Leaders: So You Just Focus On Winning, Or Are You A WINNER?

I'm not sure how many others feel the same way, but, I, for one, am tired (and somewhat frustrated) of hearing the supposed leader of the free world, continuously emphasizing the need for our nation, to start winning again, because it hasn't been doing so (according to him) much, in recent years! While this type of rhetoric may excite and attract certain supporters, leadership must never be about winning versus losing, because when one is a true leader, he comes to realize, there must always be some sort of win - win result! When the focus is merely on defeating others (I suppose that's part of some individual's definition of winning), it creates an adversarial, no - compromise, mindset, rather than one which unifies and unites, towards achieving a common goal! Wouldn't you agree there certainly is too much polarization, in most situations, today, and it might be nice to see, what the possibilities could be, if everyone began working together, so all win! Those hoping to be effective leaders, therefore, must address their own personal behavior and attitude, and become a WINNER, instead! As the anonymous poem begins, A winner is always a part of the solution. A loser is part of the problem. Another verse to consider, A loser sees trees in front of the green. The winner sees the green and the hole.

1. Worthwhile; what; when; why: Are you goals worthwhile, or do they need to be tweaked and/ or modified? How will they serve others? What will you do to create, develop and implement solutions, for the obstacles ahead" Why have you decided on a particular set of priorities? When will you begin, and how will you articulate your timetable to others, in a timely manner?

2. Ideas; ideology; intensity; intelligence; integrity: Will you be able to conceive of, create, develop and introduce quality ideas, to the discussion? Have you considered whether your ideology is in sync with your organization's? WIll you persist and persevere, with a constant, well - defined intensity? Do you possess the necessary intelligence, to understand the differences between winning, and being a winner? Will you make every effort, to be certain, you are serving others, rather than your personal agenda, while maintaining absolute integrity, and avoiding shortcuts?

3. Needs: Doing the right thing must always center - on, focusing on needs, priorities and concerns!

4. Niceties; nuances: How will you introduce what needs to be done, while seeking cooperation, and avoiding the appearance, of jamming it down their throats? One must develop the ability to utilize the niceties and polite, friendly behaviors, and addressing the group's specific nuances, while still maintaining genuine integrity!

5. Empathy; excellence; enrich; empower; exceed expectations: Listen effectively, learn what others want, need and are concerned about, and proceed with true empathy! Never settle for mediocre, but rather seek excellence! A leader, who is a winner, constantly seeks to enrich his organization and stakeholders, while empowering them, because he makes them proud to belong! Under - promise, and exceed expectations!

6. Right; relevant; reliable; real: Ask yourself if you are doing what's right! Are you sweating the petty stiff, or focusing on the relevant issues? Can others depend upon you, to be a consistently reliable leader? Will you avoid the hyperbole, while keeping it real?

Those who focus on winning, often find any objections, or questions, not only troublesome, but objectionable, and, therefore, really develop the maturity, to be effective leaders! Rather than doing that, will you strive to be a WINNER?

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, Director of Development, consultant, professionally run events, consulted to thousands of leaders, and conducted personal development seminars, for 4 decades. Rich has written three books and thousands of articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website: http://plan2lead.net and LIKE the Facebook page for leadership planning: http://facebook.com/Plan2lead


 By Richard Brody


Article Source: Leaders: So You Just Focus On Winning, Or Are You A WINNER?