SalesMotivation.net

by Dan Coughlin

Leadership is the ability to influence how other people think in ways that generate better sustainable results both for your organization and for the people you serve. Leadership is not based on title, authority, income, or the number of people you influence.

One of the most important aspects of leadership is determining your leadership style and then sticking with it. I’ve seen every style of leadership be effective, except for one. My leadership style can be summed up in two words: austerity and collaboration. Austerity means to be rigorously simple and collaboration means to build on one another’s ideas. My goal is to provide the simplest and clearest ideas and processes that I can insert that will help the group achieve its desired outcomes.

However, I’ve seen people who I thought were rude and arrogant be effective leaders. I’ve seen people who I thought were far too meek be effective leaders. I’ve seen people with every conceivable type of personality and approach to others who were effective as leaders. Except one.

The one leadership style that always fails is the chameleon. A chameleon is a lizard that changes its colors to match the surroundings. When a leader constantly changes his or her stance and approach to other people depending on who is in the room, other people stop considering his or her influence. The reason is because they never know what to expect from this person.

Make a list of eight adjectives that describe the type of leader you want to be. At the beginning of each day look at your list and proactively work to act in accordance with your desired approach. At the end of every day pull out that list and reflect on when you acted in accordance with those adjectives and when you failed to do so.

Have a great month.

Dan Coughlin

P.S. If you want to read more articles on leadership, teamwork, and personal effectiveness, please visit Dan Coughlin’s Free Resource Center on Business Acceleration at www.thecoughlincompany.com.