Leadership development is a process where people enhance their leadership skills through a set of activities. Today, more and more organizations make it a point that their members participate in leadership development to ensure that they become a responsible leader. Entrepreneurs also continuously develop their skills in this area, as leadership is critical to build up a loyal following for their business.

Aside from enhancing the leadership skills of people, leadership development also serves as a way for people to reflect on their own sets of values towards work. It also paves the way for people to be inspired and motivated at all times despite challenging times and without depending so much on others.

Experts say that leadership development is a very important factor in a leader’s life because this will help him or her see things in a positive way. This will also enable him or her to overcome challenges by developing an attitude that could withstand challenging situations and failures.

If a leader is inspired and motivated, he or she is able to develop a good outlook in life. In fact, he or she might even be surprised of the things they can accomplish in a short span of time.

If you are conducting a leadership development program for your group, include the subject of motivation in your talks and activities. To help leaders who are being hindered by their personal issues, it would be best if you encourage them to:

1) Re-assess themselves. Many leaders assume that they know themselves already, so they often neglect doing self-assessment regularly. Experts say that these people often do not realize that the more they ignore self-reassessment, the more they get stuck with their own habits, leaving less room for self improvement. During leadership development, help them understand that it is best for them to know themselves very well. If they know themselves well, they will know their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Once they were able to identify all of these, it will be easier for them to set goals for themselves that are within their reach and their capabilities.

2) Start with small and simple goals. Tell them to not put too much pressure on themselves. If you just stepped into a leadership role, it’s best to tell your developing leaders to start small so they won’t feel defeated if they are unable to meet their goals initially. By starting with small and simple things, they are giving themselves the chance to accomplish bigger things ahead.

3) Keep track of their progress. This will help them find ways that would work best for them. If you do this, they will know what areas they should improve and what things they should continue doing.

Kris de Leon
(702) 635-9571
kris@krisdeleon.com
Skype: krisdeleon

I’m passionate about empowering people and helping them reach peak performance. For more articles on leadership and personal development, check out my blog http://www.krisdeleon.com

I have always wondered what was the secret of success, and it all made sense after listening to Earl Nightingale’s recording of the Strangest Secret. I’d like to share the main points of what he discussed, and encourage you to apply the secret of success in your life.

Nightingale discussed that out of 100 people that start off around the age of 25 and retire at 65, only one person will be rich, four will be financially independent, 5 will still continue to work, and 54 will be broke. He raises an interesting point – if all of them started off in similar circumstances, why did only 5% become successful? The reason for this disparity is that only 5% understood and applied the secret of success.

Before revealing the secret of success, Earl Nightingale provided the best definition of success I have heard. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. If a person is working hard towards a predetermined goal, he is a success. If he is not working towards that goal, he is a failure. Nightingale points out that the opposite of courage is not cowardice, but conformity. Most people believe that life is shaped by circumstance, and they end up following everyone else. When someone is asked, “Why do you work?” He or she often replies, “Because I have to” or “Because everyone else is doing it.” Most people simply have no idea of the answer to this question. Those who are successful, however, know that they are progressing towards a worthy ideal. They have a purpose, and know exactly why they work. For example, if a school teacher loves what he is doing and knows he has a purpose to educate people, then he is a success. Success is someone who is doing a predetermined job, because he decided to do it deliberately.

So what is the secret of success? Why do so many people work hard without achieving anything, while others seem to be working with minimal effort, but seem to get everything? Do they have the golden touch? The answer is that they know and apply the secret of success – We become what we think about. Nightingale notes that this is the one thing that scholars throughout the ages agree upon. Let me repeat, we become what we think about. If you think in negative terms all the time, you get negative results. If you think in positive terms, you achieve positive results. If you think about nothing, you become nothing. Napoleon Hill said it best in his book Think and Grow Rich, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”

People who apply the secret of success look for the circumstances they want. If they can’t find them, they create them. If you want to achieve great heights of success, make sure to plant a goal in your mind. Plant the seed, and then take action by working towards that goal. What you think now will determine your future. The mind is like a field – whatever you plant in it, it returns anything that you plant. Now that you know the secret of success, make sure to apply it and join the ranks of the top 5%.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to observe the daily habits of highly successful people across different industries. Although there are several habits that successful people incorporate into their lives, there are three that stand out that they practice consistently.

One of the habits of highly successful people is being decisive and action oriented. They think very carefully, make decisions quickly, and discipline themselves to take action and carry out decisions. If they make a mistake, they correct themselves and try something else. Successful people try different ways of doing things, and eventually find the right way of doing things at the right time. Unsuccessful people are indecisive, and have no will power to make any decisions. They settle for far less than what is truly possible. However, when successful people are action oriented, they move a lot quicker and can get more things accomplished in the day. They tape into a higher source of energy, which propels them towards their goals much faster.

Another habit of successful people is they never allow failure as an option. Failure itself is not an obstacle to success, but rather the fear of failure. This may cause people to not take any action. Successful people see failure as a way to make them stronger and more determined. Unsuccessful people fear failure, and allow this fear to paralyze them or hold them back. Successful people take calculated risks in the direction of their goals to achieve greater rewards. When faced with a risky situation, they assess the worst possible scenario, and then they do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. Successful people face this fear and take action. By facing fears, they become more courageous and feel they can conquer anything. So despite any problems or difficulties, successful people never allow failure as an option.

Finally, successful people are persistent and have a strong sense of determination. They program their subconscious mind for persistence in advance of experiencing setbacks and disappointments in their quest for success. They make this resolve to never give up no matter what. When successful people experience ups and downs, they are psychologically prepared for the downs in life because they have already programmed persistence into their subconscious mind. They have the will power to stay in the game for as long as possible until they achieve their goal. Successful people understand that life is a test, and they are constantly given pop quizzes through experiencing setbacks and difficulties. They learn how to ace that test through being persistent even when confronted with difficulty, setback or crisis in life. They respond to these situations in a positive manner, so they become stronger and will always find a way to get around their problems.

As key habits, successful people know to take action, overcome their fear of failure, and never give up. They never complain, and always do what it takes to achieve their goals.

The most successful people powered their achievements with strong motivation and the ability to persist despite previous failures. Motivation is the fire that fuels success. It is also the result of a strong burning desire that directs a person’s actions and thoughts and helps create situations that move towards accomplishing a specific goal.

Motivation must come from within, and not from an outside source. For example, if you decide to go on a diet because your spouse wants you to, that is poor motivation, and you will probably not do well at it. It is only when you truly desire to control your habits and behaviors that you will achieve self-discipline. Motivation brings about true change.

One way to increase motivation is through pressure, or having someone hold you accountable. Tell your friends, co-workers and family about your commitment to change something in your life. They will hold you accountable of whether you are taking the right action to get you to your goal.

Motivation works hand in hand with self-discipline and organization. Lack in these areas can lead to a greater number of failures, which can impact your motivation. One way to alleviate this is to structure your day and organize yourself, so that you are implementing the action plans that will get you to your goal.

As you work towards making a positive change in your life, you will eventually experience failure. The only way to defeat failure is through persistence and perseverance. The most common reason people give up on achieving their goals is because they encountered failure once or twice, and they become afraid to try again. Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” Before you even begin, you must plan to deal with failure. Be ready to persevere. Vow to never give up, no matter what, no matter how long it takes!

Having self-discipline is powerful to help you accomplish anything you desire. With self-discipline, you can control your emotions, actions, thoughts, words and personal direction. Some people seem to be naturally self-controlled and some seem to have no self-control at all. Others seem to constantly struggle with self-discipline.

Discipline is learning to say “no” to our primitive uncontrolled cravings and selfish destructive desires. We learn to develop this discipline when you can distinguish the difference between what is actually needed and what is really necessary.

It is more difficult today, than in any other time in history, to exert self-discipline because of our ability to get almost anything we want with a push of a button or swipe of a credit card. We are also constantly bombarded with advertising that enhances our cravings for things.

An important step to gaining self-control is to identify the areas where we are out of control. Work on self-denial in the areas you want to change. Deny your self a certain pleasure each day. Then begin to start small with little victories each day, like eating one less snack or watching one less television show.

Developing new routines is a key to self discipline. People who have routines tend to be more disciplined and accomplish more. If you are one of those people who have trouble with routines, try adding just one at a time. Keep it simple. Work on the things that are most important first. Evaluate yourself regularly to see how you are doing. Reward yourself for keeping at it. Once it becomes a habit, it is much easier to maintain.

Of course, routines can be done to excess, so remember to give yourself a little healthy leeway in case the unexpected comes up.

We all know how easy it is to follow what everyone else is doing. It takes a strong person to live the kind of life they want, based on his or her own ideals. This type of person shows strength simply by choosing to remain on a path regardless of counter forces and what everyone else is saying.

The fear of these counter forces keeps most of us away from our natural desire to live the kind of life we choose. This fear causes people to not take action rather than face the possibility of failure.

Although we tend to restrict ourselves, we admire those who have the tenacity to face up to these forces in order to live the way they choose. We also admire the character of those who go the extra step of being a living example of their beliefs.

We offer our highest admiration to those who take action and those who demonstrate character. We recognize that it is not only amazing to have knowledge, but it is incredible to veer from the norm and act in a way as to be a living example of one’s beliefs.

Rather than placing these individuals on a pedestal, we should learn to model our lives after their examples. Thomas Edison is one such example – a person who took massive action and held on to his belief that he can invent the world’s first light bulb, regardless of the criticism and ridicule he encountered.

Edison also made a point to clearly demonstrate his determination through an open door policy with the media. He gave the rest of the world a clear picture of his character character.

Edison and his team showed their persistence and determination often throughout the years, especially with the invention of the light bulb. Edison and his team could have given up after a couple attempts, yet they persevered even after several thousand attempts.

Edison could not be discouraged. He rationalized that since he had only found thousands of ways it could not be done, he could only be closer to the right answer. Edison and his team showed character. Their determination pushed aside the counter forces and their diligence was rewarded after thousands of attempts.

Determination such as this should be ours since it is the very substance that promotes action. This, of course, is easier said than done. Recognizing that action is spurred by determination may be a key to a new way of living.

If we believe in something, then the beliefs of others, particularly those who speak of impossibilities, should be ignored. Since we all are able to rationalize that error and potential failure are part of human nature, we should not be afraid of it. We should look at it, like Edison did, as a stepping stone towards getting to our goals.

We should strive to make character our own. This empowering thought is fuel to drive us to success. We have the power to be the best we can be by acting on our dreams. We can learn what we need along the way.

There are many books, articles and training on the topics related to “What is leadership?” and “How to develop a leader?” In this article, I will focus on two other questions that might be on the minds of people like yourself who are looking to enhance your leadership development.

Why does better leadership make a difference? and

How does better leadership achieve those differences?

Leadership is a highly unique form of human behavior that requires an integration of character, knowledge and experience. So what can you really do when you unlock your human leadership potential? Well, the possibilities are endless, and you can make a significant impact on improving and serving humanity.

Your journey to unleashing your leadership potential begins with a great understanding of self. Discover your personality traits and how they relate to leadership. When we know ourselves, we can maximize our positive traits, and become aware of our weaker areas, which help us to achieve our leadership potential.

Once you understand and know yourself, the next step would be honing your communication skills. Communication is not just limited to public speaking. This includes your writing style and your body language. Your ability to communicate effectively enhances your ability to improve interpersonal relationships. Another important skill is to learning how to learn, or becoming coachable. Examine different teaching methods and learning styles to identify how you and those you may lead learn best. This skill will greatly enhance your ability to make decisions and give clear instructions.

An exceptional leader is one that recognizes the value of harnessing the skills and abilities of team members and leads them towards peak performance.

A leader is not a title, and leadership is not something you are born into. Leadership is something you develop.

This is what Dr. Ken Blanchard, in his book “The Heart of A Leader” had to say about good leaders; “If you want to know why your people are not performing well, step up to the mirror and take a peek.”

The importance of immediate, massive, daily action has been written about many times already but it is so important to emphasize this topic every now and again. The examples in this article come from the world of business but they could also apply to any other area in life.

Marketing is the life blood of any business or organization, but sometimes businessmen will wait until they have written the perfect advertisement or sales message before sending out even one ad. They also spend weeks making sure their website is beautifully designed with all the latest refinements.

Meanwhile, good sales and prospects are passing them by. Their product may even be out of date before they are happy with the advertisements. By the time they have everything perfect and ready to go, they may run out of capital and be forced to close down their business. One of the best lessons I learned was not to worry about creating a perfect website. Just get one up.

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire Mayor of New York, credits his success to getting going without spending too much time planning:

“We act from day one; others plan how to plan – for months.”

Here’s a motto of an average businessman and marketer by the name of Jack, who one of my mentors told me about. His motto was: “Doin’ it, Doin’it, Doin’it” i.e do something, anything every day towards achieving your marketing goals.”

He kept plugging away each day with his marketing, even when the format of his sales brochures and forms did not look very good. He would not wait for the format to be improved. He believed in ‘Doin’ it’ even if he was not quite ready to do it.

This philosophy and behavior made him a multi millionaire and a leader. Even though what he said was not profound and could at times be downright stupid, his action oriented words and behavior led many to trust him and to follow his suggestions.

He knew that to get a desired outcome, he had to actually DO something to get there.

Jack knew that if his audience would just do something – anything – every day toward their goals, they, too, would get there. He didn’t wait until he had enough money to start his business or until his advertising materials were perfect or until he had a stockpile of products to sell. He started with what he had and did something every day to achieve his goal.

You can’t dream or wish your way into riches, although this can help. You have to actually do something about it. What is worse than a sales ad? No sales ad. Don’t wait until you have a great website or enough money to start your business.

Get going now and do something every day towards achieving your goal. You may still have doubts and fears, but by doing something every day you will make progress and your confidence and power will increase.

Some people want to master a piece of software before they use it. The chances are that they will never use it!

The quickest way to learn how a software tool works is to start using it on a daily basis. We will make mistakes, of course, but we will also make progress in understanding the software.

If possible, find a mentor who can hold your hand while you try something new. However, mentors are not always easily available so trust yourself to have a go on your own and see what happens.

You will probably amaze yourself at what you can achieve on your own especially if you don’t give up at the first signs of trouble.

Preparation, thinking and planning are worth doing, but there comes a time when the most important thing is to actually start taking action even if this means you are running risks. Try it and see what happens.

Start “Doing it!”

Who would forget the ever-famous line of Peter Parker’s grandfather, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Society often expects Spiderman, a comic book, TV, and movie superhero, to be responsible for saving his town, or even the world, in some instances, from evil because he has super powers.

From all the episodes he appeared in, he never let us down. With the power he possesses, he makes sure to be responsible in using it for the good of the people around him.

Leadership is not at all different from being superheroes. Yes, you may not have super powers like Superman and Spiderman, but you have the authority to lead other people towards success. This is so much greater and stronger since it is a power that can be used by real people in this real world.

Hence, being a leader requires great sense of responsibility, the second quality a successful leader should attain.

The power to lead your people towards aiming your vision comes with responsibilities like making sure they are on the right direction, being aware of each and everyone’s tasks and mistakes, and putting them back on the right track when they get lost.

Who said it is easy to be a leader? Well, it is no. It comes with tons of responsibilities. True leaders are willing to accept them all.

There are instances where sometimes it makes us feel better to blame somebody or something else when something goes wrong in a task. However, good leaders should not be doing this.

A leader should take full responsibility of a task – not just before he accepts to take it, but also after it has been accomplished. As much as he is responsible for his team’s success, he should also be responsible for any failure. He represents the whole team so whatever happens to it, he is the one responsible.

Making excuses and blaming something or someone else for failed jobs is not a quality of a good leader. What he should do, instead, is to accept the fact that something went wrong with the organization, even if it is not his fault. It is normal to make mistakes. In fact, mistakes are opportunities to learn something better. As a leader, he must ensure that the team members learn from these mistakes and that these errors will not be repeated next time.

You may not have full control over other people and are not expected to have full control over their actions, but you have full control of your own reactions. Knowing what to do over unexpected and unpredictable situations will make you responsible, hence giving you the feeling of power.