When you are a kid and someone asks you what you want to be, few people answer, “When I grow up I want to be a salesman.” It just doesn’t seem to be on the top of the list along side ballerina, football player, and founder of Facebook.

 So I know this isn’t going to be pleasant. I know you don’t want to hear this.

However, everyone is in sales.

Yes, whether you like it or not, you too are in sales; and the sooner you recognize it, the more productive you will be. Because when it comes down to it, a sale is about influence.

If you have children who don’t throw their food on the floor at dinner time, you have made a sale. If your friends ever visit a restaurant you recommend, you made a sale. Making a sale, or having someone buy into a belief that you have shared with them happens all the time. Although this type of sale usually happens without an exchange of money, it is still a sale.

Now, who doesn’t want to be a person of influence when they grow up?

However influence and leadership is not cheap. There is a price to pay. A price of accountability and of responsibility to those you lead, to those over whom you have influence. Good leadership doesn’t make decisions based on today or even just tomorrow.

Seeds of greatness lie within each individual. For many, those seeds will remain just that, seeds of unrealized potential and possibility. From others greatness will emerge. Lives will be changed and the world impacted as their choices ripple outward.

What makes the difference between those that become and those that don’t?

•  
  • They have a vision for something that is bigger than just them and extends beyond just today. It is a dream fueled by passion and connected to action.
  •  They deal with the uncomfortable, awkward and negative issues, situations and relationship challenges that arise. They know that simply waiting for it to go away could leave them waiting for the rest of their life and time is precious.
  • They understand the power of consequence and so not make decisions solely on the comfort and convenience of today.
  • They take action…EVERY DAY! They have accepted responsibility for the realization of their vision and move toward it step by step day by day. They don’t despise the small steps, but are thankful for even small increments of progress.
  • They have not only defined what they like, BUT ALSO what they don’t like. They don’t focus on the “NO’s”. However by clearly defining what “NO” looks like, they are able to recognize what carries negative influences much sooner.
  • They operate with grace. Because they choose to forgive, they are free to move forward and are not tied to the past.
  • They know what it is to be a part of a team. They know their own strengths and weaknesses and are not threatened by others whose strengths and weaknesses are different from their own. They are able to ask for help when they need it.
  • They are not afraid of change and they are not trying to make everyone happy. As they move forward there will be others who are not supportive and who do not agree with the choices and decisions that they make. They understand that old adage, “You can’t please everyone all the time.”

Being a leader and carrying influence is about being a steward over the potential of your team, of your organization…your company. It is about empowering them to step up and be leaders over their sphere of influence. It is about speaking to the possibilities that exist and moving towards that day by day. How will your organization move forward,  first as individuals and then as a team…TODAY?

To be a teacher is to be a leader. To be a leader is to be a person of influence. To be a person of influence means that teaching will be in there somewhere. Sometimes more formalized instruction, often instructing through example.

As a leader, if my team is failing there are some things I have to consider:

Have I conveyed the vision or mission clearly?

Is this congruent with the team member’s personal beliefs?

If not, is the vision changing or the team member?

                                                  ******* 

Do I have a well defined system, process or plan for accomplishing this?

Have expectations been clearly communicated?

How are questions or challenges relayed between team members and leadership?

                                                   ********

Are our goals clear?

Do we know when we are finished?

Is it possible to win?

As a leader, as a teacher, as a person of influence; I believe that if my team or my class doesn’t win, the buck stops here. It is my responsibility to empower and serve my team to and for the accomplishment of the vision through the goals that mark the way.