What Makes a Great Leader?

If you gave 100 people equal opportunities such as training, circumstances and money their outcomes would be completely different. 99 would have varying levels of success; Only 1 of these people would become a great leader.

So what makes a great leader? Every great leader, no matter how successful, at some point was a great follower. It is a natural progression.

Most people think that what makes a great leader is power and influence. While these attributes are necessary and there are so many more, they are simply a result of what made this leader great in the first place: The ability to follow and make decisions.

Great Leaders will take advantage of the opportunities and not squander them away. They follow wise instruction, not balk at it or question it. They make decisions based on Belief: They already know what they want their final outcome to be. Then they stay committed to this outcome, knowing there is always a way to make it happen.

Great leaders follow because they can make powerful decisions without knowing every step of how they are going to get to the final outcome. They are more interested in creating change than waiting for other to remove the obstacles in their lives.

Let's say I wanted to partner with you in business. Up front investment is 2 months salary. In addition, you must pay for training that could take anywhere from 2 months to 3 years, maybe longer. At the end of training, I welcome you to my business with a grand ceremony costing thousands and thousands of dollars. I can't promise you success in your business, you must figure it out on your own. By the way, the commitment to me is 50+ years and if you try to back out, it will cost you half of everything you own.

Sound familiar?

When you get married and say your vows, you are essentially making a 50+year commitment. You really have NO CLUE what the next 50 years are going to bring. If part of getting married was a class where someone could show exactly what the next 50 years will bring and the changes that will occur, my guess is there would be less marriages. We don't stay cute forever.

Life changes things.

Marriage can be a gamble. If you choose the wrong partner, invest your time in the wrong activities and do not take the time and effort needed to sustain the marriage, it will fail. Yet thousands get married every day. They are following belief: tradition and family values, even though the ultimate outcome is unknown.

A decision to go into business is no different. There are many incredible turnkey businesses that are basically a follow the leader game. You make the upfront investment in your future, and then follow a step by step process to build your business. All the systems, training, and products are already in place. The REAL work is already done.

Certainty and Belief drive your behavior. How hard would you work if you knew it would end up in success? Being mentored by a leader that has been there, done that means they already know the ropes, all you have to do is FOLLOW. You benefit from their mistakes. This leverage can catapult you to success.Now, no one can guarantee your personal success, after all it is up to you.

You can be handed the keys to a car, but if you don't learn to drive it will do you no good. Do what great leaders do and follow other great leaders. They already know what it takes to be successful.

Resources:

In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, John Maxwell presented the idea that leadership can be described as a set of principles that can be learned and applied. When practices align with these principles, leadership is effective.

The term Level 5 Leader comes from Jim Collins, and was first introduced in an article that he wrote for the Harvard Business Review, entitled "Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve" The idea was expanded and fully explained in his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't