Define Leadership

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So, I asked them, "Well, what do you think a leader is?"
Here are some of the answers they gave me:

-Leadership is a person who is well liked in a position of power.
-It's someone who is admired.
-Someone who has respect and influence with people.
-A person who has authority in a company.

These are all great descriptions of a leader but, it took them almost 20 minutes or more to come up with these ideas. See, most people have a vague idea what a leader is and what leadership does but few think about it enough to truly describe it's full potential.

Even though, they come in contact with leadership on a daily basis, and it's effects can last months, years, and even centuries, people just don't put a whole lot of stock into this area of life. And there are a multitude of reasons why this has happened... Maybe some have become complacent, self-centered, or even power hungry... Either way, sometimes people just need a little reminder of some of the important things in life.

Now, lets think about the word "leadership"...

The word "leadership" is used to describe certain actions, positions, and attitudes of individuals, groups, and those with an influencial role within society.

Leadership implies a lot of power and popularity. When we think of a leader or someone in a leadership position we think of the President, Congressmen, CEO's, Entrepreneurs, Mom's and Dad's. These are all positions (not actual people) in our society we associate freedom, influence, and power whether, it's political, business, or simply household power. We all regard the people holding these positions in high esteem and think they have it made... (Or at the very least, we think they're doing something right.) We put them on a pedestal and think, "Man what I wouldn't give to be the _____________ (insert position here)."

Though these positions in and of themselves have little in common with one another (since some are political, business, and/or household), there is definately a single common factor in all of those positions listed above... It's relationships. Relationships with people determine the success or failure in every aspect of our lives. Let's face it, without people... What's the point?

Now, that might seem a little bit extreme and you might even be saying, "I didn't need any help when I replaced the door knob in my house last week." On the surface you're right, but you still needed people to manufacture, ship, and sell the door knob to you. And if anyone of those relationships failed you wouldn't have been able to fix the door when you did.

So, whenever I see a leader, I always look at the relationships he or she has with the people around them. How they treat their team is essentially their public portfolio of success. Watch some of the leaders around you, evaluate their relationships, and determine for yourself the effectiveness of their leadership. Remember, this is about observation and learning, not gossip. If their relationships aren't strong, then you may see their effectiveness as a leader compromised. But if their relationships are strong, they'll have a greater influence.

Leadership is a BIG topic. There are so many different styles, mentalities, and roles that ecompass everything about leadership. So, I'll cut this short and give you my definition of leadership:

Leadership - the Art of expanding social influence to accomplish a certain goal.

One day, everyone will be called on to lead... Will you Rise to the occassion?

EmpoweredCreators.com - Convictions in Action

By: Adam Perschbacher

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

EmpoweredCreators.com - Convictions in Action Define Leadership | Opportunities | Leadership Positions

5 Ways Leadership Training Can Motivate Team Building And Performance

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Corporate leadership training is essential to the success of any business if they want their employees to perform to the utmost of their ability. They cannot do this without the right guidance which is where the managers and leaders of these businesses play a major part.

Without the right motivation, your team is not going to have the desire to do anything other than the minimum. The big change comes when they are led in the right direction by a manager who has the insight to see what motivates his team. Corporate team building will be one of the ways to accomplish this. The five best ways to get your sales team into the frame of mind they need to be to generate the most profits are as follows:

1) By showing your team that you are working right along side them, you will boost morale. No one likes a boss who stands and dictates all day along. They will be more willing to work towards a goal if they see their leader can not only talk about how to generate more sales but can show them by example. Good talkers are a dime a dozen but those who can produce the results they are pushing are rare.

2) When a leader is investing the time into corporate team building, he is doing more than creating a sales team. He is creating the team that will go the extra mile because they have the same vision as their leader. The positive energy that flows between the leader and the sales staff will create an atmosphere of encouragement and support that will make a difference. Corporate team building is extremely important to the success or failure of a business.

3) Corporate leadership training can have the added benefit of showing the manager how to reward his team. Not in terms of monetary gain, which will come as a result of the new attitude, but in the positive feedback and appreciation that is shown for the great job the do on a daily basis. A celebration dinner or get together is another way of saying thanks for doing a great job that might want to be considered.

4) Evaluations all the way around including the manager or supervisor can have a positive effect on the business. If there are problem areas this will come up and the ability of the team members to evaluate their manager will make a difference in the morale. The team may have certain issues that they would like to make known but are unsure of the approach. Corporate leadership training can teach you how to evaluate your team members but self-evaluation is just as important. Issues that are brought up by team members who may have a better view of your role as manager can be invaluable.

5) A weekly meeting is a great idea. This can help everyone to get on the same page and see what items need to be cleared up from the standpoint of the team and the manager. There are certain expectations that have to be met on a regular basis. This can be a time for members to ask for input, help, or whatever their needs may be. But it is also a time to clear up all the week’s work and get ready for the coming week. Just as managers and district managers have meetings, there is no reason the entire company cannot benefit from meetings.

By: J R Taylor

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Jonathan is the author of the new book The Official Small Business Guide to Marketing 2.0. Not only does this author specialize in marketing and business success, he also publishes a site on car sales training, which is a great resource for automobile sales training and marketing in the car sales industry.