Defining leaders…is anyone following you?

As I’ve gone through my life, stages have appeared sometimes because of my own doing or because of things happening around me, that changed my views on leadership.
One of my mentors is someone named Po K. Lau. An unassuming fellow that hailed from Hong Kong, Po defines leadership through influence rather than position, in its truest sense. A couple of years ago, when I was going through great soul-searching about how to change myself and my company’s vision, he gave me a quote I shall never forget: “The difference between a boss and a leader is simple. A boss turns people off while a leader turns people on”.
Its ever since that time that I’ve begun a re-invention process of my leadership skills that I hope continues on forever, no matter what part of my life I am calling on those skills for. And with each passage of time,a new “influencer” has entered my life. Recently, three other people have done so, and they’ve influenced changes in my views on leadership that I hope will positively impact my ability to lead in various aspects of my life.
The first person is Mitch Joel, whom I met last year and already wrote about (see “MY SOLAR SAVANT” blog entry). Mitch nominated me for an MS Leadership award, which I was chosen for. He was also the influence which led me to enroll my team to The Power Within conference.
The second person is Tom Sweeney. Tom came into my life as an advisor last year and helped me see things within myself and my own company that I had completely been blind to and ignored. Those issues may have killed my company had I not taken action to correct them. Let’s just say he was just in time! Tom’s mentorship focused on how I could become a CEO of a greater company than ICP already was and what were the issues I had to address immediately, lest my legacy rest in the memory of a failed entity.
The third person is Isabel Dos Santos, my executive assistant. Isabel has worked at public companies assisting executives in the highest positions. I feel she’s taken me on almost as a project of sorts, to help me become as good a leader as I possibly can.
Issy’s latest efforts included passing to me a book by John Maxwell, entitled “Leadership 101“. Now for those of you who don’t me, I haven’t read a complete book in a decade, so this act was almost doomed from the start. However she gave it to me just as I was leaving last week to board a long 15 hour flight to Hong Kong, and so the hope was that my computer battery would die, I’d get bored with reading every single magazine or newspaper on board (as well as the airline magazine twice) and then I’d finally give in and start the book. Well, frankly, it wasn’t that hard after all.
Once I picked up this book I could not put it down. Yes, I did finish it. In fact, I read it twice so far. So much have I seen inside it why some of my initiatives would not work no matter the intensity with which I tried and why some of the things I’ve been doing for the past few years are bang on!
John Maxwell is a recognized leader who pushes himself to new heights and gives people insight into how they can do it for themselves in this short, 100+ page handy-sized hardcover book. He focuses on essential qualities required for true leadership, being: influence,integrity,attitude,vision,problem-solving,and self-discipline. He then guides us through practical steps to develop true leadership in our lives and the lives of others around us. For my quest is not simply to make myself a better leader, but to help those around me acquire abilities to become leaders themselves.
A leader is nothing without a following. In fact, if he/she has no followers, then its really just a walk through life they are taking. One of my favourite quotes in the book is “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
So to Po, Mitch,Tom and Issy, and so many other “leaders” in my life, a huge thanks. My hope is that the constituency that chooses to follow me, as opposed to being forced to follow me, can grow each day, as I redefine my leadership level in time and through effort.
I’m off on my 3 day holiday with family and friends, so no blog entries until next week! Yes, that’s right, Sass with no computer on his lap…my friends are taking wagers at this very moment on whether I’ll make it through the weekend without slipping off the “computer wagon”.
Ciao for now,
Sass
PS> A footnote for Mike Gering, whom I should also mention in the category of “leader” and might even be surprised to read his name here, yet deserves mention as an “influencer” in my life. Mike, if you’re reading…the ends do NOT justify the means.We’ve both had challenges leading solar organizations through troubled waters. A sincere wish of success to you and your team.