I recently wrote an article on the desperate need in our society for Leadership Fit leaders. Read here.

This is a portion of that article, just to help you with a “check list” to keep you on track.

As you go through this list of a Leadership Fit person and how to improve in that fitness, consider these 3 questions:

1. Am I Leadership Fit?
2. Am I doing the necessary to remain and even become more Leadership Fit, because the Leadership Fitness required today may differ from what is required next year? It sure is different today from before the arrival of COVID19.
3. Am I doing what’s required to assist the leaders under me to be, remain and become more Leadership Fit?

My view of what someone that’s perfectly suited for the role or task of leadership – generally speaking – looks like:

1. He or she wants that leadership role (formal position or not) for the right reasons and wants to be a great leader.
2. He or she knows them self deeply. Said another way, they can define their Best Self and consciously strive to be that person. We can even refer to this as being “Character Fit”.
3. He or she is able to consistently move people and situations successfully in a positive direction (positive performance). The situation might be to move a department or company towards a specific vision or goals, and that happens, because they seem to make the right decisions more often and more consistently than not. And to do that he or she moves people and manages their attitudes.
4. He or she thinks seamlessly. In other words, no boundaries, believing the impossible is doable, positively processing barriers to any positive movement.

So how does such an individual remain leadership fit or even improve their fitness? Here are suggestions – my own combined with input from other wise individuals:

1. By doing regular activities that keeps the desire of wanting to be in that position growing. In fact doing what is necessary to fall in love with leadership; to become passionate about the leadership role as they perhaps were initially about their technical role.

• • Reading about leadership,
  • watching videos and listening to conversations with leaders,
  • consciously looking out for leadership situations,
  • consciously watching and learning from good and bad leaders around them,
  • participating in forums,
  • Becoming a passionate and consistent student of leadership and life.

2. By following daily practices that help them discover and remain connected to their Best Self, their deepest Character. Never taking for granted that they will always remember and be that person. Sensing that their worst self is always under the surface. Activities could include:

• • Daily Prayer
  • Daily meditation
  • Daily uplifting reading and studying
  • Daily planning
  • Daily or regular deep and honest reflection, which could be in the form of a journal
  • Keeping a gratitude journal – finding ways to be grateful
  • Taking time out in nature to think and enlarge personal perspective
  • Seeking to understand spiritual truths
  • Physical exercise
  • Discovering and following a purpose, and so on.

3. By working hard on becoming a master at creating positive movement. This could mean developing the skills needed to become confident in several areas, which include at least these three:

• • Motivating, inspiring people and teams – they know ultimately people have to move situations
  • Giving quality direction – by understanding as best they can the industry, product, service
  • Managing structure – resources, systems, processes, finances – well and where possible appoint people who can.  In other words ensure the managerial component of leadership is intact. 

4. By always setting their sites higher and never settling for mediocrity.

• • They keep aiming higher, further and bigger
  • There is always a larger goal and vision
  • They refuse to believe something can’t be done
  • They work on their faith, that belief that there is a higher purpose and that the human being is capable of the impossible
  • Cultivating a positive outlook towards barriers, problems, challenges, resistance

We have taken years to build a “Virtual Leadership Fitness Club” known as “ThinkLead”. Join us.

Contact us on: info@thinklead.co.za

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