Have you ever wondered why some people can get anyone to do anything they ask them to without question? As I look back at history, there are leaders who by their leadership abilities got people to do and believe amazing things. Why? What makes people willing to follow someone else even if it means their death?

Martin Luther King Jr. was able to change the world because he believed in something so unheard of at the time - freedom for all people. He had a dream that eventually cost him his life, but people followed him, rallied around him and helped make his dream come true for many. Hitler got millions of people to believe in his cause and kill innocent people - Jim Jones got people to drink poisoned cool-aid and die for what he believed in and something that they thought they believed in as well. Coach K consistently turns out quality basketball teams and has a waiting list of young men who want to play for him at Duke. What do these people possess that makes people desire to follow them, die for time, kill for them and play for them? It is called leadership.

Webster defines leadership as "the ability to lead" which really doesn't give a much of a hint to what leadership really means. I decided I wanted to know more so I looked at what some of the most highly sought after authors such as Marcus Buckingham, Jim Kouzes/Barry Posner, Stephen Covey and John C. Maxwell, thought about leadership and came up with a compilation of their ideas. I found that leadership really focuses in on three areas: influence, people and outcomes. So here is what I think leadership is all about: "Leadership is the ability to influence an individual or group of people by understanding, developing and utilizing their strengths and talents to achieve a common goal, vision, or outcome."

First of all we need to be able to influence people. If we cannot influence people to see our ideas, act on those ideas or even to envision our ideas, we will never get them to move on those ideas. I think influence comes from our ability to know who we are and get others to believe in us. I know personally that I am not influenced by others until I have a sense of who they are and whether or not they have confidence in themselves or have at least the ability to convince me they have confidence in themselves. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. True confidence is displayed through the passion they feel about something that they truly believe in.

Have you been around someone who is so passionate about what they are saying, selling or sharing that the energy and enthusiasm is so contagious that you are ready to join in an instant? They touch something in us that says - "I want to be part of that!" Are you able to spark that kind of commitment from your team? Are they hanging on every word, just waiting for you to share your next thought, idea or concept? If you can't influence people to do what you are asking, you will never reach the next level. People will not want to follow you until you can give them a reason to believe. Use your influence to get people to desire to follower you… not have to.

In the next segment, we will talk about the next component of leadership - the aspect of people. Understanding who they are and what they are bringing to the table so that we can get them excited about what they do and delivering great results every single day. Tune in next month to see what comes next…..

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