7 Generators of Leadership Power!

By Bill Thomas

What you are about to read may sound too simple but it is the truth.

Many of us think leadership is something that only CEOs, Presidents and Generals have to do - but nothing could be further from the truth.

All working people need to exercise the skills of leadership because their very success in life depends on their ability to master the arts of leadership.

Leaders must find ways to rise above the challenges of this world - they can only do that only when they can:

• Communicate with and understand the needs of other people
• See the big picture and plan for its realization
• Inspire others to cooperate with you and commit themselves to new initiatives
• Evaluate, work-through or overcome challenges of all kinds
• Identify problems and find effective solutions that will adequately handle those difficulties
• Prepare your will, mind and heart to take responsibility, persist and accept diverse pools of viewpoints
• Adapt your style, role and work-pattern to fit the demands of the project and get the job done

Use the Two Times One Principle!

We have heard it said that God gave humans two ears and only one mouth for a good reason.

However, what God actually told us is that, "death and life are in the power of the tongue". The meaning of that sentence is simply this - we should open our mouths and say whatever it is that we want to bring into existence!

Powerful leaders tend to say very little in terms of non-essential stuff, they do tend to say very profound and meaningful things when they do speak.

So what is profound or meaningful to other people? Their needs, desires and fears are the most important things to them. People will always reveal those feelings or thoughts about themselves through spoken and unspoken communications.

That's why powerful leaders listen to others, it's the primary reason why they listen to and learn more about those concerns, first, and then they speak to those needs.

Envision broad horizons, tangents and maps of the territory!

Seeing the BIG picture is a pretty tall order for most of us. We think that seeing it all means knowing it all, understanding it all and controlling it all - but relax, only God in His heavens can do all of that!

To know what's pending out there on those far pavilions, it is necessary that we step back from edge of chaos to look at and discern the patterns of the forest.

Big picture viewers don't see tons of details, rather, they search for and discover lines of directions, tendencies of occurrences, pockets of opportunity, positioning of principles, evolutions of resources, arrangements of priorities, or fields of focus.

After their explorations, they begin to connect the dots, cross the 'Ts' and mark the trails - powerful leaders ask:

• what, where and why is this the "Promised Land"?
• how have others taken this type of journey?
• how should we attempt to travel this path?
• how will we know if we're heading in the right direction?
• how can we survive in or find our way out of this wilderness?

Go for winning their hearts and minds, then go for winning the gold!

Recognizing me is the key! When you pay deep and sincere attention to anyone, you have an excellent opportunity to ask for and receive their full cooperation and unwavering support.

Go ahead and put those statements to the test - go to someone you don't know and tell them about yourself [tell them what you ate for breakfast, what your friend told you last night and what you think about your country's government].

Next go to someone who you don't know and ask them to please help you find your way to the nearest store, and when they finish telling or showing you the way to the store, ask them to help you pick out an accessory to the clothes that you're wearing - ask them if they think a scarf, hat, a necktie, a bracelet or necklace, a pin or brooch, etc. would make you look better?

You'll see that by paying attention to their opinions and suggestions, their knowledge and wisdom, their ability to serve a greater good, their kindness and love for another person, their hope for positive feedback on their contributions and their empowerment of your growth - you'll see that within their acts of assistance there resides the seeds for eliciting, enlisting and enhancing their staunch commitment towards any project, campaign or mission.

Challenge yourself to overcome all kinds of challenges!

Mahatma Gandhi told us that, "Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory."

The challenge of leadership is rooted in the doing and an orientation towards achieving something that has value, substance, 'traction', meat, possibility - in other words, we all want to do things that are worthwhile, worthy, glorious, praiseworthy or redeeming.

Yes, there is a "drudgery" to the pushing, pulling and urging activities of leaders - so then, every leader faces plenty of trials, hassles, tribulations, roadblocks, tests, obstacles, perils, brick walls, pitfalls and more.

The powerful leader use a secret 'hammer', I like to think of that tool as being an 'all-in-one', multi-dimensional toolkit that gives leader the ability to keep on keeping on.

To push through the difficulties you will need to bolster your confidence, desire and faith with motivational materials, inspirational readings, people who share your vision or support your efforts in highly proactive ways, meditations, prayers, positive affirmations, coaches and mentors.

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mahatma Gandhi

There are no problems, only opportunities to find newer and better solutions!

"Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes." - Henry J. Kaiser

Problems are an unavoidable part of life. The leader who tries to avoid problems is no leader at all.

Have you ever had a supervisor who hated to hear anything about your problems? Unless that person's attitude changed, they would be doomed to failure as a leader.

Powerful leaders welcome encounters with problems - they realize the potential for finding something better, or for discovering a more effective process or product exists right on the other side of that problem's solution.

I like to use a quick 4-step formula for approaching every kind of problem-solving task:

• What situation are you in?
• What 'problems' do you see there?
• What are the implications of keeping or solving your problems?
• What kinds of payoffs do you need or want to come out of your solutions?

The powerful leader sees trouble coming, puts on her/his work clothes and gets to work with a passion for uncovering the hidden jewel of opportunity, value or innovation.

Leaders always invest in themselves and they use time to strengthen their hearts, minds and wills!

How much is your dream, vision or life purpose worth? Is it worth the price of persevering in your prayers of faith, the value of motivating your soul's desire and the cost of strengthening the courage of your convictions?

Powerful leaders convince themselves that success always exacts a fair exchange in terms of payment. That transaction takes time - it's paid for over a period of time, with an interest or service charge of effort, sweat-equity and adversity.

Yes there's a value-added tax being levied - the powerful leader needs to stand on principle, be unfailing in ethical behavior and never compromise in acting morally.

Do you invest in boosting the power of your hope? Are you paying the "piper" his due for your prospects of future success? What do owe in your tax burden - how much have you contributed to your foundation of morality, ethics and personal values?

If your dreams are worth $10 million dollars, what is the equivalent amount needed to prepare your 'inner resources' of mind, emotions, willpower and spirit for that level of achievement?

Adapt, adjust, adduce your leadership appearances!

You have probably seen definitions for the three traditional leadership styles of autocratic [bossy], democratic [participative] and delegative [free reign].

There are other styles besides those three that fit into the challenges of a knowledge-based economy, that's flexibly networked and intensely dynamic in its nature.

These other styles reflect the leader's mission to:

• Assemble disparate knowledge assets into newer, more appropriate and sensible configurations,
• Connect diverse resource pools with human capital components [that is, social, intellectual, production and developmental capital];
• Empower organized efforts to process, digest and master the forces of ever-changing scenarios.

The powerful leader adopts differing roles for the variety of contexts in front of her - those roles are not part of some deception, rather they become the leader's portfolio of adaptations for the purpose of situational optimization.

Leaders add value to the work products of organizations through their application of patterned traits. These patterns are the way leaders make a significant difference to the growth, prosperity and health of others.

Powerful leaders use their work patterns to share their time, their hearts and thoughts, and show how they relate to the needs of others.

Powerful leadership skills are available to all who desire and are willing to work for them. Each one of these power-generators are designed to bring you closer to a confident application of your leadership engagements.

The vast majority of knowledge workers, professionals, managers, entrepreneurs and service personnel need to possess excellent leadership skills - many of today's workforce are too weak and ineffectual in their daily practice of leadership.

Experts like the American Society for Training and Development [ASTD] believe that 80% or more of US employees lack adequate skills and competencies in their leadership performance.

Don't let that grim statistic apply to your life - take action now and start investing in your professional growth.

Who should be a powerful leader? How hard is it for ordinary people to make the jump to power-generating leadership?

You can use the lessons of this article to climb your way to the lofty levels of powerful leadership. Take advantage of these seven key points and you will increase your chances of adding real power, traction and thrust to your leadership abilities.

You should realize that your own personal efforts and the services of a helpful guide are the only keys that can unlock your leadership potential - so pick up your keys, walk towards the door of promise and enter into your paradise of possibility for leadership success, today!

About the Author:

Bill Thomas is Editor/Author of "The Leadership UltraNet!" - an interactive, online, ULTRA-Comprehensive training program designed to improve your leadership skills, energize your creativity and transform you into a confident, persuasive, empowering leader. Inspire Confidence, Be Creative, Enhance Your Leadership Skills - All-You-Need-to-Lead-and-Succeed!
Learn More About The Leadership-UltraNet! Today.