Leadership Beginnings

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu

Everyone has great dreams when it comes to leadership. You imagine thunderous applause after a rallying speech. You smile and wave while soaking in the moment. The crowd enthusiastically thanks you for the pearls of wisdom eloquently set upon them like crowns of sterling. That's where most of us would like to wind up; the question is "How do I get there?"

Some will tell you that leadership begins with you, but the truth is that it doesn't. Although the primary focus of the development process is on you and your choices, true leadership isn't generated naturally within an individual. There are a complex set of qualities necessary to lead others that can only be instilled by following leaders who are strongly established and have mastered the essentials.

Any leader who desires to make an impact on this world must learn and grow into new levels of influence. Because of the learning process involved, leaders almost always start at the bottom. This means there is hope for YOU! There is nothing [genetically] stopping you from becoming a great leader. It all begins with who you choose to follow.

How to begin...

• Choose leaders who have been, or can take you where you want to go. If you want to climb Mt. Everest, select a guide who has successfully traversed the mountain and come back alive. John Maxwell says, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." Find an experienced, seasoned, and proven leader and make them your mentor.
• Choose to follow leaders that you can connect with. One of the mistakes aspiring leaders make is to absorb their mentor's style and system when it's in conflict with who they are. Leadership qualities are meant to be duplicated, but choose a mentor who you can relate to and meshes well with your own personality and style. You'll grasp the leadership styles better without having to differentiate what is style and what is pure leadership qualities. Remember, what works for one leader's personality might not work with yours.
• Choose to follow a leader that you can easily approach and ask millions of questions to. Remember, "Leadership cannot really be taught. It can only be learned." - Harold Geneen. You can't expect the leader you follow to have a twelve point course laid out for you. Ask questions. Catch the principles that go unsaid. Take notes. Study behavior. Think critically about everything that takes place in your leader's life. Your job is to learn.

So start following leaders and begin your own journey! And follow more than one. I'm following Bill Hybels on Twitter to see how he leads and inspires world changers on a daily basis. Locally, I'm following my pastors at my church and learning how to apply excellence in everyday life.  

"Leaders are made, they are not born" - Vince Lombardi.

Which leaders are you following, or who are you going to start following? 

What's a question you've been dying to have answered from a leader's experience?