2 Tips on Becoming a Successful Leader

Leadership is not born but can be taught. When learning about leadership, one must first realise that everyone is already somehow a leader themselves. For example a husband, who is the head of his family, mother/father parenting their kids, CEO, boss, managers, and church leaders.

Then you must know what the definition of leadership and the difference between leadership and management. Management is ensuring that the programs and objectives of an organisation are implemented. Leadership on the other hand is about casting vision & motivating people. People don't want to be managed but be lead. Who ever heard of world managers? Who has heard of world leaders? YES! If you want to manage others, manage yourself well first. Then you will be ready and able to start managing and leading others.

Firstly, let's define the definition of leadership. Leadership is about influence. The litmus test to see if a person is a leader is to find out if there is anyone following that person from behind. So if he/she who thinks is a leader but have no one following him/her is only taking a walk. To become a leader you must be an influencer to others and therefore the influence skills is essential attribute of a leader.

Leadership is the ability to obtain followers through your influence on others. For example, Adolf Hitler had his army backing him up in World War II. Jesus Christ had disciplines that followed Him and planted many churches soon after Jesus’ death. Once you have a follower(s), work backward to figure out how to lead.

The issue today is that people think leadership is about obtaining a position of authority, rank title or role. Then once the person has arrived to that status quo, they soon become frustrated because of lack of followers. Then there are those who lack the proper title and don't see themselves developing the leadership skills.

#1st Tip: Become an influence person
In order to lead others, one must learn how to lead him/her selves. Only when he/she is good at leading him/herself then he/she is ready to lead others. To lead yourself begin practicing your leadership of influence at home, whether it is with your wife/husband, kids, siblings, parents or other family members. Also begin to influence yourself like for example: Have you influence yourself to live a healthy life style? (E.g. do you exercise? have good dietary, etc) Have you influence yourself to get rid of any bad habits/temptations? (E.g. quiet smoking, stop drinking, etc)

#2nd Tip: Priorities your life
To become a leader, one must learn to priorities what is really important in your life and begin to focus and act on those things that you value the most.

The Pareto principle applies particularly well in your ability to priorities. This principle or also known as the 80-20 rule states that 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of your production, if you focus and spend your time and energy on the top 20% of your priorities. In other words, if you focus on the top 20% of your priorities and invest your time there, you will get 80% of all your need.

For example to get 80% productivity in your business organisation:

• Determine and find employees who are the top 20% producers.
• Spend 80% of people time with the top 20% producers
• Spend 80% of development and training expense on the top 20% producers
• Ask the top 20% to do on the job training for the next 20%

To get the list of the top 20% people, ask yourself this question, "If the person resigns or withdraws his/her supports from me, what impacts will it have on my life or organisation?" If you can't function without him/her, then that person is the top 15-20% of the name list. If you can function without him/her then that person is not the one. It's about how smart you work, not about working harder.

So how do you priorities?

• What is required of me? What do I have to do in order to get my job done that no one else can do? Whatever it is, there must be put in the top high priority list. Distinguish between what I have to do and what I can delegate to others.
• What will give me the greatest return? M I doing the best in what I do that will receive good return? If you could live your life all over again, what could you do differently?
• Deliberately neglect 80% of your unimportant priorities until you have done 20% of your top important priority lists
• Focus your attention on your priorities, because whatever gets your attention will get you and you will move towards what you focus your attention on.

In summary here are two reflective questions to ask youself. i)What kind of an influence will you have with your own family members (e.g. become a better sons, daughter, wife or husband)?
& ii) What do you need to priorities?