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Leadership - Helping Light the Way

Leadership in business is not about telling people what to do, it is about guiding them. A good leader helps their people find their own way while acting as a guide and teacher. A quote that really has resonated with me regarding this is “As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” - Mary Anne Radmacher. A leader is someone who inspires you to be the best version of yourself.


I've been a leader for well over 30 years and the biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s ultimately my job as a leader to inspire, teach, and guide my team/people to find their success and their own way in their businesses. It has NEVER been about having them copy a formula that might have worked for me or someone else. It has been about them learning and getting inspired from me and others whom they admire and helping them find a way to take something from all of them, tweak things to make it their own while working with their own strengths.


There are certain things that I value as a leader.

They are:

  • Leading from the heart

  • Listening

  • Leading by propping people up, by showing them the way

  • Holding their hand, but giving them a little nudge

  • Be inspiring

  • Show them the way by example

  • Leading with kindness

  • Expecting them to be accountable

  • Letting them choose how they should proceed to reach their goals (with help and guidance from me)


All of this has served me well, and I hope it will help you to become the best leader you can be. I am always a work in progress, so please don’t think that I believe I’m the greatest leader of all time!! Everyone has their own ways, and that is what makes the world work. On that note (and because I love acronyms) here are some important ideas/actions that you can do with your LEADERSHIP:


Listen

Educate

Action Plan & Accountability

Develop

Empower

Relationship

Support

Harness their strengths

Inspire

Practice what you preach


Listen: So often managers, tend to just talk and tell their team what to do. A leader on the other hand needs to be a good listener to learn what their people want, need and are capable of doing.


Educate: A leader needs to be able to teach not only skills, but teach how to deal with problems and obstacles that their team may encounter.


Action Plan and Accountability: When leading a team, a leader needs to work with the team to create an action plan and convey to everyone that they are accountable for their part in the plan.


Develop: A good leader always wants to develop their people and help them grow into being their own leader, or whatever it is that they want to do.


Empower: Leading can also help your people by empowering them with responsibilities so that they feel confident to achieve their goals.


Relationship: A leader is not a ship alone on the water, a leader is not alone, a leader should develop relationships and learn about the people they lead. They do not need to be best friends, but they should have an understanding of their people’s wants, needs, family and how they relate to others in the world.


Support: A good leader makes sure that they support the people on their team. They don’t take credit for what someone they lead did, they stick up for their people when something or someone attacks them.


Harness their strengths: A leader should know the strengths of their people and help them to expand and use their strengths to grow and succeed.


Inspire: Leading means showing and guiding the way. Giving the people on the team encouragement, showing them what is possible. Instilling a positive mindset and teamwork.

Practice what you preach: Always be willing to do what you ask of your people. Don’t just say it, DO IT!


Whether you are aspiring to be a leader, lead a team of one or two, or lead a huge team, I hope these insights help you to be the best leader you can be. In that way, you will “create light for others" [as you lead the way, and therefore] “naturally light your own way”!


As a leader, it's important to know your WHY so that you can truly light the way for others and yourself.


In direct sales we usually have someone talk with us about our “WHY” when we first start. I’ve found that our why can change as time and life circumstances change. It’s so important to know your why, because it needs to be stronger than your “WHY NOT” in order for you, or someone on your team, to really succeed and reach the levels in your business that you or they want. Don't worry, I've got you covered! I created the Refresh Your Why Guide to help you do just that.


Here is the link to get you started on refreshing your why. Please feel free to share the link and this blog with anyone you think would like it! Thanks for being here :)!





 
 
 

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