“There is a leader in most people. It depends on whether the person wants to take on the responsibility of being a leader, as to whether or not they will be a leader.”
This is a quote from my book I am currently writing. I know I should wait to put my book out before sharing this, but sometimes there are nuggets that I just HAVE to share as soon as possible! This is one of them!
Leadership plays a pivotal part in day to day life! I have been asked several times, “Can people develop their leadership skills?” and “can people who are really shy learn to be out going?” The answer is simply, and emphatically ‘YES!!!’ The personal development industry is currently worth over $100 Billion! There are so many books on leadership and self development out there it is hard to know where to start.
In order to develop my own leadership skills I forced myself into circumstances I was uncomfortable with! Literally forced! I was so self conscious that I would not even sing if I was in the car with the radio on full blast and the windows rolled up! Any guesses what I did? Well, I joined a choir! Did I get up on stage and sing in front of people? No, not at first, I was a terrible singer. I did go to EVERY practice every week and eventually they told me my heart was so into it that I made it in the choir!
I wanted to join the British Army. I wanted to go to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and train to be an officer in the Army. It’s DEFINITELY not easy to get in! My first interview was 24 hours. We went out and did numerous tests, then went to bed and the next day carried on. After that we were told if we made it to the second round of interviews! Well, I got through to the next set interviews, which were three nights long and four days. After those interviews I was given the verdict, “Wait for 18 months.” They didn’t think I was ready to do the training yet. I was a shy little Zimbabwean straight out of school, straight off the air plane and looking a little shell shocked. I decided I would buy a tent and live in a camp site for three or four months with the assumption that if I could survive with whatever supplies I had, then I would definitely be able to survive with what the Army gave me. My supplies in a British winter: a 3 man dome tent too small to stand up in, a sleeping bag, and a gas stove (which once erupted in a ball of flames nearly engulfing my tent). You are probably wondering if I made it into Sandhurst? Well, I did. My point here is that I was not ready, but after a lot of work and perseverance, I made it! If you are not able to achieve what you want to do, then position yourself so that when you ARE able you can take it running at full speed!
With leadership the biggest step is being prepared to take the responsibility! From there you can start looking for responsibility, and volunteer for it. No matter how big or how small, it all helps. In order to ‘build’ your skills you need to make sure you are stretching yourself. I now get excited when I have to step out of my comfort zone to do something. I know that when looking at the bigger picture the more I have stepped out of my comfort zone the more I will be able to handle.
If you are serious about becoming a great leader, then step out of your comfort zone. Do everything with an attitude of excellence, and you will become a great and influential person!
To read more about Leadership visit RichNicholls.com. To find out how you can establish a leadership strategy visit MLMGlobalTycoons.com. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/pathway-to-leadership-1762292.html
