Jul
01

1. Leadership inherently involves people. Leaders lead people. In some way, shape, or form every leader is influencing other human beings.

2. Influencing other people is a serious deal. You’re changing some aspect of who that person is. Whether it be the way they see the world, the decisions they are going to make, or the things they will decide to forego because of your influence — you are changing them. This is a big deal.

3. It only takes once. I’ve learned this one from experience. It takes months of building your reputation as a leader — as someone that people want to follow — but only one poor decision to lose your entire platform. One miscommunication, misrepresentation of the truth, or poorly worded comment and you may very well destroy everything you’ve worked to build.

4. Leadership is exponential. Whether you’re a good leader or a bad leader, your influence will be compounded. As your influence people, they will begin to influence others in similar ways. This can be your biggest asset or your worst nightmare.

5. It’s always happening. You’re always leading and you’re always being led. Whether you want to admit it or not, there’s someone that you look up to, admire, or respect who is somehow influencing who you are. Conversely, you are that person to someone else.

Lead and be led well.

Photo Credit N-ino via Flickr

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