Developing the Leader within You #2
Authored by John C Maxwell, enhanced by Peter Wiz4.biz 7/13
10 Traits are discussed, by Author John Maxwell, that an individual needs to focus on – in his/her own life – in order to become more effective in their leadership roles.
Chapter 4 – The Ultimate Test of Leadership = Creating Positive Change
What people are looking for in a leader is someone who can create positive change in the organization. A leader brings not only new goals and visions, but also the means to get from where the organization currently is, to where it needs to be. The sad fact is that many people will resist change, because it’s out of their comfort zone and could even be scary. They don’t know what’s going to be around the next bend in the road, and so they’re more secure with the situation they know. Even if the vision of where the group is going is better than where they are, a lot of people won’t be up for it. It is the true test for a leader: to motivate those in the organization who are resistant to change, or find ways to work through the challenges without them. And, let’s not forget that the first change that has to occur in any organization is within the leader him/herself. You have to motivate yourself to become better, before anyone else will believe you can help them improve their own situation.
Chapter 5 – The Quickest Way to Gain Leadership – Problem Solving
What people are looking for in a leader is the ability to get them from where they are, to where they need to be. In order to do that, the leader has to be able to solve the challenges that arise in the way of the organizations’ goals. One of the most important abilities a leader must possess is the ability to discern between a problem & an environment. Problems are things that can be controlled or changed; environments are things that cannot. A leader has to identify the issues that can be changed, and find ways to work around the issues that can’t.
Chapter 6 – The Extra Plus in Leadership = Attitude
“Your attitude in life determines your altitude”. “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it”. I’m sure you can think of many more old clichés to exemplify the importance of attitude in a successful life. I’m not a rah-rah kind of guy. I don’t get super-hyped up about hardly anything in life. However, I believe that these statements and the many others I didn’t list about the necessity of a good attitude are overused precisely, because they’re true. If you have a poor attitude, a tendency to look at the glass as half-empty instead of half-full, or just to be a downer, then you’re not going to get very far. People aren’t attracted to others who don’t make them feel good, and if you’re negative all the time, you’re not going to feel good about yourself or those around you – and they wont want to follow you. That’s why, Attitude is extremely important.
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