Leadership - Leading in business

by Loral Langemeier (Excerpted from The 7 Steps to Building, Leading & Protecting Your Business series)

"Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence." -- Barnard Montgomery, British Field Marshall

You are the leader of your business whether you realize it or not.

Your job as the leader is to inspire, motivate, hold and communicate your vision to your team. Leadership is very proactive - you want to be in front of the situation instead of catching up to it or feeling like it's being dropped on you. I call this future pacing.

Future Pacing

Future pacing is the ability to look down the road 6 months, 12 months, 3 years, 5 years or longer and start leading your team now to be able to get to that 6 month point prepared, on-target and in the black (profitable).

From your Marketing Plan, what do you need to put in place Now to future pace your business? You have the option to lead your business as opposed to CEdo' the business, even if you're now heavily into the CEdo' mode.

A template that we recommend you start with, in this order, is:

. What is the end revenue that you have in mind? (Remember Napoleon Hill - you need to be very clear about what you want.)

. What are the strategies in place that are going to produce the revenue?

. What are the tactics (tasks, projects) needed to support the strategies?

. Who are the people going to work in the business that you will lead?

Don't be surprised if this takes you a lot of concentrated effort and time to complete- it is the most strategic work that a leader needs to do to move their business into profit.

The distinction between leadership and management is that management is about the follow-through of tactics and leadership is about the development of vision and people.

The "5 C's of Leadership" are:

. Character -- your internal makeup, your personal DNA. To develop a stronger sense of character, get to know yourself - assess, evaluate and correct.

. Capacity -- your mental ability to conceive or perceive. Internalize and lead a concept until it is expressed through your vision. The company's results are your feedback.

. Credibility -- your personal integrity, a mirror of your actions as opposed to words.

. Courage -- the inner strength required to overcome obstacles and move your business toward your vision.

. Communication -- the ability to translate your vision into actions.

Of these five qualities, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being low, how do you rate yourself? What will you do to increase your capacity in all of these areas?

Character Rating:
Action:

Capacity Rating:
Action:

Credibility Rating:
Action:

Courage Rating:
Action:

Communication Rating:
Action:

Communication As A Leader

In the "5 C's of Leadership" we list communication as being an integral part of effective leadership. Becoming proficient at the following 3 communication skills will have a positive impact on your effectiveness as a leader.

1. Power Of Questions

We've grown up in a society that tells as opposed to asks. A good example of this would be parent/child relationship. It's not uncommon to hear a parent say, "I'm the parent and I'll tell you what to do." The problem with this type of interaction is that the parent isn't allowing the child to be involved in the action or decision-making process.

Many managers are still in the parent/child model telling their staff what to do under the guise of leadership. The inherent problem with this style of behavior is that there is no committed inspired behavior because the employee was not a participant in the decision making process.

The power of questioning allows the strategic side of the brain to think. When asked open-ended questions, the brain is stimulated to come up with the answer. For example:

. What will you do?
. What do you want?
. What will the impact be?
. How does it impact the strategy/project/goal?
. How does it impact the revenue?

This type of questioning leads to self-directed action, putting the responsibility and accountability where it belongs -- on the person expected to do the action.

2. Accountability

Through Action Following is a series of powerful questions you can use with your team to get accountability.
. What is the task to be completed?
. When does it need to be finished?
. With whom do you need to connect?
. Who is holding you accountable?

3. Inquiry to Solution

In our society, we are also conditioned to look at problems, not solutions. People tend to complain about what's not working. Typically, when someone is complaining, there is an unspoken request or need they have their orientation is to focus on the problem, not the solution. Your job as their leader is to Lead to Solutions:

. What is it you need?
. What is your request?
. Is there something you need to ask for?

The goal of an effective leader is to recondition your team to be solution focused rather than problem focused.

Take some time to outline a situation that's recently presented itself as a problem or complaint. Then, using your new scenario of questions, reframe how you would now make the situation solution focused.

Teams That Work 'On' and 'In' Your Business

As you build your business, there are two types of teams you will be developing: one that will work in the business, and one that will work on the business. Your job is to lead both teams effectively.

Listed below are examples of both types of teams. Taking into consideration your specific needs, complete each list.

In My Business:
Accountant/Bookkeeper
Graphic Artist
Personal Assistant
Writer
Sales Team

On My Business:
Corporate Attorney
Tax Strategist
Coach
Mentor
Financial Planner

Opportunity for small business has never been greater. Opportunity for wealth creation has never been greater. Go For It!

Loral Langemeier, author, speaker and founder of Live Out Loud is a pioneer in financial coaching who empowers people to build wealth and achieve financial success. To find out more about Loral's best-selling programs including Expression Of Your Power, Building Your Wealth Cycles and Building, Leading & Protecting Your Business, visit http://loral.jimrohn.com or call 800-929-0434.