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Leadership Qualities: 3 Required Actions You Must Take Now to Lead Effectively Tomorrow
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch
I love working with emerging leaders and helping them develop effective leadership qualities. They are ambitious in their desires to perform better both personally and professionally…and to lead effectively. Keep reading to discover 3 simple actions you must take now to lay the groundwork for a successful leadership future.
I have spent the last 15 years helping those who want to develop their leadership qualities. Every emerging leader who comes to me for advice is highly motivated. However, they feel they can do better in preparing their way for the advancement, achievement, and successful leadership qualities they so badly desire. I tell them that desire is a great starting point.
However, in order to move forward you must take action and that action must be specific so that it brings you the results you want.
Recently, a young man asked me, “How can I build a foundation now so that in a few years, I can lead effectively?” I told him that preparing now puts him in the best position for implementing the changes he wants for the future. Here are the actions I suggested he take now to build the leadership qualities he will need.
- Identify his internal Inside every organization, there are those who can help you reach your objectives. Identify them and introduce yourself and your mission to them. Find those who agree with you and who can stand by you. In addition, find the opinion leaders who see things differently than you and be prepared to knowledgably discuss their reservations.
- Identify your external partners. A rarely tapped resource for any organization are cooperative partnerships. There are many groups out there who share your mission and would be willing to partner resources to achieve that shared goal. Make sure they know about you and your organization. Convincing them about the value of a partnership should be done long before it is
- Identify your external competitive partners. Odds are that there is more than one organization doing what you Find out where your services overlap and where they differ. Use the differences in promoting your organization to the public. Use the similarities to determine if your efforts at those activities may be used more effectively in other areas.
A partner is anyone or any group that helps you achieve your goals. Successful leaders realize that trying to cultivate a relationship when you must have their cooperation is much too late. Leadership qualities building should be started immediately and continue as an on-going effort. Be sure to identify and regularly communicate with those inside your organization who can assist you. Identify those complementary groups where your resources can be shared in order to achieve a common goal. And finally, be aware of your competitors and where your services overlap and differ.
Did you know that I do leadership coaching? I work with emerging leaders to help them sharpen their leadership qualities and communications skills in order that they can be more effective leaders. Give me a call today if you want to schedule a free 20-minute phone workshop on how you can lead effectively, communicate better, and reduce your stress while doing it 703- 994-2040.
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John Bailey is an internationally recognized expert who helps associations, organizations, and government agencies overcome such obstacles as leadership, change, and membership development. John does this through keynotes, seminars and personal training. He is the author of “Build Membership Mojo: 98 Proven Steps to Build, Grow, and Maintain a Thriving Membership Organization,” as well as dozens of nationally-read articles.
What can John Do for you? John can be reached at John@JohnBaileySpeaker.com or (703) 994-2040
© 2012, John Bailey Communications