BECOME AN Extraordinary Leader

Posted on April 27, 2010

When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two things: your character or your skills. They want to know if you are the kind of person they want to follow and if you have the skills to take them further. Yes, there are other variables, but these are the bulk of the matter.

Integrity. Integrity is that you do what you say you will. You are trust worthy. People can rely on you. You keep your promises. The one thing that will most keep people from following you is if they can’t know for sure if you will actually take them where you say you will. Are you known as a person of integrity? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Optimistic. People don’t want to follow others who think the future is bad! They want to follow those who can see the future and let them know that there is a better place and that they can get them there! Do you see the cup as half empty? Then you are a pessimist. Do you see it as half full? Then you are an optimist. Do you see it as totally full—half air and half water? Then you are a Super Optimist! Are you known as an optimist? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Embraces Change. Leaders are the ones who will see the need for change and willingly embrace it. Followers will at first desire to stay where they are. Leaders need to see the benefits of change and communicate them to followers. If you don’t change, you won’t grow! Are you known as a person who embraces change? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Risk Taker. Whenever we try something new, we are taking a risk. That is part of growing though and it is imperative. Most people are risk averse. Not the leader! They calculate the risk and what is to be gained from taking the risk. Then they communicate that to the followers and away they go to a better tomorrow! Are you known as a person who is willing to take risks? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Tenacious. The tendency of the follower is to quit when the going gets tough. Two or three tries and their motto becomes “If at first you don’t succeed, give up and try something else.” Not the leader! They know what good lies beyond this brick wall and they will go and get it. Then they will bring others with them! Are you known as a person who is tenacious? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Catalytic. A leader is ultimately one who gets people going. They are able to move others out of their comfort zone and on toward the goal! They can raise the passion, enthusiasm and the ACTION of those who would follow. Are you known as a catalyst? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Dedicated/Committed. Followers want people who are more devoted and committed than themselves. At the first sign of lack of commitment, followers scatter for the doors. If the leader sees the end and is bailing out, they better get out first. Followers follow those who will stick it out because they see the importance of the task and the goal. Are you known as a person who is committed and devoted to the goal? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Chris Widener’s…

The word “No”

Posted on April 22, 2010

What if, starting today, the word “no” didn’t stop you? What if every time you heard the word no, you became stronger, more powerful, and more resilient? Well, you can.

The reality is, most of us don’t like to hear no. We suffer through it. If, when you are working your business and you feel wonderful when you get a “yes,” and you feel bad when you get a “no,” then you are going to feel bad pretty often. In business—especially today—the nos are out there! And if you are feeling bad about the nos you get, you might slow down, get discouraged, avoid business building… you might even quit altogether. If you allow that to happen, all the learning and the time you’ve invested on your business will be for nothing.

So the question is: How do you start feeling good about hearing “no” in your business? It really is possible. You do it by reprogramming the way you think and react to the word no. The truth is, when you hear “no” you are taking action in your business—and that is a very good thing! When you go out of your way to increase the number of times you hear “no,” the yeses will show up at your door in greater quantities than you ever could have imagined!

Here’s an exercise to try: Starting tomorrow, every time someone tells you “no,” immediately say to yourself, “Great, I am one step closer to yes!” At first it’s going to feel strange. You might even feel like you’re lying to yourself. But eventually, you will find that the word no has lost some of its negative power over your emotions.

The next thing I want to suggest is that you start balancing out your emotional reaction to both yes and no. Remember earlier, I mentioned how we typically feel great when we get a yes? Sometimes we even dance around, cheer and celebrate the yes. So what does that do to us when we get a no? It must mean we should be depressed and even punish ourselves for not getting the yes.

Try not to make yes an incredible high and no a depressing low. It’s not healthy! No wonder we feel exhausted sometimes. We are literally putting ourselves on an emotional roller coaster with the yeses and the nos! If the shortest distance between where you are now to where you want to be is a straight line, then let’s stabilize the emotional reactions and avoid the ups and downs. When you get a yes, say to yourself, “Great!” but without the fanfare. And when you get a no, say, “Great! The next one may be a yes. I know the nos bring me the yeses, so I’ll keep going.”

The Challenge: I would like to challenge you to get 10 nos this week—however that relates to your business or achieving your goals. If you get 10 nos, go out and treat yourself because you are engaging in the success behaviors that are going to take you to where you want to go! And who knows, when you go for those 10 nos there might be some yeses hiding in there!

Andrea Waltz is the co-author of Go for No! a short, inspirational fable that will transform how you think about failure, rejection and the word no. For more great free information on learning how to turn no from an obstacle into one of your greatest assets, visit: goforno.com.