Do you claim to be a Leader in your business or your field of expertise? 

I have noticed that many people claim to be Leaders, but are really Slackers.  A Slacker is someone that basically likes to give instruction or direction, but takes no action on advancing themselves or their business.

Does this describe you; or someone else on your Mastermind Team? 

Here are a few clues that might help you to figure it out.

A Leader:  Praises his/her team and offers encouragement

A Slacker:  Is quick to find fault and slow to give praise

A Leader:  Holds himself/herself to a higher standard that his/her team

A Slacker:  Has a high level of expectation for his/her team but doesn’t hold

                 himself/herself to that same high standard

A Leader:  Leads by example and is a role model for his/her team

A Slacker:  Blends in with the crowd and never steps up to take a leadership role

A Leader:  Has a deep rooted belief in his/her business and leads new teammates through the growth process (learning the business and facing obstacles)

A Slacker:  Convinces a person to join his/her team then pawns them off on someone else or simply pushes them to the side (Referred to as “sign and drop”)

Which of these characteristics, best describes you and your teammates?  Be honest with yourself.

Just remember, that a leader must lead and nourish others through the growth process.  If he/she loses integrity and fails to take action, then this same failure mindset will ripple down to his/her teammates.  A team will duplicate their leader and their leader’s actions.

Let me ask you one last time…Are you a Leader or a Slacker?

When you are talking to someone do you make them feel that you really care about them? Author and Teacher, Richard Moss says “The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.”

When talking with others, here are a few things you can do to let people know you care:
* Ask open ended questions that start with words like "What' and "How".
* Repeat back what they have said so they feel that they have been heard and understood.
* Don’t interrupt.
* Show that you are listening by nodding your head, smiling and making affirming statements like "I see" or "yes".
* Make solid eye contact and don’t let your eyes wander.
* And keep the conversation on them

The pay off for developing these disciplines is big because you’ve made someone else feel special, and you feel great about doing something good for someone else.

I have repeated the old adage "Act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic" - Frank Betcher,  so many times over the past. In fact, I used it as a mantra with my staff of account mangers to help them rev up their energy when they had a tough client situation...it works all the time.

So what does this have to do with leadership? Well you do need to keep an energetic presence.You know the "speed of the leader is the speed of the team.
But, what I really want to talk about today is how these sayings can help you move forward in times when you are not exactly comfortable with yourself.
For leaders who are not comfortable, I want you to find your leadership model and emulate that person until you feel that you have all the confidence you need to get your job done. When you model a leader whom you admire, you will feel the confidence that goes along with that persons demeanor.

Here is your mantra for the day - "Model an admired leader and you'll act like an admired leader" - can you feel it?

Now, acting like a leader is one thing, you need to remember that one must delve much deeper to really be a leader. Come back soon, next time we'll be talking about competencies and a leaders heart.

For today, find your leadership model and act like the leader you know you can be!