I’ve seen many talented people be removed from leadership in my lifetime. Leadership may not necessarily be survival of the fittest but there are certainly elements that can extend a person’s tenure in a place of influence.
The following is necessary to survive as a leader:
- You must know, that in the end, you are not up to the task. This insight forces you to constantly rely on Jesus.
- You must know that the hardest person to lead is yourself.
- You must understand that the greatest leadership takes place at home.
- You must serve others rather than yourself, no matter how tempting it may be to do otherwise.
- You must have a strong and compelling vision.
- You must be on a mission. This sustains you during difficult times.
- You must have meaningful times of reflection on a regular basis.
- You must never confuse activity with accomplishment. You must produce.
- You must never confuse creativity with creation.
- You must value young people.
- You must value experienced people.
- You must value women.
- You must value the differences in others.
- You must have unfiltered communication from all levels of your organization.
- You must continually read.
- You must continually learn.
- You must have smarter people than you in your life.
- You must continually be going new places and experiencing new things.
- You must have humor and never take yourself too seriously. No one else does.
- You must always tell the truth.
- You must be willing to fail and afford others the same privilege.
- You must show others respect.
- You must have people like you and enjoy your company. Otherwise, they will never go the extra mile for you. Plus, relationships make the journey more enjoyable.
- You must build a great team around you.
- You must know how to lead leaders.
- You must keep your anger under control.
- You must place a greater value on integrity rather than on appearance.
- You must have recreation in your life. It literally means to recreate yourself.
- You must leverage technology.
- You must celebrate your weaknesses, not hide them. Everyone already knows what they are.
And finally, you must read www.BrianDoddOnLeadership.com. Leaders, what are the leadership non-negotiables you would add to this list?
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