Start With a Win

CHAPTER 5Leadership Learnings

“Want people to do something? Let them see you do it.”

—Adam Contos

Leadership is freaking hard! Whether you lead a team of one (yourself), 10, or 100,000, it's tough to command yourself to always strive to make the right series of choices that create actions others can observe and mirror. It's tough to maintain a dedicated direction and consistency in the face of opposition. And it's tough to fight the good fight then go home and lead yourself and your family. Then it's tough to get up every day and do it again. But it's also very rewarding if you allow it.

Real leadership, after all, is not about getting others to do what you want them to do. It's about modeling the behavior in yourself daily and then allowing others to find it within themselves to be at their best. If someone tries only to make others better without bettering themselves, those wins will remain elusive.

To help understand the job of a leader, imagine everyone yelling “no” at you at the same time. All this happens while you are trying to make critical decisions that affect your organization and all those individuals the organization touches. It's overwhelming and can stop action. Leading is choosing our actions and then accepting and learning from our results.

AMAZING LEADERSHIP

Leadership makes an incalculable difference in an organization. An amazing leader provides a strong foundation and leads to a great organization. Leaders must be able to assess a situation and react ...