Kouzes and Posner laid out very practical and logical research on what are the five key practices for exemplary leadership. They say that everyone can be a leader, that people can be taught these skills and I agree with that. Some people may have some these qualities innately, but overall leadership comes with knowing yourself, standing up for what you believe in and taking the risks to get there. It is mainly about knowing yourself and building strong relationships with people around you as you cannot be an effective leader a community around you.

Ultimately the authors say that leadership is not just an affair of the head, but it really is an affair of the heart. It is really getting to find something that you love and going after it, pursuing it, finding opportunities all around you, and stretching to be the best possible leader that you can be.

So this holiday season are you opening your heart? Are you doing what you are most passionate about? Are you investing in your relationships and building community around you? The more you practice these skills the more you are investing in being the strongest leader that you can be.

Happy Holidays to the leader in all of you!

In “The Leadership Challenge” authors Kouzes and Posner talk about the five practices of exemplary leadership. The first two practices were Model the Way and Inspire a Shared Vision which I discussed in my last two blog posts. The third practice the authors discuss is Challenge the Process.

They say that exemplary leaders search for opportunities and experiment and take risks. Leaders are able to take initiative in searching out new opportunities and looking outside of their organization for inspiration. They network, create partnerships, innovate, and make something happen by being proactive. They also encourage other people in their businesses to look for opportunities and actively look at trends outside of their business in order to find opportunities.

Leaders are also willing to take risks. They know that the great opportunities or innovations never come without taking great risks. But the authors say the way to take risks is by taking small steps and generating small wins as well as learning from experience. It is important for leaders to keep learning and growing. If they take small steps and learn from those steps they will be able to increase their confidence and ultimately get the big win.  Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln are great examples of leaders who failed many times, but eventually became great leaders through that experience of failing.

Finally the authors say that leaders are resilient. They learn from their failures and learn how to become stronger in order to overcome those mistakes. They grow from those experiences and ultimately become even stronger leaders as a result. Leadership is about change - being open to change, embracing change, and looking for change.

So are you taking risks in your business? Are you searching for opportunities in the current business trends? Are you continuously learning and growing in order to expand your possibilities as a leader?  If not what small step can you take today in order to do so?

Are you in a “Dip?”  As Seth Godin describes it in his book – it is that place between beginner and mastery that inevitably happens to everyone. It is that spot that is in between the effort you have been putting in and the results that you want to see.  If you are on the right track in terms of knowing that you can become a master in the area that you are working in then “the dip” is just something to persevere through. It is what distinguishes the ones who are excelling in their fields (experts) and the ones who are just mediocre. Mastery entails going through “The Dip” and becoming stronger through it, knowing that the dip is a challenge to step up your game and become the best you can be. It is a time to intensify your activities and effort and know that you are working in the right direction.

On the other hand those people who excel and persevere also know when the actions they are taking are leading into a cul-de-sac or an area that is really not going to have any returns or the returns that they desire. People who excel know when to quit and what to quit quickly so that they are not wasting time on areas that do not add value to where they truly want to go. They let go faster of cul-de-sacs so that they can spend their time on things that truly matter. 

If you know you can truly excel at something and it totally suits your personality and strengths then persevering through the dip is the only thing that matters – keep going and keep making the strides necessary to excel in what you are doing and become an expert in your field. If you are struggling and know that to continue to persevere in this area will just lead to more heartache and non-results then it is time to let go and focus your energy on something where you can make the results that you so desire. 

I agree with Seth that knowing when to persevere and when to let go are critical aspects for leaders especially in this time of economic uncertainty. It is standing tall in your belief and in your knowing that what you are spending your time on is worth all of the effort that you are exerting.