I am certain that one day I will be some kind of leader, I am just not sure what yet. Oprah says that one must prepare th emselves so that when the opportunity comes, you are ready. So in accordance I have been preparing myself for the leadership position that is coming my way. I have been reading the Maxwell leadership Bible as it views different incidents in the bible from a business perspective, especially the leadership roles of different characters. One of the most profound lessons that I have learnt from this is that “leadership is influence”, (J. Oswald Sanders). The more we are able to influence others to believe in our dreams, the more we will become better leaders.
It is really difficult to be of influence when you have no idea what you really stand for, so I have taken a few notes from a personal branding seminar I once attended by Thembi Sachikonye. She highlighted that the way that people view you shapes your career and your life. Resultantly it is also important to state what values you will be associated with and be conscious of the brand that you want to build. A personal brand allows you to live by choice and not by chance. Relationships therefore become a factor in building that brand of yours, and one should therefore utilize opportunities that foster winning relationships.
Influence involves other people, and that personal brand has to appeal to those people for it to be of influence. We live in an age of tolerance where protecting feelings is more highly favoured than proclaiming the truth. So I am for brand loyalty, once you have decided that this is your personal brand and that is what you stand for then stick to it. I like Thomas Jefferson’s remarks, “ in matters of fashion, swim the current, but in matters of conscience, stand like a rock”. Need I say more?
One thing we also need to realize in this influential leadership is that each person’s leadership is best exercised in his/her area of giftedness. When we discover our gifts, we will naturally lead in those areas where we are most productive, intuitive, comfortable, influential and satisfied. So if you feel you in the wrong line of work, I think you better switch, because if you want to be the influential leader that I am going to be, it is definitely not going to happen there!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Talent is never enough!
So here I am thinking that my talent will get me all the money that I need, and then I stumble upon a book at my aunt’s house boldly calling to me; TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH (aunty I will bring it back as soon as I am done). Imagine how distraught I was and even started reading it not because I really wanted to know why talent is never enough, but because I simply wanted to prove John Maxwell wrong. (Yeah right). I was so shocked at how much sense he was making and this is just as I was reading the foreword!
Fred Smith says, “ The giftedness is usually greater than the person”. I see you saying HUH? By that he meant that the talent of some people is greater than other important personal attributes such as character and commitment. Resultantly these other attributes fail to rise to the level of their talent. They want others to recognize their skill but overlook their deficiencies and this is what really needs to be worked on.
I watch a lot of E! News mainly because I like to know what others in our entertainment industry are doing out there and see where we are going wrong. The toughest thing about success is that you have to keep on being a success and out there, just like anywhere else, there is a lot of pressure to remain on top. Talent is only a starting point in business. You’ve got to keep working that talent. (Irving Berlin). Stephen King also asserts that what separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. Maxwell even provides 3 steps, which I will definitely take into consideration:
1. discover your strengths and work on them.
2. Develop the talent that you have and not the one you want
3. Make choices that will add value to the talent
The key choices you make, apart from the natural talent that you have will set you apart from others who have talent alone. So already I am retracing a lot of things that I have done wrong in a bid to be successful, as I have realized that I have neglected a lot of things that could make me stand out and make the most out of my talent. Talent is a given, but you must earn success!
When someone is pursuing their dream they will go far beyond what seems to be their limitations. The potential that exists within us is limitless and largely untapped. When you think of limits you create them. ( Robert J. Kriegel and Louis Patler). Having confidence in what you are doing gives you the power to achieve it. So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable! (Christopher Reeve).
And believe it or not I am still in the first chapter of the book! Yoh!
Fred Smith says, “ The giftedness is usually greater than the person”. I see you saying HUH? By that he meant that the talent of some people is greater than other important personal attributes such as character and commitment. Resultantly these other attributes fail to rise to the level of their talent. They want others to recognize their skill but overlook their deficiencies and this is what really needs to be worked on.
I watch a lot of E! News mainly because I like to know what others in our entertainment industry are doing out there and see where we are going wrong. The toughest thing about success is that you have to keep on being a success and out there, just like anywhere else, there is a lot of pressure to remain on top. Talent is only a starting point in business. You’ve got to keep working that talent. (Irving Berlin). Stephen King also asserts that what separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. Maxwell even provides 3 steps, which I will definitely take into consideration:
1. discover your strengths and work on them.
2. Develop the talent that you have and not the one you want
3. Make choices that will add value to the talent
The key choices you make, apart from the natural talent that you have will set you apart from others who have talent alone. So already I am retracing a lot of things that I have done wrong in a bid to be successful, as I have realized that I have neglected a lot of things that could make me stand out and make the most out of my talent. Talent is a given, but you must earn success!
When someone is pursuing their dream they will go far beyond what seems to be their limitations. The potential that exists within us is limitless and largely untapped. When you think of limits you create them. ( Robert J. Kriegel and Louis Patler). Having confidence in what you are doing gives you the power to achieve it. So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable! (Christopher Reeve).
And believe it or not I am still in the first chapter of the book! Yoh!
This ain't no joke!
I have just watched probably one of the best stand up comedy shows ever by Steve Harvey. This is the live show at the Megafest. I am a fan of stand up comedy and I was obviously expecting the usual Steve’s show. But I tell you what I saw was totally different. It started off as normal, so hilarious! But we were already 45 minutes into the show and he had not even said a single swear word. Not that that was what I was hoping for, but its like his signature and it just wasn’t there.
Anyway, so I could not help but notice how huge the auditorium that he was performing in was and all to watch one person crack a few jokes for about an hour. Like he read my mind he mentions in passing that there were 16 000 people in that auditorium who had all paid $50 each! Yoh!!! You do the maths! This show was different though as he kept mentioning that he has been at it, the comedy I mean, for about 20 years and had to give all credit to God. He also mentions that he has been blessed tremendously and highlights in one of his jokes that one should not be ashamed to have money and to move on up in lif e, because people should be able to tell just by looking that you have been blessed. He also said that when you are blessed do not assume that your friends should come along with you. You have to cut off some friends or else they will drag you down.
So the jokes go on and all of a sudden he goes all serious and thanks God for all the blessings, highlighting that the journey has not been easy. He talks of how the celebrity life has not been all glamorous at all as people are always after something when they know you have money. But of all the things that he did, he introduced JESUS CHRIST saying that he has hosted many shows, introduced many great people but if there was one person that he would want to introduce, it would be Jesus Christ. I was like HUH! And at the same time I thought, if an artist of his caliber could take such a stance, now that is really something. I mean here he was, over 16 000 people watching him and he takes the opportunity to declare his love for God. You have no idea what that did to me. During his show, he mentioned a sad reality. Many pastors and people of God often portray this image that they are perfect and it takes a lot for the ordinary person to get to that stage. Steve then highlights that if only pastors could show the true side of life, the reality that they are just as human as all of us, it would make us relate to them better and as a result, we would reform quicker.
That is what this show did to me. I look at Steve Harvey and I see an ordinary artist, making a living by telling jokes. And we find them funny because they are situations that we can all relate to. And the dirtier they are, the funnier he seems to be. But here he was declaring that he is a child of God and even cried after his introduction of Jesus Christ, which was received by a standing ovation. To me that was a declaration and one that I would easily also declare, because I can relate to Steve, and if he can do it, then I sure can. If artists only knew the power that they have to transform and change the world, this would definitely be a better place.
Anyway, so I could not help but notice how huge the auditorium that he was performing in was and all to watch one person crack a few jokes for about an hour. Like he read my mind he mentions in passing that there were 16 000 people in that auditorium who had all paid $50 each! Yoh!!! You do the maths! This show was different though as he kept mentioning that he has been at it, the comedy I mean, for about 20 years and had to give all credit to God. He also mentions that he has been blessed tremendously and highlights in one of his jokes that one should not be ashamed to have money and to move on up in lif e, because people should be able to tell just by looking that you have been blessed. He also said that when you are blessed do not assume that your friends should come along with you. You have to cut off some friends or else they will drag you down.
So the jokes go on and all of a sudden he goes all serious and thanks God for all the blessings, highlighting that the journey has not been easy. He talks of how the celebrity life has not been all glamorous at all as people are always after something when they know you have money. But of all the things that he did, he introduced JESUS CHRIST saying that he has hosted many shows, introduced many great people but if there was one person that he would want to introduce, it would be Jesus Christ. I was like HUH! And at the same time I thought, if an artist of his caliber could take such a stance, now that is really something. I mean here he was, over 16 000 people watching him and he takes the opportunity to declare his love for God. You have no idea what that did to me. During his show, he mentioned a sad reality. Many pastors and people of God often portray this image that they are perfect and it takes a lot for the ordinary person to get to that stage. Steve then highlights that if only pastors could show the true side of life, the reality that they are just as human as all of us, it would make us relate to them better and as a result, we would reform quicker.
That is what this show did to me. I look at Steve Harvey and I see an ordinary artist, making a living by telling jokes. And we find them funny because they are situations that we can all relate to. And the dirtier they are, the funnier he seems to be. But here he was declaring that he is a child of God and even cried after his introduction of Jesus Christ, which was received by a standing ovation. To me that was a declaration and one that I would easily also declare, because I can relate to Steve, and if he can do it, then I sure can. If artists only knew the power that they have to transform and change the world, this would definitely be a better place.
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