Focus

Great leaders do the right thing even when no one’s watching. In the times of pseudo-leadership, it’s not hard to spot an authentic leader - someone who is fair, smart, and empathetic, like Martin Luther King Jr

A true leader never shies away from voicing his opinions, breaking stereotypes, and doing the right thing - not just once but every single time.

Richard Branson knew that great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by teams.

Branson aims to find the best candidate for a job, give them enough autonomy, then step back to give them a space to flourish. It not only benefits the business as a whole but also helps them to become a leader in their own right.

The measure of leadership is the impact they have on their followers. How much of a difference they make.

They’re either instrumental in creating real lasting change, or they’re not leaders. They’re just entertainers.

An authentic leader draws people and compels them to act with his vision and values. He also gives off a positive vibe and is good at persuading others to his point of view.

The voice of leadership, while not ignoring genuine threats, should sound positive and optimistic, believing you will succeed despite obstacles.

A cause is only lost when you believe it is, and even then, only when you give up. The task of leadership is to persevere until you achieve your goal, regardless of the difficulty. Communicate your optimism and transmit those beliefs to your team.

Fear causes people to freeze, take flight, or fight. It's not that leaders aren't afraid, but that they fear the greater danger of doing nothing.

Leaders speak to the real danger, that of leaving the threat unaddressed and unopposed. Courage means taking action and confronting the challenge directly, giving others the courage to do the same.

An overly-charismatic leader draws focus from the rest of the organization by demanding all the attention. When the focus shifts to the personal characteristics of the leader, accountability is diminished.

The followers can become overly dependent on the leader for all manner of large and small directions and decisions. The enterprise loses the ability to be resilient in the face of changing realities. 

1. Respect: being respectable and treating yourself and others, regardless of differences, with dignity, empathy and compassion.

2. Making a Difference: making a positive impact on the world around you.

3. Integrity: being moral, ethical and trustworthy.

4. Authenticity: being consistent, congruent and transparent in values, beliefs and actions while integrating those traits to your pursuit of growth.

5. Courage: acting intentionally for the common good, facing adversity and acting in the service of inclusion and justice.

6. Service: being humble and committing beyond self-interest for a greater cause.

7. Humility: being self-aware and not arrogant while open to different perspectives.

8. Wisdom: a broad understanding of human dynamics and an ability to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders when making decisions; can take a long term perspective in decision-making.

• Read the life stories of those with leadership qualities that you admire and think about how to apply their lessons to your life.
• Analyze your key relationships regularly and resolve to live in truth with the most important people in your life.
• Keep your promises and commitments as part of your core values and leadership qualities.

1. Personal Life: refuse to say or do something that you don’t believe is right and refuse to tolerate or compromise in situations where you are unhappy with the behavior of another.
2. Financial: Casualness toward money, yours or not, brings financial casualties. Fiercely guard your credit rating, pay your bills in time and keep your word on your financial commitments.
3. Commitment To Others: Always keep your word, be trustworthy and honorable no matter the circumstances.

• In medieval times, leadership was mostly based on tradition. Most people never met their leaders and leadership was legitimized by the divine right of kings - charisma was not needed.
• The 19th and the 20th century were full of charismatic leaders. Technological (newspaper, radio, and TV) allowed leaders to transport their charisma over long distances.
• Our current globalized world and access to social media have led to another rise in charismatic leaders. On Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, many people support leaders solely based on their charisma.

Most of the dangers of the charismatic movement relate to this power.

• Charismatic leaders lose support more quickly than other types of leaders.
• They have to clearly be the best person for the job at hand – always and in any situation. This is why they often engage in a cult of personality and become resistant to criticism.
• Things that charismatic leaders do to maintain their power are precisely the things that diminish it when their business, country, or other undertaking encounters problems.
• When charismatic leaders use their position to motivate their followers to do things they would not normally do, the followers often feel betrayed once they suspect that they might not get the expected payoff. 
• They often eventually take the praise of their followers too seriously and show narcissistic traits. They consider criticism as disobedience and expect total loyalty. 

Leaders nowadays need to understand technology as much as they understand money, HR, or the law, in order to make confident, informed and effective decisions for their organization and users.

Skills development is a continuous process for leaders as they need enough understanding to recognise their skill gaps and identify what can help their projects and organizations to thrive.

A leader will never be able to motivate his team if he or she is not full of passion concerning the work that is done. It is the number one quality for success.

Only those with vision and passion can build up a passionate team. Passion brings out more positivity, honesty, reliability, and professionalism, in the leader and subordinates, and those are the building blocks of leadership.

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.”

• Invest in a highly competent Director of Communication.
• Be central in choosing stories.
• Personally convey your vision in compelling stories.