Leadership Corner By John C. Maxwell - Starting - The First Step Toward Success

Salespersons are coached in the power of a first impression. Orators devote hours to opening statements. Journalists are admonished never to bury the lead. Sprinters practice racing out of the starting blocks. Interviewees are taught the importance of their initial handshake with a potential employer.

In leadership, as in many other areas of life, the beginning often determines the end. False starts and weak foundations can be ruinous. Here are five insights to help you start successfully.

HOW TO START SUCCESSFULLY

1. Start With Yourself

As Gandhi famously said, "Be the change you want to be in the world." By starting with yourself, you build the self-confidence needed to attract and inspire others. Leading yourself well is a precursor to accomplishment, and accomplishment earns respect. In order to make deposits in the lives of followers, you have to have a beginning balance in your leadership account. Start leading by proving your mettle - to yourself and to prospective followers.

2. Start early

Sadly, many leaders squander their early years and spend the rest of their careers trying to make up for lost time. In leadership, as with finances, decisions made early in life accrue the most interest. When we choose poorly or establish bad habits, we put ourselves in debt. Then, we must not only repay our loans, but the interest on them as well. On the flip side, when we invest our time and talent wisely from a young age, we reap the benefits of compounding interest on our leadership.

Specifically, where should leaders start? What areas should take precedence at the beginning? From my experience there are 10 things you should do as a leader prior to reaching age 40:

1. Know yourself
2. Settle your family life
3. Determine your priorities
4. Develop your philosophy of life
5. Get physically fit
6. Learn your trade
7. Pay the price
8. Develop solid relationships
9. Prepare for the future
10. Find purpose for your life

If you're over 40, it's never to late to make improvements. Unfortunately, an old dog doesn't easily learn new tricks. Undoing years of misplaced priorities and poor self-management will take extra effort.

3. Start Small

Don't expect to understand what it takes to get to the top, just take the next step.
Think big, but start small. Doing so encourages you to get started, and keeps you from being frozen by the magnitude of the vision in front of you. When you accomplish a small step, you gain confidence that you can accomplish the next step.

The success found in starting small comes when you diligently apply the lessons you learn. As my friend, Dick Biggs, has said, "The greatest gap is between knowing and doing." Commit to mastering the details under your control, and follow through when experience has given you instruction.

4. Start with the end in view

"Most people spend more time planning their grocery shopping than designing their future."
~ Tom James, Personal Development Coach

To start with the end in view, you need energy and direction. Let your passion pull you forward, and let your planning give you guidance. In order for passion to be a driving force in your life, you must identify a purpose for you life. To locate your purpose, consider your strengths, interests, and past successes. What roles do you find most enjoyable? What brings you the greatest sense of satisfaction? Examine the areas that make you feel strong and angle your career toward them. Also, find people who have been successful in the area of your interest. Listen to them and watch their lives.

For planning to give you direction, you need to write down goals. Goals lend structure to your purpose, and they keep you leading "within the lines." They focus your action and move you toward your overall vision.

5. Start Now

We exaggerate yesterday, overestimate tomorrow, and underestimate today. Embrace action daily. Don't wait until it's too late before you begin to pursue the visions implanted in your heart. Make each day your masterpiece; you'll be surprised where you end up after stringing together a few months of superb days.

I'll leave you with one final thought:

"How wonderful it is that we need not wait a single minute before starting to improve ourselves and our world." ~ Anne Frank

Review - Five Steps to Starting Successfully

1. Start Early
2. Start with Yourself
3. Start Small
4. Start with the End in View
5. Start Now

About the Author

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - Lessons from Basketball's Greatest Coach

At 97 years of age, John Wooden is a legend in the coaching profession. In 1999, ESPN named him The Greatest Coach of the 20th Century.

The list of honors garnered by Coach Wooden during his coaching career is unrivaled.

• Over the course of twelve years, his UCLA Bruins basketball teams won ten NCAA Championships, including an astonishing seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. For comparison's sake, no other men's coach has won more than 4 NCAA titles.
• He led his teams to four undefeated seasons; no other coach has had more than one undefeated season.
• His teams set a record by winning 88 games in a row, including 38 in a row in the NCAA Tournament.

Winning: More than the score

After glancing at Coach Wooden's record, a person may be misled into thinking Coach Wooden was a man preoccupied with winning. However, nothing could be further from the truth. For Coach Wooden, competition was never about comparing his team to the opposing squad. Despite all of the victories, trophies, and championships, Coach Wooden never spoke to his team about winning.

John Wooden was college basketball's greatest coach because he kept score differently than any other coach. Rather than measuring success in terms of wins and losses, he focused relentlessly on potential and improvement. Coach Wooden would grow livid if his players loafed when the team was ahead by 20 points, and he could be thrilled with his team's performance - even when they lost by 20 points.

Leadership Application: When businesses focus exclusively on market share or the bottom line, they run the risk of overlooking or undervaluing the people, processes, and systems that drive results.

Practice: Not perfection, but preparation

When questioned by reporters about missing team practices, current NBA star Allen Iverson gave a disdainful tirade on the pettiness of practice. "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game... how silly is that?"

For many sports fans, Iverson's comments were emblematic of the arrogance and me-first attitude of an athlete in the National Basketball Association. If nothing else, his words revealed his underlying attitude: I'm an NBA superstar; I've arrived; I'm good enough to skip practice; practice doesn't matter, it's my performance on game day that counts.

To John Wooden, such an attitude would have been reprehensible. Coach Wooden's style was best noted for his keen attention to detail and the rigors of his practice regimen. In his words, "If you prepare properly, you may be outscored but you will never lose. You always win when you make the full effort to do the best of which you're capable."

For Coach Wooden, winning happened when the stands were empty and the spectators absent. He loved the day-by-day discipline of practice. By convincing his team to give their best effort at practice, he coached them to perform at a higher level than opponents. As a result, he enjoyed unprecedented success when games were played and championships were on the line.

Leadership Application: Challenge your people to give top effort every day, and prepare to the point of excess. If you don't tolerate sloppiness when the team prepares, then they will perform better in pressure situations.

Peak Performers: More than Talent

John Wooden gained an advantage over other coaches because he had a superior method of selecting players. While most recruiters scoured high school gyms solely in search of talent and athleticism, Coach Wooden began his search from a different vantage point.

When selecting players, Coach Wooden's primary consideration was the student's transcript. For him, a student's discipline in the classroom spoke volumes about the young man's priorities. Coach Wooden wanted players who recognized their primary responsibility was to earn a college degree rather than excel on the court.

When evaluating potential recruits, John Wooden's second criterion was the student's family life. Did the student respect his parents or guardians? Did the student treat his siblings kindly? By looking into a potential player's family life, Coach Wooden measured the player's ability to build healthy relationships. He knew relational skills were essential for establishing teamwork and camaraderie.

John Wooden's third consideration when selecting talent was the composite evaluation of six coaches. He was leery of basing his analysis on a single performance. By diligently consulting the opinion of six coaches, Coach Wooden measured consistency. He wanted to avoid selecting players who gave top effort one night only to withhold it on another evening.

Coach Wooden's final criteria for selecting players were quickness and talent. He wasn't na�ve. He knew speed and natural ability were uncoachable and irreplaceable. Even so, he refused to select a player until he felt comfortable with the young man's priorities, relationships, and track record of consistent performance.

Leadership Application: By looking blindly at talent, leaders end up with malcontents who place personal gain above team spirit or talent-rich sluggards who rarely give their best effort. When hiring, consider an interviewee's life priorities, relational history, and career accomplishments. Don't discount talent, but never elevate it as the sole quality in a prospective teammate.

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - Improvising Your Approach to Improvement

Our well-being and happiness are tied to the notion that our lives can improve. We hope for a better future for our company, our kids, and ourselves. We dream of a tomorrow that's better and brighter than today.

Here are a few improvements many of us desire to see:

• We hope to lose weight and improve our fitness
• We hope to earn more money and improve our financial standing
• We hope to argue less with our spouse and improve our marriage

Over the next year, if we knew our health would deteriorate, our economic situation would worsen, and our closest relationships would unravel, then we'd be depressed. In fact, even if we knew our lives would stay the same, most of us would feel unsatisfied. We're always looking to improve the quality of our lives - it's human nature.

Unfortunately, many of us never go beyond hoping for improvements to actually making them. In this lesson, I'd like to share some insights to help you improvise your approach to improvement.

Develop Habits

The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. Leaders who make successful improvements share a common denominator: they form habits of daily action that those who fail to improve never develop. As my friend Andy Stanley says, "Your direction determines your destination." The steps you make each day, for good or ill, eventually chart the path of your life.

Consider the analogy of saving for retirement. Financial advisers counsel us to invest for retirement early in our careers and consistently throughout life. If we do, we can quit working at 65 with a sizeable nest egg. However, if we neglect funding our 401(k) each month, then we end up with nothing. We may still "hope" to win the lottery and secure our financial future, but we've lost the ability to control our fate.

Befriend Discipline

We live in the ultimate quick-fix culture. Everyone wants to be thin, but few people eat healthy and exercise. Everyone wants financial stability, but many refuse to be bothered by a budget. Rather than trouble ourselves with discipline, we opt for diet fads or speculate in the stock market. When we don't see long-term improvements, we discard one fad in favor of another.

In life, there are two kinds of pain: the pain of self-discipline and the pain of regret. The pain of self-discipline involves sacrifice, sweat, and delayed gratification. Thankfully, the reward of improvement softens the pain of self-discipline and makes it worthwhile. The pain of regret begins as a missed opportunity and ends up as squandered talent and an unfulfilled life. Once the pain of regret sets in, there's nothing you can do other than wonder, "What if?"

Admit Mistakes

When trying to improve, we not only risk failure, we guarantee it. The good news is that mistakes generally teach us far more than success. There's no sense pretending we're perfect. Even the best of the best have moments of weakness. That's why it's important to be honest when we fall short, learn from the mistake, and move forward with the knowledge gained.

Measure Progress

You cannot manage what you cannot measure. Identify the areas in which improvement is essential to your success and find a way to track your progress. Keeping score holds you accountable and gives you a clear indicator of whether or not you're actually improving.

Change Continually

Continual change is essential for improvement. One of the great paradoxes of success is that the skills and qualities that get you to the top are seldom the ones that keep you there. The quest to improve forces us to abandon assumptions, embrace innovation, and seek new relationships. If we're complacent for too long, we'll fall behind the learning curve. Once this happens, it's a steep, uphill climb to get back to the top.

The desire for improvement has a degree of discontent in it. Personal growth requires apparently contradictory mindsets: humility to realize you have room to grow but also confidence that improvement is possible.

SUMMARY

Tips for Attaining Improvement

1. Develop Habits
2. Befriend Discipline
3. Admit Mistakes
4. Measure Progress
5. Change Continually

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - Communicating With Character

A well-known proverb says the following about communication:

"It's not what you say, but how you say it."

The proverb is deservedly well known. Delivery has an enormous impact on our ability to connect with an audience. Authors Dan and Chip Heath have written a bestseller, Made to Stick, devoted to helping leaders land their ideas in the minds and memories of listeners. Applying tips such as simplicity, emotional appeal, and storytelling to our communication reaps huge dividends.

An extension to the communication proverb, says:

"It's not only what you say, and how you say it, but also when you say it."

True enough. Timing plays a vital role in the way we communicate. Awareness of emotions, mood, and context all factor into effective communication. Given the nature of their roles, salespeople have no choice but to understand this added dimension of communication. A sales pitch delivered at an opportune moment seals the deal, but the same appeal falls flat if inserted at the wrong time.

Even if we're not in sales, we know the value of timing from personal experience. In the emotional aftermath of failure, well-intentioned criticism feels like a punch in the mouth. However, the same criticism received after we've had a chance to cool down is readily welcomed.

Delivery impacts our communication, and so does timing, but in this edition of Leadership Wired, I'd like to take the communication proverb one step further.

"It's not just what you say, how you say it, and when you say it, but also who says it."

For a leader, communication involves more than presentations and speechmaking. It's not an event, but rather a skill. A leader's daily behavior screams to those he or she leads. Does the leader have a track record of honesty? If so, his words carry the weight of trust. Does a leader take the time to listen? If not, she will be tuned out—regardless of a silver tongue. Is a leader likeable? If so, he predisposes people to be open and receptive to communication.

In the remainder of this lesson, let's examine the communication benefits a leader wins day by day through consistency of character.

1) Honor Your Agreements - Communication Benefit: Trust

As a leader, never make promises lightly, and when you do, go the extra mile to honor your word. If your actions consistently match your words, you'll gain an incredible communication asset—trust. I guarantee that following through on your commitments will 1) Involve a high personal cost 2) Be inconvenient 3) Be worth every sacrifice.

2) Display Emotion - Communication Benefit: Authenticity

Don't be the Tin Man on the job. Have a heart. Try not to wear it on your sleeve, but allow it to infect your workdays with passion. People suspect an emotionless leader of being only partially invested in the mission. Allowing glimpses of your joys and sorrows will endow your communication with authenticity. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

3) Embody Values - Communication Benefit: Credibility

In the 21st century, cream-of-the-crop employees are not looking for a place to work; they're searching for a cause to join. They'll be attracted to strong values, but they'll be put off if they don't see you modeling them. Be purposeful in acting out your core values and giving them visibility. When people see you insist on values and fight for what you believe, they will find you credible. In communication, this credibility inclines your people to accept your words.

4) Be Generous with Praise - Communication Benefit: Likeability

Here's a foolproof way to measure your leadership: how do you make people feel? Being generous with praise is the best way to win others to your side. People naturally want to be appreciated, and they crave encouragement, so, by all means, don't withhold your praise from them.

Credit them when they do well. Appoint yourself as head cheerleader, chief supporter, and number one fan of your people. They'll admire you for it, and you'll gain the advantage of likeability when you communicate to them.

5) Listen - Communication Benefit: Respect

There's no quicker way to earn respect than being slow to speak. Give your people a forum to express their ideas, frustrations, and observations. Better yet, inquire of them. Solicit their input and feedback. When they speak, show you've heard them. Implement their ideas when possible, and candidly explain yourself when you cannot act upon their suggestions. Follow through, follow through, and follow through. Listening isn't passive. It requires you to take notice, take notes, and take action.

If you've proved to be a leader who listens, then your people will respect your words. If you've shown openness to them, they'll be infinitely more receptive to the messages you send and the guidance you give.

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - Thought Busters

The power of thought is indisputably great. For illustration, look at the life of Henry David Thoreau, a 19th-century Massachusetts philosopher.

In 1849, Thoreau, as a relatively unknown scholar, published his thoughts in a controversial essay about civil disobedience. The essay expressed his ideas about justice:

• Not all laws are just.
• A person should respect justice more than the law.
• Without resorting to violence, a person of conscience is justified to transgress the law to protest its injustice.

Thoreau's thoughts, as the basis for nonviolent resistance, would end up fueling two of the greatest social advancements of the 20th century - Ghandi's struggle to free India from Britain's colonial rule and the American Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr.

THOUGHTS ABOUT THINKING

Thoughts never begin fully formed.

Have you ever looked through a microscope? At first glance, the image appears blurry and indistinct. However, after adjusting the lens, the image comes into focus, and you can see with remarkable clarity.

When thoughts enter my mind, they are hazy and disordered, much like the initial image seen through a microscope. I have to fine-tune my thoughts by dwelling upon them, and connecting them to other thoughts I've had. It takes awhile for me to wrestle with a thought before its merit becomes clear.

Thoughts take time to develop their potential.

I am not a naturally brilliant thinker. My mind doesn't overflow with out-of-the-box creativity. However, I do leverage experiences to stretch my thoughts. I have found that reflection turns my experience into insight. At the close of each day, I'll review important lessons I've learned. I'll mine failure until I've gained a nugget of wisdom, or I'll consider how the day's events validated or invalidated one of my ideas. Through time, evaluating my experiences helps my thoughts to expand and mature.

Thoughts take others to develop their potential.

Alone, my thoughts are shallow and unexceptional. However, I am able to polish and refine them through my interactions with other leaders. I enhance my own thinking by piggybacking on the wisdom of friend and colleagues. In conversations or observations of their behavior, I strengthen and confirm my own inklings about leadership and life.

Each of us is trapped inside our own perspective and limited by blind spots and prejudices. If we isolate ourselves, we diminish our minds, and our thoughts atrophy.

We are wise to seek out others to test our assumptions and sharpen our thinking.

Thoughts are very fragile in the beginning.

Gardeners know the delicate nature of a newly planted seedling. To survive, the plant must receive nourishment and be protected from harsh winds, weeds, or hungry animas. Until its roots take hold and its stem grows, the seedling is vulnerable.

Likewise, our thoughts are fragile at first. They are endangered by pessimism, busyness, insecurity, forgetfulness, and a host of other threats. In the words of Bob Biehl, "Ideas are like soap bubbles floating in the air close to jagged rocks on a windy day."

In order to grow, our thoughts need careful attention and cultivation.

THOUGHT BUSTERS

Thoughts only reach their potential in a healthy environment. During my time as a leader, I've encountered the following environmental hazards, or thought busters, which threaten to destroy good thinking.

Criticism

When leaders pay any cost to ward off criticism, they sacrifice their best thoughts. In the words of Elbert Hubbard, "If you have something others don't have, know something others don't know, or do something others aren't doing, then, rest assured, you will be criticized." In my opinion, thinking requires boldness, the courage to be second-guessed, and readiness to endure conflict.

Lack of personal commitment to thinking

Taking action is by no means a negative quality in a leader. However, when a leader is all action, it's only a matter of time until he or she falls behind, steers off course, and surrenders the reins of leadership. I like Gordon MacDonald's appeal to mental fitness:

"In our pressurized society, people who are out of shape mentally usually fall
victim to ideas and systems that are destructive to the human spirit and to the
human relationship. They are victimized because they have not taught themselves
how to think, nor have they set themselves to the lifelong pursuit of growth of
the mind. Not having the faculty of a strong mind, they grow dependent upon the
thoughts and opinions of others."

As leaders, thinking keeps us in front. Before we shape the future, we must get our minds in shape.

Excuses

"I don't have enough time," has been my most common excuse to avoid thinking. However, blaming time constraints is not a legitimate excuse. After all, a great idea is one of the greatest commodities a person can own. Besides, by taking the time to think, we invent smarter ways to expend our energy and resources.

"I'm not creative," has been another excuse of mine. Of course, blaming my lack of creativity is actually a sorry excuse for being lazy. Thinking well isn't easy. It takes concentration, focus, and, most challenging of all, the discipline to stop moving for a few moments.

Salesmanship By Zig Ziglar - Words Can Make A Difference

As a youngster I heard a little rhyme which said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." That's untrue. Words can give us hope and encouragement, or they can break our spirits and dash our hopes.

It has been said that one picture is worth ten thousand words, but the person who said that had obviously never read the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence or the 23rd Psalm. They'd never read Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," or the impassioned pleas of Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill or Patrick Henry. Those words changed the course of history and gave individuals and nations a hope for a better future.

Charles Osgood says, "Compared to the spoken word, a picture is a pitiful thing indeed." For example, a father who was attending a three-day seminar with his teenage son stood up and, for the first time in the boy's memory, said, "I love you, Son, and I'm proud of you." A joyous, tear-filled coming together was the result of that father uttering those words. Yes, our words have awesome power.

In the business community, a service representative could respond to a question by saying, "I'll have to get back to you with the answer," or "I'll be happy to get back to you with the answer." In describing a friend someone could say, "She is a bright, attractive, ambitious, hard-working woman, but she wears glasses." The connotation is obviously negative. They could say, "She is a bright, attractive, ambitious, hard-working woman and she wears glasses." What a difference one word can make!

Yes, the changing of words changes the thought. Thought leads us into either positive or negative action. Needless to say, the right words produce the right thoughts which produce the right action which produce good results. Think about it. Use the right words and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is a motivator and teacher. He is the author of 26 books and loved by millions of people world wide for his practical wisdom and his gift of hope.

Salesmanship By Zig Ziglar - Problems vs. Opportunities

Are they problems or opportunities? The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale accurately observed that the only people without problems are those in the cemetery. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he would say, "and who knows - maybe they have more problems than ever!"

In your world today, if you didn't have problems, you would have few - if any - chances for substantial growth. In your present job, you can rest assured that if there were no problems, you either (a) would not be there or (b) you would be working for less money.

Our natural tendency is to look at the people who are running a company or organization and envy them. They drive a nicer car, live in a bigger home, and have a lifestyle that we can only covet. We even labor under the illusion that the problems they do have are far less serious than our own. It is true that in many cases they do not have significant financial problems, but they have problems that, for them, are just as serious.

Example: Jim Norman, who was once the C.E.O. of our company, is the picture of the calm, cool and collected executive. I can tell you, however, that he regularly encounters problems (opportunities) of considerable magnitude which must be expediently dealt with. His ability to handle these problems played a major role in the success of our company. His problems were much greater than those of other staff members. But he is able to handle large problems today because he learned to handle a succession of smaller problems along the way. The conclusion is obvious: If you want to move up, learn to deal with the problems of your own job successfully and you'll be given more and bigger problems to handle. The more successfully you handle the bigger problems, the higher you're going to go - so, become a problem-solver and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is a motivator and teacher. He is the author of 26 books and loved by millions of people world wide for his practical wisdom and his gift of hope.

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - Charismatic Leadership

William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were two of the fiercest political rivals of the 19th century. Their epic battles for control of the British Empire were marked by intense animosity that spilled over from the public arena into their personal lives. Ambitious, powerful, and politically astute, both men were spirited competitors and masterful politicians.

Though each man achieved impressive accomplishments for Britain, the quality that separated them as leaders was their approach to people. The difference is best illustrated by the account of a young woman who dined with the men on consecutive nights. When asked about her impression of the rival statesmen, she said, "When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England."

What distinguished Disraeli from Gladstone was charisma. Disraeli possessed a personal charm sorely lacking in the leadership style of his rival. His personal appeal attracted friends and created favorable impressions among acquaintances. Throughout his career, Disraeli's charisma gave him an edge over Gladstone.

UNDERSTANDING CHARISMA

Of all leadership attributes, charisma is perhaps the least understood. At first glance, charisma appears to be an invisible energy or magnetism. There's no denying its presence, but it's hard to put a finger on its source. Some mistakenly believe charisma is a birth trait—embedded in certain personalities, but completely absent in others.

I believe charisma is both explainable and learnable. I also believe charisma helps to boost a leader's influence. That's why I included it in my book, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. In this lesson, I'd like to examine the causes of charisma and teach you how to increase the charisma you display as a leader.

THE QUALITIES OF A CHARISMATIC LEADER

Charisma is defined as, "The ability to inspire enthusiasm, interest, or affection in others by means of personal charm or influence." Leaders who have this special ability share four things in common:

1) They Love Life

Leaders who attract a following are passionate about life. They are celebrators, not complainers. They're characterized by joy and warmth. They're energetic and radiant in an infectious way.

Look no further than the smile to illustrate the power of charisma. When people see a smile, they respond with a smile. If you're skeptical, try it. Smile at cashiers, waiters, co-workers, etc. You'll find your smile earns a reciprocate smile almost every time. We are hardwired to take on the energy of those around us. Leaders who love life have charisma because they fill the room with positive energy.

2) They Value the Potential in People

To become an attractive leader, expect the best from your people. I describe this behavior as "putting a 10 on everyone's head." Leaders see people, not as they are, but as they could be. From this vantage point, they help others to build a bridge from the present to a preferred future.

Benjamin Disraeli understood and practiced this concept, and it was one of the secrets to his charisma. He once said, "The greatest good you can do for another is not to share your riches but to reveal to him his own." When you invest in people and lift them toward their potential, they will love you for it.

3) They Give Hope

People have an inner longing to improve their future and their fortunes. Charismatic leaders connect with people by painting tomorrow brighter than today. To them, the future is full of amazing opportunities and unrealized dreams.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." They infuse optimism into the culture around them, and they boost morale. While attentive to the current reality, they do not resign themselves to present circumstance.

4) They Share Themselves

Leaders with charisma add value to people by sharing wisdom, resources, and even special occasions. They embrace the power of inclusion, inviting others to join them for learning experiences, brainstorming sessions, or simply a cup of coffee. Such leaders embrace team spirit and value togetherness. As a result, charismatic leaders are not lonely at the top.

When it comes to charisma, the bottom line is othermindedness. For leaders, the greatest satisfaction is found by serving. They find great pleasure celebrating the successes of those around them, and the victory they enjoy the most is a team triumph.

SUMMARY

In closing, charisma has substance. It's not manipulative energy or a magical gift endowed upon select personalities. Rather, it's an attractive blend of learnable qualities.
Furthermore, charisma compounds a leader's influence. Without it, leaders have trouble inspiring passion and energizing their teams. With it, leaders draw out the best in their people, give the best of themselves, and find the greatest fulfillment.

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - First Place Is Not An Easy Place To Stay

Of the original Fortune 500 companies listed in 1955, only 71 remain on the list today. Companies once deemed indestructible have fallen by the wayside. Corporate titans of enormous influence have completely disappeared in the span of a few decades. Staying power has been rare atop the Fortune 500. Instead, the list has undergone a steady turnover from year to year. Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all.

The fate of the Fortune 500 begs the question: Why haven't the best of the best been able to maintain success?

In this edition of Leadership Wired, we'll explore reasons why first place is not an easy place to stay, and we'll look at suggestions to help leaders keep hold of the top spot.

FIRST PLACE ERASERS

The biggest detriment to tomorrow's success is today's success. Winning carries with it a slate of temptations dangerous enough to topple the grandest of corporate CEO's. I call these temptations the first place erasers. Falling prey to them is a surefire ticket to the second tier.

The Momentum Myth - Leaders presiding over good times and high profits begins to relax. Comfort sets in, and the leaders lose their edge. Hard work and a sense of urgency are replaced by naive optimism and idleness. Falsely believing they can coast, leaders fall asleep at the wheel. The end of their vigilance coincides with the end of their time at the top.

The Reputation Factor - Leaders begin to place their position above their production. They live off of yesterday and their best moments. Having already notched big victories, they quit fighting to reach their potential. Consequently, they drive the organization downhill toward mediocrity.

The Entitlement Mindset - Leaders believe they have a right to be number one. Oftentimes these leaders have been given their position rather than having earned it. Expecting preferential treatment, they have an underdeveloped work ethic. As a result, they are unable or unwilling to make the sacrifices required to stay in first place.

The Revolving Door - Leaders quit attributing their success to talented performers at all levels of the organization. People tire of laboring in obscurity, and they move on to new opportunities. Leaders fail to patch the slow leak of talent leaving their teams, and they eventually sink from first place to the middle of the pack.

The Ego Issue - The ego issue trips up leaders who cannot face or admit failure. Since their identity is wrapped in their accomplishments, they do not take ownership of mistakes. To avoid taking responsibility for poor decisions, they may have remarkably high degrees of denial or self-deception. Out of touch, they cannot steer the ship to a first place finish.

Playing Not to Lose - Leaders become cautious and defensive of their perch at the top. They begin to be motivated by fear rather than purpose. Instead of playing to win, they play not to lose. Risk averse and small-minded, they are deficient of the boldness and courage necessary to command a first place team.

HOW TO STAY IN FIRST PLACE

To preserve their first place status, leaders should give extra attention to their passion, practices and people.

Passion
When passion fades, so does a leader's trustworthiness. Gallup conducted a poll in which passion ranked as the leading indicator of credibility within an organization. The results of the survey are hardly surprising. After all, if the leader isn't excited about the purpose of the organization, then why should he or she be trusted? On the flip side, when leaders passionately sacrifice, commit, and invest in their business, they earn the respect of followers and the good faith of constituents.

Passion creates energy. When a leader exudes joy and excitement, he or she magnetically pulls co-workers and customers into a shared vision. Passion is exceptionally strong when linked with a leader's values. When leaders demonstrate principled passion, they are able to appeal to the moral and emotional instincts of those around them.

Practices
Leaders don't rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits. Healthy habits, practiced consistently over time, will always reap dividends. On the contrary, occasional compromises of values eventually snowball into poor decisions with negative consequences. To keep hold on number one, a leader has to make every day a masterpiece.

People
The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people. When finding themselves in first place, leaders recognize they are indebted to the ingenuity and talent of those they lead. To stay in first place, leaders have to hand out credit and shine the spotlight on the contributors all around them.

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - The Challenge of Change

The history of Henry Ford and the Model T illustrates a fundamental truth about leadership: leaders never outgrow the need to change.

On his way to dominating the automotive market with the Model T, Henry Ford embodied innovation and progress. By pioneering the assembly line, Ford slashed the amount of time needed to manufacture an automobile. He installed large conveyor belts in his factory, allowing workers to stay in one place rather than roaming around the factory floor. He also shortened the workday of his employees from nine hours to eight hours so that his factories could operate around the clock.

The efficiencies Ford introduced allowed cars to be manufactured at a fraction of their previous costs. In under a decade, automobiles went from being luxuries affordable only to the wealthiest Americans, to being standard possessions of the average American family. Ford profited handily from the popularity of the Model T, and Ford Motor Company grew into an empire.

However, the dominance of Ford Motor Company was short-lived. As competitors changed their operations to copy Ford's concepts mass production, Henry Ford made a tremendous leadership blunder. With cars rolling off assembly lines like never before, consumers began to demand a variety of colors. However, Ford stubbornly refused, uttering the famous line, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

In Ford's mind, producing multiple colors was foolhardy since black paint dried the fastest and could be used most efficiently. Amazingly, Ford did not comprehend the human preference for variety. Customers flocked en masse to other producers who catered to their color preferences, and Ford Motor Company never regained its grip on the market.

For so long, Henry Ford had focused on moving from inefficiency to efficiency that he refused to move in the opposite direction - from efficiency to inefficiency - even when doing so would have been wise and profitable. Ford's genius in sparking change had catapulted him to the pinnacle of American commerce, but later, his inability to change cost him dearly.

In this edition of Leadership Wired, I'd like to overview the central challenges faced by leaders when they try to make changes in their lives. In doing so, I have drawn upon the wisdom of my friend, Sam Chand, author of the book LADDERShifts, and a prominent thinker in the field of leadership and change.

Issues That Make Change A Challenge

Critics
Along the journey of leadership, you'll meet all sorts of people, and I guarantee you'll bump into a few critics. Early in my career, I didn't know how to handle disapproval, and I bent over backward to keep everyone happy. In spite of my best efforts, I failed. Some of my people still didn't like me.

Trying to appease everybody invites trouble. Appeasers end up being average because they always gravitate to the middle of the road. They're afraid to make waves, and therefore, they avoid changes. My leadership began to take flight when I allowed myself to press people to change - whether they thanked me or cursed me.

People You Have Outgrown

As we climb the levels of leadership, we come to the sad realization that most people aren't committed to personal growth. Friends who once shared our dreams begin to settle for second best. Members of our inner circle quit when the journey gets hard. If we are to change ourselves for the better, then we need to change the company we keep.

Eventually, we must change our relationships by disengaging from the people we've outgrown. Disassociating from colleagues can be especially painful given your history together, the contributions they have made in your life, and your personal feelings toward them. Disengaging is painful because you care about them. It's painful because they may not understand why you've drifted away from them. It's painful all the way around, but remember, unless you are willing to endure these pains, your own growth as a leader will be limited. Leaders only grow to the threshold of their pain.

The Weight of Responsibility

When we're young, leadership has an idealistic appeal. We yearn to be in charge and out front, making the decisions. However, the reality of leadership involves the heavy burden of responsibility. Missteps by a leader can affect people's livelihoods or an organization's sustainability. The fear of getting it wrong can paralyze a leader.

If we, as leaders, want to make significant changes to increase our impact, then we must be willing to shoulder progressively greater loads. Although added responsibility gives us a greater opportunity to exercise leadership, it also magnifies the consequences of our mistakes. To be a change agent, a leader must be willing to take ownership of key projects and pivotal decisions.

Personal Inadequacies

As we grow in our leadership, we advance into uncharted territory - areas beyond our comfort zones. Such occasions give us growing pains by confronting us with our inadequacies. Our wisdom fails to solve a problem, or we stumble into a situation requiring more wisdom than we possess.

Facing our limitations can be daunting. At times, we'd rather stick to familiar roads than blaze a new trail and risk failure. Ultimately, pushing our personal boundaries is the surest way to grow, improve, and expand the scope of our influence.

Review

Issues That Make Change A Challenge:

1. Critics
2. People We've Outgrown
3. The Weight of Responsibility
4. Personal Inadequacies

Leadership Corner by Dr. John C. Maxwell - Finding Joy

The pursuit of happiness. It's one of our unalienable rights spelled out in The Declaration of Independence, but what does it mean to pursue happiness? When so many of us are unhappy and empty, how can we find joy?

To begin with, we must learn to reconcile the ambition to do with a willingness to be.

As change agents, leaders sense all is not well in the world. We see problems and search for solutions. Yet, if we only focus only on what is wrong, we miss the joy of the blessings in our lives - family, friendship, health, and freedom. We have to offset our discontent with the status quo by finding contentment in the life we have been given.

As leaders, we are lean and hungry, looking for opportunities to improve and grow. However, we find joy by being comfortable in our own skin. Happiness comes when we learn to take pride in our talents and to smile at our quirks.

We have an inner drive to do something - a restlessness to make something happen. At the same time, joy is discovered in the peaceful quiet of a soul at rest. Alongside our restlessness for change, we have a need for relaxation and recreation.

We won't fully experience joy until we've answered life's biggest question: Why am I here?

Without a life purpose, we flounder around without direction or joy. Life coach SuEllen Williams encourages clients to write out their life story in five-year increments, noting life-altering events and influential people. During the exercise, clients will often discover a predominant theme that has brought them fulfillment. By re-aligning with what has brought meaning in the past, Williams feels her clients put themselves on track toward the pursuit of happiness.

If we don't nourish ourselves, joy will elude us.

We nourish ourselves whenever we enter into activities that build our energy reserves. Consider this list of common nourishment sources:

1. Music - What songs lift me?
2. Thoughts - What thoughts speak to me?
3. Experiences - What experiences rejuvenate me?
4. Friends - What people encourage me?
5. Recreation - What recreation re-creates me?
6. Soul - What spiritual exercises strengthen me?
7. Hopes - What dreams inspire me?
8. Home - What family members care for me?
9. Giftedness - What gifts activate me?
10. Memories - What memories make me smile?

To find joy, we must clean up our vocabulary.

We pursue happiness when we banish the shoulda, coulda, wouldas in life and decide that everything is fine the way it is. To reconstruct our vocabulary, it's important to understand the difference between facts of life and problems. A fact of life is something we cannot change, but we can adjust our attitude about it. A problem is something we can change, and becomes possible when we take responsibility to fix it.

To discover joy, it's important to celebrate success.

Timing is critical to celebration. Be sure to celebrate after the fact and not before the job is done.

The Kentucky Wildcat football team learned this lesson the hard way. In 2002, the Wildcats led the heavily favored Louisiana State Tigers 30-27 with two seconds left to play. The Tigers had the ball, but they were 75 yards away from the end zone - an impossible distance to cover in one play.

Wildcat players dumped Gatorade on their coach to celebrate the win. Kentucky students poured out of the stands and waited to charge onto the field after the final whistle. The Kentucky quarterback waved his arms toward the adoring fans in a salute of victory.

Then, the impossible happened. The LSU quarterback lofted the football as far as he could throw it. The ball bounced off the fingertips of a mob of players, and landed in the waiting arms of an LSU receiver who raced to the end zone! LSU had won the game on a desperation pass!

Shocked and silent, the Kentucky fans were left to stare at their soggy coach as the LSU Tiger players celebrated their stunning, last-second victory.

In closing, happiness doesn't always find us, we have to pursue it. Doing so involves a number of steps:

1. Willingness to Be Who We Are
2. Searching for a Life Purpose
3. Nourishing Ourselves Regularly
4. Cleaning Up Our Vocabulary
5. Celebrating Success

I hope I've given you some helpful tips on chasing down joy. Best wishes as you pursue happiness!

Sekilas LEADERSHIP SEMINAR...

Bro & Sis,

Leadership Seminar baru saja selesai jam 5 sore tanggal 9 Desember kemarin. Euforia dari pembicara utamanya, Peter Cox, begitu luar biasa. Agak nyeleneh, aneh, nyentrik tetapi energi yang luar biasa benar - benar terasa diseluruh ruangan Stadion Tennis Indoor Senayan. Berbicara dengan logat Australia gaya anak pantai, semua peserta LS kemarin, sekitar 2500 peserta begitu tersentuh. To the point, nyelekit tetapi semuanya adalah kenyataan yang sehari - hari kita alami.

Kepemimpinan ternyata tidak rigid, kepemimpinan itu flexible. Kepemimpinan tidak melulu membutuhkan orang yang serius dengan penampilan rapi & klimis. Orang yang agak "gila" bisa memimpin organisasi Network Marketing di 30 Negara dengan ratusan ribu manusia di organisasinya. Beliau bercerita tentang backgroundnya yang benar - benar kacau ( pemabuk, gila pesta dsb ) tapi dengan kerendahan hati serta tekad yang kuat, beliau bisa menjadi contoh untuk anggota organisasinya. Bisa bayangkan gak, orang yang ditengah - tengah seminar bisa bertelanjang dada, menjadi pemimpin ? Rasanya kalau tidak melihat sendiri pasti tidak akan percaya. Tapi...ini benar - benar benar terjadi...

Pemimpin itu dimulai dari hati, dengan semua ketulusan berbagi. Pemimpin itu tidak melulu dilihat dari penampilan, tingkat pendidikan, umur, jabatan dan lain - lain...Peter Cox adalah contohnya, orang yang kontroversial tetapi dicintai banyak orang...Salute, salute...

Semua orang bisa menjadi pemimpin, semua orang punya hak memimpin...Semua orang wajib memimpin. Pemimpin itu dijadikan, bukan dilahirkan...Proses yang sangat keras akan menjadikan pemimpin yang luar biasa...Terus terang, saya gak sabar menantikan Leadership Seminar selanjutnya...See you at April 2008 all survivor...

Salam Warrior Survivor,

Anton

BERBAGI...Energi terbesar untuk survive...

Bro & Sis,

Kebahagiaan terbesar adalah saat kita mengetahui kita bisa berbagi tanpa pamrih. Tanpa mengharapkan imbalan apapun...Terkadang itu terdengar seperti retorika bagi sebagian yang belum pernah melakukannya, dimana jaman ini yang mengajarkan bahwa pasti ada udang dibalik bakwan...

Adalah kenikmatan luar biasa bisa berbagi kepada sesama ciptaanNya, melihat tawa canda mereka - mereka yang penuh potensi - potensi terpendam, yang sebetulnya haus kasih sayang dan perhatian sesamanya tetapi masih bisa saling berbagi dalam kebersamaan...

Tanggal 18 November 2007 kemarin, di Cibubur yang cukup cerah sekali cuacanya, RUBI ( Rumah Berbagi Indonesia ), memberikan aksi yang menunjukkan berbagi yang sesungguhnya. Bersama dengan Pak Andreas, Pak Krisnawan, Pak Harry, Ibu Ani, Ibu Ellies, Pak Daniel membagikan yang terbaik dari masing - masing untuk teman - teman di S.O.S yang kebanyakan terdiri dari anak - anak yang sangat spesial, para calon Warrior Survivor. Rekan - rekan senior ini, yang sebagian besar professional trainer, dengan penuh energi meledak - ledakkan perasaan dan mere-programming bawah sadar teman - teman S.O.S...Dengan style masing - masing, dengan persiapan yang boleh dibilang minim, kami saling mengisi satu sama lainnya, sehingga sinergi energi positif di Cibubur kemarin meledakkan aura yang luar biasa...

Betul kata pak Harry, hidup ini memang uncommon...Dimana orang - orang menilai segala sesuatu dengan uang dan harta duniawi, ternyata kepuasan bisa didapatkan tanpa semua itu...Uang bukan tujuan, betul pak Harry ? Pak Krisnawan, Kita semua Bunga Teratai, yang menjadi daya tarik diantara rawa - rawa gaya hidup duniawi zaman ini, Tertawalah sebelum tertawa itu dilarang ( Warkop DKI ), tertawalah terhadap semua kendala yang ada, lalu ucapkanlah syukur dan berdoa karena kita masih punya kesempatan untuk mengalami KasihNya, kata Bu Ani...Fokus pada tujuan, rasakan sakitnya proses dan lampaui, ya kan pak Daniel ? Tujuan pasti akan tercapai, kalau kita terus berusaha mencapainya, bangun 2 kali lebih banyak kalau kita jatuh, kata bu Ellies....

Wuiihh, luar biasa dahsyat !!! Semoga sinergi ini akan terus menerangi Indonesia dan akan terus menggarami semua manusia Indonesia untuk menjadi Warrior Survivor...

Go Survive !!!

Anton Karya

Mengungkap Rahasia Semesta...

Guys,

Sekitar hampir satu bulan lalu, di kantor ada sharing session tentang "Universal Law" ( pernah ada di Kompas Minggu, tapi lupa kapan...) Isinya adalah pengembangan lebih lanjut dari Law of Attraction...Seru tuch, mungkin juga karena gaya kita bawa session mirip2 ya... :) .... ( Yang bawain session itu juga salah satu mentor gue )... Nah, merenungi apa yang didapat dari session tersebut, seakan - akan dapat pencerahan...

Begini...ternyata TUHAN itu benar - benar adil...makanya sering tercetus "diatas langit ada langit"...Sebetulnya, menurut gue nih, TUHAN menciptakan setiap diri manusia dengan memberikan satu dari rahasia pengetahuanNya...Jadi, "isi kepala" TUHAN itu terbagi atas kurang lebih 5 milyar manusia yang ada di Dunia ini...

Jadi, tidak ada alasan yang tepat untuk mengatakan bahwa kita "lebih" dari orang lainnya...yang tepat kita itu unik...Makanya biasanya, orang - orang yang mengetahui rahasia ini adalah orang yang rendah hati...Kenapa ? Karena untuk menjadi lebih, kita harus membuka diri untuk menerima pengetahuan dari orang yang sering kita anggap lebih "bodoh" dari kita...

Nah, jadi kalau mau menguasai Alam Semesta ini, temuilah sebanyak mungkin manusia, belajar untuk lebih sering mendengarkan...Satu lagi yang terakhir, Hukum Tabur Tuai juga berlaku, semakin banyak kita memberi, semakin berlipat yang kita dapatkan...

" Berbagilah apapun yang kita miliki, itulah kunci semesta untuk memberikan kelimpahan pengetahuan akan Yang Maha Kuasa. Semakin kita mengenal Dia, Dia juga akan mengenal kita dan tahu apa yang kita inginkan sehingga semakin nyatalah Impian Kita" - Antonius Karya

Mana yang lebih besar IMPIAN atau KENDALA ?

Guys,

Seringkali dalam hidup kita, kita tetapkan ingin menjadi atau mendapatkan sesuatu. Seiring dengan keputusan yang kita dapatkan, saat itu juga masalah yang tadinya gak kelihatan jadi keluar semua ke permukaan. Dan seringkali pula, impian jadi tenggelam akibat kita mumet sama masalah - masalah yang seakan - akan gak ada habis - habisnya.

Nah ini dia nich...Sampai sekarang pun sering alami hal seperti ini...Yang jadi pertanyaan, bener gak nih itu yang benar - benar kita inginkan ? Contohnya aja gini, kadang - kadang saat kita mau HP terbaru misalnya, padahal uang lagi gak cukup nih...Gesek aja terus CREDIT CARDnya, padahal kreditan udah banyak...Kenapa gak dipikirin, nanti bayarnya pakai apa coba ? :)

Guys, pernah dengar khan yang namanya " LAW OF ATTRACTION " ? Nah, sesuai dengan namanya, HUKUM TARIK - MENARIK, seperti ada di " THE SECRET" ( Udah baca bukunya / nonton filmnya lom ), mengatakan kalau kita berpikiran positif terhadap apapun yang kita inginkan, kita akan mendapatkannya. Tetapi...yang tidak disebutkan disana, Kutub Utara akan menarik Kutub Selatan, POSITIVE akan menarik NEGATIVE...Masih ingatkan pelajaran waktu kita SD - SMA ?

Nah, impian kita pun demikian...Kutub positive dan negative biasanya satu paket, seperti mata uang yang ada dua sisi jadi IMPIAN dan MASALAH juga dalam satu paket...Makanya kita perlu yang namanya GRATITUDE ( Ucapan syukur ), karena dibalik semua masalah yang ada sebetulnya sudah dipersiapkan apa yang menjadi IMPIAN kita...tergantung besaran mana, IMPIAN atau KENDALAnya, karena yang lebih besar / kuat dan bertahan, itu yang akan kita dapatkan...

" Ucaplah syukur terhadap segala sesuatu, karena kita pasti akan mendapat yang kita mau selama itu tidak merugikan diri kita dan sesama, karena TUHAN juga punya hati...." - Antonius Karya