Are you Leading YOU?

When my son was born, I got immersed in disability.  Over the past 30 years, I have seen a lot, but one area we need so much more help is building our own leadership. We need people who are making an impact, transforming lives from the inside out, and making lasting and meaningful change in our families, schools and communities. The question is where are those leaders, and as a community, how do we train and raise up the kind of leadership we so desperately need?

Why Leadership?

John Maxwell who is the world’s guru in leadership says, “Everything rises and falls with leadership.” I could not agree more. Without leadership, people have difficulty uniting around a common mission and goals. Very little has been accomplished without leadership being involved somewhere. Think about it in your home. If you do not lead your family as parents in some sort of way there is massive mayhem in the family.

Leadership helps bring cohesiveness of purpose and this is what changes people’s hearts and minds. Without leadership even the best causes and missions will drift like a ship without a rudder. So many valuable cause have been lost because they lacked leadership. It doesn’t matter if it is your child’s IEP meeting or your career, without the ability to lead, you will not get the outcomes you want. If you do not lead, others will lead you to places you don't want to go. Don't give anyone that kind of power! 

Where does Leadership Start?

Unlike what many believe, leadership does not begin when you learn to lead others. It begins when you learn to lead yourself. You cannot lead others when you cannot lead yourself. Leadership happens from within. It happens when you honestly reflect on you own life and begin to transform who you are. Look within and ask yourself how you can begin to take command of your own life and what you can do to make your own personal development a priority.

When you start to grow, change, and become more of the person YOU want to be, it gives off a contagious energy. You begin to find more genuine fulfillment and become more empowered with the skills you crave to change lives. As a result, many people around you will take notice of your own personal transformation and begin to follow your leadership. Leadership is not a title and does not happen just because others follow you. I have known many people who have followers but lack the integrity to be an authentic leader.

What Can Leading Do For Me?

Learning more about leadership and how to lead yourself gives you more confidence, competency, and inner power to reach new heights. It also empowers you with the resilience and grit required to overcome all the obstacles that come with it. Leaders do not ask what they can get out of others but what can they give to others. Think about the transformation that could happen if leaders in our country looked to genuinely serve people and not just wear a title or adopt the attitude of WIFM (What’s in it for ME?). We all lead wether positively or negatively someone is always watching you. What message is your life and leadership sending to the people in your life?

As we come upon Martin Luther King, Jr.’s (MLK) birthday, we need to think about what can happen and the legacy that can come about as a result of authentic and great leadership. We don’t have to become MLK, but today we can take a step closer to becoming a leader in whatever space you are in!