WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A LEADER
by Peter Wink
One thing I want to say upfront is that all the information in my blog posts comes from my personal experience as well as that of others I know very well, or studied in-depth. Please note that I'm in no way trying to sway your opinion, nor do I claim that any of my information will work for you --- or that I'm even right for that matter. After all what's right for me, may not be for you --- and vice versa. Information "just is." I say with earnest, I have zero desire to be right and claim someone else is wrong. That's a losing proposition. It's all perspective and my ego is well rested. Thankfully that's out of the way and you're still reading. :-)
Now on to the my thoughts...
To be a leader of an organization, or any other team/group/individual, requires one to possess a few very important characteristics which I'm going to share in a moment.
First and foremost always consider that you can't give what you don't possess. So to instill these characteristics in others, you must possess as many of them as possible or you may find yourself having a credibility issue. Consider working at them daily and eventually they'll form a rock solid foundation for leadership built on strength, character, logic, ability, wisdom, and trust. The marks of a GREAT leader! (Remember --- you can't build a foundation for a skyscraper on matchsticks.)
Here are what I believe to be of vital importance when it comes to being a leader.
To become a leader you must...
- Always speak your mind
- Lead others with their best interests at heart
- Demonstrate far reaching vision
- Hire the best people and fire the worst
- Train people properly
- Lead by example
- Look for the good in everyone
- Treat others as they want to be treated
- Have compassion for those less fortunate
- Grow those with ambition
- Be kind to everyone around you
- Ignore naysayers
- Surround yourself with top talent and strong mentors
- Take the bull by the horns
- Build your talent
- Delegate task to others
- Turn weaknesses into strengths
- Make decisions from sound logic; and not from fear
- Educate yourself in our field of interest
- Be stingy with advice
- Stay positive even in the worst of scenarios
- Treat your significant other like gold
- Feed your body healthy, life-filled foods
- Get regular rest and exercise as often as possible
- Plan and act
- Take consistent action
- Get over procrastination
- Spend time with those who have your back
- Trust only those who have earned it
- Attack only when the time is right
- Stay patient when everyone else is frantic
- Build future leaders
- Lead by example
Think BIG, be fearless, and live today as if it's your last!
Peter Wink
