Are you ready for this one?

Deciding to be a leader is easy but remaining  a leader through thick & thin is extremely hard. This message may rattle a few but it has to be addressed for people to have breakthrough. I perceive huge epidemic happening in our society and it involves people everyday in every strata of life.  Just what is it? The lack of commitment people make to each other is so prevalent hat many of us have become numb to it. People make promises to people and have no plan to even follow through. The bottom line: It’s wrong and it’s time for you if you feel the same  to declare your disdain of this toxic relational phenomena.

The reason so many well meaning business professionals,  network marketing reps and generally aspiring leaders falter is due solely to lack of commitment. No staying power and no long term vision. Whether it’s promising to lose weight, get healthier, start a school course or even improve their relationship etc the challenge is not the goal but the task itself but the integrity behind it all.

So let us look at 5 specific things that can help bring any shaky leader back to true north. What can you do today to stay the leader you’ve decided to be and have committed to your team to remain.

1.Always Remember Your Why? It goes without saying you need to to have a real why (passion) in life and in our industry. Why do you need a why? Simply put…because you’re human and the crappy days will come. There will be days when even you will find it hard to remember why you’re in the game. Like a determined athlete striving for the championship circle or Olympic platform, You may have to recall why you are doing the uncomfortable and many times inconvenient. But if you have a clearly defined why, one that is deep down in your soul, one that even makes you shed tears, then no one included your own self will allow you to falter your commitment to the goal or as a leader.

2. Do NOT Confuse Activity with Accomplishment A lot of well meaning leader/reps who want to be big leaders in their arena unfortunately get side-tracked or distracted by their own doing. How so? They start out focused but get off track by majoring on minors and on the things that keep them from getting closer to their objectives. In the online marketing world for instance, some get so deeply busy learning SEO, traffic generation, lead generation, website optimization, yapping in chat rooms etc etc etc and even  this last one (wait for it) even blogging. Don’t get me wrong all of these things I have listed are in fact effective but they should serve you and not be counter productive. They should put you in place to actually accomplishment. Nothing replaces 1 )recruiting and 2) retailing to create profit. But some never figure this out. Imagine for a second a hamster on a wheel. As fast as it goes and goes and goes…he it never gets anywhere. What’s the moral? Not all motion is progress. Make sure you don’t confuse activity with accomplishment.

3. Read PMA Books Regularly. Reading books is by far the fastest way for any rep to sharpen their network marketing and leadership skills. Authors like Zig Ziglar,John Maxwell, Darren Hardy and Noah St Johns are a few that will enhance your mental growth. A daily reading plan is the fastest way for anyone to exponentially grow past the point where they are. By reading you gain access to time proven formulas from leaders both present and past.Simply put, there is a huge vault full of immense value from those that have gone before us many years ago. What you will learn quickly is the principles are still relevant in today’s business arena. By reading it unlocks that vault for us anytime we choose any time we want. You MUST read to grow yourself. If you cannot read, that is a completely different article topic.

4. Surround Yourself with Positive People If you have the chance, daily, weekly or monthly, at all cost ensure you surround yourself with people who are not only positive but those who can contribute to your overall success and well being. Some one once said “if you can’t CHANGE the people around you, then change the PEOPLE around you. Think of your ears as a receptacle or container. Do you want good stuff in or bad stuff there? You have heard the phrase I’m sure “garbage in, garbage out.”  Positive people not only will uplift you but if they are in your primary company, they should be leading the way for you to achieve much more results. If they are not, then it just may be time re-evaluate just how much time and who you are associating with.

5. Hold Yourself Accountable This final point is one that only you can do. Hold yourself accountable. Accountable to what? To your own word.  Your word as leader is the only thing you rally have and that word shapes your reputation and credibility. Maybe yours isn’t important to you but if you will be that leader you committed to be, it must become essential. Only you or let me say it this way… the person looking back in the mirror is the man or woman that will determine your ultimate success.

There is a expression I learned several years ago and it say this. The 11th Commandment is “thou shalt NOT kid thy self. To remain a leader mean not kidding yourself.

So can you remain a leader even in tough times or when peer pressure looms? YES!  Just commit to being honest and true to yourself. Get a coach or mentor. Keep a log of your progress.  Set achievable goals.  Adjust when necessary and hold yourself to doing whatever you can to hit them in a timely manner. Discipline yourself to your daily routine because at the end of the day that is the only thing you can control, your schedule. Disciplined actions will elevate you more than gifted-ness or talent and that is what it takes to be and stay a committed leader.

As you implement these five things everything will change and the leader in you will emerge. Just try it!

Partnered with you  in Leadership,

Erwin Mcken                                                                                                                             Your BigWave Mktg Mentor                                                                                   416-882-5122