There are all types of leaders: Political Leaders, Spiritual Leaders, Thought Leaders, Business Leaders…
You may never see yourself as a world leader, but one thing for sure, you must be the leader in your own business.
Maybe you have a team member who isn’t doing their job or a contractor who is constantly missing deadlines. Or maybe it’s a client who does not do their work and then blames you for their lack of results.
When you come up against these situations, do you wait, make allowances, and hope for the best? Or do you confront the problem with grace and power so you can resolve it as quickly and painlessly as possible?
Your ability to lead depends on many things, but one of the most important keys is your ability to give up the victim role and be self-responsible. That is, “owning” your part in any given situation and acting from that perspective.
There has never been a leader of any type that has succeeded from a victim stance. Understand, though, that owning your part does not mean condoning unacceptable behavior, or allowing yourself to be stepped on.
Here are a few hints about how you can become the authentic leader that your business truly needs.
Stop Playing Small
You must embrace and accept your position as a business owner and leader. At the end of the day, you are the creator of everything that happens in your business, without exception. When you give up your own power and hold back shining your brilliance, you help no one and it ends up draining you.
No More Excuses
Excuses really are a time waster. Drama and drawn out discussions about who is to blame, why something happened, etc. etc. may feel satisfying in the short term, but they accomplish very little in the long run, except running you down. This includes making excuses to yourself. Ask yourself, “Do I want to lay blame, or do I want to fix this and move forward?” It’s hard to do both at the same time.
Even though there may be someone else involved or even caused the problem you’re trying to solve, the only EMPOWERING mindset is to courageously look at YOUR PART in things.
Don’t Let Things Fester
Procrastination around taking a leadership position is quite common. We all have a built-in aversion for uncomfortable situations. Sometimes, we tell ourselves that we’re just “waiting for the right moment.” But what we’re really doing is protecting ourselves from whatever it is that we fear.
I have never seen a situation that should have been taken care of immediately, resolve itself because I played hooky with my leadership responsibilities.
If you can be clear headed and calm, it’s almost always better to stand as a leader now, and handle whatever has to be done sooner than later.
When it comes right down to it, being a leader means setting aside childish fears and becoming a true grown up. It means shifting your mindset from self-preservation and self-interest to self-responsibility.
When you accept the greater strength, confidence, and wisdom that authentic personal power requires everyone whose lives you touch will be the better for it.
