10 Principles of Leadership

A title doesn’t make a Leader. Values make a great leader. A leader must inspire confidence. A leader has passion for results and is marked by unwavering integrity. A leader encourages others to achieve success. A leader has the courage to make decisions whether they are easy or tough. A leader is a people motivator. A leader must be effective in good or bad times, in victory or defeat. A leader must remain focused and positive, and turn every obstacle into an opportunity. Most of all a leader makes things happen and get things done

1. Leads by example. We can all remember our parents trying to lead us by example when we were children. Their leadership was most effective when they taught us by example and acted the way they wanted us to act. All of us remember being told not to lie…then the phone rang, we would answer the phone and it was someone Mom and Dad didn’t want to talk to. Their response was “Tell them we are not Home!” When Mom and Dad were asked why they lied they said “it OK to lie sometimes, you’ll understand when you get older”. What kind of example were they showing us? We judge others by their actions. We judge ourselves by our intentions. That’s a double standard.

2. Strives for excellence. A leader must strive for excellence in speech, attitude, dress, and how they treat others. A leader demands excellence out of themselves and the people around them. Excellence is going far beyond the call of duty and doing more than others expect of you. Excellence comes from striving and maintaining the highest standards, and going that extra mile. Excellence means caring…it means making a special effort to do more.

3. Attitude is everything. A leader always has a positive attitude. Their attitude is not determined by their circumstances but by how they respond to circumstances. Leadership has less to do with position, and more to do with disposition. Your attitude will influence others around you. Great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere, which enables the right responses from others.

4 .Eat the frogs. A leader must be a decision maker. They must address issues or problems quickly. The first thing they must do is eat the frog. We as human beings tend to put off the gooey slime covered frogs in our life. I say, eat the gooey slime covered frogs first (the biggest problems), then everything else seems easy. Leaders must take actions and make decisions that are right, even when they are unpopular. Then stand by their decisions.

5 .Take responsibility. A leader must take responsibility and be accountable for their actions and the actions of the group they lead. Recently, watching the news proves some leaders are not taking responsibility for their actions. They blame everyone else (Wall Street, board members, management, employees ect.) rather than showing accountability and taking responsibility for their actions. The day that you take complete responsibility for yourself and stop making excuses is the day you begin your journey to becoming a great leader.

6 .Do what’s right. A leader must act with integrity. Moral soundness and honesty are necessary to gain the trust and respect of others. A leader must not be influenced by a corrupting influence. Integrity means doing what is right at ALL times.

7. Passion is a key. A leader must have passion. Passion is contagious, and spreads to surrounding people. Passion is what turns an average leader into a great leader. Passion is stronger than desire; it is something that is desired intensely. When a leader is passionate about something, this strong desire is felt by those who are around him and they follow and support this passion.

8. Talk less. Listening is the act of paying attention carefully, with the purpose of hearing. The average person thinks at a rate of 600 – 700 words a minute. We talk at a rate of 150 – 200 words a minute so when someone is talking what are most people doing?… not listening. A leader must be a great listener, with empathy. They must acknowledge that the words that are communicated to them are actually heard. A great listener reads between the words examining body language and tone. Listening effectively to others can be the most fundamental and powerful communication tool of all. When someone is willing to stop talking or thinking and begin truly listening to others, communication problems are all but eliminated. Listen…Learn…then Lead

9 .Communicate for results. A leader must communicate effectively at all times. Strife and disagreements boil down to either lack of communication or incorrect communication. In a marriage or as a leader, at least 50% of all divorces and disagreements are based on wrong communication or no communication at all. The key to communication is that you should deliver information to a person based on how that person receives information, not how you choose to deliver that information. That’s why you must know and apply the four basic behavior types.

10. Leaders must have motivation. It is the reason why we do what we do. A great leader knows what motivates him and also what motivates those around him. He applies the Novak Principle…Everything boils down to Motivation. For example, you decide to change a habit or create a goal or dream, where do you start? First identify the goal or dream, FIND AND DEVELOP THE MOTIVATION, design a flexible and effective plan, take direct and immediate action, persevere and NEVER NEVER QUIT and the end result is SUCCESS.