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The TAO of Leadership

What do the successful leaders have?

When these elements are in place, they will resonate.

The TAO of Leadership pulls together THREE basic concepts that exist in most successful leaders. Your leadership style may define itself within each area. Your voice, your personality, exists under each element.

Leadership Definition (A different way to look at it)

If you are looking for a leadership definition, look to yourself. What impresses you in a leader? How you see leadership is a function of where you have been and what you have experienced.

My experience has brought me to leadership definition being as follows:

Leadership is influencing others to achieve productivity towards a desired goal.

Of course, sounds simple. But it encompasses some critical skills to assess and process what is happening within you, what is happening between you and others, and what is happening within the business environment.

Leadership Theories

It's easy to get overwhelmed by leadership theories. After all, the internet alone is filled with thousands of them. Then visit the book store looking for leadership theories - argh. Where would you even start!?

Settle down, my leader friend. And step back. My best advice to you in one I will pull from my book:

Tip # 153 Good approaches to being a great leader are easy to find. Don't tour the world looking for the best. Find a decent, simple one and live by it.

- Katie K. Snapp

So here is a decent, simple one.
More about these three elements so critical to leading:

Element	Requires
SELF-AWARENESS	EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS SELF-MANAGEMENT
CAPABILITY: SKILL & TALENT	NATURAL ABILITY (includes environmental awareness) TRAINING & EDUCATION DEPLOYMENT OF TOOLS & TECHNIQUES ATTITUDE
REINFORCEMENT	MEASURES & INDICATORS (includes recognizing organizational needs) FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS COACHING