Leading People

Leading, simply defined, is the abilty to influence others to mvoe toward the accomplishemnt of common goals.

The word leader evokes images of great men and women who, in moments of crisis, rise up to make a great difference in the course of human events. We enjoy books about them, we watch movies about them, and we tell stories about them. Unfortunately, this image creates the belief that in order to lead we somehow have to be at that golden moment and have the ability to inspire thousands. Not so, Leading, simply defined, is the ability to influence others to move toward the accomplishment of common goals.

Mothers and fathers lead. Little children lead. Unit heads lead. And you can lead. In fact, you probably already do. Think about the times recently when you have influenced others by the decisions you made, by how you choose to spend your time and money, or by simply engaging in a conversation that affected what others were doing.

ACTION POINT: Recognize that you have the ability to lead.