Free Success Articles

Defining The Traits Of A Successful Leader

By: Archie R. Lawhorne

What makes a good leader? For starters, leaders don't
wait for other people to give them permission to do
something. They just do it. Leaders accept responsibility
for the choices they make in life. They don't get sucked
into the "victim mentality" syndrome, which is characterized
by a persistent desire for people to blame others for their
poor choices. Bottom line: Leaders realize that the
decisions they make are all theirs, and thus take full
responsibility for any resulting failures.

In the world of business - especially network marketing and
direct sales - leadership is the defining ingredient that
separates the mediocre from the superstars. It's the act of
persuasion. It's getting people to see new perspectives and
do things they normally wouldn't do. It's about setting your
ego aside and having the passion and charisma to get people
to follow you. Leaders don't follow. They just do.

Can an average person become a leader? Yes, most certainly.
People can transform themselves and make huge strides in
leadership abilities just as they do in other areas of
personal development. It starts with inner self-leadership
and expands outward to influence and move others around you.
Leadership is about self-direction and self-control and
shows in what "we do." Become the right kind of person
(passionate, responsible, doer, believer) and others will
flock right into your lap, and not until.

But, like other areas of self improvement, it's no easy
task, because man's natural instinct is mediocrity. Yes,
mediocrity. It would be nice if we could all become leaders
by simply following a few simple steps. But the path to
leadership requires finding our own way. The direction we
take will differ for each of us. However, there are a few
key traits we can focus on.

No Fear But Fear Itself

So what is it that keeps us from pursuing opportunities,
leading others, taking action and doing what we really want
to do? One word: FEAR. Fear of rejection. Fear of people.
Fear of trying new things. Fear of not being perfect. Enjoying
our comfort zone (average).

It's almost as if the fears we have actually begin to become
like bondage. Ever feel that way? You can usually tell who
lives in fear. They usually wear them on their sleeves. Ever
hear people say:

"I would try that but I just don't have time."
"That program will never work. I already tried networking and
it didn't work before."
"I would listen to you, but that sounds like some pyramid
scheme."

The list of the doubts and fears that roll off people's lips
is endless. Stand in any line with people, on the bus or at
work, and listen to the idle chatter. You'll hear people's fear
in their everyday conversation. "Oh, I hate working here, but
the job market is just too difficult to try and find something
else." If you want to be a great leader, learn to conquer your
fears.

Embrace Failure

Study the histories of all great leaders and you'll see lives
littered with failures. It's called "failing forward fast." And
it's one of the top traits of successful leaders. That's why it
takes guts to be a leader. Many people are scared of failure and
don't like to tackle the tough issues. (Then again, not everyone
wants to be a leader, right.) It requires being decisive and a
willingness to take chances. And yes, to FAIL - but to accept
it, learn from it and move on.

Become A Believer

Children need to "see it" in order to believe it. Leaders
believe it BEFORE they see it. Here's something to try: Try doing
what you say you will do. (Remember, the odds are against you).
When faced with problems and obstacles, choose to learn from the
experience and turn them into an opportunities. Don't whine and
complain about yesterday's defeats. (It's counter-productive and
you look like a fool next to Thomas Edison). Key: Until you're
able to wipe out the past mistakes from the movie projector that
keeps playing in your head, you'll never be able to move forward.
Leaders believe in themselves and believe in abundance.

Take Some Risks

Leaders are the ones willing to make huge sacrifices in time,
money and family in order to achieve their goals. Risk is the
price you pay for success. You must carry the burden and have
the backbone to make decisions that are not popular. Be
internally directed, not "socially fit." You'll never achieve
wealth and success as long as you care what other people thing
of you. Yes, leadership has a price, (risk) but it also offers
tremendous rewards.

Don't Follow The Crowd

Here's a crucial defining trait of a leader: they don't follow
the crowd. Nothing great was ever accomplished by a crowd. A
crowd merely blows with the wind, like scattered leaves. Crowds
have no purpose and end up nowhere. It takes courage to go
against the crowd and be a true individual, but it's the most
exciting, exhilarating thing we can do. It's also the most
difficult and frightening. That's why success is so elusive and
so rare.

Take Ted Turner of CNN fame, for instance. He said, "Lead,
follow, or get out of the way!" Was Turner moving with the
herd? No, he was the captain, not one of the deck hands.
Most people live in a state of self-consciousness. They go to
work, support their families are active in their communities
and are good citizens. Their egos are socially supported which
means they go with the flow. Thus, because they are moving with
the herd and moving with the group's collective consciousness,
they struggle. It's never their goals, their vision or their
choices. Most people rarely, if ever, move into the direction
of freedom and true self expression.

The leaders are your freedom fighters. These are people like
Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas
Jefferson, Bill Gates. Leaders usually affect thousands of
people. Anytime you share your energy with enough other people,
BAM, success follows. The problem though is that the notion of
prosperity scares many people because they were taught that
money is evil, or are afraid of the responsibility that comes
with success.

While the world continues to change, the traits of good leaders
remain constant. The principles are timeless. Once you learn
how to liberate the leader within you, extraordinary things
happen.

About the Author

Archie R. Lawhorne, APR, is an accredited public relations
professional, marketing writer and consultant. Find out how
he lost 18 pounds in 30 days and is still losing! This powerful
system is one the best ways to reduce pounds and inches,
boost your energy, regain your self-confidence and achieve
a slimmer, more attractive body -- all in a matter of weeks!
For more information, visit this Web site right now:
http://www.energytrim.net.

SUCCESS