Leadership – What is it?

In the MLM industry and business of all types, it is said all the time “this person is a leader” or “that person is a leader. More often than not, the person being referred to as a leader is a top producer sitting at the highest position in whatever opportunity he or she is a part of. One could mistakenly think that a leader is one who enjoys massive success. That is true in most cases, but only in part. Massive success is but a consequence of the process that one undergoes to become a leader. Being a leader doesn’t necessarily make you a good person either. Think about it, was Adolf Hitler an effective leader? You betcha he was… he just used his  leadership for evil rather than good.

A leader is one who has focus, many talented people jump from company to company, strategy to strategy, etc…. never staying focused long enough to master one thing before moving on to another. Look at the late Steve Jobs and Apple. Apple dominated the PC industry during the 1970′s and 1980′s. Shortly after Jobs’ departure in 1985, Apple fell off into obscurity. In 1996 Jobs returned to Apple as CEO leading with a new philosophy, “recognizable products and simple design” i.e., the iPod and eventually the iPhone. The music industry, mobile / smart phone industry, and the world was forever changed. Thank you Mr. Jobs.

Leaders understand the importance of disciplining their disappointment. In life, people will disappoint, that is part of the human condition.

“ If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you do have a problem.”    ~Richard Bach~

Leadership – How Does One Learn it?

The U.S. Marine Corps teaches 14 leadership traits that all Marines must have:

1. Justice – The practice of being fair and consistent.
2. Judgement – The ability to think things through clearly.
3. Dependability – Can be relied upon to perform duties properly.
4. Initiative – Taking action even though you haven’t been given orders.
5. Decisiveness – Able to make good decisions without delay. Get all the facts and weight them against each other.
6. Tact – Can deal with people in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid problems.
7. Integrity – Honest and truthful in what you say or do.
8. Enthusiasm – Sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties.
9. Bearing – Conduct and carry yourself with alertness, competence, confidence, and control.
10. Unselfishness – Avoid making yourself comfortable at the expense of others.
11. Courage – Remain calm while recognizing fear and having the inner strength to stand up for what is right and to accept blame when something is your fault.
12. Knowledge – You have acquired information and taken the time to understand people.
13. Loyalty – You are loyal to the people around you.
14. Endurance – The mental and physical stamina that is measured by your ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship.

Just reading through and applying those 14 traits is just about all one would ever need to become an effective leader. All successful MLM leaders spend as much time and money on educating and developing themselves as they do building their businesses. Leaders understand one important fact, they are their business. Prospects join leaders not companies. The biggest fact to recognize the next time you are watching a leader speaking on stage, and thinking “I could never do that”, is that underneath that expensive suit or dress, are battle wounds from years of pain and rejection, the same pain and rejection we all felt when we made that first call to recruit someone into our business. A leader knows that pain creates strength and rejection is Gods protection.

Leadership – Where Does One Begin?

My personal recommendation for one seeking to develop themselves as a leader is to take action at day and development at night. Leaders add value to others, the only way to do that is to first add value to yourself.

Start out with these books:

1. The Holy Bible
2. How to Get What You Want (audio) – Zig Ziglar
3. Building Your Network Marketing Business – Jim Rohn
4. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
5. The Magic of Believing – Claude Bristol
6. Dare to Dream and Work to Win – Dr. Tom Barrett

Once the decision is made to succeed and never quit, I highly recommend that you watch this video: Leadership 101