Is there such a thing as a “born leader”?
Well, of course there is—it’s impossible to be a leader without, at first, being born.
That’s not an original quip. Several years ago at a World Wide DreamBuilders Spring Leadership conference in the Chicago area, I heard John C. Maxwell, the author, speaker and leadership expert, make a statement to this effect.
Semantics aside, you are going down the wrong path if you are thinking in terms of whether someone is born with a natural inclination to lead or has the ability to develop into a leader over time. Both can be true; it’s just a matter of the degree to which any given individual taps into either category to cultivate his or her leadership skills.
Within WWDB, some leaders are more dynamic and charismatic, like Dave Severn, of "Pigs Don’t Know Pigs Stink" fame, or Brad Duncan, who has the ability to make people laugh like almost no other Amway leader that I have ever encountered.
Meanwhile, others, come across as more “regular Joes.” As a result, they may be more relatable to a wider spectrum of people. Although most people can be quite entertained by the likes of Severn and Duncan, they might also have more trouble picturing themselves being “like them”—or at least like their public-speaking personas.
Regardless of the mix of traits that make up and distinguish one individual from another, whether at a WWDB Spring Leadership conference or in any other realm, anyone who has attained a significant level of leadership for any length of time has clearly gone through some of the same rigors.
That common ground includes self-discipline, which often comes in the form of saying “no” to the good in order to reach for the great, and others-centeredness, or relating to a vast variety of personality types that are part of any organization. And it all can be boiled down to being your own best public relations and marketing ambassador on a micro-scale--your one-on-one interactions, over time, that add up to the totality of your influence as a leader.
Nobody ever “arrives” as a leader, but it’s a continual journey.
And when it comes to being a leader of leaders, few have positioned themselves quite like John Maxwell. More than just about anyone else, the former pastor has made a hugely successful transition to leadership on an international scale.
This year, as in years past, Maxwell will be a featured presenter at Spring Leadership events organized by WWDB. Whether you are an Independent Business Owner (IBO) actively building a business with Amway, or simply interested in hearing from one of the world’s top teachers on leadership, you might feel "led" to attend one:
Las Vegas, Nevada (The Orleans Arena) from April 12-14; Spokane, Washington (The Spokane Arena) from April 19-21; Honolulu, Hawaii (The Modern), April 20-21; Washington, D.C. (Hyatt Dulles in Herndon, Va.), April 27-28; Denver, Colorado (Merchandise Mart), April 27-28; Calgary, Alberta (Calgary Stampede), May 3-5; and Minneapolis, Minnesota (Minneapolis Convention Center), May 4-5.
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