Five Fundamentals of Authentic Leadership™

How do you lead in your business? What really constitutes a leader? The one distinguishing significance leaders have that followers do not have is vision. Leaders have a destination in mind—a dream with a timeline. What is your dream? What makes your heart beat a little faster, your imagination run wild, your creative juices start flowing?

Vision alone is not enough. Every leader must have a vision, but being a great leader involves transforming the vision into a meaningful reality. The necessary skill sets of a top-quality leader are:

1. Concentration—is the skill of paying attention. This is the intuitive ability to stay on target, overcoming all distractions that attempt to take your focus away from the most important goal or destination.


2. Distinction—is the skill of making choices. It is the ability to take the look at the bigger picture and filter through the confusion and non-critical elements. It is your intention.


3. Organization—is the skill of uniting the ability to concentrate with the ability of distinction, thereby creating order out of confusion. Proper focus and critical thinking must generate an intelligent, reproducible system that provides order consistently.


4. Innovation—only a true leader, fully consumed by a vision, is able to press into the unknown and actually innovate. It is taking your system of order and translating it into the appropriate action. It is not enough for the system to be logical; it must be magnificent.


5. Communication—is the final skill. You cannot negotiate what you cannot communicate. We all make decisions based upon our perceptions, and communication is the transference of our ideals and beliefs to others. A true leader promotes hope, both internally against fears and doubts, and externally against judgment.

Leaders commit to the process even though they may not be able to foretell all that lies ahead in attaining the ultimate goal. Leaders understand that there is no perfect map in getting to the final destination—only a deep-rooted sense of what it will take to make the journey successful.