What does leadership mean?

I was on my daily mastermind call and the topic of the day was leadership. How we could become more efficient leaders in our business.

In a nut s[censored] , you need to be first to achieve results and direct everyone else in an activity that will help them achieve results as well. It may not be the Webster’s definition, but I’m going basic here, especially when talking about it for my business.

I remembered a little book that I had read a long time ago, by Johnnetta B. Cole. It’s funny because she has a section in it about leadership and it fits so well with what the leaders in my company say all the time.

How can we apply Cole’s leadership lessons to our business today?

First of all, Cole is all about lifting people up, she prides herself on it.

If you know anything about the Prosperity Team, you know that that is all we focus on as well. Yes, we want to be leaders, but we are effective when we produce more leaders.

So, what could she have said about leadership that had me thinking about it today, years later?

“Never ask of those who report to you the performance of a task you would not be willing to do yourself”

I’m thinking about this in the network marketing space, but it applies to any business. If you want someone to clean toilets and fry fries, you certainly should have done that task yourself at some time or another. If you want your downline to produce, you certainly better be producing. This is the kind of leadership that gains respect.

“Leadership comes not only from growing up in a place called home, but from growing out into unfamiliar places”

What can I say, you must get comfortable with being uncomfortable, if you want to receive results.

“Leadership is often about pointing folks in the direction they have collectively decided to take”

As a leader, especially in network marketing, you need to help people with that next step. Maybe they have already decided that they want to do more than the 9-5, but do they know how? Your leadership means that you have the opportunity to guide them in the direction to do just that. You’ve helped them make the decision, now take them to the finish line.

“Leadership is about believing one hundred percent in yourself, and learning to believe two hundred percent in the folks you are asking to follow you”

I don’t care what anyone tells you, you will not be a great leader, if you don’t believe in yourself! You will never get anyone to follow you, and your leadership skills will always be questioned.

Are you fit for leadership?

Anybody can learn to lead, you just have to want to do it.

Before you start thinking that maybe you can’t, think about this, you weren’t born walking and talking and doing all the things you’re doing now. You learned all of those skills.

Being a leader with effective leadership skills is something that you can also learn.