Great Leadership
March 2nd, 2009 Posted in NewsletterChallenging times require leaders who can lead others through the challenges. Now more than ever we need great leadership in our government, schools, businesses, hospitals and organizations. Good leadership won’t suffice. We need great leadership. There is a difference.
- Good leaders get people to believe in them.
- Great leaders inspire people to believe in themselves.
- Good leaders say “Watch what I can do.”
- Great leaders say “Let me show you what you can do.”
- Good leaders catch fish for others so they can eat today.
- Great leaders teach people how to fish so they can eat for a lifetime.
Having worked with countless leaders over the years in businesses, schools and professional sports I’ve realized that great leadership is really a transfer of belief. Great leaders share their belief, vision, purpose and passion with others and in the process they inspire others to believe, act and impact. Great leaders are positively contagious and they instill confidence and belief in others.
Great sales managers inspire their sales people to believe in themselves and their product/service. Great school principals inspire their teachers to believe they can make a difference. Great teachers inspire and empower their students to believe in themselves. Great pastors inspire their congregations to serve and impact the community. Great sports coaches inspire their teams to believe they can win. And the people who have changed the world have been those who instilled in others the confidence to step up, serve, take initiative and create positive change. You don’t need a title to be a leader. You just need to lead.
To lead others in a powerful way you must invite them on your bus, share your vision for the road ahead and then encourage, empower and inspire them to drive their own bus. In the process, instead of having just one bus that you drive, you create a fleet of buses and bus drivers, all moving in the same positive direction. When you create a fleet of buses and empower people to drive their own bus, you generate an amazing amount of power and momentum that becomes an unstoppable force. This is what great leadership is all about.
What does great leadership mean to you? Share your thoughts here.
Stay Positive,
-Jon
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19 Responses to “Great Leadership”
By Sandy McAlister on Mar 2, 2009
Dear Jon,
You were a speaker last year for our Florida Women’s Council of Realtors meetings in Orlando last year and we all truly were thrilled with your energy and terrific attitude to embrace everyday with a positive attitude. Thanks to our National and State Leaders, they passed “The Energy Bus” down to those of us on the front lines and we shared it with our chapters. It worked and we are all better off because of it. Each month our chapter highlighted a “Rule on the Bus” to set the tone for our year. Thank you and keep up the message…we sure are.
Sincerely,
Sandy McAlister
2009 District VII Vice President(WCR Florida)
By Crissie Cudd on Mar 2, 2009
You always manage to say what I need to hear at that moment. I should reread this every morning as my personal mission statement.
By Chris on Mar 2, 2009
Never putting yourself above others except in carry responsibility.
By julia watt on Mar 2, 2009
Thank you so much for starting my Monday mornings with positive thoughts! It is up to me to put them into action and pay them
forward!
Julia
By Joe De Blas on Mar 2, 2009
Hello and good morning Jon I would like to share a thought that has been in my mind. Leadership to my understanding is leading others to build the bridge of oppurtunity to release your God giving ability in building others up. Great leadership is having great listening skills to trust in yourself. Leadership is influence to teach others to be great listeners. Obedient to the little voice that speaks to you everyday to do the right thing eventhough people may sometimes disagree. when you know God is testing your faith of forgiveness. servicing others around you is a great way to show leadership to others. Be the best at what you do everyday.
Joe De Blas
McAllen Tx.
By Ginger Jackle on Mar 2, 2009
Jon,
Thank you so much for inspiring us, helping us face our fears and for encouraging us to embracing our faith. Your are living Hebrew 11. Thank you for your invaluable leadership.
Many blessings to you and all who read this.
Agape,
Ginger
By Marie-Josee Salvas on Mar 2, 2009
Great thoughts on leadership today, Jon! Loved this issue of your newsletter!
To add to what you have already shared, I would say that true leaders enable others to find their own greatness. And here I would define greatness as “the ability to make optimal use of your resources and capabilities”. Yes, true leadership is inspiring, but also empowering.
My best to you and all!
MarieJ
By Laura on Mar 2, 2009
As usual I loved your Monday Morning Musing.
A great leader to myself personally is someone who not only believes in themselves, but believes in me; to be the best they/I can each and everyday by not making judgement on what I do but instead guiding me to challenge myself to be better then what I believe I can be.
By Denis Sabardine on Mar 2, 2009
Thanks, John : having studied leadership for a long time, this is one of the best (and short!) article I have ever read about true leaders! Kudos!
Denis/France
By mike cates on Mar 2, 2009
I/we always try and let our staff know that his/her our reputation is more important than anything! A BUSINESSES REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING! I always try to inspire by showing that we are willing to go the extra mile also! We will never ask someone to do something that we would not do ourselves! The load whatever it is is always easier with everyone lifting!
By Maryper Alfonso on Mar 2, 2009
Leadership means one who is a leader that knows to lead without his or her title and encourage others to find the leadership within themselves. We are all leaders, but most of us only follow other leaders because of our fears to succeed, explore, take risk, and discovering our true selves. Our darkness is what keeps us from celebrating our light. Leaders from the past and present are ones who are authentic and lead from their spirit.
By Karen McCullough on Mar 4, 2009
Hey Jon- here’s my latest blog and you are in it!
Lent started last week. I remember when I was a kid Lent was that time of year to “give stuff up.” The nuns at Saint Ann’s made us choose something that we really liked, not vegetables, and testify in front of the class. I remember one time I gave up chewing gum. The first week was really hard. I woke up every morning craving a stick of gum. But as the 40 days wore on I thought about gum less and less and by the end of 40 days someone had to remind me that I loved chewing gum. I broke my chewing habit (until some offered me a stick of Juicy Fruit). Anyway, this is not about Lent, gum or the nuns who made my life miserable, but it is about the 40 days concept.
Psychologists say that any behavioral change requires approximately six weeks (40 days) to shift. They say that if you do something for 40 days in a row without skipping a day you are creating a great opportunity to implement any change you want. It takes six weeks or 40 days to allow your body and your mind to go through all of its biorhythms and cycles to initiate the possibility of permanent change. Maybe the nuns were on to something!
Are you ready to take the 40 day challenge? What habit would you like to implement? My speaker friend Jon Gordon wrote a book called The No Complaining Rule. Could you go 40 days without complaining?
My yoga teacher, Nancy Sorenson, claims that if you practice yoga consistently every day you will create the opportunity to implement any changes you want in your habits, your relationships and your self esteem. How about 40 days practicing just one yoga posture a day-
McKay Hatch 15, is tired of the abundance of swear words he hears on a daily basis, decided to fight back, politely, with the No Cussing Club. Could you go 40 days without cussing?
The best suggestion! How about 40 days without TV news!
By Derede Darden on Mar 4, 2009
I absolutely love these statements:
Good leaders get people to believe in them.
Great leaders inspire people to believe in themselves.
Good leaders say “Watch what I can do.”
Great leaders say “Let me show you what you can do.”
Good leaders catch fish for others so they can eat today.
Great leaders teach people how to fish so they can eat for a lifetime
Rules to live by each day and apply to what we do each day! Thanks again Jon!
By Marsha Keeffer on Mar 4, 2009
This post inspires me. Leaders absolutely help their team fly higher. It’s a true sign of leadership when a CEO or VP sees people in their organization stretching and doing more than the individuals themselves ever thought possible. Thanks for the uplift.
By susan caples on Mar 5, 2009
Thank you Jon for your insight on Leadership, it is something that has fallen to the wayside in our society. When we realize that each and everyone of us must take control of our own lives then we can progress forward using our talents and abilities.
When we re-instill this process then the whining and crying and the finger pointing will become the minority in our society.
I have just finsished reading an article that states second hand smoke causes depression. I had to laugh I was raised in a house where both parents smoked and it never affected the personality of positive thinking and smiling any day of the week for me. My depressed moments were a result of lack of confidence in myself or not being prepared for the task I needed to perform. My depressed moment was of my own doing.
As leaders we need to show people the ladder that has been given to them to climb but the individual must climb the ladder. Our society has taken that step from us and given us the easy way out.
Just a quick thought and reaction to your good insight and reminder for me to continue to Lead and not dictate.
By Forrest Cate on Mar 7, 2009
I think great leaders, as far as the fishing metaphor goes, make sure the pond is tended to- kept clean, free of predators, and available to the fishers.