A LEADER'S DAILY DOZEN

Via John Maxwell's "360 Degree Leadership"

1.      Place a high value on people.

2.      Commit resources to develop people.

3.      Place a high value on leadership.

4.      Look for potential leaders.

·         If leadership is on your radar and you value it, you will continually be on the lookout for potential leaders.

·         These are the top ten characteristics of “eagles”:

1.      They make things happen.

2.      They see opportunities.

3.      They influence the opinions and actions of others.

4.      They add value to you.

5.      They draw winners to them.

6.      They equip other eagles to lead.

7.      They provide ideas that help the organization.

8.      They possess an uncommonly great attitude.

9.      They live up to their commitments.

10.  They show fierce loyalty to the organization and the leader.

5.      Know and respect your people.

·         But there are also other characteristics that are common to all leaders that you should keep in mind as you take them through the development process.

1.      People want to see results.

2.      People want to be effective- they want to do what they do well.

3.      People want to be in the picture.

4.      People want to be appreciated.

5.      People want to be a part of the celebration.

6.      Provide your people with leadership experience.

·         It is impossible to learn leadership without actually leading.

7.      Reward leadership initiative.

·         The best leaders are proactive. They make things happen.

8.      Provide a safe environment where people ask questions, share ideas, and take risks.

·         Pulitzer prize-winning historian Garry Wills said, “Leaders have a say in what they are being led to. A leader who neglects that soon finds himself without followers.”

·         Leadership by its very nature challenges.

9.      Grow with your people.

10.  Draw people with high potential into your inner circle.

·         “It’s better to have a group of deer led by a lion than a group of lions led by a deer.”

·         The best way to develop high-caliber leaders is to have them mentored by a high-caliber leader.

11.  Commit yourself to developing a leadership team.

·         If you want your organization to reach its potential, if you want it to go from good to great (or even average to good), you need to develop a team of leaders, people who can fill in each others’ gaps, people who challenge and sharpen each other.

12.  Unleash your leaders to lead.

·         When the top leaders are lid lifters for the leaders in the middle, then those leaders become load lifters for the ones at the top.