Great Leaders Are Made, Not Born... a great quote from Colin Powell... and I tend to agree. The General said it best in an article that appeared first in Network World, December 21, 1998 and again in the The Journal of Accountancy June, 1999.
"The Eight Universal Laws of Leadership"
Maintain absolute integrity. Leadership is a trust. If others don't trust you completely, they will not follow you in every instance.
Know your stuff. If you're a leader, those that would follow you don't care two straws about whether you're good at office politics or not. They want you to be competent. That's what counts for them. So, your office politicking may get you promoted, but it won't win the respect of those you want to follow you. Only what you know and what you do will demonstrate that.
Declare your expectations. You can't get there until you know where there is. Decide on your "there" and then continually promote your goals, objectives, and vision.
Show uncommon commitment. You can bet no one else is going to be committed to your goals if you aren't.
Expect positive results. Winners expect to win and losers expect to lose. Vincent Lombardi, one of the greatest football coaches of all time said, "We never lose, but sometimes the clock runs out on us." You can expect positive results and still not get exactly what you want. But, research demonstrates that those who "think positive" achieve more wins than losses and overall better results than those that don't.
Take care of your people or customers. If you take care of them, they will take care of you. The reverse is also true.
Put duty before self. As a leader, you have a duty to accomplish the mission you are assigned, and you have a duty to take care of those who follow you. Sometimes the mission must come first, sometimes your followers comes first. However, the interests of both must always come before the personal interests or well-being of the leader.
Get out in front. This law includes setting the example, and being where the action is. Don't sit in an air-conditioned office making decisions and call that leadership. Go out and talk to your people. See what's going on and be seen. That's leadership!
I venture to say that Great Realtors (Leaders) Are Made, Not Born... too!
