Link: http://www.gaian.com

A Leader in Name Only

You may have the title but do the people truly regard you as a genuine leader? By itself, the title of leader means a higher pay scale but little else.

While organizations hire and promote people to lead, they are only figureheads until people choose to allow them the opportunity to lead.

Ultimately, leaders only lead groups if the people give them the personal authority to do so. Leadership is a trust relationship between humans. It is created out of a deep commitment of an individual to a passion and a direction.

But the right type of leader can do so much

The awesome power of inspirational presence begins to show itself when we realize how much we can influence the reality that we all experience. By managing our own thoughts and intentions, we shape what we notice in the world and from there, how much of that comes to us.

We also have the same impact on others-our mere presence can impact the vision that other people have of the world and the aspirations that they hold from that point on.

The more that we come from a place of deep inspiration, the more positive a difference we can make on others and on the world.

Link: http://www.gaian.com

You Can Lead a Horse to Water

The most inspired of inspirational leaders can be but putty in the hands of a person or persons who want to do what they want to do.

People cannot be forced-at least, not for long. We know that we can enslave the body but not the mind.

Human beings truly choose who they are, how much they will accomplish, and how they will engage the world at every second of every day. That is simply a fact of existence. As leaders, we must recognize this and commit to honoring that fact.

While many people in authority positions wish they could mandate or dictate direction and action for large groups of people, it is truly impossible to do with any degree of success. It is also completely undesirable to do so when operating through any degree of human dignity.

But what if they choose to move with you?

We know the results are positive even spectacular when people choose to commit to a direction that is based on the passion they feel in their hearts.

The real key to successful change is the leader and the choices that leader makes-the choice to engage, the choice to commit, and the choice to share his or her perspective with others.

Link: http://www.gaian.com

Good Leaders are Good Managers

An inspirational leader can do a lot for the health and welfare of their colleagues. People need to be relaxed to be in their highest mental states and their most creative modes. The leader has an obligation to recognize and institute this.

As an inspirational leader you can provide people with the opportunity to take risks and change their minds.

You need to create an atmosphere of calm. People cannot effectively examine their core beliefs and assumptions from a place of fear. From this place of fear, they also tend to miss out on their creativity, as their thinking will likely be more limited when they do not have an element of trust available.

Provide for basic needs and then some

In the history of humankind the basic needs were safety, shelter, socialization, etc. Little has changed and these needs apply to the world of business today.

But meeting our basic needs is only part of the story. We need to further develop to see the bigger picture and know there are more options.

As an inspirational leader, we move into a different type of leadership. Rather than focusing on what people do and trying to manage effort, we manage group experience. Inspirational leadership is a practice of leading emotions and aspirations.

Link: http://www.gaian.com

It's Not Easy Being the Boss

You tread a fine line as leader. You want to have your colleagues move but through inspiration. You want the right type of change. This comes back to you and the type of person you are.

People do not want a change leader to be a boss or a driver; they seek a person who is inspired and committed to a path toward a more highly desirable place. They want a leader who is dedicated and who cares about them as much as they do themselves.

People want a change leader who has committed to much more than the goal or objective. This would be a person who has committed to the integrity of the system, is cognizant of the efforts required to get there, and who takes responsibility for keeping the whole system together and on the same path.

Is this your style of leadership?

A mature level of leadership is quietly strong. It is assertive but not aggressive. It is confident but not commanding. It is driven but does not drive others.

The journey matters as much as the destination and we are all in it together.

Link: http://www.gaian.com

How Others See Us

You are the leader and will naturally attract a response from your colleagues. But what are they thinking? And what are you thinking about them and their response?

It is important to think about how others will perceive what we are doing or where we are going. Each person will interpret us differently, and we will interpret each individual through our favorite systems.

If we expect people to resist change or our ideas, we inform our subconscious that whatever we see as resistance is a meaningful whole, and our sensing systems will find it. Our personal filters and biases will present an interpretation of what we see, based on all of our own experiences.

The people who observe us are doing the same thing and finding their own meanings in the experiences. A complex dynamic is at play, even if none of the participants are consciously aware of it.

We are unique

Every human will have a different representation of reality from everyone else, and we must consciously work with the differences we engage. Just know that these differences are simply a symbolic representation of the world and are unique to each person.

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