7 Ways You Can Tap Into Your Inner Leader

7 Ways You Can Tap Into Your Inner Leader

By HANNAH MORGAN
February 20, 2013

Hannah Morgan
Being a leader doesn't mean managing people. You can lead yourself and even lead others without an official title. Instead of leadership falling on the shoulders of those with titles, what if each member of the organization took on a leadership role? What if the power to inspire fell on each of us? What if you jumped on the self-leadership bus today?

Management expert and author Tom Peters has defined leadership as an ability to make people better than they believe they can be. As simple as this sounds, it's incredibly difficult to achieve—and you know this, because you have witnessed first-hand poor leadership. This is your chance to embrace your career development and take action to make you even better than you could imagine.

1. Hang with smart people. There is so much to learn. This is true for people just entering the workforce as well as for those closing in on retirement. Great leaders realize they don't know all the answers and are aware of their weaknesses and strengths. Learn from the best peace-keeper, the best negotiator, the best strategic thinker, and the best friendly face. Each one of them has a lesson or two to teach you if you're willing to listen.

2. Take initiative. Do you cast blame or get frustrated when people who should take responsibility don't? Do you wait for others to notice problems that need solving? Taking initiative means you don't wait to be told what to do. You seek answers to solve problems and appropriately convey your findings. Be aware of the fine line between being compliant and being insubordinate.

3. Collaborate. Leaders know they can't solve a problem on their own. This is why they bring together people with proven expertise. You can develop a knack for gathering people from different teams, divisions, groups, and sometimes even companies, to work toward a solution or new ideas. Successful collaboration results in blended ideas from inside a company as well as outside.

4. Stay true to your moral compass. A good leader knows right from wrong. Since you were young, you have been taught the difference between right and wrong. So why do some leaders lie, cheat, and steal? Does the line between right and wrong become blurred? Do they think they won't get caught? Do they succumb to external pressures? Or do they think their actions won't hurt anyone? Your integrity is your legacy and your future. Be sure to keep it in tip-top shape.

5. Treat everyone with respect. Who would have thought this even needed to be said, but it does. No one is below you, nor is anyone above you. We are all human beings and should treat one another with respect, regardless of position or title held. The CEO or president is a person too. They do not walk on water, nor are they more important than the IT technician or receptionist. Some may argue this point; however, without input from a variety of people with varying skills, there would be no organization. The message is that everyone deserves the right to be heard.

6. Be proactive. Often managers do a good job guiding and evaluating your performance, but not always. Proactively suggest you meet with your manager more regularly. Set mutually agreeable terms for the meeting's purpose and outcomes in advance. Do your part by arriving at the meeting prepared to discuss successes, challenges, and potential solutions and check to see if your priorities align with your manager's. Ask specific questions and remember, this is a discussion between two people, so feel free to add your opinions as appropriate.

7. Give the best you can each day. Some days you perform better than others; that's just how humans work. You aren't perfect and sometimes you might even fail miserably. Leaders don't make excuses, they admit their errors and get back on track. Make this your philosophy too. However, if you continually find yourself missing the mark, ask yourself if you're in the right environment, role, or company. When you use your best skills, it isn't hard to give your best every day.

Hannah Morgan is a speaker and author providing no-nonsense career advice; she guides job seekers and helps them navigate today's treacherous job search terrain. Hannah shares information about the latest trends, such as reputation management, social networking strategies, and other effective search techniques on her blog, Career Sherpa.

The power in praising people

The Power in Praising People
One of the keys to success is to have successful relationships. We are not islands and we don’t get to the top by ourselves.
by Chris Widener
TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.

One of the keys to success is to have successful relationships. We are not islands and we don’t get to the top by ourselves. And one of the key ways to grow successful in our relationships is to be “life-giving” people to others.

Every person we meet, we either give life to or take life from. You know what I mean. There are people who encourage you and when you are done being with them you feel built up. Then there are others who you feel torn down by. Successful people are people who have mastered the art of building others up.

One of the ways we build people up is to praise them. There is power in praising people!

Something begins to happen in them, in you, and in your relationship when you praise someone. Remember a time when someone told you something about yourself in a praising manner? It was great, wasn’t it? You probably liked that person more after they praised you, didn’t you?

Now I am not talking about praising people for the sake of praising people. I am talking about honestly looking for and praising positive character traits and action of others around you. Don’t lie to people. If they have done something wrong, correct it, but when they do something right, Praise it!

With that said, here are benefits of and ways to start praising people.

Benefits

Your relationship grows.
Life is about relationships. Family relationships, friends, and co-workers. When we begin to praise people for their positive aspects, our relationships grow. It puts them, and us, on the fast track.

Your leadership and influence grows.
Who is going to have greater leadership and influence capacity in the lives of their followers, the one who tears down or the one who builds up?

Stronger relationships and loyalty.
When the person is appreciated and praised, they become fiercely loyal, because they know that you care for them, love them, and appreciate them. This will take you to success.

Happier, more fulfilled people.
I truly believe it is our job to build others up and that they need it. It is a good thing, in and of itself to invest in the lives of others by praising and encouraging them. Even if we never get anything in return, it is the right thing to do to build up other people. Someone else will always come along to tear them down; the successful person will instill in them the power of praise!

Some ways to praise

Character traits.
Is there someone you know who is joyful? Hard- working? Honest? Then let them know how much you appreciate that in them. You can do it with a word or a card, or a phone call. Say something like this, “You know Tom, I think it is great that you are such a hard- worker. It seems like you are always the first one here and the last one to leave. You really set a good example and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.” Simple!

Action.
Same idea as above. “Sue, I don’t know if anybody else has told you this, but your work on the Johnson account was excellent. You have a wonderful ability to communicate the vision of the project and that helps all of the rest of us out in our roles and tasks. Thanks for that. It is greatly appreciated.”

Other ways you can show praise and appreciation is with a card, a gift, or time off from work. Make it your goal to praise at least five people a day. If you can, praise ten people a day. Or perhaps you can try to praise everyone you come in contact with. It will take work but it is possible. It just takes discipline and a little work.

Any way you cut it though, there is power in praising people. First for them, then for you!

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Chris Widener is an example of how anyone can overcome any odds to achieve a successful life and help others achieve the same. Chris has overcome many obstacles… living through his father dying suddenly when he was four, being sent away from his family to live with relatives at age nine and becoming involved with drugs and alcohol by the age of twelve. Chris overcame those obstacles and
has for the last ten years worked with some of the most financially successful families in America, helping them to achieve both personally and professionally. Now he can do the same for you!

One of the key ways to grow successful in our relationships is to be “life-giving” people to others.

What is your goal?

This is my favorite book, it helps me develop goals.  I recommend you to read this book to help you succeed in life you desire.

In this book, it says to write down goals, business, personal, family, etc.  Be specific.

For example.  I want red sports car.   Specifically, I want red corvette with pull down top, V8 engine turbo charged with engine booster.

This is a good example, the more detailed goals you want the more it will come true.  Usually from my experience, goals have reached 70% of the time when you write down your goals.

I learned from my personal experience, in class provided by my employer. The teacher told the class to write down goals and visualize in 10 years.  I wrote it down and forgot all about it until 20 years later. I went through files and found old documents and saw what I wrote down. I sat down shocked.  The goals I wrote was 80% correct.   So, in other words I suggest you write down your goals and make it more specific and usually it comes true.

Jack Canfield wrote in his book, on page 29, "you have to do is decide where you want to go by clarifying your vision, lock in the destination through goal-setting, affirmations, and visualization and start moving in the right direction"

Which means your vision needs to include the following seven areas: work, and career, finances, recreation and free time, health and fitness, relationships, personal goals, and contribution to the larger community.

You know, high achievers have bigger visions?  Bill Gates dreams of a world in which every home has a computer that is connected to the internet.  His goal came true, 90 pct of household have computer.

When Jack Canfield wrote a book, "Chicken soup for the soul", he call their "2020 vision" when the book was published, it turned out to be very successful which met his goal to sell 1 billion Chicken soup books and to raise $500 million for charity through tithing a portion of all of his profits by the year 2020.  He was very clear about what he wants to accomplish.

Don't let anyone talk you out of your vision.  Monty Roberts, the author of The Man Who Listens to Horses, calls these people dream-stealers.  Don't listen to them.

I recommend you to buy this book, it helps you develop personal goals.  This book will help you create and grow your business.

Why the world needs personal development.

By Hansel Orzame

In the past I saw self improvement as a crutch for people who were too critical of their own lives. I saw personal development gurus as uptight and as irrational perfectionists who created an industry that was preying on the fears of people being insecure about who they were. I truly thought in my mind that these people were weak and needed a cheerleader so they can find happiness in their miserable state.

But everything changed when I started dreaming. I began to wonder what would happen if I became better than the average person at a mediocre job.

Would my dreams materialize? I came to the conclusion that to learn how to become extraordinary, I had to be around extraordinary people. So I went on a journey to meet many affluent people in my local area. Most of these people had successful businesses and I was interested in their mindset in creating that kind of success for myself.

The more time I spent with these amazing people I noticed a few habits they had in common. These habits ranged from being simply proactive to having an attitude of service. They were constantly working to become better at their craft or business. Nearly all of them had strong leadership ability and a generosity that really surprised me.

These observations opened my eyes to a completely different set of values that were vastly different than the ones I had. It was an eye opening experience. Now for the ironic part. As I got to know these extraordinary people, they got to know me, and eventually gave me some advice. You probably guessed what they said. They advised me to go and seek some personal development.

Hearing this began to break my prejudice against the personal development movement. I began to see my previous attitude as self-righteous and arrogant. So I decided to do some more research to test out their advice. Just as I feared, the personal development material I acquired sounded much like my talks with the successful people.

But something in my gut told me that this was the only way to separate myself from everyone else. As they say, “You have to risk it to get the biscuit.” That was the beginning of my love for personal development.

Once I started devouring all sorts of material to develop and grow myself into a better individual, I noticed something really amazing: people started to like me more. I realized that the people around me, if all things were honest, wanted me to change for the better.

I also noticed that doors were opening for me that never would have opened before. Relationships would lead to opportunities for work and business, and these opportunities led me to have the desire to become better as an individual. I became more honest, more humble, more charitable, more patient and more loving.

Wow--all that benefit just for making the choice to become better. 

Now I truly realize why the world needs personal development. Just as it was in my case, it’s the people who don’t care for it that need it the most. Imagine the whole earth with people who have rock solid integrity? How about people who are more generous?

Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was filled with people who were creative and produce tremendous products and services. I think you get the picture.

Personal development isn’t a luxury at all. It is a necessity if you want to live a life to the fullest. I can’t stress enough how, without the desire for self improvement, that communities that we live in will crumble. If you are not growing, then you are dying.

So give it up for personal development. The more of it that we have, the better the whole world will become.

7 things you can learn from an Evergreen Tree

Seven Life Lessons I Learned from an Evergreen
By Eden E. Hopper

I grew up in the stunningly beautiful San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. Yes they were real mountains. And yes, it snowed there! :) A lot. (Usually the first question people ask me, now that I live in wintery cold Northern Utah, is: Um, did you ever even see snow, in Southern California? And the answer to that is always, much to my stifled humor: Yes.) Yes, they were – are, rather – actually real mountains. And the trees are actually green and the snow, when it does snow, is actually very white, and very deep.

Not much powder there due to the more Mediterranean-type climate, and from what I understand there’s not nearly as much snow these days anymore, anyway… I guess due to global warming. But growing up, we got lots of great big fluffy snowflakes.

We even had snow days where school was called out of session! It wasn’t because we weren’t used to the snow, mind you. No, it was because there were so many unbelievably steep and narrow roads, bridges, and cliffs to navigate… It made the task of plowing an absolute logistical nightmare.

But I digress. I would love to paint you a picture of what my childhood mountains were like, but really that’s not what this post is about. My purpose here is actually to let you in on some interesting things I learned from the San Bernardino Mountain’s beautiful, massive evergreen trees.

There were trees everywhere. You could drive down any given road, reach your hand out the window, and cry out with laughter as the soft fronds of a Douglas fir brushed against your palm. You had to be careful, of course. And sap was a much more common thing to clean from your fingers at the end of a long day than, say, germs and flu bugs that require loads of hand sanitizer.

Playing in your “yard” was really the endless exploration of forest, streams, and ponds. I was “queen” of a large rock outcropping that overlooked the stream. We would hide Ding-Dongs, bags of candy and various other prizes, in amongst the rocks to keep them safe until our next “club meeting.”

The ponderosa, sugar, and the Jeffrey pines. The white fir and the juniper. The big-cone blue spruce. Mmm, and the smell of the lovely incense cedar. And then, there was that most respected of all the evergreens: The Giant Redwood.

The entire north face of our mountain was one massive, heart-stopping grove of Sequoias. The evergreens were my life. They were so tall, and the forest so dense, that whenever the wind blew, and it frequently did, there were a couple of ponderosas that would bump gently into the side of our house, causing the whole thing to shake a little. And strangest of all, was that it was somehow comforting. (Especially when you consider the fact that we were right down an earthquake fault line.)

Our home, several decades old, had been built on a steep downhill slope… That kind of thing should probably go against your natural instincts but there in those mountains, it’s really the only place there is to build a house. But, fault lines aside, I considered it – and still do – my true home. No matter where we’ve lived since. Every time we go back to visit, I roll down my window and just breathe in, breathe in. I feel alive for those few precious days, like I’m recharging my batteries and my soul. I can sometimes even convince myself that I’m finally back home again, for good.

Well, at this point you may be wondering how any human being could love trees and mountains this much. Sigh… ;) I hope there are a lot of people out there who share my love of nature in your own way.

I thought maybe it would help bridge the gap, if I share with you a few things I learned from living there amongst those trees, for as long as I did…

Seven Life Lessons I Learned from an Evergreen
1. The evergreen tree lives up to its name every day of its life, staying true to its colors, even when the world is grey.
2. It shares its peace and beauty with all who come near it, no matter what they look like or what they believe.
3. It sways and dances, whispering strength to all its neighbors and its fuzzy little tenants, when the harsh Santa Ana winds come whipping up the face of the mountain.
4. It makes a safe, warm haven for those it harbors in its care, giving them shelter and comfort from the cold.
5. It bows gracefully when the heavy snows come down.
6. It stays firmly rooted to the ground through it all.
7. And last but not least, it grows just a little bit every day, as it strives to reach toward Heaven...