By Richard Brody
How can anyone expect to make any significant, relevant, meaningful difference, as a leader, until/ unless, he is ready, willing and able, to proceed forward, and BEGIN, on his, hopefully, relevant course/ path of action? However, while this may sound obvious/ apparent, the reality is, for most individuals, beginning is one of the most challenging components, of leading! Unfortunately, in my, over four decades of identifying, qualifying, training, developing and consulting, to thousands of actual, and/ or potential leaders, as well as having served in that capacity, several times, I've come to strongly believe, one of the single - biggest obstacles, to quality leadership, is the willingness, to place, the ease of procrastinating, ahead of the challenge, of choosing, to make a significant difference, for the better. With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly examine, consider, and discuss, using the mnemonic approach, what this means and represents, and why it is, so important.
1. Benefits; beliefs; bring it: A quality leader focuses on, emphasizes, and prioritizes, developing, creating, and implementing, the most essential benefits, needed by the particular group, and its stakeholders! He must align his personal beliefs, with the mission/ heritage of the organization, and the perceived needs, and values of his constituents! Once this is the mindset, he realizes, it is his responsibility, as a real leader, to bring it, every day, in an inspiring, motivating, relevant and sustainable way!
2. Empathy; emphasis; energy; excellent: Only when one is willing to, and disciplined - enough, to listen, far more than he speaks, and learns from every conversation, and experience, does he use the level of genuine empathy, which prioritizes, and emphasizes, the perceptions, needs, and priorities/ goals, of his stakeholders! When this is accompanied, with inspiring, energy, and a focus on personal excellence, he begins, to become a true leader!
3. Growth; generate goodwill: No organization, no matter how strong it may appear, at a specific point, in time, will remain relevant, and sustainable, unless/ until, it consistently undergoes real growth, and addresses the perceptions, of potential and actual stakeholders! A meaningful leader avoids putting off action, or unwarranted delay, and focuses on how, he might generate goodwill, which attracts others, to become more involved, and committed!
4. Integrity; imagination; ideas: Never abandon your commitment to absolute integrity, for the sake of expediency! Group need to find leaders, who will have the level of creativity, and imagination, to perceive and conceive of, create, develop, and implement, relevant, quality ideas!
5. Needs: Leading must always focus on needs, goals, and prioritizes, in a proactive, focused, quality - oriented manner!
Are you ready to BEGIN your quest, to becoming a true leader? Will you maintain your commitment, focus, and persistence, in a relevant, reliable manner?
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 Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead