You Don't Need a Team to be a Leader
As Long as You're a Leader Worth Following
As the excellent speaker and author Mark Sandborn said, “You don’t need a title to be a leader.”
While I completely agree with that quote, it’s also true that you don’t need a team to be a leader. I saw the
statement play out about a year ago in the Leadership Academy. Dan Luckenbaugh of Advanced Air
Quality Services was taking the program. During those five weeks, I got to know him very well. Dan is a
sole proprietor, but you probably wouldn’t think it to hear how much he gets done. He has the ability to
influence and persuade people to lend a hand when needed.
Dan shared how he can sometimes get public officials to go above and beyond to solve problems for
customers. This is because he’s developed a greater level of credibility with the officials they know of
him, his work, and is reputation. This didn’t happen because he was in a higher position than them. It
happened because he leads with integrity and sets an example that others wish to emulate.
All this is good news to anyone who was an entrepreneur, especially if you are sole proprietor. There’s
always more work to get done than one person can handle. That’s why it’s so important to develop
exceptional leadership skills that other people can recognize.
When I was getting ready to start work on the Focused on Success television series, the executive
producer said to me, “This will be a great forum for you to show off your leadership.” I was somewhat
taken by surprise by that statement. After all, I had no employees so I didn’t know who I would lead. I
asked her to clarify her statement and she explained that the way I could attract people to attend my
seminars, to sign up for coaching, and to take actions to improve their lives demonstrated my
leadership. In other words, I didn’t need a team to be a leader.
Neither do you.
People are going to look at how you handle yourself and others. That’s what will determine if they want
to follow you. If you ever want to test your leadership skills, try leading a group of volunteers. That is the
true test of a natural leader. People only follow you if they believe in you and want to join your cause. In
the end, it all comes down to people skills. Once you develop the ability to influence and inspire others
to grow, you’ll watch a team assemble before your very eyes.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John Maxwell
(This excerpt is taken from The Leadership Academy. I encourage you to click here to register for The
Leadership Academy 5-part series which runs on five consecutive Tuesday mornings beginning on
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at Bellomo & Associates in York, PA from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Eastern
Standard Time.
Please note that classes two and four will be presented exclusively through live
streaming.
This Course is also avaialble on demand 24-7, at Romeo Network Online Learning. Click
here to enroll today!
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