In far too many instances, our greatest and most dangerous enemy is our self. Sometimes this is because of attitude, sometimes because of an inability to introspectively examine our strengths and weaknesses, and at still other times it is a result of our behavior and/or reaction to a variety of circumstances. Plato stated this perfectly, "The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile." When it comes to one's ability to be a truly effective leader, this is even more relevant. True leaders must understand and honestly appraise their strengths and weaknesses, and adapt as necessary to become better and more effective.
1. When one considers a position of leadership, he should first examine his reasons for doing so. What are his true motives? Does he want to lead because he feels he can make a real difference, or because he desires the recognition and/ or accolades? Will the individual commit to the time and effort? Will this potential leader know himself so well that he can overcome adversity and obstacles, rather be saddled an incapacitated by them? When one is in a leadership position, there can be no place for self doubt. A true leader has undergone training and learned and applied techniques and philosophies of leadership. Although I have trained over a thousand potential leaders over more than three decades, only those who first commit to self understanding and take from that true inner strength, have ended up being able to fulfill the position in an effective and consistent manner.
2. Many people claim to know themselves, but few actually take the time to do a thorough self examination. I have observed that while most of those in leadership present themselves publicly as confident, in reality most are not nearly that self assured. Many of those leaders who some believe to be driven by their egos, are not egoistic at all, but rather so insecure that they portray themselves that way to cover up their insecurities. When someone understands themselves fully, it gives them the opportunity to learn more, understand more, make wiser decisions, use better judgment, and overall demonstrate far greater wisdom, than those unwilling or unable to undergo this essential exercise. Self understanding is an essential, yet often overlooked part of leadership training. Since no two individuals are alike in every way, there can be no thorough and complete leadership training without an emphasis on customizing training to an individual and his needs.
Once someone conquers himself, there is very little he cannot overcome. Self understanding provides a leader with the strength and courage to face difficult circumstances and challenges, and thus turn adversity into victory!
Richard Brody, with over 30 years consultative sales, marketing, training, managerial, and operations experience, has trained sales and marketing people in numerous industries, given hundreds of seminars, appeared as a company spokesperson on over 200 radio and television programs, and regularly blogs on real estate, politics, economics, management, leadership, negotiations, conferences and conventions, etc. He has negotiated, arranged and/or organized hundreds of conferences and conventions. He's a Senior Consultant with RGB Consultation Services, an Ecobroker, a Licensed Buyers Agent (LBA) and Licensed Salesperson in NYS, in real estate.
Richard has owned businesses, been a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Executive Officer, and a Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has a Consulting Website ( http://tinyurl.com/rgbcons ), and his company PLAN2LEAD, LLC's site ( http://www.plan2lead.net/ ), and can be followed on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment