Why Leadership Is So Important

As an entrepreneur, a mother and volunteer in a non-profit I’ve had to improve 3 things;

my leadership skill,
my own personal growth and
the knowledge and depth of my faith.

We all have a need to grow and improve as individuals. There must be a stretching to a whole new level to reach any kind of success or influence.

John Maxwell, the author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ states,

“Leadership is Influence, Nothing More, Nothing Less”.

And he would know. He is, after all, the world’s #1 expert on leadership having written almost 100 books now. I’ve had the privilege of receiving coaching and mentoring from him and his associates.

Most people think that leadership is only if you are CEO of a big company, or you’re in politics, or you’re the boss of lots of people. Of course, you know it encompasses those things but it’s far more than that.

Why is it to develop your leadership skill?

Leadership embraces everything you do. And for us, Christian Women in Business, we must be able to rise to it’s challenge. To get better at impacting and influencing the lives of others. Not only through our business but with our faith and love. We ALL have the capacity to develop those skills.

If leadership is influence then think for a moment what that means.

Where do you have to exert your influence?

Do you want your clients to buy from you? That requires influence.

Do you want your kids to listen to you? That requires influence.

Do you want to help your friends make good decisions? That requires influence.

Do you want to effect change in the community or the world? That requires influence.

Can you see how critical it is that you understand and value your capacity to influence others?

It does not matter if you are in a start-up business, a brand new parent or a seasoned CEO of a fortune 500 company. Leadership is a skill you must develop intentionally. You can influence relationships and circumstances to create the results that you desire.

Some of the hardest leadership lessons I’ve learned have been as a parent. Knowing that I was going to have to be responsible and wise for my children forced me to learn new skills. I had to learn to relate, listen, navigate and influence.

I was also leading groups of people on overseas mission trips. I drew on those lessons as I went into business and had to learn how to influence and relate to customers or staff.

The need to improve leadership skill was so obvious. If I wanted to make a difference it was in my hands to do all I could to get better at it. I determined to grow with each experience and focused on who I could become to best serve those around me.

The Law of the Lid (Leadership Law #1)

At that time I didn’t know that I was experiencing something that John Maxwell calls ‘The Law of the Lid’.

The law of the lid simply means that your leadership determines the level of your effectiveness. Your ability to influence people or be successful in your endeavours requires leadership. If the lid of your ability is mediocre or say a 5/10 then you cannot shift beyond that. Your results will not be sustainable.

One of the best things you can do to start to improve is to create a personal growth plan to increase your awareness. Regular focused attention to developing yourself.

Business is a great environment to practice leadership

The good thing is you can learn to lead! That’s fantastic because I sure needed to learn. It’s a life long journey of adding value to others and being intentional about my life.

So focus on self-leadership – maximising your own potential and skills. Become a person of influence and lead others to create the impact and income that you desire.