“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.” – Warren G Bennis.
Effective leadership can take many forms.
Many of us associate strong leadership with giants like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama, CEOs, politicians, thought leaders or people who make important scientific breakthroughs. But great leaders are also people who have the capacity to create ripples of positive change – and they can be found anywhere. These people make conscious choices – whether in their personal or business lives – to do the right thing when making small and seemingly insignificant decisions every day.
Leadership everyday
Leaders don’t think less of themselves, they think of themselves less.
Rather than remaining silent, for example, everyday leaders choose to speak up to support a female colleague whose opinions or projects might be overlooked by management in team meetings; rather than stand by and watch a potentially dangerous incident unfold (which could escalate to endanger others), leaders step up to diffuse the situation; rather than look on in passive silence, leaders take action and run to the aid of someone being attacked or abused in the street; rather than follow the social ridicule of another, leaders break the cycle and stop situations where others are suffering public humiliation.
Choosing to do the right thing is the hard thing. It is also the hallmark of someone with integrity and the potential to become a respected and powerful leader in their personal and professional lives.
How to be an industry leader
Leaders in their professional fields are often described as ‘key persons of influence.’
These people have an intimate understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and are unafraid to take calculated business risks when the right opportunities present themselves.
In his best-selling book, “Become A Key Person of Influence (KPI)”, Daniel Priestley writes:
At the centre of every industry you will find an inner circle of people who are the most well-known and valued people. They are the “Key People of Influence.”
You probably already know of these people in your industry:
- Their names come up in conversation … for all the right reasons.
- They attract a lot of opportunities … the right sort.
- They earn a lot more money than most people … and it isn’t a struggle.
- They can make a project successful if they are involved … and people know it.
Key People of Influence enjoy a special status in their chosen field because they are well connected, well known, well regarded and highly valued. They get invited to be a part of the best teams and projects, and they can often write their own terms. They are treated with respect, and others listen when they speak.”
Whether you are chasing a promotion in your current role or looking to establish yourself or your business with a strong personal brand over the next 12-months, effective leadership skills are about being flexible, adaptable, bucking the norm and being able to influence those around you.
With persistence, passion for your industry and a clear strategy, becoming a key person of influence is something that you can achieve this year. According to Priestley:
“It’s not difficult to become a KPI within your industry in the next twelve months. But you have to take the steps set out in [this book], and you have to do them very well.”
Want the book? It’s yours – FREE!
To help you achieve your professional and business goals this year, in collaboration with Dent Global, we’re giving away Daniel Priestley’s book “Become A Key Person Of Influence” for FREE.
Receive your free hard copy by clicking here and filling out your details.
About Dent Global:
Dent Global is an international world-leading business accelerator for small, entrepreneurial, service-based businesses, with offices in the UK, USA, Singapore and Australia.
Founded in 2010, Dent is powering the entrepreneur revolution in Australia. Dent specialises in accelerator programs and events, facilitated through their partnerships with celebrated entrepreneurs and leaders who mentor the participants. Dent has helped more than 2000 companies of all shapes and sizes grow and achieve their goals through their accelerator programs: Threshold, Key Person of influence, Campaign Driven Enterprise and 24 Assets. They have also launched three best-selling books on business, won major awards and raised more than $500,000 to charities around the globe.
With Australia’s small business sector buoyant and healthy, Dent Global’s message is fine-tuned for the current climate where there’s no better time to be an entrepreneur than now.