There always seems to be those people who say they want to become successful, who talk a good game, who are eager to voice a new thought, idea, or even a criticism but,…who all too often fall way short of the mark when it comes time to act. Personal individual performance is the one thing that is absolutely required if any one person is to become successful. Please allow me to expand what I mean. Whenever you are dealing with a required effort that is an individual only effort, i.e. you are the only individual performer needed to perform the required work in order to achieve your desired success, then it goes without saying that you, the only participant, must accept the personal responsibility to take immediate action and begin building your own ladder of success. When you are the only one required to get and keep the “ball rolling”, then it is always time for you to act!…and keep on acting. Several examples of this situation would be where you would run a race, sing a solo song, play an instrument, give a speech or write a book…all individual efforts. There is no such thing as surrogate success. Personal success is just like going to the bathroom,…no one can do it for you!
Now I would like to remind you that whenever you find yourself in a similar position except for the fact that many or even a few other people are also required to act if success is to be achieved,…the same response on your part applies. If two or more people are needed to accomplish the desired success of this group effort, then don’t sit around waiting for someone else to do something first. You, yes, I mean you,…start the process moving as best you are able with only that which you presently possess, no matter how strong or weak you happen to be or think you happen to be. There is never a need or expectation for any serious candidate attempting to achieve success in their lives to wait on anyone else. You are just as capable as anyone else. You take charge,…you be the first responder to the need,…you initiate the process.
The secret of all SUCCESS lies in the second letter of the word.
Leaders, regardless of their personal experience or abilities,… gotta lead! No one else is going to do it. All success-producing efforts require a leader of the work effort.
Little, if any, real leadership can be provided from the sitting position. If you want the desired results to happen for you, you have to be involved in the creative efforts, you have to be active and moving forward towards accomplishing your own dreams and goals. Waiting for someone else just doesn’t get the job done. Waiting benefits no one.
Now what I have just told you seems quite elementary and common sensical, doesn’t it? It certainly does. And even the vast majority of people can easily understand what the requirements for themselves really are. But, true as that may be, there always seems to be a “far-too-long” time delay between those who say they want success and those who are willing to go to work to achieve their desired success.
All success occurs in the fringe of fear. All real and lasting success will only be built on your own Inconvenience, i.e on the total convenience of those other people you, the leader, are working with and assisting to accomplish their desired success.
The Real Leader of any group or organization always identifies himself by and through the manner and way he looks, thinks, decides, talks, prepares, and perseveres as he takes action towards the accomplishment of his own worthwhile dreams or goals.
If you ever have to ask the question as to who is the real leader of the group, then the group in question has no effective leader! True and real leaders always identify themselves! They are always “Take Charge” type people. They are always moving, performing, and working towards completing the mission. Psuedo or Faux Pas type wanna-be leaders are the people who are attempting to be leaders, who are always talking about doing something significant, and who are the ones with so many great and grandiose thoughts and plans, but,…they are always the people who are waiting around for someone else to step in and begin doing the needed work.
Real Leaders are Action Takers. They always act immediately and then figure out things and make adjustments to work efforts, people, and situations as they go forward.
The word “wait” does not appear in the vocabulary of a real leader.
Think about this for a minute. If every leader had to have all of the information and all of the correct answers to every possible question or situation that maybe, might, just possibly could happen as the work effort to succeed begins,….then nothing would ever have begun or happened. All that it takes to begin the journey to your own success is for you to begin doing the very best you are able to do just as you presently are equipped, right from where you presently stand. May I exhort you to start doing what you know how to do…begin! Go to work!…begin leading by example!
I have discovered from my years of working with other people that most folks lack self confidence. How sad. This situation usually develops all the way from their earliest childhood days. How they were raised, what their parents expected of them, or what type and kind of duties were given to them are the things that properly prepare a youth for later leadership roles.
All of these youthful preparations learned from and modeled by the parents to the children all play into the “mix” and environment in which the child was raised. This truth should provide some very good guidance and counsel to you new parents. Don’t coddle your children. Self confidence is built through strong individual discipline. By doing everything for your beloved children,…by having hired help do all of their work for them,…by always giving them as “easy out” to needed work accomplishments,… you are destroying their own self confidence. And that dear friend can and will spill over into their later married and family life and could well destroy your precious albeit weak son or daughter including their marriages, children and family unity.
There will always be a certain degree of pain associated with strong self-discipline. This truth is simply a fact of life. However, the person who lacks self confidence and who refuses to deal with the problem in their life and start strengthening the areas of weakness they personally possess will one day have to deal with a much worse condition. Such condition is known as the pain of regret.
A lack of self confidence always has alongside of it as a “hand-in-glove” traveling partner, a character trait known as insecurity. If you do not master these two evil cohorts while you are young and in a total learning mode, they will eventually overtake you early in life and keep you from ever reaching your potential. They might even wind up destroying your chances for ever achieving personal success. You are the watchman,…you are the gatekeeper. Do not allow or permit a lack of self confidence or insecurity to enter your life.
Personal performance, acceptance of personal responsibility, and personally taking charge of a situation are the things that build self confidence and grow your own personal security. Sure there will always be some errors, mistakes, or even total failures. That is O.K. Success is built upon failures. Never be afraid to fail.
To lead other people, you must first prove that you can and will effectively lead yourself!
Don’t just talk about your leadership desires, plans, or achievements. Perform…do…act…Take charge and take off!
Leaders Gotta Lead……………..