Average Joe's Pillars of Leadership : Defining Characteristics of Leadership

How To Develop The Leadership Characteristic Already Within You
Leaders change the world. Leaders inspire others. Leaders live their passion
Vision
Knowing what you want and where you are going is vital. The next step is picturing, in your mind, exactly what you want down to the smallest detail. However, the most important piece of the puzzle is your WHY – the reason you want whatever it is you want. Without that it’s game over.
Courage
You may have your purpose, but do you possess the guts to tell the world and follow it through. Courage needn’t be loud and aggressive, more often it’s a voice in your mind which compels you to keep trying.
Integrity
Are you honest? Do you speak what you believe? Do you set the example for others to emulate? Are you a person of their word? Are you committed to becoming more than what you already are?Did you answer yes to all the above? Integrity is built upon these questions, leadership is built upon integrity.
Humility
The initial response to leadership and humility brings up images of oil and water – they cannot go together. On a second look you will find humility running through every great modern day leader. The role of a leader is to serve the people following them. Can you think less of yourself and more of others, to best meet their needs? It’s not as easy as it sounds.
Self Discipline
If you cannot control yourself you will NEVER have the control of others. You will never be able to keep a team around you who complement your strengths and enhance your weakness. Without those people the dream is just that, a dream, and will never become reality.
Planning
The first words that come to mind are usually “not again” accompanied with an eye roll. Many great people have said what I’m about to say – if you fail to plan you plan to fail. A plan is like the foundations when building a house. Without them all the work that’s supposed to be carried out on top, will eventually collapse on itself.
Influence
The number one skill needed to be a great salesman and one of the 12 pillars of leadership. Influence is the ability to help people see what you see, to paint them the picture of how you see the future and for them to say “I want that too!”
Decision
My parents can’t make a decision and it’s frustrating as hell, especially when we go out for a meal. I ask them where they would like to go, I always get the same response “I’m easy”. As mad as this makes me I realised – people will not follow a leader who cannot decide what to do.
Listening
Sorry to break your bubble, but you are not going to have all the great ideas. you are one mind among billions, someone else will have the same motives as you and will be able to help. Listen to them and by listen I don’t mean hear what they say, actually listen with the intent to understand.
Responsibility
Can you handle it? The pressure, the weight of the dream on top of your shoulders. If you can’t, would you turn down a new opportunity? Many people do!
Communication
You have the vision, the courage and the best plan since Steve Jobs released the iPhone, but can you tell me so they fully understand it without it taking a long time? It’s not easy, but if it was everybody would be able to do it.
Mentoring
Help the people who follow you by sharing what you know. Not only do they learn, every time you share an idea you get to hear it again and again and again – repetition is the mother of skill.

About The Author I started my personal development journey at the age of 19 when I bought an un-profitable hair salon at over 3 times my salary. It was losing money fast, sink or swim. I chose to swim and devoured personal growth material. Since then I have studied over 200 books, 100's of audio programs, countless videos and attended some fantastic seminars all with the intention of improving myself. All this knowledge has been condensed and simplified into Average Joe's Secrets.