“Leadership is influence.”
- John Maxwell
There is a difference between leadership and management. You may be a workplace manager, but not necessarily a workforce leader. You may even have supervisory responsibility of employees, but that doesn’t automatically make you a leader.
Leaders differ with managers in that they posses and practice qualities that allow them to succeed in motivating people. They don’t just manage projects; they lead people in the accomplishment of those projects.
So if you want to transform your workplace management role into successful workforce leadership results, consider incorporating these ten qualities into your work:
1.) LOVE-
The greatest need in leadership is a love for people. The leader is one who believes in people and truly like being with people.
They have a sincere desire to inspire and motivate people in personal and professional development.
Successful leaders understand that people don’t care how much they know, until they know how much they care.
2.) ENTHUSIASM-
Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, “Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
The leader permeates with a confident excitement about the tasks at hand. They have a noticeable enjoyment for life and its daily challenges.
Leaders are enthusiastic about what they are doing, where they are doing it, and with whom they are with.
3.) ATTITUDE-
Attitude is the power of influence. It determines a negative or positive impact upon others.
The successful leader has made the decision to maintain a positive mindset toward people and business. Leaders know that a positive mental attitude attracts the best efforts of others.
4.) DISCIPLINE-
The secret of achievement is self-discipline
Leaders practice, both mentally and physically, through relentless repetition, those attitudes and actions necessary for success regardless of ease or feeling.
5.) ENERGY-
Dr. Hans Diehl states, “Health is not everything, but without it, everything is nothing.”
Likewise, successful leaders know their success is dependent on their own level of energy to perform.
Leaders invest in personal wellness plans and professional time management strategies to support their performance and productivity.
6.) RESPONSIBILITY-
Successful leaders live by the motto on the plaque that stood on President Harry Truman’s desk, “The buck stops here.”
They welcome responsibility as opportunity. They recognize the meaning of the word as the ‘ability to respond,’ as they always do.
7.) STEADFASTNESS-
The mark of leadership is steadfastness of purpose.
Successful leaders are driven by the courage of determination to stay true to their mission.
Leaders have banned from their vocabulary ‘can’t,’ ‘but,’ and ‘if.’ Successful leaders persevere in casting the vision, defining integrity, and communicating the course.
8.) HOPE-
Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”
Hope in a dream, a goal, and its benefits realized, is the single most motivating factor for action.
Successful leaders know how to communicate hope to their team. They know it is the key to inspiring harmony, spreading optimism, creating perseverance, and increasing enthusiasm.
9.) INITIATIVE-
Andrew Carnegie said, “The people who get ahead do the things that should be done without being told. And they don’t stop there. They go the extra mile and do much more than is expected of them.”
Successful leaders lead by their own personal initiative and that influence enjoys the benefits of its contagious results.
10.) PASSION-
W. Eugene Smith says, “Passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavors.”
Leaders enjoy success because they have emotional investments in their personal and corporate missions. They understand that their organization is merely a lengthened shadow of their own passion for excellence, quality, or service.
Steve Durkac is a leadership trainer, grandpa, and a bad ventriloquist, but he did write a good book
Copyright 2007 by Steve Durkac. An excerpt from his book, “21 Motivational Insights on Leadership Enrichment” http://www.durkac.com
Tags: Alabama, Durkac, leadership, management, Mobile, people skills
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