Thoughts on Leadership from a Graduation Ceremony By Lance Secretan

After writing fourteen books about leadership, I sometimes find myself at a loss when I discover my writings in an unusual place. Often, I don't even remember writing what has been recycled!

So I was suprised to see something I had written some years ago show up as part of a graduation speech - the Internet is the uber-recyling entity!

These are some thoughts, written in 1999, about leadership, from my book, "Inspirational Leadership"…

Leadership is not so much about technique and methods
as it is about opening the heart.
Leadership is about inspiration - of oneself and of others.
Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes.
Leadership is not a formula or a program,
it is a human activity that comes from the heart
and considers the hearts of others.
It is an attitude, not a routine.
More than anything else today,
followers believe that they are part of a system,
a process that lacks heart.
If there is one thing a leader can do
to connect with followers at a human,
or better still a spiritual level,
it is to become engaged with them fully,
to share experiences and emotions,
and to set aside the processes of leadership
we have learned by rote.
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Dr. Lance Secretan is one of the world's foremost thinkers about leadership and a renowned pioneer in innovative methods of inspiring people and organizations. The former CEO of a Fortune 100 company and an acclaimed business school professor, Lance Secretan works with a gifted worldwide faculty changing the lives of people and transforming companies and revolutionizing the way they think about leadership. Visit him at www.Secretan.com.

Lance Secretan's book:

Napoleon's Key to Victory By Brian Tracy

The only real measure of business leadership is results. This requires the ability to act boldly with no guarantees of success. The greatest obstacle to overcome is fear of the unknown.

The Key to Confidence ...
Most fear however, is rooted in ignorance. The more knowledge or skill you have in any area, the less fear it holds.

Napoleon Bonaparte is considered by historians to be perhaps the greatest single military leader who ever lived. More than 100,000 books have been written about him since his death on St. Helena.

Pay Attention to Detail ...
Napoleon's courage was legendary but it was not vain or impetuous. Napoleon was famous for his fastidious attention to detail, for taking pains to study and thoroughly understand every military situation he ever faced. He led the French army in hundreds of minor and major engagements and lost only three, the last one being Waterloo.

The more you know about what you face, the lower your level of ignorance, the more courage and confidence you will have naturally. The more time you take to think through a situation, the more capable you will be of dealing with it when it arises. Napoleon planned for every contingency.

Think About the Possibilities ...
He carefully considered and followed through to its natural conclusion every setback or possibility of defeat he might encounter and then he prepared against it.

To be caught unprepared for unexpected setbacks is a mark of weak leadership. Confidence comes from the constructive use of pessimism, thinking about what could go wrong long before it does.

Action Exercises:

Here are two ways you can apply Napoleon's strategy to your situation.

First, become an expert in your field. Never stop learning and growing. The more you know, the more confidence you will have.

Second, get the facts. Double check everything. Be prepared for unexpected setbacks and reversals. The more prepared you are, the more confidence you will have.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

Sponsor: If you're looking for a keynote speaker for your next event, seminar, or company meeting learn more about having Josh Hinds (your host here at BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com) speak to your group.

Management and Other People's Knowledge By Brian Tracy

Be a Low Pressure Persuader ...
Management can be defined as "getting things done through others." To be a manager you must be an expert at persuading and influencing others to work in a common direction.

This is why all excellent managers are also excellent low-pressure salespeople. They do not order people to do things; instead, they persuade them to accept certain responsibilities, with specific deadlines and agreed-upon standards of performance.

When a person has been persuaded that he or she has a vested interest in doing a job well, he or she accepts ownership of the job and the result. Once a person accepts ownership and responsibility, the manager can step aside confidently, knowing the job will be done on schedule.

You Have Two Choices ...
In every part of your life, you have a choice of either doing it yourself or delegating it to others. Your ability to get someone else to take on the job with the same enthusiasm that you would have is an exercise in personal persuasion. It may seem to take a little longer at the beginning, but it saves you an enormous amount of time in the completion of the task.

The Best Form of Leverage ...
A key form of leverage that you must develop for success in America is other people's knowledge. You must be able to tap into the brain power of many other people if you want to accomplish worthwhile goals.

Successful people are not those who know everything needed to accomplish a particular task, but more often than not, they are people who know how to find the knowledge they need.

What Knowledge Do You Need?
What is the knowledge that you need to achieve your most important goals? Of the knowledge required, what knowledge must you have personally in order to control your situation, and what knowledge can you borrow, buy, or rent from others?

Two Calls Away ...
It has been said that, in our information-based society, you are never more than one book or two phone calls away from any piece of knowledge in the country. With on-line computer services that access huge data bases all over the country, you can usually get the precise information you require in a few minutes by using a personal computer.

Whenever you need information and expertise from another person in order to achieve your goals, the very best way to persuade them to help you is to ask them for their assistance.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask ...
Almost everyone who is knowledgeable in a particular area is proud of their accomplishments. By asking a person for their expert advice, you compliment them and motivate them to want to help you. So don't be afraid to ask, even if you don't know the individual personally.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, multiply your output and rewards by persuading other people to do the job for you and do it well. Delegation is the key to personal leverage.

Second, identify the most important knowledge you need to do an excellent job and then concentrate on finding and using that knowledge.

The person who can find the knowledge in others is often more valuable than the person who possesses it.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

* What do you think of the ideas above? Anything you'd add? Use the comments to join the conversation ... Yours in leadership, Josh Hinds :-)

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