Leading Where You Are

Have you ever heard someone say, "if only I was a manager, or if only I was the VP of this company, then I could make a big difference"? Or do you know someone who can't wait to be promoted so that they can make a bigger impact in other people's lives or on the organization itself? Have you been in a situation wherein you want to grow your career, but it seems you are stuck with a lousy manager who doesn't seem to care about your career growth?

But wait there's more!

No, this is not a home TV shopping pitch (although it does sound like one). I intend to challenge your thoughts. You can lead and make a difference wherever you are; regardless how young or old you are and where you are in the organizational chart.

Whether we accept it or not, we put a LID (Law of the Lid by John Maxwell) on top of ourselves, that paralyzes us from making a difference and prevents us from growing, from UNLOCKING and UNLEASHING our God-given potential.

One may say, that we cannot be filled with new things, new learning, new experiences, and effect, hinders us from overflowing these to others--until we take off that LID.

We can actually lead our L.I.D. so that we can lead where we are. Here's how:

L-earn

We need to continuously learn and develop ourselves. Most of us stop learning after we graduated from college. We think learning stops at school. When was the last time you read a book? Registered yourself in a seminar (at your own expense) or sat down with a mentor to learn? When was the last time you took on a challenge and stuck with it so that you can develop your character?

One of the worst mistakes we can commit in our careers and in our lives is when we stop developing our character and competence. Worst, we put our development in the hands of others. We go for the stability of tenure, we want to just do the bare minimum; just to ensure we don't get fired.

Character is who you are when nobody's looking. It's your internal built and usually gets revealed when difficulty and trials come. Learn to build it daily as if your life depends on it; because it truly does. Competence is plainly the collection of your skills, capabilities, knowledge, and attitude. These are the things people see when we produce results.

"Aim to be a life-long LEARNER, instead of just being an EARNER

I-nfluence

Leading is influencing; that's just about it. In fact, a person who thinks he is leading, but nobody's following, isn't leading, he or she is just taking a walk. While a higher rank or position automatically awards you with influence points, it is not the most effective. The good news is, we can all grow our influence. How?

We need to stop focusing on people and circumstances that we cannot control (traffic, weather, policies, bosses, etc.) and start focusing our efforts and time on what we can. The funny thing is, if we really think about it, there's only one thing or person we can control ourselves. Well, sometimes even that, is hard to do. But the moment we do, the magic happens, our influence grows; sometimes beyond our wildest imagination.

"Focus on your CIRCLE OF CONTROL, not your CIRCLE OF CONCERN."

D-eliver or Do it

Ever heard of analysis paralysis? Have you been in a situation wherein we tried and failed and we didn't push on, anymore? How was your New Year's resolution today? Have you given up on it by now?

Growth takes time! I know this may seem hard to believe in a fast-paced era. Where people can just go online and order a boat or a house, or even a spouse. But we need to accept this principle. Don't let our longing for perfection keep you from doing what you can do today so that you are better off now than you were yesterday.

Those who have come a long way, started somewhere. It's not what you have or what you know that will make the difference, it's what you do with what you know and has that will.

"Aim for PROGRESS, not PERFECTION."

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