by Bryan Heathman
Publisher, Made For Success
Follow These Best Practices for Crafting Your Position As A Leader
There are many styles of Leadership, as any glance at a Google search will tell you. Try typing the term “Leadership Styles” into your browser and see what comes up. You’ll find close to a million results.
That means the experts have a lot to say about Leadership, as well they should. The topic is as ancient as tribal warfare, and requires as much cunning to effect as a slick Silicon Valley tycoon. Leadership is fundamental to us as individuals, as family members, as a society.
Yet no other topic is quite as individual as your own personal Leadership style. The way you comport yourself on a daily basis and the way you lead groups of people is a direct expression of who you are as a unique human being. The choices you make express your own brand of integrity, your values and goals, your opinions and beliefs.
Is your legacy coming across clearly? Do people understand what you’re about? And if so, is your message as captivating as it could be? Sharing your own unique vision – communicating it clearly and concisely – is one of the most important things you can do as a leader. Making sure your message is credible is also crucial for your effectiveness.
Whether your personal style of Leadership is laid back Laissez-Faire, or your regularly scheduled meetings take on a more Autocratic tone, there is one thing you can count on. Opportunity will find you. The real question is: when it comes, will you be ready?
The answer to this question can be debated in the context of whether or not the premise is actually true – whether Fortune really will find you, or if Fortune only favors a few. In my decade of service as a publisher, working alongside some of the world’s foremost minds in the Personal Development industry, my response is as simple as the words found inside a Chinese fortune cookie: “Fortune will find you. It is certain.”
They say that luck is merely the condition created when preparation meets opportunity. If you’re pursuing any goal with focused, consistent application, you will indeed meet your opportunity. So how can you be prepared when opportunity truly does come your way? The answer is more simple than you might think.
In my line of work, I’m privileged to know an assortment of society’s most thought-provoking leaders. My clients range from Olympic gold medalists to former Navy Seals, and from successful business owners to single moms who tell inspiring stories of their fresh start.
All of them are Leaders. But not all of them are successful in getting the rest of the world to view them as they’d like. Some of them have the light of brilliance shining inside them, but they have a tough time gaining the credibility they so richly deserve. What I tell them is that a simple choice to meet opportunity with preparation will bring them all the luck they need.
What I’ve discovered is that there are basically two types of professionals. There are those who are prepared for opportunity; and those who aren’t.
Are you ready?
3 Steps to Positioning Success as a Leader
Anyone can use a simple 3-step process to crystallize their unique perspective and position themselves as a leader in their field.
1. Define: Take some time to get clear about what it is you stand for. What expertise do you have in your field? If you had just one hour to share your most valuable information with someone starting out in your field today, what would you tell them? Get your thoughts together on this, and give yourself the gift of clarity in this area.
2. Execute: Write your thoughts in a well-organized, carefully crafted form. it can be anything from a a series of blog posts, to a longer form such as a white paper, or even a full-length book. Whatever form it takes, get your thoughts into a format that will give you both leverage and credibility.
3. Publicize: Once you’ve gotten your ideas into print form, get the word out. Tell the world just what you believe and how people can go deeper on your topic. Share links to your good works, and don’t be afraid to promote your ideas through multiple exposures.
It’s not that complicated to prepare for your big opportunity, but it does require some focused effort. It takes a willingness to invest the time to get clear on the things you stand for as a leader in your own particular field. Whatever you have to say, you can be sure that someone is waiting right now for your own brand of expertise.
Why not get started today?
Bryan Heathman works with authors as a publisher, rainmaker and marketer including Zig Ziglar, Donald Trump and John Maxwell. Bryan is author of the book Conversion Marketing, on creating marketing campaigns to convert website visitors into paying customers. Bryan’s Fortune 500 experience includes executive positions with Microsoft, Eastman Kodak and Xerox.