Five Undeniable Laws of Leadership

Law #1

Authority is not leadership. Corporate managers often mistake their authority for leadership. People who are instructed to complete a task “Just because I said so” or “Or else” although they may complete the assigned task, there is now no inspiration or reason for that person to TAKE OWNERSHIP. The task is usually completed with much less of a sense of pride. Great leaders inspire. Inspiration is the precursor to passion, ownership and ultimate greatness.

Law #2

Leaders ignite passion in others. People with passion lead from the front. The true leadership test is to guide and motivate (as opposed to mandate) his or her followers beyond their original expectations. The challenge then sometimes becomes to lead from the front for the leader. People with passion often “Push” leaders. True leadership never has to “Push” the followers.

Law #3

Align values. Leaders share the values of his or her followers. Leaders do not ask people to line up to their set of values, leaders adopt theirs as the starting point. To do otherwise could alienate those who need the leadership in the first place. When the leader shares the people’s values, it becomes easier to inspire and motivate his/her people to more greatness.

Law #4

Share the challenge, share the solution. Leaders value the opinions, thoughts, and contributions of others. The bigger the challenge, the more likely someone else has ideas to help solve the problems. I can not help but remember the old sports saying “There is no “I” in TEAM.” Although cliché, this is extremely true. No leader, not even one, ever became a leader by himself.

Law #5

Leaders request. When you ask for someone's input and opinion, you are actually asking for their participation. Participation is a fuel for passion. Remember leadership is enhanced by respect. Telling people minimizes their input, asking people encourages their participation, once again this fuels passion.

P Scott Rayburn

Coaching Part #2, The 10 Essential Ideas for Coaching Success

1. Ask Good Questions- Questions are a catalist for conversation. Conversation then in turn provides a basic grounding of relationship.

2. 70/30 Rule- You have 2 ears and one mouth. Try to only speak 30% of your time, spend the other 70% Listening.

3. Edify- Lift others up. This builds confidence. It inspires, and cultivates greatness in others.

4. Gently, Allow others to Fail- Failure is one of the greatest teachers. Then help them by learning from their failures. This inspires confidence.

5. Encourage Risk- Sets the president that it is "OK" to fail. Remember, failure is only failure if it is at the point where we quit. If we keep on and find a solution, we merely successfully found another way which didn't work. That's not really failure at all.

6. Involve them in Your Time- Spending/Using your time with others shows them that they are valuable to you. Time spent increases the value of the relationship. This is essential for great coaching.

7. Be "There"- Being available for consulting/Edifying is needed. Use these times to help strengthen the relationship by helping remind them of their successes.

8. Wait- It is an easy temptation to help "Fill in the Blanks" when we think we know the answers. There is however great value in silence. As coaches, sometimes we need to be silent and let them construct viable answers. (I guess this is a variation of the 70/30 rule)

9. Praise- As a Coach, it is your Job to notice successes, And Praise every at every possible venue.

10. Progress Reporting- As a Coach, it is your responsibility to give feedback. Feedback is one of our Seven Essiental Tools for Leadership Success. When Things Go Great, give positive feedback, when things dont go great, give positive feedback. The learning is usually greatest at points of failure.