My perspective on leadership is somewhat different from most. Anyone can yell orders or coerce others into doing what they want through a variety of strategies. But there is one way that will lead you straight into people’s hearts forever, and it’s not for the weak of stomach.
It’s leading with a servant’s heart. That means putting yourself out there and taking care of those you are leading. There are so many examples of it in literature, from the story of Jesus washing feet, to Mother Theresa, to the Dalai Lama.
Showing up and doing the hard stuff. Digging the trenches, feeding the hungry, and leading by example. It’s about actually doing the work and showing people you’re actually doing the work.
I always get a giggle out of the “people in the online world”, as I call them, who talk about making a seven-figure income in three years or whatever, as a marketing technique. Some of them really know what they’re doing and truly have made that kind of money.
So many others are little more than a weird sort of pyramid scheme. They’ve been trained to follow certain sales and marketing techniques and to use certain phrases when selling to get people to buy their overpriced coaching services – which they are (naturally) selling to other coaches who want to live the life and the dream.
Unfortunately for them, it seems recently that people are wising up to this whole scheme, and fewer people are spending wild amounts of money on unproven and untrained “coaches” who have little experience with business, and who claim all of the problems you’re having in your business are “mindset issues”.
Now, don’t misunderstand me — there are a lot of very competent and ethical coaches out there.
Mindset is important to your business, but it’s not “everything”. And I don’t believe that the universe is going to magically send you money just because you’re in the right mindset or because you “invested in yourself”.
You have to pay attention to who you are investing your money in, and how much you’re investing. It has to make real financial sense, and you need to take the time to analyze your business model to make sure that the numbers really do hold.
So, rather than mindlessly following or hiring someone because they have excellent marketing, look instead for someone who is a real servant, who has the heart to lead, who believes in service. Make sure that you’re hiring and following the right kinds of leaders in your life.
Meet the Author: Haley Lynn Gray
Haley helps female entrepreneurs create a strategy plan for their businesses – so they can make enough money to spend quality time with their family, pay for their children’s dance lessons, pay bills – and not worry about where the next client is coming from.
Haley is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Leadership Girl. She helps other entrepreneurs build their businesses by sharing the benefits of her business education and experience through Business Coaching.
Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or expand an existing business, Haley can assist you.
Connect with Haley:
- Work with Haley: https://leadershipgirl.com/work-with-haley/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Leadershipgirl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleygray
