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You do not have to read a thousand books on leadership to become a competent leader. The secret to leadership is
simple: You have within you the qualities you need to lead people. You only need to recognize them and begin using
them. Our beliefs create our success or failure. Begin thinking differently about the leader you already are, and you
alter your destiny.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF A SUCCESSFUL LEADER
There are seven principles – what I call decisions – that if you follow will make you a
great leader:
1. Responsibility
The buck stops here. Decide to accept responsibility for your past and your future
success. Do not let your past control your destiny. Decide to stop blaming other
people and outside circumstances for where you are in life. Instead, chart your life’s
course and become a testament to the true power of choice.
2. Teachability
Seek wisdom and be ready to move yourself. Decide to pay attention to lessons all
around you through books, people, and service. Learn to evaluate the network of
influential people in your life, to learn from the knowledge of others, and perhaps
most importantly, to commit to a life of service.
3. Activity
Decide to be a person of action. Many people move out of the way for a person on the run; others are caught up in his
wake. Be the person on the run! Taking consistent action is crucial to the realization of a successful life. We’re often
amazed, even baffled, by the accomplishments of highly successful people, yet many of their accomplishments occur
because of relentless action.
4. Decisiveness
Be decisive. Criticism, condemnation, and complaint are creatures of the wind. They come and go on the wasted
breath of lesser beings and have no power over you. With decisiveness, you learn to break through fear and judgment
to pursue your dreams with determination and focus. With a decided heart, you set your course and assure your
destiny.
5. Joyfulness
Decide to be happy. Your life is fashioned by choice. First you make choices. Then your choices make you. The
principle of being joyful is perhaps the most misunderstood of all because it demonstrates that happiness is a choice,
and if you’re not happy right now, it’s a consequence of your own choosing, not the circumstances of life.
6. Compassion
Make the decision to greet each day with a forgiving spirit. God rarely uses a person whose main concern is what
others are thinking. Compassion can heal your heart, mind, and soul. Harboring anger and resentment poisons your
mind and hinders your ability to live the other principles with any measure of effectiveness. Forgiveness frees your
spirit.
7. Persistence
Persist without exception. Decide to keep on no matter the obstacles. Reason can only be stretched so far, but faith
has no limits. The only limit to your realization of tomorrow is the doubt to which you hold fast today. Being persistent
without exception is key to achieving extraordinary levels of success in any area of life. When you’re consistently and
doggedly persistent, the limit to your success is boundless.
These seven principles are a basic course in becoming a person others want to be around, and increasing
your influence. They’ll make you a more influential leader than any book on leadership skills, persuasion, closing
techniques, or sales scripts, and they’ll help you find a platform for applying all that you’ve learned.
simple: You have within you the qualities you need to lead people. You only need to recognize them and begin using
them. Our beliefs create our success or failure. Begin thinking differently about the leader you already are, and you
alter your destiny.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF A SUCCESSFUL LEADER
There are seven principles – what I call decisions – that if you follow will make you a
great leader:
1. Responsibility
The buck stops here. Decide to accept responsibility for your past and your future
success. Do not let your past control your destiny. Decide to stop blaming other
people and outside circumstances for where you are in life. Instead, chart your life’s
course and become a testament to the true power of choice.
2. Teachability
Seek wisdom and be ready to move yourself. Decide to pay attention to lessons all
around you through books, people, and service. Learn to evaluate the network of
influential people in your life, to learn from the knowledge of others, and perhaps
most importantly, to commit to a life of service.
3. Activity
Decide to be a person of action. Many people move out of the way for a person on the run; others are caught up in his
wake. Be the person on the run! Taking consistent action is crucial to the realization of a successful life. We’re often
amazed, even baffled, by the accomplishments of highly successful people, yet many of their accomplishments occur
because of relentless action.
4. Decisiveness
Be decisive. Criticism, condemnation, and complaint are creatures of the wind. They come and go on the wasted
breath of lesser beings and have no power over you. With decisiveness, you learn to break through fear and judgment
to pursue your dreams with determination and focus. With a decided heart, you set your course and assure your
destiny.
5. Joyfulness
Decide to be happy. Your life is fashioned by choice. First you make choices. Then your choices make you. The
principle of being joyful is perhaps the most misunderstood of all because it demonstrates that happiness is a choice,
and if you’re not happy right now, it’s a consequence of your own choosing, not the circumstances of life.
6. Compassion
Make the decision to greet each day with a forgiving spirit. God rarely uses a person whose main concern is what
others are thinking. Compassion can heal your heart, mind, and soul. Harboring anger and resentment poisons your
mind and hinders your ability to live the other principles with any measure of effectiveness. Forgiveness frees your
spirit.
7. Persistence
Persist without exception. Decide to keep on no matter the obstacles. Reason can only be stretched so far, but faith
has no limits. The only limit to your realization of tomorrow is the doubt to which you hold fast today. Being persistent
without exception is key to achieving extraordinary levels of success in any area of life. When you’re consistently and
doggedly persistent, the limit to your success is boundless.
These seven principles are a basic course in becoming a person others want to be around, and increasing
your influence. They’ll make you a more influential leader than any book on leadership skills, persuasion, closing
techniques, or sales scripts, and they’ll help you find a platform for applying all that you’ve learned.
DISCOVER THE LEADER IN YOU
...Nourish Your Leadership Qualities
There is a leadership crisis in America. Every four years there are
pundits bemoaning the fact that the candidates presented are not the
best that America has to offer. The strongest leaders in the country
probably don’t want to be saddled with the scrutiny and partisanship
that our political system exudes. However, part of the problem may also
be that there is a real lack of leadership in our country. The lack of
leadership, though, isn’t because of a lack of leaders; it’s because of a
lack of people nurturing their leadership qualities. It’s a lack of people
who are willing to build rapport with “the people” and then make
decisions. General George S. Patton, an American General in
World War I and II, said, “Be willing to make decisions. That's the
most important quality in a good leader.”
...Nourish Your Leadership Qualities
There is a leadership crisis in America. Every four years there are
pundits bemoaning the fact that the candidates presented are not the
best that America has to offer. The strongest leaders in the country
probably don’t want to be saddled with the scrutiny and partisanship
that our political system exudes. However, part of the problem may also
be that there is a real lack of leadership in our country. The lack of
leadership, though, isn’t because of a lack of leaders; it’s because of a
lack of people nurturing their leadership qualities. It’s a lack of people
who are willing to build rapport with “the people” and then make
decisions. General George S. Patton, an American General in
World War I and II, said, “Be willing to make decisions. That's the
most important quality in a good leader.”
 |
| The New York Times calls Andy Andrews a "modern-day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America." His books, including the bestselling phenomenon, The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success and Island of Saints, have sold millions of copies worldwide. He is internationally known as a speaker and storyteller, has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents, and his two-hour special on the Public Broadcasting System, Andy Andrews: The Seven Decisions, has been a blockbuster success. |
| All Photos by Peter Nash |
Go to the Index of selected recent IN THE LOOP eColumns Get to know ANDY ANDREWS better...check out the exclusive MyBestYears.com's INTERVIEW SPOTLIGHT featuring "America's Storyteller." |
