Leadership Can Be Learned

This is an old Zoltar Speaks! blog post.

If you want changes in your life or work, the changes must begin in you.

1.  Perform your “Magic”
a.   Identify your area of excellence, your distinctive competency.
b.   Utilize it in the service of others.

2.  Demand the Extraordinary
a.   Leaders do ordinary things in extraordinary ways.
b.   Attend to the little things.

3.  Have the courage to create
a.   Take 100% personal responsibility.
b.   Be proactive.  Perceive yourself as being at cause.
c.   Circumstance does not make the person, it reveals the person(s) to them self.
d.   We reap what we sow.  This principle is true in physics, philosophy, and business. It is a law of nature.

4.  Stretch your mind: Think big
a.   Leaders think and act beyond boundaries.  They operate from a universal perspective.
b.   Leaders know how to multiply their energy, creativity, intelligence, information base, and experience manifold.
c.   Leaders see what can be – NOT what is.
d.   Leaders envision what they really want – NOT what they “think” they can get.

5.  Be strategically Intent
a.   Leaders are programmers of the computer/mind.
b.   A law of nature is that everything is created twice, once mentally and once physically.
c.   Leaders create a(n)…
*     Individualized strategic intent…
*     Leader mission statement…
*     Personal constitution…
… to reprogram their thinking.  This is crystallization and capturing of the leader’s vision and value system.

6.  Use values as leverage
a.   Values serve as standards for those who follow you.
b.   Values are our personal bottom line.  Values are our beliefs about what is most important in our lives.  They give us vitality.
c.   Our values determine what we think is right or wrong, good or bad, and what we do or do not do.
d.   Values are like the executive level of a computer system.
e.   Values are the leverage point that structures a powerful internal impulse that enables the leader to think and act beyond limitation.

7.  Prepare to be bold
a.   “Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it.  Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
b.   Leaders are bold.  They move ahead in spite of doubts.
c.   Leaders believe fully and can have no doubts.
d.   The impulse of boldness precedes the act of risk taking.
e.   Learning to take risks does not require learning new skills.
f.    A rested physiology is the basis for a robust, energetic approach to the challenges and opportunities facing the leader.  There are several levels of rest: recreation (leisure time), relaxation techniques, sound sleep, and science based meditation.
h.   Coherence of brain wave activity is directly related to intelligence and creativity.
i.    Bold action inspires others to be self-leaders and share the risk of leadership.

8.  Speak, as a leader should speak
a.   Use empowering language.
Empowering language
1.   Let’s look at the possibilities.
2.   Let’s look at some alternatives.
3.   I’ll have the report by Monday.
4.   I am in control of my life.
5.   I can choose a different approach.
6.   I control my own feelings.
7.   I choose to…
Dis-empowering language
1.   I can’t do that.
2.   There’s nothing I can do.
3.   I’ll try to have the report by Monday.
4.   Why does this always happen to me.
5.   That’s just the way I am.
6.   He/She makes me so mad.
7.   I have to…

b.   Use enabling language.
Enabling examples
1.   What kind of support do you need to assure success? 
2.   What action should we take now?
3.   What are the benefits of achieving that objective?
4.   What will it take to have it work?
5.   What would work here?
6.   What key things have to happen to achieve our objectives in a timely manner?
Disabling examples
1.   What’s your problem?
2.   Who did that?
3.   Why did you do that?
4.   Don’t you know better than that?
5.   Who made that decision?
6.   Why are you so far behind the other team?

Motivation isn’t optional.
Everyone is motivated to do nothing or to do something,
either negatively or positively.

The choices are yours.