EXTRA ORDINARY LEADERSHIP---1

Character Traits of Extraordinary Leaders
Chris Widener

The success of every organization rests on the foundation of leadership. A group of people, whether a business, organization, family or society, can only go as far as leadership will take it.
Some people do not believe that they are leaders or even that they can be a leader. I believe that every person is a leader in at least one situation.
Maybe you aren't a leader at work but you are in your family or as the soccer coach of the little league team. Somewhere you are leading. That brings me to my final point before today's specific topic. Here is my working definition of leadership: INFLUENCE. Nothing more, nothing less. So as you are reading this understand that I am giving you these thoughts in order to help you influence as many people and in the most effective way possible!
When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two things: Your Character or your Skills. They want to know if you are the kind of person they want to follow and if you have the skills to take them further. Yes, there are other variables but these are the bulk of the matter. This week we focus on the kind of character that causes people to follow your leadership.
1. Integrity. Integrity is that you do what you say you will. You are trust worthy. People can rely on you. You keep your promises. The one thing that will most keep people from following you is if they can’t know for sure if you will actually take them where you say you will. Are you known as a person of integrity? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!
2. Optimistic. People don’t want to follow others who think the future is bad! They want to follow those who can see the future and let them know that there is a better place and that they can get them there! Do you see the cup as half empty? Then you are a pessimist. Do you see it as half full? Then you are an optimist. Do you see it as totally full - half air and half water? Then you are a Super Optimist! Are you known as an optimist? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!
3. Embraces Change. Leaders are the ones who will see the need for change and willingly embrace it. Followers will at first desire to stay where they are. Leaders need to see the benefits of change and communicate them to followers. If you don’t change, you won’t grow! Are you known as a person who embraces change? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!
4. Risk Taker. Whenever we try something new, we are taking a risk. That is part of growing though and it is imperative. Most people are risk averse. Not the leader! They calculate the risk and what is to be gained from taking the risk. Then they communicate that to the followers and away they go to a better tomorrow! Are you known as a person who is willing to take risks? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!
5. Tenacious. The tendency of the follower is to quit when the going gets tough. Two or three tries and their motto becomes “If at first you don’t succeed, give up and try something else.” Not the leader! They know what good lies beyond this brick wall and they will go and get it. Then they will bring others with them! Are you known as a person who is tenacious? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!
6. Catalytic. A leader is ultimately one who gets people going. They are able to move others out of their comfort zone and on toward the goal! They can raise the passion, enthusiasm and the ACTION of those who would follow. Are you known as a catalyst? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!
7. Dedicated/Committed. Followers want people who are more devoted and committed then themselves. At the first sign of lack of commitment, followers scatter for the doors. If the leader sees the end and is bailing out, they better get out first. Followers follow those who will stick it out because they see the importance of the task and the goal. Are you known as a person who is committed and devoted to the goal? If so, you will become an Extraordinary Leader!

Skills of Extraordinary Leaders
Chris Widener

What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!
1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!
2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!
3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!
4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.
6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others)
7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!


The Commitments of an Extraordinary Leader
Chris Widener

Leadership is a continual process of making to commitments… to oneself, to others, and to the organizations we lead and serve.
With this in mind, here are the commitments an Extraordinary Leader makes:
With a desire to become an Extraordinary Leader, I commit to:
1. Continually pursue personal and professional growth
2. Treating everyone I come in contact with the dignity and respect they deserve
3. Finding the way for as many people as possible to benefit from my decisions and actions
4. Be willing to make and carry out hard decisions without regard to personal expediency
5. The highest level of personal and corporate integrity
6. Tell the truth and be honest, regardless of potential personal loss
7. Think “team” first
8. Finding a person who can mentor me
9. Finding at least one person I can personally mentor
10. Help others discover their strengths and function in them
11. Maintain my priorities and organize my life and work according to them
12. Live a life of balance between work, family, and leisure
13. Pursue balanced growth in body, soul and spirit – understanding that each area affects the others innately
14. Pursue what is best – for myself, my organization, and for others – and not settle for that which is simply “good enough”
15. Do work and live a life that leaves behind a lasting legacy of excellence
16. Build a team to surround me in order to enhance my strengths and make up for my weaknesses
17. Surround myself with people who will tell me the truth and not just what they think I want to hear
18. Become a great listener
19. Be an Extraordinary Follower of those who are my leaders
20. Help others develop their skills
21. Dream big dreams and encourage others to do the same
22. Stretch my followers enough to make them grow but not so much as to discourage them
23. Be driven by vision, mission and purpose, not by circumstances or expediency
24. View the world through optimistic eyes
25. Embrace the concept of change as a positive force for improvement
26. Be responsible in my actions as they relate to my commitments to myself and others
27. Be tenacious in my pursuits
28. Give more than I receive and to be characterized by generosity
29. Show courage in the face of challenge
30. Be an example of dedication and commitment
31. Share the privileges of leadership with those who follow me
32. Give power away to those who can share in it responsibly and help the organization
33. Use both my head and my heart when leading
34. Manage my time according to my priorities
35. Be the first to sacrifice when sacrifice is needed
36. Make all short-term decisions with the long-term goals in mind
37. Develop a successor
38. Develop excellent communication skills
39. Use a variety of means of influence
40. Be the primary strategy setter for the organization
41. Teach others
42. Inspire others
43. Keep my eye on the big picture
44. Making the complex simple
45. Motivate others
46. Consider others as important as myself
47. Identify future leaders
48. Train and develop future leaders
49. Regularly reward accomplishment
50. Allow followers to fail in their attempts at growth and innovation
51. Work leadership development into every level of the organization
52. Have a clear vision
53. Remain calm in difficult situations
54. Keep a sense of humor
55. Remove people from their position as soon as I know they need to go
56. Empathize with others