Harold Lowe - Living Like a Leader

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Print ISBN: 978-1-54397-665-6

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54397-666-3

Prologue

These days, most schools are only teaching students how to follow a path or a curriculum, but not teaching them how to lead. Im sure people have told you that youre a natural-born leader or have leadership qualities, but nobody has offered you step-by-step advice on how to take that natural potential and grow into a great leader. This book is designed to give you all the tools you need. I may talk about a few things you already know, but Ill be introducing you to new ideas and guide you in how to put all of those talents and skills together to become an intentional and effective leader.

Many of you reading this book have been blessed with great speaking abilities, the gift of influence, the talent to relate to other people, the ability to build strong connections, and other unique abilities. I dont want you to squander those natural talents, so weve written this book in a way that will help you to optimize those skills as well as help you to connect the dots and learn new techniques on this long road to influential leadership with concepts that will apply to every aspect of your life. Most importantly, I will guide you in the right direction on how to lead people to be something greater than they ever imagined. It is imperative as a leader that you put other peoples needs above your own. As the people around you grow, you will continue to grow as a leader.

With that in mind, I cant overstate how important it is to be intentional every step of the way along your journey. You cant rely on chance or good luck to become a great leader; you need a trained mind with attention to detail. You must be very deliberate and dedicated to growth and learning every day for the rest of your life. Committing to continuous learning will guarantee you a life of never-ending growth and prosperity.

From the beginning, this book will help you recognize what a leader is and is not and will lead you on a path with instruction and direction to a goal that begins and ends with discipline. Outlined in each chapter are key themes followed by the methods you need to grow and be successful. Each should be studied and worked on in the order that is written. You cant spend too much time in any one area and neglect another if you want to grow into a well-rounded and well-versed leader.

So settle in, take notes, and let me show you how to become the global leader you always knew you could be!

Chapter

Your Beginning

Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to win as a team or an organization; and it is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring.

You may have been told youre a natural-born leader, but how do you expand upon that natural ability to become a skilled leader?

If youre reading this book, you have big dreams, but youve probably already realized that your natural leadership ability will only get you so far in the world. You understand that, while having natural talent is a great place to start, there are many skills involved in becoming a great global leader. Youre eager to learn, and I want to help show you the tools you need to grow from being a person that others naturally follow into a truly intentional global leader. The great news is that your willingness to learn will take you far as a leader. The fact that youre reading this book means youre serious about doing what it takes to reach your fullest potential.

Be mindful of the fact that everything I say and suggest is for a reason. If you disagree with something, take a minute to think about why. Its OK to disagree, as long as you have valid reasons. Just understand that there is a reason behind everything I mention in this book; nothing is here just for filler.

So lets take a look at some of the skills I will be addressing in this book and why these skills need to be learned rather than relying too heavily on natural talent. While you likely already have some of these skills, it takes knowledge of all of them, how to apply each, and how to combine those skills to become a great global leader. Making goals is something that doesnt come easily for a lot of people, or they think its okay to keep those goals inside their head. Learning how to make short- and long-term goals will help you decide upon the leadership path you want to take and what steps you need to follow along the way to help you get there.

Without being intentional about setting goals, youre unlikely to become as successful as you could be. It is important to set goals higher than you think you can reach. I believe that it is better to fall short of a lofty goal than to miss your true potential by aiming your sights too low. With that in mind, short-term goals are the steps that will walk you toward your long-term goals and bring you the success that you seek as a leader. I want to show you how to set attainable and far-reaching goals, change them when needed, and achieve them or at least grow as a person and a leader in the process of failing to reach a goal. After all, each setback is nothing but another learning experience, and becoming a great leader is about constantly learning and growing.

Once you have goals, you need a very specific, detailed, intentional plan of action that will help you reach them. Your plan of action lays out every step you need to take to start reaching those goals. You might be able to reach them without a plan of action, but youre more likely to reach your goals more efficiently and effectively if you have a plan of action in place. Youll also be less likely to fail when you encounter setbacks if part of your plan anticipates setbacks and addresses how you will handle them. The more detailed your plan of action is, the more likely you are to succeed in the long run.

Part of developing your plan of action requires you to understand the difference between community service and service to your community. Understanding why it is important for you to differentiate the two terms will go a long way toward helping you become a great leader and surrounding yourself with the type of people who will help you succeed. While the difference between the terms may seem subtle, there are crucial differences that will affect whether or not people decide to follow your leadership. Without people who are willing to follow you, its much more difficult to become a leader, so pay close attention when I describe the difference in Chapter 3. Ill also discuss in detail why service to your community is such an important part of becoming a global leader.

As you develop your plan of action to become a leader, you need to base it on your passions. Becoming a leader can be a thankless task at times, so youll need to rely on your passions to keep you going when it may seem like the rest of the world is against you. It can be difficult to dig deep to discover your biggest passion is, so I want to help you uncover it. Ill help show you how to discover and prioritize your values and use them to pinpoint your passion. Since your passion is based on your values, your passion and values will ensure that you dont accidentally take steps toward your goals that conflict with your moral compass. Your passion will also help you to focus on which priorities are the most important and will help you recognize and attract the type of followers you desire as you reach for your goals.