Monday, June 6, 2016

Why Invest in Leadership

Why Leadership Matters


The power of leadership cannot be ignored in the knowledge economy.  The lack of leadership is plaguing many organizations around the world. The organization is the shadow of the leader. A leader must not only understand the essentials of leadership but also be a master in the application of these essentials. The great news is that we all can learn the essentials needed to influence others in a positive driven direction. It all starts with influencing ourselves. A great leader creates a great culture so the organization can take on the culture created by a leader. Here are 7 essentials to great leadership:

1.      Understanding leadership. Leadership is influence. The influence is accomplished by the hunger of the leader to change the status quo. Hunger is the gap between the current reality and the vision where the organization needs to go. The leader is the thermostat of the organization she/he leads.

2.      Attitude of a leader. Our attitude is the window to the world. Leaders transform problems into opportunities. Leaders associate with positive people. Leaders confront fears and grow because they learn to fail. Leaders wear the leadership lenses to see the world. Leaders have thick skin and soft heart. Leaders make tough decisions and manage them.

3.      Dealing with people. Leaders find the genius in their followers inspiring them to realize their full potential. Leaders make others feel comfortable around them. Leaders have the ability to use words to create positive images. Leaders are masters of conflict resolution. Leaders are masters of the art of asking questions and listen not only to what is being said but also to what is not being said.

4.      Building trust. Trust increases the speed of business. A leader creates trust by having a stellar dynamic character. A leader produces results by keeping a visible scorecard. A leader builds strong relationships throughout an organization and out in the world. Leaders demonstrate the right behaviors everywhere they go. Leaders reduce the taxes from low organization trust. Leaders increase the dividends from high organization trust.

5.      Making decisions and getting results. Decisions compound over time, either in a positive or negative direction. Leaders understand the positive compound effect of great decisions over time. Leaders invest heavily in themselves and the time they spent with their mentors. Leaders produce results because they accrue momentum over time.

6.      Mastering communication. Leaders are master communicators. Leaders are influencers because of their ability to trigger positive emotions from the words they speak in the form of stories. Leaders communicate through stories, the language of imagination. They word and stories they use carry weight and conveying feelings of hope and love of a better future.

7.      Rewards of leadership. There is a ripple effect of leadership. There is happiness and joy in leadership. Leaders improve the lives of everyone involved by creating wining cultures characterized by honesty, accountability, collaboration, results driven, agile, adaptable and innovative. Leaders create cultures that play to win, win big!

Please share with others; the world will be a better place because you did.
Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."