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There are so many compelling voices about leadership. With so many books, seminars, and denominationalisms we need to peal off some these layers and get at the heart/essence of leadership competencies that are true no matter who or where they lead.

Truth #1 – Making A Difference As A Leader

Every leadership decision that you will ever make in life is based upon one “Big-Hairy-Audacious-Assumption” – You Matter! It is not a question of “Will I make a difference?” Rather it is, “What difference will I make?” This became the compelling question of a fourth grader named Melissa Poe in Nashville, Tennessee. After watching a documentary on pollution and its future impact, she was motivated by the question What difference will I make?……

…..Her response was to start a club called “Kids F.A.C.E. (Kids For A Clean Environment). This fourth grader started with her friends and grew to over 500,000 globally. At the age of seventeen as she resigned her position as a child CEO of her non-profit she stated; “Change does not begin with someone else. Change begins in your own backyard, no matter your age or size….Everything you need you already have. It’s about taking the first step.” Melissa’s message shines the light on an enduring leadership truth. You do not have to look up for leadership. You do not have to look out for leadership. You only have to look inward. You have the potential to lead others to places they have never been before. Leadership begins with you.

Melissa’s example leads us to understand that leadership role models are local. After analyzing the data points of thirty years of research and over one million people globally, Kouze and Posner discovered some amazing insights pertaining to role models in our lives. Note the chart below….

No matter whether you are under or over thirty years of age, the most important role model is a family member – Mother or Father. Take note of the over thirty group; Business Leaders are more likely to be influencers by a 50% margin over Community and/or Religious leaders in the under thirty group. These data points that are charted can be deflating to non-profit leaders. We have a choice, we can either curse the darkness or speak to the light. The dominant question becomes “What are the best practices of leaders that people willingly follow?” Kouze and Posner suggest five best practices that have emerged from their thirty-year study:

Model The Way

Inspire A Shared Vision

Challenge The Process

Enable Others To Act

Encourage The Heart

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!