Spirit of Leadership

Leadership is on everyone’s agenda today. Nation’s need inspired politician’s, who are elected bases on their vision and integrity. Business’s need leaders who are ethical and teach that the heart of all business is service. Even spiritual leaders are being asked to step up and show people a better way by being more Christ-like, Buddha-like, and Mohammed-like.

Everyday businesses, charities, hospitals, schools, government bodies, and religious groups are looking for leadership courses, classes, and seminars. Leadership is such a hot topic, that if you visit Amazon.com you will find over 15,000 books, and 15 magazines all on the subject of leadership.

Leadership is everyone’s business today. The biggest opportunity in any community is how to encourage a spirit of leadership among everyone? Leadership is not just at the top, but throughout the heart of the community. Traditional leadership has been what “someone else” will or won’t provide for us. But that way of thinking has holes in it. Leadership today, is more about shared responsibilities and about each of us stepping up.

What is Leadership? I believe leadership is not a position you move up into, it is not a technique, it is not about status, and it is not about feeding your ego and telling yourself you are better than everyone. On the other hand, leadership is being authentic and courageous enough to be truthful. Leadership is about service and giving your personal best.

The real challenge every leader has, is to “be the goal.” This means, every leader needs to bring into being what they most value. For example, if you want to be trusted, you must be trustworthy, if you want honesty, you must be honest. If you want your company to be successful, you must personally be successful. If you want your employees to be happy, productive and loyal, then you must be happy, productive and loyal.

This concept seems blindingly simple when thought of, but most forget that “being the goal,” allows you to create the change you want to happen in yourself first and then to see the change in others. For example, did you know that when leadership focuses on being happy and making happiness a priority for themselves, and their employees, the results are;

1. 33% higher profitability (Gallup)
2. 43% more productivity (Hay Group)
3. 37% higher sales (Shawn Anchor)
4. 300% more creative innovation (HBR)
5. 51% lower turnover (Gallup)
6. 50% less safety incidents (Babcock Marine Clyde)
7. 66% decrease in sick leave (Forbes)
8. 125% less burnout (HBR)

Every person, employee and leader, needs to think about how they too can “be the goal” they want in their personal life, and professional life.

If mankind is not to perish after all the dreadful things

it has done and gone through, then a new spirit must emerge.

And this new spirit is coming not with a roar but with a

quiet birth, not with grand measure and words but with an imperceptible change in the atmosphere—a change

in which each one of us is participating…..

——-Albert Schweitzer

More Than Just a thought,

Teresa Proctor

Teresaproctor.com