The Undeniable Laws of Leadership

Posted 02-28-2008 : by Christopher Cooper
Category : Business and Professional Services
Subcategory : Publishing

Everybody wants to be a leader these days. We all want to run something, have our name in bold print, be mentioned and recognized. There's nothing wrong with that; as a matter of fact, it should never be our desire to always be a follower.

Going through the motions of getting to the place of leadership is perfectly fine because we all start somewhere, but you're not supposed to stay at the bottom for your whole life. There is supposed to be some point where all of our hard work collects itself and cashes in. It's most commonly called your "big break". It doesn't matter to me what you call it, but it does matter how you get to it.

I've met so many people with great ambitions and dreams of leadership that they will never meet. Why? Because they have not yet personally defined the leader in them. Their vision is being fueled by somebody else's motives and values which most of the time are not correct. People are calling money hungry, conniving, and deceptive people their role models. Consequently, that mistake is producing a cycle of foolishness in today's top offices.

However, all hope is not lost. As the leader of my own ministry as well as having past leadership positions under my belt in the journalism world, I have seven undeniable laws that have helped shape my character as a leader and have seen work in the lives of those I have taught them to. I now want to share it with you, my readers, and give you a boost in your ride toward your service as a leader.

1. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Purpose

You simply need a reason for doing something. We see this principle used in businesses as on their websites and promotional materials, they have a "mission statement". Their mission statement says "this is what we are here to do and here's how we do it". They settle beforehand how things are going to go down.

Having your own mission statement will help you in times of trouble. Those times of trouble include when you feel like you have lost the desire you once had for your dream. And even when you finally achieve success, often, you can still lose the desire. We tend to be workaholics and in the struggle for continued success, we overwork ourselves to the point that our love for what we do gets lost. So I encourage you to say "this is what I why I'm here and here's how I'm going to do it".

In ministry, my mission is to transform lives with the force of faith. I do that by teaching God's word vocally, ministering through writing, and personal counsel. Believe it or not, there are times when I just don't feel like doing some of that stuff. My flesh tells me that it's getting old and I should go out and do something else. Something that's going to give me more notoriety and put a few more bills in my pocket (don't play me... you may not be a minister, but you know you have thoughts like that in your life). Now I don't let those times decide my destiny; I take control of that and I refer back to my commitment. I honor it and it keeps me moving.

Form your commitment, honor it, and it will keep you.

2. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Passion

Passion is your strong devotion to your chosen field. Plain and simple, everything has the potential to get old. It seems like some things are the talk of the town one day and people are clueless about it the next day. You can't let that happen to your plans. You must keep before your eyes the deep interest that you have in something.

I've discovered that the main reason why people lose their passion for anything is because they get cocky with it. They believe they have learned everything on earth about something and there's no need to dig any deeper because they're just geniuses. What a load of crap! With all of the technology that we have these days, you can always find something new. You can always immerse yourself in new information. You can always be a big kid in a candy store and go around tasting every kind.

Keep looking into what you love. We always miss something in this fast paced society. Don't let this rushed society dominate the way you perceive your passion.

3. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Perspective

Even though it's so "official" these days to proclaim your independence, the truth is that we all need somebody. Ask anybody who is successful (and humble), and they will tell you that somebody came across their path that helped catapult them to a place of success. You don't have it all, that's why you need to continually draw from the energy, experience, and intellect of others. You will find that a lot of your problems can get solved much faster and more efficiently if you will seek the perspective of those you trust.

Sometimes you must lay down your pride and stop being so reserved. You can't make it on your own. I need you and you need me. There is strength in numbers. There's only so much you can do by your lonesome. I don't know what wall you're facing in your life, but I know it can come down. It can come down in two ways;

1) you can keep pushing it until you break your own back, and it might just come down, but you will be too bruised and battered to see what's on the other side, or

2) you can get the aid and help of others to work with you, and you to work with them for their particular needs, and you can be victorious together...take your pick.

4. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Progress

Progress, progress, progress. I can't stress enough the importance of perpetual activity when you are in a leadership role. It is the leader's job to stay on the cutting edge of what's going on in their field. You can't be two steps behind everybody else. There is just not enough room for second best these days. Why? Because somebody is always going to be a threat to what you're doing. Somebody is going to be up thinking, planning, and making way for something more grand while you're sleeping.

One of the things that knocks people out of the game is their own ego. After they have achieved a certain measure of prosperity, they sit back and think that there's nothing left to do. They slack off and figure it's okay because in their mind, their previous body of work will stand forever. Well the truth is...nothing is forever. Success is not an event but a process. Those that are on top in society today are not the ones that have stopped...they are the ones that are constantly working to uphold what they have built.

I'm not saying there is never a time for relaxation because there is. When you get what you want, by all means, enjoy it! Go out and buy yourself something new. Go out and celebrate. But I'm saying that even while you do that, hold your ground and your spot at the top.

5. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Priority

The expectations placed on a leader are completely unreal. People expect you to be some kind of hero from outer space that can be in ten places at one time. They expect you to know the answer to everything and to do it perfectly. The reality of it is that leaders, just like everybody else, have to take it one step at a time. Leaders must be balanced. This requires getting your priorities straight. It means deciding what needs to be done in what order.

The Law of Priority really is a culmination of the four previous laws we have discussed so far. Here's how:

- Priority has everything to do with The Law of Purpose in that everything you do must tie into your vision. Every moment of time is a seed and the way you plant it will determine your harvest.

- Priority matches up with The Law of Passion in that you can't halfway do things or do things only to get by and be successful. You must push yourself even to the point where it hurts because the results will turn out to be fabulous.

- Priority meets The Law of Perspective in that everybody is going to be constantly in your face and in your space about what you should be doing. They're going to try to set your schedule for you and run your life. The insecure person will fall under this pressure because they try to please everyone. You need to establish who you will trust in partnerships and connections, then listen to those people and add it to your own outlook of situations.

- And finally, Priority meets The Law of Progress in that you can't get yesterday back and you can only be smart about tomorrow. So make sure everything that's in your plate is feeding and nourishing your vision.

6. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Planning

Nothing just happens. Oh nice it actually would be if we could just assume that everything would compile itself together in our favor...but now it's time to come back to the real world. The fact of the matter is that for anything of worth, value, or honor to happen, somebody is going to have to pay a price and sacrifice.

The problem with a lot of so-called "leaders" is that they think they're so high on the mountain to the point where they don't have to make anything count anymore. They just flow with the current of things; the sad part of this is that the current they are depending on has the potential to send their vision down the stream out of view. They lose everything because they become slack and lazy.

Success is to be controlled. What does that mean? It means that it needs a lot of attention to specifics and details in order to stay in line with what you want. So you need to respect this law of planning; of saying "this is what needs to happen and this is how it's going to happen". Yes, you're even going to have to make those dreaded DEADLINES. You must, must, must keep your people, resources, and plans running by a standard. Make your plans and keep them. Map out and write down your plans of action. They're your blueprints for the house of success that you're building.

7. If you want to be a successful leader, you must respect The Law of Patience

The need for patience is almost gone these days. We live in a microwave, 1 hour photo, toaster oven, drive-thru society. We want what we want, and we want it now! Don't get me wrong; I love our modern conveniences just as much as you do. But I've learned that these ideas and philosophies are of no value to directing your vision to being what you desire. Rather, it's a process. No matter what we do, were never going to be able to escape process.

Just think with me for a moment. We really didn't like walking so somebody hooked two horses up to a carriage and rode those for a while; but after a while the process of being transported that way got old. So then we got our wonderful modern automobiles that move us quickly from the east side to the west side...and people still complain about driving (the process). By all means if you have to cry and have a fit about it, be my guest. But understand that's not changing it. You're going to have to commit and stick with it.

The problem with a lot of us is that we are quitters. If it looks or smells like a good amount of effort, you can count us out. And we must realize that we are robbing our own selves of the rewards of being faithful by that attitude of incompetency and impatience. To my fellow black people...guess what...it's not them "white folk" or "the man" that's stopping you. Why? Because no one can take the power to stop you...but you must hand it over to them. By your constant bickering and complaining, a cubit of your will is being handed over every time. Yeah it feels good to put the blame on somebody, but it doesn't change the fact that you're not achieving anything. So get up and do what you have to do. Determine that you couldn't give a half a care how long it's going to take. Say "I'm going to do this and that's the end of it."

Author's Name : Christopher Cooper

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