Successful Leadership is Based on Principles

By Phyllis Nasiopulos

When people decide to follow you as a leader, it is because of your character or your skills or both. If you "have the goods" and intend to succeed as a leader, you must "sell" to the world or to the individual, true ideas about your particular qualifications for success-true ideas regarding your best capabilities and the value of your leadership. Your "goods" are your talents, skill, integrity and knowledge that you bring to the partnership. Regardless of how capable you are, how much talent you may have or how much you desire to lead others, this will all be wasted unless others realize the best you have to offer.

If you ask a dozen people what are the qualities of a successful leader, you will get a dozen different opinions. One thing is certain, however, leadership is best when it is guided by principles. Principles are objective, impersonal and self-evident. Qualities like respect, honesty, kindness, integrity, service and fairness will never let you down, never disappoint you. When you base your leadership on these qualities, you have a solid foundation to build a relationship with others. You will be the kind of person others want to follow. They will have the trust in you that is necessary to believe that you can bring out the best within them.

When principles guide you as a leader, you can see the potential in others, their worth that often goes unnoticed and may go undiscovered until you bring it out. What a gift you offer to that individual and to society.

The following six principles are by no means exclusive, but it is a beginning.

1. Respect: This principle goes beyond allowing others their opinions. It is truly based on ethics. Retaining self-respect is absolutely necessary as a leader. If you act in a particular manner just to please others, you are doing yourself and others a great disservice. It is far better to displease others by doing what you know is ethically right than trying to placate people. When you maintain this self-respect because of your guiding principles, you will be a positive role model who lives and leads by the best of qualities. You will also see the value in others opinions and allow them the right to that opinion.

2. Honesty: When you are true to your word, you establish a bond with others that cannot be broken. When leaders are not honest, it always comes back to haunt them. There is no value in manipulating the truth to serve you. It’s not lasting and will be the destruction of the relationship.

3. Kindness: Certainly as a leader there are many opportunities to demonstrate this quality. Most often these opportunities will be in the form of actions and words. The right gesture of kindness at the right time will make all the difference in your life and the life of the person who looks to you as a leader. The most important point to remember is to think about what the other person needs to experience and hear, not what you may what to do or say.

4. Integrity: Integrity is doing what you say you will. If you follow through on your word, people will trust you because you keep your promises. There is a second value to keeping your word. You not only develop a better relationship with others, you build trust in yourself; you add to your own self-esteem. When you keep your word, and you tell others what you can and will do for them as a leader, they have every reason to trust this is true because it is.

5. Service: Initially, people think of service in relationship to what they can do for others. This is certainly true, but the concept of service goes deeper. As a leader who develops his leadership on principles, he must be true to himself, to his purpose, to the greater good. When he does this, he can also serve others by bringing out the best within them and help them to reach their full potential.

6. Fairness: Doing what is right, what is ethical is always the best choice. Considering the needs and desires of others may not always be easy, but no one said being a leader was easy. Act from your heart and conscience and give beyond what is required.

As a leader, you have the opportunity and duty to bring out the best in yourself and others. You may be the only one who encourages their dreams. Mark Twain gave great advice when he said, "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

Phyllis Nasiopulos, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story. Whether you're looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Phyllis can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind. visit : Financial Freedom

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Leadership 101

By Colleen Kettenhofen

"If...you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." Catherine Aird

Do people willingly want to follow you? The real test of leadership is influence. Would your subordinates describe you as an effective manager, supervisor or team leader? Be honest with yourself. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to work for YOU?! If your employees' pay, perks and benefits were not dependent on doing what you ask, would they still want to follow you? If the answer is yes, you are truly a role model of leadership.

In conducting leadership training around the world for over a decade, here are the key traits I hear over and over that employees want to see in their leaders. And most of these employees are managers themselves.These traits will sound familiar to you. Yet, we need to be reminded of them. Many managers confide to me that they're so overloaded they forget about practicing many of these qualities on a regular basis.

1) Supportive/Good listener: It's been said the average person listens to what you have to say only 25% of the time. Yes, that's right. Much of the time we're caught up in our own "stuff" and we're not always listening. Listen. Think before you speak. Some people just need to be allowed to vent. Vent within reason of course. Then, they'll be more likely to listen to you.

2) Open-minded. It's hard to listen without an open mind. At least acknowledge what your employees have to say. It doesn't mean you necessarily have to agree. In order to gain respect and get your team members to follow you, sometimes you first have to show respect.

3) Honest. Do you possess personal integrity? Your team members will look to see if you do what you say you are going to do. This sounds like common-sense and it is. Yet, many in a leadership position forget this important trait. The minute you can't deliver on your promises you lose all credibility. It will be the one thing your employees will always remember. As the saying goes, "They remember your last act." Under promise and over deliver. Always do what you say you are going to do.

True Leadership = Inspiration:

4) Inspiring. True leadership = inspiration. Real leaders have a passion for what they do. They are able to transfer that enthusiasm to their employees. People want to follow someone they respect and admire. In my leadership training, a lot of managers tell me they also want a leader "who is balanced in their personal as well as professional life." They see a balanced leader as someone who walks their talk. Employees want to follow someone who has what they want.

5) Intelligent. I frequently hear the comment, "In our organization, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing." Or, "My manager really has no idea what I do for a living. What my job entails, the challenges and the time constraints." Please educate yourself on each of your team member's responsibilities. It's the only way you can speak intelligently to them and gain respect.

6) Future-oriented. Upper management should put their organization's five year, three year, and one year plan in writing and pass it out to every employee. A lot of employees don't know their organization's overall goals and objectives. An integral part of leadership is having vision, and being able to convey that vision in a way that excites and inspires team members. A great way to motivate most of your employees is to show each and every one where they fit in with the organization's big picture. Most of them want to know their purpose and how they make a difference.

Effective Leadership = Effective Social Skills:

7) Excellent communicator. Many people are promoted to leadership positions based on their "hard skills" or technical skills. Yet, most managers describe true leadership as demonstrating good interpersonal skills. Excellent leaders and managers aren't just good communicators in terms of what's expected on the job. They also make it a priority to take a sincere interest in their employees. Little things go a long way. For example, know your employee's birthdays, whether or not they have children, and acknowledge their length of service on their anniversary.

8) Fair-minded. Employees and managers alike respect leaders in an organization who are fair, objective, and "don't play favorites." They want sincere recognition for a job well done. Most employees want to be judged on their performance, not on whether or not they've got friends in high places.

9) Flexible with change. An effective leader is open to change, new ideas and taking risks. A leader who is a good role model doesn't take a "my way or the highway" approach. They're confident enough in themselves that they can give explanations for WHY a change is being made. Employees always want to know why. Managers and leaders who are secure within themselves don't need to say, "Because I'm your supervisor and I said so."

10) Leadership starts with service. Effective leadership involves rolling up your sleeves and helping others. The term "servant leadership" was coined in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf, former AT&T executive and founder of The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. He wrote, "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

"A good example is the best sermon." Anon.

Copyright (c) 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

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Colleen Kettenhofen is a speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. For more free articles and e-newsletter, & to order the book visit www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, public speaking.Colleen is available for keynotes, breakout sessions and seminars. Call 971-212-2412 or email colleen@colleenspeaks.com . www.ColleenSpeaks.com . You are free to reprint or repost this article provided Colleen's name, website and email are provided with the article.