Thursday, January 29

Leadership is Influence...

Not everyone you influence will think the same way you do. You have to help them not only believe that they can succeed, but also show them that you want them to succeed.

How do you do that?

1. Expect it: People can sense your underlying attitude no matter what you say or do. If you have an expectation for your people to be successful, they will know it.
2. Verbalize it: People need to hear you tell them that you believe in them and want them to succeed. Become a positive prophet of their success.
3. Reinforce it: You can never do too much when it comes to believing in people.

Once people recognize and understand that you genuinely want to see them succeed and are committed to helping them, they will begin to believe they can accomplish what you give them to do.

From Becoming a Person of Influence by Dr. John Maxwell.

To lead is to serve,
Coach Carolyn

Tuesday, January 6

The Heart of Leadership

When you think of servanthood, what do you envision? Servanthood is not about position or skill. It's about attitude. You undoubtedly have met people in service positions who have poor attitudes toward servanthood. And just as you can sense when a worker doesn't want to help people, you can just as easily detect whether a leader has a servant's heart.

The truth is that the best leaders desire to serve others, not themselves. True servant leaders:
  • Put others ahead of their own agenda.
  • Possess the confidence to serve.
  • Initiate service to others.
  • Are not position-conscious.
  • Serve out of love.

Servant leadership is never motivated by manipulation or self-promotion. In the end, the extent of your influence depends on the depth of your concern for others. That's why it's so important for leaders to be willing to serve.

From The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by Dr. John C. Maxwell.

To lead is to serve,
Coach Carolyn