Developing the Leader Within You

Poem by Howard A. Walter (Character)I would be true, for there are those who trust me;I would be pure, for there are those who care;I would be strong, for there are those who suffer;I would be brave, for there is much to dare.I would be friend of all--- the foe, the friendless;I would be giving, and forget the gift;I would be humble, for I know my weakness;I would look up, and laugh, and love, and lift.

There was a very cautious manWho never laughed or playedHe never risked, he never tried,He never sang or prayed.And when he on day passed away,His insurance was denied,For since he never really lived,They claimed he never really died.(Anonymous poem)

When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.

People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become.

A leader is great not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others.

People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

The effectiveness of your work will never rise above your ability to lead and influence others. You cannot produce consistently on a level higher than your leadership. In other words, your leadership skills determine the level of your success-and the success of those who work around you.

Though you cannot go backand make a brand new start, my friend.Anyone can start from nowand make a brand new end.

We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have. We cannot control the beauty of our face, but we can control the expression on it. We cannot control life’s difficult moments, but we can choose to make life less difficult. We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world, but we can control the atmosphere of our minds.

No one can understand that mysterious thing we call influence . . . yet . . . everyone of us continually exerts influence, either to heal, to bless, to leave marks of beauty; or to wound, to hurt, to poison, to stain other lives.

I have to live with myself, and so I want to be fit for myself to know, I want to be able, as days go by, Always to look myself straight in the eye; I don’t want to stand, with the setting sun, And hate myself for things I have done. I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf A lot of secrets about myself, And fool myself, as I come and go, Into thinking that nobody else will know The kind of man I really am; I don’t want to dress up myself in sham. I want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect; But here in the struggle for fame and pelf I want to be able to like myself. I don’t want to look at myself and know That I’m bluster and bluff and empty show. I can never hide myself from me; I see what others may never see; I know what others may never know, I never can fool myself, and so, Whatever happens, I want to be Self-respecting and conscience free.

He who seeks one thing, and but one, May hope to achieve it before life is done. But he who seeks all things wherever he goes Must reap around him in whatever he sows A harvest of barren regret.

Inspirar a otros para hacer un mejor trabajo es el logro de un líder.

One of my favorite stories is about a newly hired traveling salesman who sent his first sales report to the home office. It stunned the brass in the sales department because it was obvious that the new salesman was ignorant! This is what he wrote: “I seen this outfit which they ain’t never bot a dim’s worth of nothin from us and I sole them some goods. I’m now goin to Chicawgo.” Before the man could be given the heave-ho by the sales manager, along came this letter from Chicago: “I cum hear and sole them haff a millyon.” Fearful if he did, and afraid if he didn’t fire the ignorant salesman, the sales manager dumped the problem in the lap of the president. The following morning, the ivory-towered sales department members were amazed to see posted on the bulletin board above the two letters written by the ignorant salesman this memo from the president: “We ben spendin two much time trying to spel instead of trying to sel. Let’s watch those sails. I want everybody should read these letters from Gooch who is on the rode doin a grate job for us and you should go out and do like he done.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Positive thinking does not always change our circumstances, but it will always change us. When we are able to think right about tough situations, then our journeys through life become

Leadership has less to do with position than it does disposition.

The boss drives his workers; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on goodwill. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says “I”; the leader, “we.” The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how. The boss says, “Go”; the leader says, “Let’s go!

First we form habits, but then our habits form us. Change

A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others.

Efficiency is the foundation for survival. Effectiveness is the foundation for success. It’s Not How Hard You Work; It’s How Smart You Work

Don’t look—you might see. Don’t listen—you might hear. Don’t think—you might learn. Don’t make a decision—you might be wrong. Don’t walk—you might stumble. Don’t run—you might fall. Don’t live—you might die. I would like to add one more thought to this depressing list: Don’t change—you might grow.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. said, “I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.” The

What people need is not a motto to say, but a model to see. THE

leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. Success without a successor is failure. A worker’s main responsibility is developing others to do the work (see

An infant is born with a clenched fist; a man dies with an open hand. Life has a way of prying free the things we think are so important.

People’s minds are changed through observation and not argument.” People

Eighty-nine percent of what people learn comes through visual stimulation, 10 percent through audible stimulation, and 1 percent through other senses. So

Andrew Carnegie said, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” Great

Warren Bennis and Bert Nanus say that “trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.