set a new path and leave a trail) 3Sell a dream and set an ambitious target 4. Hiring and firing somebody 4. Keep fighting for what you believe in and open to conflicts. It is critical that you must believe in yourself because people can see through you if you are not. Nobody wants to follow title. People want to follow courage.
Eleanor Roosevelt “do one thing everyday that scares you” – Focus on the advantage of what you are doing. Feeling fear means you are on the right track.
Virginia Rometty “growth and comfort do not coexist” – have the courage to fail.
#2 – BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, NOT MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS. To lead others mean to grow your circle, network. Followers want to see your ability to influence. If you only have yourself or at most just a couple of followers (permanently) it will reflect on your weakness as a person of strength and character. So you need to show the capacity to increase your network, to make new friends whenever you go, to create a bigger gap between the like you:hate you ratio. People are drawn to someone who is popular (but remember to be credible too) because having a steady and growing following is evidence of positive qualities. In business this element is best shown when you can 1. recognize that even the non-important people can be important 2 receive feedback and getting referrals 3. constantly expand your network and deepen your relationships. So keep a goal whereby each day you will be making 3 to 5 new friends. If a day passes where your circle remains of the same size, it means your focus is wrong ie you are managing relationships instead of building relationships. Keep your principles and values and you will realize managing relationship is an auto-mode process. You don’t have to manage. Your qualities will keep the right people around you.
#3 – INTEGRITY IS YOU. Do not try to be. Be it. Have integrity even when it is not expected of you because integrity is essential to your self-worth. If you do not have or lack integrity, your character will fall because your sense of right and wrong become shades of grey. You know you have integrity when 1. If you say you’ll do it, you do it 2. Don’t overpromise and don’t under-deliver 3. Say as it is. Speak with candour. In business, your reputation is everything 4. Turn your back on anything that lacks or compromises integrity even if it appears to be lucrative. Integrity leads to credibility and credibility leads to leadership.
The fourth thing you must have is #4 – MASTER THE LAW OF THE VITAL FEW. The 80/20 rule impacts your time management and resource allocation to get the maximum results. Eg 20% of the people in your life bring 80% of your happiness. Know who are you VITAL FEW friends, customers, employees, downlines, partners, products, services? Pay more attention to these few. It is not about equality. It is about priority.
