Leader Readers

Leader Readers

So you walk into a room full of people who are labelled 'LEADERS'. You stand there in awe and then wonder who is the true leader? Who is the leader of the leaders? Well this was the very question that I posed to a well renowned inspiration lecturer on leadership, Michael Harwood.

Before I go any further, allow me to a paint an image of this chap. He was calm, humble and stable in his own power. He did not need to assert himself, instead he was simply present, focused and authentic. His presence was likeable and open, he was the kind of man you know could lead and had led various military expeditions.

There were a few golden nuggets from that I interpreted from his talk:

• A true leader will get down and dirty.
• The true leader is a spirit compounded by personality, vision and attitude.
• Management is of the mind and leadership is of the soul.
• Character is the decisive factor of an individual and leader of true nations.
• Knowing the enemy enables you to know yourself.
• The create powerful future visions.
• They always think 'what next and what after that...'
• They decide and act.
• They have passion and purpose.
• They put the right people in the right place and allow them to grow.
• The true measure of the leader is when things go wrong and how they respond. It is all very well leading when things go well; however, when the unplanned, inconceivable and the unexplained take place - watch how they respond.

So in answer to the above question: in a room full of leaders how do you determine the true leader?
Imagine my surprise what I received this answer: gauge them, sense their presence and then ask what they are reading and why.

I was startled by the answer, I had never thought to ask what a leader was reading. Instead I felt them, watched their posture and noticed how their eyes took in information. I would then engage in conversation depending on what I felt about them. Maybe this is more intuitive or a different kind of intuition. However Michael explained that the people who he respected and led nations had vast libraries. They were always reading, always learning so they could learn new ways and see where others had failed. I could see his point.

Of course why would you put your finger in a plug socket when someone had already been shocked? So now you know the secret to determining a leader - what they read. The question then becomes what are you reading to advance yourself?

You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0