DIY: How To Be A Great Leader

Do you consider yourself a leader? Well if you are not sure there are two precepts that preclude a leader. One a leader must have followers, but more importantly a leader must be able to lead themselves. If you can't lead yourself, how could you lead others. Today, we will use Dr. Ray Russell's Personal Leadership Model.

Dr. Russell interviewed 200 people to piece together this 5 point model. The first step is to create a personal mission statement. What is your vision? Read my blog "Your Vision Needs Clarity" for more that subject. A business or people without vision will perish. This is what you deem as your purpose in life.

Now that we have a mission statement , we will continue on treating our selves as a business and write out a personal business plan. Don't panic, this can be easy. Lets write out a list of 5 to 10 things we desire, intellectually,  physically, spiritually, and of course, financially. Under each goal determine 3 or 4 steps that can propel you in that direction.

Ok, so we know why here, what we came to do, now we need the energy to make it happen. We have to develop personal energy. My morning begins with qi qong, meditation, journaling, reading, yoga and a walk/run, drinking plenty of water. I do all this to build my mental, physical and spiritual energy up for the day. I recommend eating balanced meals including plenty of raw foods and vegetables. Having all your dreams come true won't do you any good if you have no energy.

The fourth point in the Personal Leadership Model is exercising personal empowerment. It is über important that you love what you do. In addition we need to have performance empowerment, being able to the get the job done, and interactive empowerment, being able get along with others. We have all seen it. Its that guy who knows his stuff, but can't carry a decent conversation when the meeting is over. Or how about the charismatic guy who everybody loves, but we all know he's not going produce real results. Being an effective leader definitely requires strong interpersonal skills.

To bring it all full circle is the final principle of leading by example. Just like with children that "do as I say, not as I do" is a bunch of bologna. We leaders have to thoroughly model our high level of standard to exemplify what we expect from those around us.  Furthermore, a true leader produces other leaders.

Leadership skills is what I believe is required to take person from S-quadrant, self-employed/small business owner, to the the business owner in the B-quadrant. You must be able to do duplicate yourself and delegate, otherwise business will not operate when you are not present. If you are anything like me you are working your way to being an Investor, handling business from from your yacht. I believe that we will win!

Be Happy. Be Healthy.  Be You!

Hey Entrepreneur, You're Vision Needs FOCUS!

As a serial entrepreneur I have see my share of business start ups, breakdowns and everything between. If you are an entrepreneur, first let me congratulate you for your courage. Its easy to get a job where someone else responsible for making the real decisions, taking the risks, providing the goals and roadmap to get there. Yes, a job may provide a sense of security, but if it's security you want , "We'll put you in a corner, cover you with a sheet, bring you 3 meals a day, look after you, care for you, feed you, protect you, don't let anything happen to you and you'll probably live to be one 100!" 

So this blog is for the pioneers, the risk takers, those not afraid to step out of the box or jump in the deep end. Being self-employed has it bumps in the road, but definiteness of purpose can pave the way. Having clarity and focus as an entrepreneur is eminent because there is no one there holding your hand, supervising or holding you accountable. It's all up to you. 

My focus today is to school you on the simple precepts I learned years ago and I constantly revisit. Every organization needs to understand and clearly articulate these tenets. Below you will find a list of questions to help you gain effective focus. Grab some paper and pen to write down the questions and the answers. 

1. IDEA-What is it you do for your customer? Specifically describe, in detail, what product or service you are providing. 
2. BENEFIT- What's in it for them...that is better than the competition? Your idea should ease or eliminate a pain for the consumer. In other words, what specific need are you fulfilling.
3. TARGET- Who is your target consumer? How can they be separated from others? Again be specific as possible. How old? Income bracket? Geographical location? Spending habits?
4. PERCEPTION- How do you want to be perceived? Perception can be some folks reality; be careful of the picture you paint of your self and your organization. Branding 
5. REWARD- What's in it for you? Is it personal fulfillment, God given purpose and talent, to change the life of someone else? Your reward usually fulfills your why. Read my blog, What's Your WHY? 

Once you successfully answer these questions with as much specificity as possible, a plan will unfold before you. We'll call it our Mini Business Plan. Focus on following that plan. And your reward will manifest as well. What we desire, desires us. I believe in you. I love you. Be happy, be healthy, be you!