What Makes You A Leader? Part 5

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com

What is a leader?

How do you become one?

Can YOU really make a difference?

How would you do that?

This series of articles are based on just one of many personal development courses in our Learning Center and highlights the main points of the course. The course itself was based on Sheila Murray Bethel's book titled "Making a Difference, 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader". The book can be found in paperback at Amazon.com for as little as $0.01 plus shipping (used).

All great leaders have extremely high ethics and morals. But what's the difference between the two? Let's find out!

Morals are a personal philosophy based on the ability to know right from wrong. What we believe about right and wrong affects our thinking, actions and character. Morals are a philosophy.

Ethics are high standards of honest and honorable dealings based on our morals. They are our system of belief for life and business. How we act, what we do, our methods and how we apply our morals translates into whether we behave ethically or not. Ethics are an application of our philosophy.

Suppose life were a game and ethics were the rules we were required to use to play the game. You can easily see how important it would be for all players to follow the rules. If the game were played without the rules, it wouldn't be fair and the most callous and unethical players would probably win while the more caring, ethical players would be left bruised and battered. Ethics are the difference between order and chaos.

To be a great leader, you MUST have strong ethics. Ethics provide us with personal guidance and they create a blueprint for others to follow. If you, as the leader, are not an ethical person. how could you possibly expect your followers to be ethical? Conversely, if you ARE and ethical person and leader, you will not tolerate and unethical person being present on your team.

Consistency in your ethics also builds trust with your followers. They will know what to expect from you and how you will handle the different situations that arise during the course of your mission. They will know how conflicts will be handled, and you will build a strong foundation for your organization.

As the group leader, you will be required and expected to stand up for the ethical treatment of each member of your team. You will need to take action to defend the well being of all of the members of your organization equally and fairly.

Unethical activities and actions are all around us. They are fueled by greed, jealousy and the so-called "Power Trip". An ethical leader won't stand for the demoralization and danger that accompanies unethical behavior.

Think about your ethical standards. Which ones are steadfast and unwavering no matter what? Take personal responsibility to stand firm and VERY clear about your ethical standards. Should a situation arise that give you a challenge, take time to be clear about where you stand.

Many of our ethical decisions are easy and automatic, while others are painful and intense. As a leader you will be confronted with both types every day. It's how you deal with them that shows the true quality of your leadership.


As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!

About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Center
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.

What Makes You A Leader? Part 4

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com

What is a leader?

How do you become one?

Can YOU really make a difference?

How would you do that?

This series of articles are based on just one of many personal development courses in our Learning Center and highlights the main points of the course. The course itself was based on Sheila Murray Bethel's book titled "Making a Difference, 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader". The book can be found in paperback at Amazon.com for as little as $0.01 plus shipping (used).

You need to be a "Big Thinker" to become a successful leader. Creative thinkers have an open mind to all thoughts from every source and don't pre-judge or dismiss ideas without thinking them through thoroughly. We are talking about having a VISION.

Vision starts with imagination, but in its highest form, it exceeds the bounadries of imagination. Leaders with vision can literally change the world! The belief in the vision comes form faith in themselves and others. Most people don't have enough faith in themselves and therefore do not make good leaders. But we don't want everyone to try and become a leader. If that happened ... who would they lead?

You're faith in other people can make a world of difference. It can transform and direct how they perform, because your faith in them acts as a medium to strengthen their courage.

Ideally, followers will be able to distinguish the difference between a leader who is acting on their vision and one who is reacting to an event or situation. Somebody who is acting on their vision can communicate their goals to other people. conversely, a leader who is reacting is simply somebody who is taking advantage of their position, their followers and their situation.

Leaders with vision grasp the concept and value of multiple strategies. Be sure to consider your strategies.

Check your assumptions and expectations periodically. False assumptions will cause you to be stuck and unable to access your creativity. Your imagination will stop, and if your assumptions are wrong; they can stop your efforts dead in their tracks!

Develop and define your personal philosophy. Your philosophy of life is larger than any mission statement. It will strengthen you and help you to recognize outside pressures that might harm your mission.

Challenge tradition and existing wisdom. You don't have to make radical changes, however you should always question the prevailing thoughts and have the fortitude to discover how to improve on "things as they are". Just because something "Has always been done that way" doesn't mean it's the best way to accomplish the task. It also doesn't mean that the process shouldn't be changed.

Nuture curiosity. Look at what's going on in the world around you. Seek new approaches to existing problems. Learn to think outside the box!

Look for simplicity. It's easy for thing to get too complicated in short order. Effective leaders are aware of the importance of keeping things clean and simple. If that task is large and complicated it may help to break it down into manageable segments.


Look for Part 5 to be posted tomorrow!

As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!

About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Center
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.

What Makes You A Leader? Part 3

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com

What is a leader?

How do you become one?

Can YOU really make a difference?

How would you do that?

This series of articles are based on just one of many personal development courses in our Learning Center and highlights the main points of the course. The course itself was based on Sheila Murray Bethel's book titled "Making a Difference, 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader". The book can be found in paperback at Amazon.com for as little as $0.01 plus shipping (used).

What is your mission? You need to clearly define your mission. You can help to clarify it as much as possible using the following questions to start:

What is the most important thing in the world to you? Your mission will expand based on your own exclusive point of view.

What is a logical way for you to start? Everything needs a starting point. It will help if you put this on paper and expand your process theory from there. What is the first step? What's next, and next after that?

How much time will be required to accomplish your mission? And how much time can you dedicate on a regular basis to achieving your ultimate goal?

What skills are going to be required to complete these tasks? Do you have these skills? If not you will need help to either develop your skills, or find somebody who has the skills required. Finding somebody who has the skills required and getting them on the team will create you a "MasterMind Group". A "MasterMind Group" is a group of people who are capable of contributing knowledge, skills and abilities to your team that you and other team members do not possess. Napoleon Hill, in his classic "Think and Grow Rich", states that every great leader has his or her own MasterMind Group. You should have one too!

How flexible are you? Are you open to suggestions? You had better be, especially after you assemble your MasterMind Group. That is what they are there for! To help you with suggestions and skills that you don't (or can't) possess or think of!

Now you can begin to build your mission. This is going to require a bit of assessment on your part.

First, begin by making a few lists. Analyze your skills, knowledge and abilities. You need to include physical skills, knowledge abilities and special talents.

Physical Skills: List everything you can think of that describes your physical attributes. For example, "I like to play Ice Hockey and I could coach a children's ice hockey team and teach them how to play the game".

Knowledge Abilities: Do you have any specialized training or skills learned through your life or your career? Personally, I was a Computer Scientist for 17 years. I could teach others how to use computers efficiently, or maybe I could teach them how to repair computers. You get the idea.

Special Talents: Are you maybe good with animals? My wife Robin is great with animals and she worked at a veterinarian's office for a period of time. Her sister-in-law is unusually good with animals, especially birds. She runs a bird rescue for injured birds and nurses them back to health. She is well known in the surrounding communities and even the local community workers, police, etc. call her when they find an injured bird. Think about any special talents you possess and explore how they can be used to help you in your mission.

Ok so let's move on. Next you want to think about your youth. What were your childhood dreams? what made you excited? Who influenced you as a child and who influences you now? what shaped your beliefs and passions?

Next, expand your vision. Take a look at the world around you. We tend to "tune out" life so that we can focus on ourselves. Try to get out of this habit. It's not all about you! Read the newspaper, visit a different town, or maybe a different section of your own town.

Finally, spend some quiet time and think about everything you have experienced. Think about yourself and the world around you. What needs do you see? How could your knowledge, skills and abilities help with those needs?

You have a lot to think about now! You have important work to do, so get started today!

Watch for Part 4 to be posted tomorrow!

As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!

About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Center
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.

What Makes You A Leader? Part 2

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com

What is a leader?

How do you become one?

Can YOU really make a difference?

How would you do that?

This series of articles are based on just one of many personal development courses in our Learning Center and highlights the main points of the course. The course itself was based on Sheila Murray Bethel's book titled "Making a Difference, 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader". The book can be found in paperback at Amazon.com for as little as $0.01 plus shipping (used).

A leader has a mission that matters. To start becoming a leader, you must select a mission that will be your platform to make a difference.

So how do you choose what your mission will be? Well, first you have to understand the scope of a mission. Most people will spend a good portion of their lives working toward, or working on, making a difference within their chosen mission. This is not normally achieved on a short-term basis. Usually people are stimulated by something that surrounds them; something in their environment. This could be in your work, personal life, or past experiences and it drives you into action. They become passionate about it through a vision of improvement in people's lives and that passion becomes their motivation.

A mission is not pre-defined. There are no restrictions and nothing is off-limits. You create your mission and there are no barriers. Leaders are everywhere. They are just like you and want to make a contribution. Their mission might be more low-key than those of world leaders, but they are still just as important!

Some basic concepts to remember as you define your mission are:

You're not too old, too young, too smart, too dumb, etc. to have a mission! Anyone can have a mission!

There is NO reason why you shouldn't get started right now! Don't procrastinate!

Whatever you CAN do makes a difference. Don't feel like you can't do enough!

As your mission evolves so will you. And your ability to make a difference will grow with you.

The difference between people who are energetic and those who lead others through a mission is that successful, energetic people usually influence others as they push toward their OWN goals. True leaders use their drive and ambition to lead people in pursuit of a larger goal and a greater good than just their own success and ambition.

A word of caution as you start your journey to find and commit to a mission is that you can't allow yourself to become disheartened! Stay relaxed and let your open mind and attitude help you to find acceptable solutions. Sometimes the answers will come to you form the most unexpected places!

Also, be aware that the process of leadership and dedication to your chosen mission will require some level of personal sacrifice. There is ALWAYS a price to pay; sometimes a larger price than others. Some days you will be on top of the world. Other days you'll be at the bottom of the heap, beat down and almost broken. Don't get discouraged!

You will find yourself receiving a lot of criticism from others who don't believe in your mission or doubt your ability to help. Sometimes they will even envy you but won't let on to their feelings. Ignore them and keep pushing forward ... stay focused!

If you want to make the world a better place, keep in mind that big things come from small beginnings. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Don't expect result overnight ... it takes time. In the mean time, pat yourself on the back for having the courage to take the stand and initiative. This alone will make you a better leader and help you to make a difference.

Watch for Part 3 to be posted tomorrow!

As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!

About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Center
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.

What Makes You A Leader? Part 1

Copyright © Success Network Group
www.SuccessNetworkGroup.com

What is a leader?

How do you become one?

Can YOU really make a difference?

How would you do that?

This series of articles are based on just one of many personal development courses in our Learning Center and highlights the main points of the course. The course itself was based on Sheila Murray Bethel's book titled "Making a Difference, 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader". The book can be found in paperback at Amazon.com for as little as $0.01 plus shipping (used).

There are all different types of leaders. Leaders aren't just high profile political figures, they could be policemen (and women), teachers, community volunteers, coaches, etc. Leaders are everywhere and perform all types of functions!

Great leaders are unique people. They all have their own qualities, qualifications, goals and skills. But there are twelve items they all have in common. One main thing is that they all care very deeply about something. It doesn't matter what that is, just that they care deeply about it.

Let's find out if you are a leader. Do you WANT to lead? Who do you want to lead and why do you want to lead them? Basic leadership is something we can all do simply by pooling our energy with a few others who share our feelings. Managing is NOT leading! We can manage things, but we LEAD people!

The "Management of Organizational Behavior" by Doctors Hershey and Blanchard defines management and leadership as this:

"Management is working with and through people and groups to accomplish organizational goals. Leadership is influencing human behavior, regardless of the goal."

A leader must serve people in order to make a difference. There are two parts to this:

1] The willingness and ability to serve others. This is denoted by the depth of your personal ethics and commitment.

2] The type, kind and quality of your service. Jim Rohn says "Attitude is everything. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." This holds true in terms of service as well. Leaders are the defining standard of service within their organization. A great leader inspires an organization of people who serve others. People duplicate the actions of their leaders.

Service comes from the old philosophy that "You reap what you sow." People basically want to know that you care about them. By showing people that you care, through excellent service, you gain loyalty from the people you serve.

Given what you just read, have you been a leader in the past?

What were your roles or titles?

Did you like it?

Did you feel that you made a difference?

How do you think you measure up with other leaders?

Ask 3 or 4 people who know you well and will be candid with you ... "How am I at letting people know that I care about them?" You might be surprised at the answers you get!

Watch for Part 2 to be posted tomorrow!

As Always ... Make it a GREAT day!


About the Author:

Lou and Robin Bonaventura have been Professional
Network Marketers for the past 4 years. They attribute
much of their success to personal development and
consistent learning. Visit their Learning Center
for more insight into how personal development can
benefit you.