The Event Planner's Guide Book

A President's Leadership Nuggets on Vision & Principles

If you’re a business owner chances are you consider yourself a leader.   You may have been born with this penchant to rule the world (or at least a little piece of it  =)...queue the “Dr. Evil” laugh ) or circumstances in your life have forced you to take on leadership responsibilities out of necessity, but regardless of how you got here it’s important to understand that the skills necessary to lead people are developed and refined over time and with experience.

Leaders tend to observe the world around them with an eye that is different from most.  Leaders connect with others in leadership positions to network and learn from.  After all there is wisdom in a multitude of advisors.

A couple of months ago I had the privilege of attending the Saddleback Civil Forum in which Pastor Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) interviewed President George W. Bush.   For 90 minutes, Rick probed President Bush about his thoughts on leadership.  Politics aside, the former president had tremendous insight into what makes a great leader.  I’m so glad I had a small notebook with me as I completely filled it!  Over the next few blog posts I’m going to enthusiastically share what I learned during this inspiring evening.

Take a look at President Bush’s comments related to vision and principles below.  I call them Leadership Nuggets. Can you apply them in your own life and business?

LEADERSHIP NUGGETS on VISION & PRINICPLES

1. A leader has a vision and a clear direction.
2. Leaders find principles based on their faith – what they believe in.
3. A leader must believe in his/her principles and vision when times get tough.
4. Leaders don’t feel sorry for themselves; they take on a challenge with the determination and attitude of climbing to the top of a mountain.

What we can learn:  Leaders know what they are trying to accomplish and why.  These are critical elements and if you can’t define them in your business then you might think about doing something else with your life.  If you are at all like me, you know too well how easy it is to get stuck in the minutia of the moment – the daily operations of a business.  Your clear vision, direction, principles and attitude will help you navigate on a daily basis toward the big picture.

What have you done to help you develop your vision?  Post a comment below to tell me and my leader-readers what has worked for you.

Next time:  President Bush’s Leadership Nuggets on surrounding yourself with the right people.

Do You Have What it Takes To Lead Your Company to Success?

Do you ever feel like you are in this “whirlwind of time”?  Like time is flying by; things are just happening to you and around you?  I think you really start to notice it once your kids are in school.  Mine are in college and high school and I find myself wondering when that happened (lol)!  How did they go from babies to nearly self-sufficient young men?  In reality, getting to this point was a lot of hard work; blood, sweat, tears and much joy.  If you have kids I am sure you can relate. 

Owning your own business is much like raising a child from inception to maturity.  And, as in child rearing there are proven principles of success.  Certain skills are necessary to lead your business through the many trials and tribulations it will endure along the way to maturity. 

Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family and owning businesses for most of my adult life, I’ve spent countless hours studying the characteristics necessary for good and effective leadership.  I’ve concluded there are a few critical traits all leaders possess ...

1.  Vision
2.  Focus
3. The ability to see through the clutter and make decisions
4. The ability to motivate others

You will see dramatic changes in your business as you develop these traits and skills.  I am committed to helping you hone these skills and am developing a series on purpose, passion and leadership for this EPA blog.  Having written several articles on the subject, the most recent will be published in Wedlock Magazine in the coming months.

Please subscribe to my blog to get this information in bite-sized nuggets.  FYI, this is my temporary blog site as we are completely redesigning our website where my blog will soon live!  In the meantime, please connect with me here and at Facebook and Twitter.

Question: What is your biggest leadership challenge?  Please reply below.