Everything you have today began with someone else. Leadership is stewardship. Now the question is, “How are you bringing value to others?”.
Leadership isn’t about status, position, salary, or title. Stewardship is about using what you have in service to others. Nothing less. Nothing more. Nothing else.
Commit yourself to providing open-handed value. Begin with the assets in your hand.
The 12 assets that elevate and expand every leader’s influence:
- Talent.
- Skills.
- Education.
- Knowledge.
- Experience.
- Ideas.
- Passion. Hide your passion – lower your value. But you should know that passion divides the world into lovers and haters. Some buy in. Others opt out.
- A personal story. We all want to know about the dark days you stumble through and what you learned along the way. People who haven’t struggled are uninteresting. People who live in bitterness are ugly. Enhance your value by resolving yourself with your story. Your greatest asset may be the struggles you’ve worked through.
- Relationships that might enrich others. Your network can bring value to others with little effort on your part. What connections between others might you foster?
- Belief in yourself. Once you believe you have something to offer, you’re free to stop pretending you’re something you’re not.
- Belief in others. You expand others when you believe in those who doubt themselves. Unwavering optimism about others expands your influence. (Stop trying to make others something they aren’t. Help people move out of your organization, if the person they are doesn’t fit.)
- Curiosity. Ignorance is an asset. When you don’t have a suggestion, bring value by asking a forward-facing question.
Success and significance:
You can succeed and not find significance.
The difference between let’s help a lot of people and let’s make a lot of money is the difference between success and significance.
What holds leaders down?
What elevates and expands a leader’s influence?
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