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From: Confessions Of A Mortgage Insider

Rick continued to study and look for ways to help not just his
business and personal life, but everyone he did business
with, the more Rick read and researched, the more he
became aware that everything pointed to one word that was absolutely necessary to create lasting change and accelerate the business process:Leadership.

It did not  matter if you were talking about a

business, a company, a church, a family, an entire industry or just a
personal relationship . nothing changes for the better without
someone taking the lead.

Rick studied leadership and noticed patterns and qualities that the most influential and effective leaders shared.

He reflected on times in his own life when he had exercised these same characteristics.
Now came the task of personalizing this information and coming
up with a system to not just help himself understand and develop
these qualities, but a system that was simple enough so that even
people who had not studied or done the research could also be helped.

Rick was reviewing his notes one afternoon when he thought of
something. Most of the qualities and traits he saw could be covered
by ten powerful concepts, each with its own skill set.
1. Listening Skills
Building and consistently using high level communication abilities
may be the most important skill great leaders possess. These
abilities include everything from active listening, to body language, to
using empathy and intuition. The skill sets that Rick needed to learn
in order to master listening skills included conflict management,
active listening, questioning skills and listening in the present.
2. Ethics
When people think of ethics, they usually think of choosing right
from wrong, but when it comes to leadership, it has a very different
meaning. Ethics refers to leading by example, keeping your ideals and
standards . regardless of the situation, not to mention emotional
strength and strength of character. The skill sets that Rick needed to
learn in order to attain high ethics included building strength of
character, establishing and maintaining credibility, leading by example
and building emotional stability.
3. Attitude
Nothing inspires and motivates people more than being led by
someone who exhibits and maintains a positive attitude. This includes
affecting those around them with the same attitude, being
positive about whatfs going on in the present and being positive
about the future and how they are going to get there. The skill sets
that Rick needed to learn in order to master a positive attitude
included developing passion, positive attitude exercises, optimism,
risk taking and motivational management.
4. Develops Leaders
Developing others is a true sign of an exemplary leader. This
comes from mastering a variety of behaviors and skill sets such as
focusing on the strengths of others, instilling leadership skills in
others and sharing not just information, but authority and power. The
skill sets that Rick needed to learn in order to develop other leaders
included coaching success, sharing authority, building a leadership
culture and instilling leadership in others.
5. Effectiveness
Effectiveness is important at all levels of an organization, but
never more important than when you arenft just responsible for
yourself, but for everyone on your team. The skill sets that Rick
needed to learn in order to be more effective included being proactive,
delegating, providing clear direction and executing on time.
6. Responsibility
Great leaders carry so much responsibility that they need to
make this trait second nature. This includes owning their decisions,
being accountable, maintaining energy reserves to recover rapidly
from problems and admitting mistakes. The skill sets that Rick
needed to learn in order to be more responsible included accountability,
owning decisions, admitting mistakes, skills development and
refinement and supporting goals.
7. Strategic Focus
Thinking and planning strategically is not only a necessity for
great leaders, but for everyone on the team. This includes, but is not
limited to, using teamwork to create the values, mission and vision
for the organization and detailed SWOT analysis. The skill sets that
Rick needed to learn in order to be more strategic included creating
values, mission and vision statements, team]building, using SWOT
analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) and building
SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely).
8. Honesty
Honesty is always important, but never more than when you are
leading people. Honesty is more than just telling the truth. When
leading people, it includes showing loyalty, trust, high ideals and
discipline, whenever itfs needed . not just when itfs convenient. The
skill sets that Rick needed to learn in order to be more honest included
loyalty, straightforwardness, giving and earning trust and
sharing discipline and rewards.
9. Influencing
Influencing skills come into play daily. This is more than just
impacting people. Itfs moving them in new and often uncharted
directions, managing relationships and experiences, inspiring others
to motivate themselves, to find meaning in their work and to expand
their horizons. The skill sets that Rick needed to learn in order to be
more influential included expanding othersf horizons, moving people
with emotion, managing relationships and experiences and providing
meaning.
10. Priority Driven
Defining the purpose and priorities for your organization . not
to mention communicating them with a sense of urgency, creating
and maintaining momentum and providing systems to track and
guarantee results . is absolutely crucial. The skill sets that Rick
needed to learn to be more priority driven included managing
change, putting first things first, success driven by results and using
momentum to drive priorities.
This list doesnft even scratch the surface as far as what it takes
to develop a leader, but Rick found it to be a great start. The ten
qualities together spell leadership. Rick designed it that way to help
him remember as he was trying to develop these qualities and skill
sets. It would take a week]long seminar or a series of books, and
many have been written, to do this justice, but keeping this in mind
when looking at new skill sets to learn or develop helped Rick to stay
focused on where to spend the majority of his time.
L . Listening Skills
E . Ethics
A . Attitude
D . Develops Leaders
E . Effectiveness
R . Responsible
S . Strategic Focus
H . Honesty
I . Influencing
P . Priority Driven
Working on his leadership skills helped Rick in all aspects of his
life, from his family relationships to the clients, business partners,
and lenders he did business with.