Positive Energy - 3 Simple Steps to Help You Become a Great Leader

November 2008

Dear Anne

It was really frosty this morning when I got up. A red squirrel began digging for acorns outside my kitchen window and it filled me with good feeling as I sat down to write.

This month I'm going to write about leadership skills. Are you a natural leader, or could you do with some lessons in leadership? I've got 3 simple steps to help you improve your leadership ability.

I'd also like to say a big thank you to everyone who has contacted me. I love to receive your comments on the newsletter and to hear from those of you who have attended my courses. Please do keep your messages coming, especially if you've got success stories you want to share! You can click here to email me or call me on 01697 747 821.

Best wishes,

“If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations.” Shakti Gawain, Author of Creative Visualization

Some people think that leadership is for senior people with bags of experience and loads of qualifications. They think that these people are leaders because they have put in years of hard work and demonstrated exceptional qualities. It might be true, but that's not all it takes.

We are all leaders in our every-day lives in one capacity or another. If you take the initiative and make something happen, then you are a leader. If you stick your neck out because you believe in something and bring others around to your point of view, then you are a leader. If you try something different before anyone else, then you are a leader. If you are ever asked the question “Well what do you think?” then you are a leader.

Leadership is not a mystery with secret rites that you have to be initiated into as an adult. There are 5 year olds who are leaders; there's one in every primary school in the country.

Leadership is simply about leading. We all do this and indeed we do it every day. Women often underestimate their ability to lead. But who shifted the family towards healthier eating? Who takes control of the weekly budgets? Who puts the systems in place so that everyone gets out of the door on time in the morning? This is all the stuff of leadership. So, next time you are applying for promotion, remember that you are already an experienced leader.

Positive Practice

Because different situations require different leadership styles, there isn't a ‘one size fits all' leadership solution. What you can do is learn from others and bring some of their best practice into your daily life. Here's your chance to do some analysis.

Think of a person you admire as a leader. Build up an impression of them in your head. How do they speak and what sort of language do they use? How do they approach and interact with people? How do they react under pressure? Your hero leader may not be one person, but a combination of qualities that you admire in several people.
Write down key points. Write down your hero's leadership qualities that you'd like to develop in yourself. Think about how you would actually behave if you were to have that quality already? Be really specific.
Now make a plan. Write down what you can do to develop those qualities that you admire. How would you need to react differently? What sort of questions would you need to ask? How much would your behaviour in difficult situations need to change?

Creating the right impression is an important part of leadership. Projecting the right image can help you be taken more seriously. We've produced a worksheet that's available on our website that looks at what you say and what you do, as well as what you wear. Click here to visit my website and download the worksheet.

Gail from Battersea realised she was a “Thought Leader”.

Gail wanted to get on in management, but was frustrated because the right opportunities never seemed to come up. She had a responsible job in policy development but no staff, so she felt she wasn't building up leadership experience. She attended Spring Forward to work out how she could progress. During the programme one of the guest speakers challenged her about her leadership experience. Although she wasn't leading people, she was driving forward changes in policies. She was bringing in new thinking, studying best practice and adapting it to the needs of her own organisation. To her delight she realised that she was already a leader - a thought leader.

What Can You Read?

The Girls' Guide to Power and Success by Susan Wilson Solovic. Learn about the essential leadership qualities of pizzazz, vision and energy, and find out how to exhibit excellence in communication and planning.

Be Your Own Brand by David McNally and Karl D Speak. Learn more about what makes you stand out from the crowd and how to maximise that asset.

The Nice Factor Book by Robin Chandler and Jo Ellen Grzyb. Sometimes being a leader means that you must make unpopular decisions. Are you just being too nice to be taken seriously as a leader?

What’s Happening?

Over the next month I'm working in Manchester, London, Dorking, Leeds, Newcastle, Penrith, Birmingham and Leamington Spa. Have bag, will travel! Here is a taster of some stuff that is coming up:

Free Fresh Steps Taster

There are two dates in Manchester where you're invited to come along and find out what my Fresh Steps course is all about. Hear the evidence, see the results, and experience what it can do for you and your organisation. Everyone is welcome!

19^th January

23^rd February

Do you work in a science, engineering or manufacturing technology organisation?

I'm working with SEMTA who are delivering a government backed Women and Work initiative. There is subsidised development available for women in companies working in these fields – irrespective of their job title. We have an exciting range of workshops, coaching and interactive sessions to help women make more of their careers. We are particularly interested in talking to smaller employers where there may be limited access to this type of development. Contact me now for further details. It's a time limited project, so don't delay!

Spring Forward in Penrith

This programme for senior women in the police, probation or fire services in the North of England or Southern Scotland is now full. Bringing women from different organisations together for development is extremely cost effective and provides fabulously beneficial networking. If you want me to do the same for you in your area, then contact me ASAP to secure dates for next year.

Positive Praise

You've really shown me what development is all about. Now I can do it more effectively both for myself and my staff.

Alison, Basingstoke

In next month's issue of Positive Energy we'll be reflecting on where you have been, where you are headed and what it will take to get you there. If you can't wait a whole month then you can get regular support through BlogPositive.