What Leaders Do...

Taken from SmartLeadership.com

WHAT LEADERS DO:

L- Learn. All leaders are learners. When you cease to learn, you cease to lead. "The one who has ceased to learn ought not to be allowed to wander around loose in these dangers days." -- M. M. Coady.

E- Engage. A leader will be able to influence followers only in proportion to how much she engages them on an emotional level. SmartLeaders engage people in four ways (see The Rules of Engagement): a consistent ethic, a contagious enthusiasm, a course of excellence, and continual empowerment.

A- Anticipate. Leaders are always asking two questions: "What happens next?" and "What happens after what happens next?" Although no one can predict THE future, effective leaders constantly anticipate possible futures.

D- Demonstrate. Leaders model for followers the qualities required for success, when SmartLeaders demonstrate integrity, innovation and intelligence. You attract what you reflect, but you reproduce what you are.

E- Evolve. Leaders never stop growing. SmartLeaders realize that they are on a journey that requires the conquering of ever-steepening mountains. Yesterday's approaches, attitudes and attributes do not always help in today's climate. The heights that a leader obtains are directly proportional to the level to which they evolve. Stop changing and you die.

R- Reproduce. Leaders reproduce other leaders. The ultimate action of SmartLeaders is that they reproduce other SmartLeaders. A leader's successors determine his success.

S- Solve. One of the great works of leadership is problem solving. While problem solving is not the sole work of leadership, it is a defining characteristic. Your ability to successfully solve problems will determine
your stability. Your ability to influence others will determine your success.

H- Hope. A SmartLeader's actions will inspire hope in her followers. She has the unique ability to communicate hope in all that she does. Napoleon rightly quipped, "A leader is a dealer in hope." But remember, the SmartLeader must have a vision in which all hope is focused. Hope without
vision is aimless wandering.

I- Initiate. Leaders take action, they initiate, invent, adapt and improvise. An indecisive person will never lead. One mantra for leaders is Napoleon Hill's famous avowal "Do It Now!"

P- Persevere. When seized by a vision, SmartLeaders never give up! They persevere until completion. Samuel Johnson writes, "Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance."

In thinking about leadership, take time to ponder the acts of leaders. Thinking precedes action and action precedes feelings. SmartLeaders determine the actions of leadership and then act as leaders.