Would You Follow You?

Written by Dave Rothacker on October 15, 2020

Do you have a fire inside? A fire to make a positive difference in the lives of your coworkers, customers and business partners? A fire to create something bigger than you. Something that provides meaning. Something others will buy into and follow?

Is there a fire, deep within the furnace of your soul, that others feel and move toward?

Would You Follow You?

I am convinced that everyone has this fire deep within. The busyness of life and work starve our fire of oxygen however. To go full throttle on the oxygen ports, we must first know and understand ourselves.

Remember, in addition to making connections and to gathering intel, knowledge and wisdom, the Starship Freedom is a voyage of self-discovery, a journey to uncover and exercise our purpose.

To Lead Others, First Lead Yourself.

The following excerpt is from James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner’s book The Leadership Challenge. From the chapter “Leadership is Everyone’s Business,” the authors’ message is we can’t lead others until we’ve led ourselves on a journey of self-discovery. This destination and the one I wrote about in last week’s transmission “On the Road to WHY,” are one and the same.

The instrument of leadership is the self, and mastery of the art of leadership comes from mastery of the self. Engineers have computers; painters, canvas and brushes; musicians, instruments. Leaders have only themselves. Becoming the best leader you can be means becoming the best self you can be. Therefore, leadership development is fundamentally self-development.

Self-development is not about stuffing in a whole bunch of new information or trying out the latest technique. It’s about leading out of what is already in your soul. It’s about liberating the leader within you. And it starts with looking inside.

The better you know yourself, the better you can make sense of the often incomprehensible and conflicting messages you receive daily. Do this, do that. Support this, support that. Decide this, decide that. Change this, change that. You need internal guidance to navigate the turmoil in today’s highly uncertain environment.

“But I’m Already in a Leadership Position.”

No worries. We can lead others and lead ourselves on a path of self-discovery at the same time. The Freedom was created with this notion in mind.

Even flying at FTL (faster than light) speed, we have a lifetime to work at this and get it right. In the nearby future, we’ll reach a quadrant of the present galaxy where leadership lessons abound. For now, I recommend diving into John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership! and Maxwell’s revised and updated workbook.

You know how people say, “there’s no magic bullet to running a business and being a leader.” Well, in over twenty years of Starship adventures, I can tell you there really is a magic bullet. For starters, the people who say this are those who are not out there exploring, learning and most importantly, applying. In Go Time speak we call it Taking Massive Action!

If I’ve heard Chris Hunter say it once, I’ve heard it a gazillion times, ”I read Ron Smith’s books and just did what he said to do!”

The VAST majority of contractors are not exploring, learning and taking massive action based on what the Ron Smith’s, Ben Stark’s and Chris Hunter’s are telling us to do.

Buy Maxwell’s books and take massive action on its lessons!

Self-Discovery

As for self-discovery, again, start with…

If you want people to join in on your journey, they’ve got to feel that fire pulsing from the furnace within your soul.

Schedule a free half hour Zoom call with me to explore your location on the Road to WHY.

Ben Stark and Chris Hunter uncovered and put their WHYs to work. This practice led them to uncommon wealth. We discuss it in detail in It’s Go-Time: Ben Stark and Chris Hunter Share Insights & Strategies to Help Your Home-Service Company Succeed!