"Di atisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the a ence of things, but the a ence of vision." - Anonymous
This article in for anyone who is currently u ure, unknowing, on-the-fence, and/or otherwise "searching" for the a wer to whether or not he/she can be an effective leader.
The a wer? Quite simply is: "Maybe" or "Maybe Not"!
No, we are not trying to be fu y or in any way make light of the question.
The simple truth of the matter is this. Whether you think you can be an effective leader, OR you think you can't be - You Are Right!
Just take a moment and think about the original question. "Can I be an effective leader?" We challenge you to ask this question again, but in a slightly different way.
Rather than asking, "Can I ...?" - I tead ask: "WILL I be an effective leader?"
Asking the question this way, makes something very clear to the person asking the question. That "something" is that each of us has a choice to make as to what we want to be in any given moment. THE CHOICE IS OURS.
Vision in Leadership is very much about making choices. Leaders make choices everyday that affect many other people. Because of the re o ibility and accountability that comes with leadership, a good leader makes choices based on strong principles and beliefs.
Choosing a ecific path or vision for your team or your company, is done most effectively by following the L.P.B.-It method.
The title of this article is "L.P.B.-IT! - The Power of Vision". L.P.B. stands for the following:
L-eave It
P-erceive It
B-elieve It
LEAVE IT! - When faced with an important decision, it is sometimes easy to focus in on all the reaso why we shouldn't do something versus why we should, or why perha it won't work versus why it will.
Leave It - makes the point that a strong leader routinely makes the choice to "leave" negative thinking behind. There are plenty of nay-sayers who accomplish little or nothing. YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BE ONE OF THEM.
On a regular basis, step at least "1 inch" outside your comfort zone. That is where all the action is!
In fact, everything you have ever wanted and have thus far been unable to obtain, is more than likely located "outside" this comfort zone. To be a succe ful leader, you must be "uncomfortably succe ful". Make this choice now!
Perceive It! - A strong leader's perception is truly a powerful tool. Effective leaders perceive things differently in most cases from others.
For i tance, go anywhere in Smalltown, USA or Ruralville, America where Walmart, Costco, Home Depot or some other huge bulk outlet store has just come to town.
Local retailers in these little tow have nightmares about this scenario playing out in their own backyards. The thought of having to compete agai t Goliath is extremely frightening.
No one would argue the fact that these local retailers have a right to be concerned. But, if our L.P.B.-It method really works, shouldn't we "leave" these negative thoughts aside? A wer: YES!
The truth of the matter is that no amount of fear is going to change the minds of large chain executives. They will either make the decision to open, or they won't. If they do choose to expand to these markets, you should know that they are well aware of your fears. In fact, these executives are counting on this fear.
I tead of "perceiving" the bulk stores as the enemy. Why not "perceive" them as an o ortunity? YOUR - Ace In The Hole!
O ortunity may come in many forms, but we must seize the moment and perceive the o ortunity in order to avoid becoming the victim of circumstance.
Examples of potential o ortunities from the above scenario:
- Traffic patter may change so perha a relocation of your busine may be great for future growth.
- Land values may rise in certain areas. Buying now and selling later may be a wise investment for an early retirement.
- Increased competition typically increases quality for the co umer. More choices make service and quality more important. Price is not always the deciding factor. Know what your customers' value most and deliver.
- Identify a niche for positioning your current busine , or open a new busine that can take advantage of the increased traffic and that can compliment the incoming bulk store.
If you weren't willing to compete, perha your expertise would be more highly valued as a manager or supervisor at the new bulk store. Potential for stock optio , increased benefits, new challenges, etc.
The fact is we could go on and on about po ible o ortunities in virtually any given situation. It's all based on a person's perception of any given event. Perceiving things positively by no mea e ures succe , but understand thi perceiving things negatively virtually guarantees failure.
Again, it's a choice, make yours now!
Believe It! - You may have heard the term "Believing is Achieving". This is a very simple but powerful phrase that has been proven over and over again. If you think about it, nothing great has ever been achieved until someone has finally comes along with the belief that it should be - and WILL be achieved.
For i tance, man first ste ed foot on the moon because of a President who firmly believed that we could achieve what many co idered impo ible. President Ke edy addre ed our nation by saying words to the effect, "some look to the moon and ask why, I look to the moon and ask why not."
I 't it fair to say that President Ke edy's belief of what could be achieved was very different than the belief of most people? If you agree, you might also concede that it was his strong "belief" that i ired a nation to make the impo ible - po ible.
In his recent book "Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell" by Oren Harari, he states:
"Perpetual Optimism is a Force Multiplier. The ri le effect of a leader's enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and pe imism."
The same point can be made for a leader's strong belief. The power of one's belief and ability to communicate his/her belief to influence others IS awesome.
In conclusion, the L.P.B.-It method is all about making the a ropriate choices in order to carry out your vision for succe . Vision = Choice Cubed, if you will!
CHOOSE to leave the self-doubt and "can't-do" garbage behind you in order to allow new worlds and new begi ings in.
CHOOSE to see o ortunity i tead of catastrophe.
CHOOSE to believe in the impo ible in order to experience all that IS po ible.
The choice really is yours, make it wisely.
Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's a iring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Busine Pla ing, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.
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