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Recently I had the pleasure
of presenting to 500 students at a youth leadership conference. It struck me
that all of the students before me had the potential to become the next
generation of great leaders in their family, school, career, and community.
I asked myself the question, “What will it take for these students to become
great leaders?” In response to that question, I have identified three
essential qualities - The 3 V’s - that all leaders possess and that any
individual can develop to help inspire and instruct others to become
extraordinary leaders:
Vision
– All
great leaders have a sense of what they want and where they are going. In
fact, the word lead means to go in a specific direction. By creating a
vision of your life you automatically start manifesting your future. Michael
Gerber, who wrote The E-Myth Revisited, describes vision as seeing through
feeling. In other words, what do you passionately see for yourself in the
future? How do you want your life to look? A vision is an ideal that you
strive for that pulls you into the future and motivates you to become great
and excellent.
I have a simple vision: To
teach people that Life is Magic. To help you create a clear vision for
yourself, answer the following questions:
·
What are you passionate about?
·
What will your life look like in 5, 10, or 20
years?
·
At the end of your life, how do you want to be
remembered?
·
If you could write a vision statement about your
life, what would it be?
“If you do not know where you are going, every road will get
you nowhere.”
~ Henry Kissinger ~
Values
– Values
are the qualities and things in your life that you think are important.
Great leaders know what they stand for and what is important to them. There
are many distractions and temptations in life, and if you don’t base your
decisions on your own solid values, then you may fall for the distractions.
Some examples of values are honesty, balance, trust, determination,
confidence, being healthy, contribution, family, wealth, etc.
In my experience, the
leaders whom I respect the most are the leaders who are consistent in all
areas of their life. A person who values his family, career, and health
would balance their life by making time for their family, career, and
health.
·
What are the five most important values in your
life?
·
How are they incorporated into your life?
·
How can you incorporate your values into all areas
of your life?
·
Do you let your values guide you in your decisions?
·
How can you teach other people to have a strong
sense of values?
“A single lie destroys a whole reputation for integrity.”
~ Baltasar Gracian ~
Voice
– Voice means speaking your truth. Many people want to avoid conflict or
hide the way they feel instead of being honest. Great leaders are confident
in themselves to voice their opinions. They are also confident enough to
listen to the advice of others. In fact, listening is an essential quality a
leader must possess in order to understand the needs and wants of others.
Having a voice also means making decisions with confidence even if they are
wrong. All leaders make mistakes, yet they learn by their mistakes to move
in the direction of success. The last part of having a voice is ‘Walking
your Talk.’ Essentially, being congruent in what you say and do. To me, this
is characterized by integrity. Consider the following questions to help you
develop your voice:
·
Are there any areas of your life where you are
avoiding conflict?
·
Why are you avoiding conflict in these areas?
·
Do you hesitate to share your opinions?
·
Does the fear of failure prevent you from moving
forward?
·
Do your actions match your words?
·
Do you say what you mean and mean what you say? If
not, how could you be more congruent?
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be
those who empower others.”
~ Bill Gates ~
In life we all can become
great leaders who help LEAD (Learn, Experience, And Direct) others. By
developing the 3 V’s - Vision, Values and Voice – you will not only be
successful and fulfilled, but you also help others become successful and
fulfilled in their lives.
“Leadership is the challenge to be more than average.”
~ Jim Rohn ~
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