This week’s BELL CURVE focuses on RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY & LEVELS OF SELF-RESPECT
I have said it before and I will continue to say it, in any manner possible when it comes to holding yourself ACCOUNTABLE and RESPONSIBLE.
In this case, I am addressing YOUR level of SELF-RESPECT. Just like being transparent and forthcoming, the same applies when it comes to Accountability and Responsibility. The more you accept responsibility and hold yourself accountable for the actions you took, the actions you did not take, for the things you said, and for the things you did not say the more you will start to understand yourself.
When it comes to understanding yourself, your level of SELF-RESPECT increases. Increasing your level of SELF-RESPECT will work towards becoming a better person, a better human being.
There are far too many individuals that maintain an average level of SELF-RESPECT in that at any moment, they could raise their level. Then again, they are more apt to lower that level for any number of reasons or for no reason at all, to include not knowing any better.
Lowering that level of SELF-RESPECT is easy when people are constantly and consistently NOT held accountable for their actions (either in words or deeds or both). Yet, by raising your level of SELF-RESPECT as with anything else that makes you feel good about yourself you will work hard to stay ABOVE AVERAGE.
But, saying to others that you are ABOVE AVERAGE is truthfully, below average speak. It is in your actions and doing that speak louder than words ever will. To make the process of being ABOVE AVERAGE easier and faster to achieve, certainly helps when you are actively and undeniably holding yourself ACCOUNTABLE & accepting RESPONSIBILITY for yourself, all the time and without fail.
When it comes to your quality of life there is one thing that is certain: YOU ATTRACT BASED ON HOW MUCH EFFORT YOU PUT IN TO YOURSELF.
Of course, you can say you have high standards, a high quality of living which is NOT as the same as a high quality of life.
Stop kidding yourself now and accept the fact that if you keep living a life that is not set to a higher quality then you will only attract those individuals at the mediocre or medium-high quality and there are plenty of them.
The higher you set your quality of life, then the fewer, more select individuals will you attract. When their quality of life matters as much as your level of a higher quality of life then you can connect a level that is more refined and filtered instead of one that is just going through the motions. Failing to elevate your quality of life you will find yourself complaining about your lack of ability to find higher quality individuals to connect with.
When it comes to connecting with others, YOU set the standard and you are the ONLY one that allows those that are at or below the standard to enter your life. If you want higher quality to enter your life then you alone have to not only set the standard but keep the standard the standard others have to exceed. Otherwise, why bother?
Welcome to the tenth and final installment of the 10 Things You Do Not Know About Leadership. In this weekly, series I cover topics that tend to be overlooked, forgotten, or completely misunderstood. By sharing with you, it is my hope and belief that I help in eradicating many of the misconceptions that come with leadership.
LEADERSHIP MEANS MAKING NEW LEADERS
Did you know the true purpose of a leader is to make new leaders?
Again, let’s not confuse managers with leaders. They are two different iterations of the same individual. I have always stood by this premise: Any leader can be a manager but NOT every manager can be a leader.
That’s why we have Great Leaders and bad managers. There is no such thing as a bad leader but there is such a thing as a great manager. See where I am going with this?
While bad managers should never even consider creating future bad managers, yet far too many are creating them right now as we speak. Good managers know to find those diamonds in the rough and help mold them into future good managers. Unfortunately, I have seen this far too often and those bad managers will take under their wing the individuals that are, for lack of better terms, suck ups, kiss ass, the bully, the friend, friend of a friend or worse still a child of a friend thus perpetuating the continued growth and development of bad managers.
Try to prove me wrong and I bet you cannot.
Leaders this is where you have to step in. For the most part, good leaders know the difference between who can do the job and who can bully their way through the job.
Leaders of all types create leaders. I say this because to be a leader your followers recognize you as one. As it is your followers that make you the leader. It is your followers that will do and deliver what you ask of them.
It is also your followers that will promote you to others. It is through them promoting you that you will find new followers and future leaders.
As a current or future leader, it is through leading by example that you will gain the follower but it will also be how you create new leaders. In some cases, you will know that you are creating new leaders as those individuals will begin to emulate you. In other cases, their change from follower to new leader will be subtle. That change will be so subtle that you will not recognize it until after they have their own set of followers.
Always remember and never forget, all Leaders exists not to create more followers but to make leaders and that’s the bottom line.
The best and fastest way is to make future leaders is to be the best most authentic self you can be. This does not mean you have to be on your best behavior. Of course, we all know that being on your best behavior never works. It means that you have to be true to yourself 100% of the time. People will appreciate the individual that pulls no punches. The individual that is not afraid to question you or call anyone out on their bullshit.
Leaders, you will face many challenges over the course of your life. Remember as the song I DON’T WANT YOUR LOVE by Duran Duran says “I cannot sit down, I can’t shut my mouth but when you understand me, you might feel good around me, now back it up!”
Thus, it is through remaining TRUE to yourself that others will recognize, gain a deeper understanding, and gravitate towards you. Then they will want to be like you. Of course, for any number of reasons those that follow you will want to step up and take the challenge of becoming a leader.
When it comes to making, creating, inspiring, empowering, and encouraging new future leader, current leaders you join that elite group of leaders, of Great Leaders that include the likes of General George Patton, President George Washington, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, and other such individuals.
You join their ranks because you are creating new leaders.
