Leadership -- Check Your Ego at the Door

Leadership ----Check Your Ego at the Door

A leader’s role is to serve those people that report to him. He or she is not a dictator --- their ultimate role is to serve, to allow those people to achieve their goals. It’s a style that starts by asking: What do you want to accomplish, rather than telling them what you want them to accomplish.Effective leaders demonstrate a respect for employees recognizing their value as their most precious asset and the innovative use of planning and control systems demonstrates a unique ability to balance predictability with simplicity.

Effective Leaders are consistent, explicit and concise and they command a presence when they walk into a room. But, they are not arrogant and ego driven. When they move on, others want to go with them. Their openness and honesty creates a legacy which people admire and look up to. They gain commitment and foster trust.
Check your EGO ---- Don’t be Arrogant ---- Follow these tips:
• If you start to believe you are special and nobody is as good as you, just look at the number of people in your industry, in your state, in your country. Then ask yourself how many of this grand total of people even know your name. Unless you’re Tom Cruise or Angelina Joline, chances are not many people really even know who you are let alone actually care how good you think you are.

• Arrogance is often just a mask that hides your personal self doubt. Try to figure out what is causing your insecurity and work on improving that area. But first you have to be honest with yourself.

• Speak clearly about other people in a positive sense. Make a special effort to ask questions concerning other people’s activities and lives. Take the “I” out of your vocabulary and only answer specific questions about yourself but keep your answer short, brief and to the point.

• Make it a point to listen at least twice as much as you talk.

• Model yourself after the most respected people in your industry. Note, I said respected not the most successful. Success does not necessarily mean respect. It depends on how success is achieved and how success is defined.


• Create a leadership survey and ask your peers and subordinates to actually rate your performance. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com if you would like a template.

You are the only person that can affect a change in your thinking or your attitude. Your thoughts are powerful. They are energy. How you feel and how you act depends on your thoughts. Master your thoughts and you control your attitude. So how do you create a leadership model you can be proud of, one that speaks volumes about who you are and not what you accomplished? The answer begins by taking an inventory of your personal values. Your core beliefs and how you treat other people will speak volumes about who you are. It also reflects the size of your ego.
Check out Rick’s new CD and workbook Real World Leadership Kit --- “Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow”http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html

www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com