Seven Steps to Grow Into Leadership?

Can leadership be learned?  What do I need to do to gain influence?  These are two typical questions I receive repeatedly by those who have been promoted to positions where they need to direct, inspect, recruit, retain, and inspire people on their team to get a job done.  Yes, I believe leadership, to a large degree can be learned.  But first you have to:

1. Be teachable
2. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and learn to take an interest in others as much as you do in accomplishing a goal or project.
3. Develop good listening skills.
4. Find a mentor, a coach to bounce situations  off of.
5. Read, read, or at least use your car as a rolling university and listen to books on CD;
6. Learn about Behavioral Styles, DISC!  A great too in your arsenal.
7.  Own your mistakes, say you were wrong, therefore, leading by example.  They will appreciate you more  if they know you’re human, and able to step up to the plate and take responsibility.

As a young leader I enjoyed multiple projects launching simultaneously.  I remember one time I was almost finished with am assignment and had already begun strategically preparing to catapult into the next program when three people approached me.  They were upset that I had volunteered to take the next role, leaving them behind.  I didn’t get it, they were all upset about me leaving.  It wasn’t until one of them took me out to coffee, and explained that they were on the project because I was leading it, that it dawned on me.  I was on the project for the satisfaction of a job well done.  Isn’t that what everyone’s motivation is?  As far as I was concerned, it had been a resounding success and I was moving forward.  They were on the project to be around me!  Wow, what a revelation.  It was then I discovered people join things for different reasons.  It was a real shock, and wake up call.  It would have never occurred to me that people were there for any other reason than to get a job done.   Learning DISC was the beginning of a lifelong journey into understanding the values, motives, and differing styles of people.  This knowledge alone has transformed my life and lead me into projects, places and opportunities I could have never envisioned.  This understanding has given me the knowledge needed to recruit, retain, motivate, correct, and direct people in small and large projects.  If this intrigues you, and you want to know more, check out the tele-class workshop coming up the end of June.  I guarantee, you’ll never be the same!  Go to the EVENTS page to learn more, then sign up on the SIGN UP pag and take the challenge.  The people challenge that is.  It will become one of your very greatest tools in your leadership career.