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“The lion is king because of one simple word; Attitude!” – Myles Munroe

When you see yourself as a leader, you become a leader. This statement may sound overly simplified but as any true leader has discovered, there is a great deal of growth and development before one may see themselves as a true leader! As leadership is birthed, developed and exercised, the growing leader will experience the confidence of a lion to lead others with strength and humility.

Leadership is Crucial

“Everything rises and falls on leadership.” – John C. Maxwell

It is crucial for true leaders to rise up and lead. The saying is true that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. When true leaders influence the world, it becomes a better place. This idea is better understood by discovering the nature of a true leader.

True Leadership

A true leader has discovered their reason for existing on this planet. Innate influence causes a person to lead others when they discover their purpose. This births the leadership attitude which causes others to follow their lead!

“Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less!” – John C. Maxwell

Purpose and Leadership

“What changes a follower into a leader is a change in attitude.” – Myles Munroe

Nothing changes a person’s attitude more than finding their true purpose.

A person who discovers their purpose becomes a contagious leader. Purpose becomes the driving force, leading to greater inspiration for leadership. Inspiration is the most pure form of influence found in a leader’s repertoire for leading others!

“Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, generated by a passion, motivated by a vision, birthed from a conviction, produced by a purpose.” – Myles Munroe

The following steps are derived from Myles Munroe’s definition of leadership.

To increase your leadership you must turn Myles Munroe’s definition upside-down:

1. Discover your purpose

Your purpose is your reason for being on the planet. It is your assigned destiny! We all posses talents, desires, personalities, etc. that cause us to excel in a particular field or endeavor. This is a signpost to our purpose. We are all born to fill a profound purpose!

2. Grow your conviction

Believing in your purpose is essential for following a path to your destiny. Each human has an obligation to humanity to add value to this planet before they die. We all have brilliance stored within waiting to be discovered. Conviction needs to fulfill purpose!

3. Receive your vision

Our life’s vision is a picture of how this world will be a better place because we have impacted it during and after our lifetime. Dreams and desires lead to a sense of our purpose in pictures. As we see our unique purpose it can become a lived out reality!

4. Passion is produced

A life vision infuses us with a passion to energize our efforts and enthuse others to follow our goals.  Passion is revealed in a life that has discovered something to die for. A significant cause, related to potential breeds passion within us and those we lead!

5. Inspire others

When people view living passion their desire to live for more is awakened. This causes followers to move towards the one with an intense passion. When individuals experience your commitment they galvanize as teams under the life vision you live and express.

6. Influence others

Influence speaks to the core desires of humanity.  Significance, truth and acceptance are three core desires of humanity. When a person finds their purpose, others are attracted to the energy lived in a dream. Without influence, a leader must resort to manipulation.

Press into Purpose

Leadership is increased as we discover and press into our purpose for living. A business leader discovers their “gift” and learns to serve it to the world through the platform of a business (or group of businesses). A ministry leader discovers their “gift” and learns to serve it to the world through the platform of a ministry (or group of ministries). Politicians, educators, etc. are similar.

What is your greatest gift?

Your gift may not have fully emerged but you will have desires in a general direction. As we refine our desires and gifts to sharpen our focus upon our true purpose, we discover a clearer picture of our leadership purpose in life.

Your leadership is a key to your prominence on this planet!

Every person has a key to influencing the world. I believe the old saying is true, “Everyone has 5 minutes of fame!” Some have lifetime influence as they discover their purpose and serve it!

Purpose Activity

List 3 of your favorite things to do. Design a business or ministry plan around one of these. As you embrace the planning stages for this new venture you will begin to tap into your purpose.

By designing a number of ventures you will breathe life into your purpose. Find the venture that promises the highest return of significance (in your perception). This is a part of your purpose. Actively pursue this venture and you will begin to really lead!

Who needs it?

• If you are running a business it acts like a map and a compass for your business who guides you through all the ways. Unless you want to travel blind you do require a proper plan to take your steps forward.
• If you are applying for any business loan then banks ask for the business plans as it is considered to be a summary of your business.
• For any business investments plan is required to track the records of market, technology and other factors to define and explain the business.
• If you are working with partners, it defines partner’s agreement among them
• It is used in communication with the management team and to further discuss future opportunities.
• It sets value for your business. It is a layman of what your business has to achieve in certain period of time.

You can’t keep your business plan in your head hence you need a written format to track all the cash flow, work of the employees, and other business on-goings for which business plans are supposed to be maintained. Making a plan for your businesses is much easier and much more valuable than you think

When you need a plan?

Preparing a plan can be long and daunting task but if you are about to start your own business it will give you the blueprint of the whole scenario to be faced and to be worked on further.

Why you need plan?

It is an entry level requirement for acquiring money for your business, get money from the investors or to get bank loans. If you have a complete picture of the business in your head, investors and bankers will be more able to understand and relate to your thoughts.
What to write?

• Company profile
• Aim of setting up your business
• Executive Summary
• Competitive analysis
• Marketing strategy
• Financial statements
• Future goals
• Appendices with any additional information required to be mentioned

Advantages of making a plan:

• It helps your staff to focus more on key objectives
• Gives a common purpose to your business
• It can be used to manage the overall performance of your business
• During crises it helps you to mange more systematically
• It helps in accessing internal ideas to grow more

Make realistic business plans that will guide your way to the success. The plan can be changed with changing goals and market conditions. A little planning can take you a long way sometimes realizing even unrealistic dreams.

by Concord Business

Concord helps you realize unrealistic dreams with realistic Business plans for your businesses high growth.

Fundraising vs. Donation Solicitation

Fundraiser events are organized by various groups and kinds of people and organizations – from multimillion companies to small non-profit organizations, from ordinary individuals to people of power and influence. The idea here is that the revenue gained from the fundraising event will not be used for personal gain. So why are fundraiser events more preferred than donation solicitation? Many view donation solicitation as too aggressive. Also, contrary to what many may think, donation solicitation will take too much time and effort. A fundraising event is a one-time event. Soliciting donations, on the other hand, is a continuous process. Besides, how many donations will an organization need to receive in order to collect sufficient funds?

Fundraising – A Mutual Benefit

The advantage of fundraising events is the exchange for the monetary support donors will give. The donors do not simply give their money to the fundraising event – they give it because they are expecting something in return. And what they will get depends on what type of fundraiser event an organization or individual plans to hold.

For example, a popular fundraising event idea is the car wash fundraiser. People will give money to the fundraisers and in turn, the fundraisers will wash the car of the donors. Other popular fundraising events include benefit dinners, benefit concerts, bake sales, auctions, and benefit sporting competitions. In all of these endeavors, the fundraisers provide something for the money they will receive. A popular form of fundraising done today is the televised fundraiser, where celebrities encourage viewers to phone in their donation pledges. Those who phoned in will then deposit their pledges in designated bank accounts.

Making Profit

Of course, the services or products given at fundraising events are more expensive if compared to their normal prices. This is expected and acceptable – after all, fundraiser events are held with the purpose to gain revenue in mind. Generally, fundraising events are not the best place to look for a bargain, although there are some exceptions, such as when the fundraising event is an auction or a bargain sale.

Imagination – the Key to Fundraising Success

Forming the fundraising activity into an event not only dramatically increases the revenue. It can also spread awareness and interest, which are both important if the fundraising event is done for a sports team or for a particular advocacy. Hence, many do not consider pre-order fundraising as a fundraising event, since it is merely an activity which is done to collect funds and not an actual event. Holding a fundraising event is definitely more exciting and more dynamic, and can obviously attract more supporters and donors. Door-to-door fundraisers may be effective, but it is bland and lifeless. Fundraising events inject life to charity.

So use your imagination! Be creative and different. Stand out from the crowd and turn heads with your fundraising event. And as long as you remember to stay organized and to have fun, success should be at your fingertips.

by Jessi McCafferty

Jessi McCafferty writes about fundraising and recommends the friendly folks over at http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/ as a great resource for accurate information and profitable great fundraising ideas. Easy Fundraising Ideas is the fastest growing internet based fundraising company in the country. With their legendary service and help, they make you the hero! Check out Easy Fundraising Ideas today!

We all need motivation to begin, and to begin is to win. As Jim Ryun puts it, “motivation is what gets you started; habit is what keeps you going.” You can never form the habit of doing anything which you are not motivated to do in the first place. So motivation is the ignition key that awakens the engine in you. Once that engine starts running, it never stops except by your permission.

The great challenge is that a lot of us find it difficult to get started. We are so secured in our comfort zone; not willing to take a risk or face any hazard. T.S. Elliot said, “Only those who risk going too far can possible find out how far they can go.” You never know what you can do until you try. As Zig Ziglar said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started”. Life is a daring adventure and it takes daring people who are internally motivated to move out and achieve great success.

A motivational leader is someone who is internally motivated not only to motivate himself but takes it as a responsibility to motivate others. As a manager, supervisor, and CEO of an organization, you are a motivational leader and your employee’s motivation should be your utmost concern and responsibility. But you must first be motivated in other to achieve that great objective of motivating them.

As a motivational leader, your starting point to motivational leadership is to begin seeing yourself as a role model, seeing yourself as an example to others. See yourself as a person who sets the standard that others follow. Many business managers, entrepreneurs, and CEOs are not aware of the effects that motivation can have on their business, and it is therefore important they learn and understand the factors that determine positive motivation in the workplace. Lee Lacocca said, “Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can’t be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people”. Therefore, as a leader, you should understand that the influence you have on your sub-ordinates help boost their morale in putting their best at work.

A healthy leader motivates rather than demotivate. They always seek to focus on achieving their organization’s primary mission by raising the energy and momentum of their followers to work towards achieving the same goal. The question is: what are those qualities that motivational leaders possess that enables them to increase the energy of their people in boosting productivity at work? Let us examine a few of such qualities:

They know the personality of their Team: As Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motors once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success”. Motivational leaders at workplace are really amazing in the sense that they understand the personality of their team members that helps “keep together” as a team in achieving sustainable progress. Research has shown that employees respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives at workplace. And majority of them value relationships and respond to an open, social atmosphere to be able to work well. As a motivational leader, you are the initiator and your people looks up to you to nurture the atmosphere of good working relationships.

Set the Example: Motivational leaders recognize that their positive lifestyle is a source of motivation to those they are leading. For this reason, they strive to set an exemplary lifestyle that others emulate. They know that their actions are closed examined by those they lead and one wrong signal from them could lead to loss of their credibility.

Communicate vision for the future: It has been said that vision is the crystal clear mental picture of a desirable future we hope to see. In other words, your vision is your future. As a motivational leader, your followers will follow you to the degree you guide to the desirable future. No one wants to follow a blind leader who cannot see beyond his environment. And followers are disposed to knowing when you are incapable of leading them when they begin to feel the uneasiness of being in one spot with no future in view.

Empower others to lead: As a motivational leader, your commitment to developing leaders will insure ongoing growth to the organization and to people. Realizing that people are your most valuable asset, and that providing the opportunity for their growth to becoming effective leaders is not an option but a necessity, should be a top priority in your agenda as a motivational leader.

Look beyond the followers’ weaknesses: Throughout life, we acquire abilities and skills that help us to reach our goals and fulfill our purpose in life. We also have underdeveloped areas or weaknesses that need improvement. A motivational leader does not reprimand his followers when they fall short in their ability but rather encourage and sharpen them to braze up in their area of weaknesses. As a leader, he helps position them to play to their strength so they can achieve more and better themselves.

Reward and Appreciate Accomplishments: The motivational leaders understand that to keep the employees motivated, they need to be appreciated and rewarded for good behavior and for tasks well performed. Things like thank you “John” for carrying the assignment well or sending a short message through email or better still pasting on the notice board the outstanding employee of the month is highly recommended to push the employees’ productivity.

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> Ten (10) C’s of Personal Power.
> Unleashing Your Potential.
http://www.elvisukpaka.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=50

Click the link below to download my FREE latest e-Book titled: “The Motivational Devotion” A 365 days inspirational quotes to keep you motivated all year round.

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You may also want to join “Elvis Leadership Forum” on Facebook, (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=261942700222) where we discuss interesting topics on Leadership Like:

• What is Leadership?
• Is it better to Lead than to manage?
• Are Leaders Born or Made?
• Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower?

by Elvis Ukpaka

Elvis is a leadership expert. To gain access to more of Elvis’ tested wisdom and insight, on how to achieve peak performance – and leadership – that gets the NEEDED results, go to http://www.elvisukpaka.com, to signup for his Peak Performance Leadership Newsletter. You can reach Elvis directly via Email: elvis@elvisukpaka.com or Phone:234-802-367-1070

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Hunger: every 6 seconds a child dies from hunger. If you’re reading this, you can make a difference. Take action: https://www.wfp.org/donate/1billion

You can see where your donations will land on this map [PDF].

Today, a growing number of citizens are discovering the benefits of living off-grid, without any “modern” utilities, by using innovations in wind, solar, and other eco-friendly forms of energy! These people never have to worry about paying for a utility bill, drinking chemical-laden tap water, or the soaring gasoline prices! They have learned how to use age-old techniques and modern technologies to create a pleasant, comfortable lifestyle. Every modern comfort of life, such as air conditioning, lights, and transportation are still used on a daily basis.

Those who enjoy off-grid living today are never affected by high gas prices, because they produce their own fuel! They never worry about a malfunction at the local electric company, downed power lines, or a high electric bill that they simply cannot afford to pay. They have no concern for the cold of winter, for they remain warm and toasty in their homes with free energy!

Many individuals dream of living off-grid, but can’t afford to do so. In reality, setting up your home for off-grid living is much less expensive than paying monthly bills. Some individuals choose to transform their homes into totally self-sufficient dwellings as a gradual process, while others do all of the modifications all at once.

I built my own solar panels and a wind generator and saved well over $30,000. I get a cheque from the power company because I produce more energy than I use. If you’d like to learn how you can do the same check out Off Grid Living.

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In this video animation, Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.

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The Wealth Dynamics Profiling system provides clarity on your path of least resistance to wealth creation.

Through a profiling test it identifies your specific path to wealth. Wealth Dynamics is an evolution of Jungian psychometric testing into specific action & thinking dynamics that relates to entrepreneurs. It goes back to the roots of personality profiling in Chinese philosophy, which precedes Western psychometric testing by 2,500 years.

Rather than just being a profiling report and list of soft recommendations, Wealth Dynamics provides an intuitive system which equips an entrepreneur with:

1. Clarity on the path of least resistance to success.
2. One of eight paths with a list of identifiable role models & biographies.
3. A six-step process to building the right team and focusing on the right activity.
4. Links to the growth stages in business, giving clarity on leadership succession.
5. Links to country, industry and lifestyle trends, giving clarity on when winning formulas become losing formulas.

What is the ONE best action to accelerate YOUR wealth creation today?

“We all have different strengths and ambitions. We are all at different levels of growth and expertise. With all the conflicting advice we receive every day, how do you know what is the right next step for you today?”

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