Intelligent leaders are intelligent followers
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Loading ...I’m reading Think and Grow Rich (again). He makes an interesting point on leadership.
To be an intelligent leader you first need to be an intelligent follower.
This means you can learn everything you need from your mentors. This is so true.
I have found the private coaching clients I have who take massive action on what I tell them to do, and have faith – are the ones who quickly become leaders themselves.
So my question to you? Are you intelligently choosing the best mentors? When you have found the right person or people to learn from, are you intelligently learning and applying what they teach?
Or are you choosing mentors and then ignore their guidance, trying to reinvent the wheel anyway?
Do you do this? If so, do you find yourself months down the track no further ahead than you were before, complaining that the mentors you chose to learn from have let you down?
This is not intelligent following and does not lead to intelligent leadership.
Through Wonderful Web Women, my goal is to help you find the perfect mentor for whatever stage you are at in business right now. That mentor may be me or it may be one of the incredible women I interview. Or it may be a combination. It doesn’t really matter.
What DOES matter is that when you do find the mentor (or leader) that you resonate with, that you follow them intelligently.
This is the first step to becoming an intelligent leader yourself. As Napoleon Hill states “Most great leaders began in the capacity of followers. They became great leaders because they were INTELLIGENT FOLLOWERS. With few exceptions, the (wo)man who cannot follow a leader intelligently, cannot become an efficient leader.”
Who Has Inspired You?
I’m interested to hear who you have found as a mentor and how you have applied what they have taught you. I have had numerous mentors throughout my career and have many wonderful mentors at the moment. I choose them carefully and then take action on what they teach me until I raise myself to the level as their peer.
I am always very grateful for their leadership and for showing me the path so I can then walk beside them.
So tell me. Who has inspired you as a leader and mentor? Most importantly, how have you intelligently learned from them so that you can become a leader to others?
I’d love to hear your comments here.
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Maria Andros and Frank Kern have had the most impact on my career this year. I can totally relate to what you said Janet about learning strategies from your mentors till you get to a level where they become your peers. These two people have made that a reality for me in the last 6 mths.
If you want to know more about how Maria Andros has changed my life and the strategies that she has taught me visit my website:
http://www.emotivemarketingqueen.com/mariaandros
Watch my video as i show her strategies and knowledge in
Branding
Becoming a Leader in your Market
Positioning
And Connecting and building relationships using the power of Social Media can take your business to the next level in a very, very, very short period of time.
Thanks Janet. I have also learnt much from you and enjoyed watching you help other women strive to be the best that they can be and aspire to achieve their own personal goals.
Thank you for sharing this article.
Brilliant.
Cheers
Pam Brossman
Emotive Marketing Queen
http://www.emotivemarketingqueen.com
Hi Janet,
Interesting article and Napoleon Hill’s first statement above is so true. The guidance of leaders results saving time and minimizing mistakes. There a few social entrepreneurs who I can ask questions and others whom I would like to follow but unfortunately currently are beyond my budget.
For me the most recent inspirational leader is Lance Armstrong, his mindset is amazing, his has the ability to make strategic discussion and inspire a team to achieve their objectives.
Rgds,
Mark
I suppose when I think of “life changers” as leaders I would say Brad Sugars and Mal Emery have done that in my business life. However I knew something was missing and was really looking for a woman leader in biz. That use to be my frustration.
The turning point came when I asked Ali Brown (Ezine Queen) about it last year. She had the same issue. A successful women mentor/leader that she could look to for guidance and inspiration!
Here’s what she said:- “If you can’t find that person, be the person you are looking for” So I did.
And she has turned up in the most amazing mentors around me. My network of really strong successful female business role models is incredible NOW. Women I can genuinely call for guidance and inspiration. So pardon me for name dropping but here they are:
Carolyn Dufton, Jane Jordon, Belinda Jackson, Lynn Crow, Stacey Barr, Valerie Khoo, Ankya Klay, Zoe Routh and you my dear Janet Beckers. The diplomat guide in my life.
I think I might go re read “Think & Grow Rich” again too!
regards, Sharon Tieman. aka Madame Marketing.
P.S. if my gravatar shows up its a dam miracle.
Hi Janet,
My husband, daughter and I all went to Andrew and Daryl’s Internet Secrets 4 days in Brisbane at the end of March, this year. By the 2nd day we were so inspired that the 3 of us formed a company to pool our knowledge and resources – which included joining Internet Secrets. So Andrew and Daryl, Yaro Starak, yourself and other associated members have become our mentors. I have also joined your free membership and read your suggestions with interest, plus listen to some of the interviews. Since attending Internet Secrets we’ve set up 3 websites
http://www.eastwestwisdoms.com
http://www.naturalhorsetherapies.com and
http://www.creativeinteractions.com.au.
I write a regular blog for my website – eastwestwisdoms – and I’ve collected 10 interviews to entice people to join my list – but we haven’t yet got any products to sell. My daughter has 3 ebooks to sell and my husband is setting up his photographic website and doing all the I.T. work for the 3 of us. So we seem to be working hard, and following you guys as our mentors, but we haven’t yet got to earning the money! Here’s learning and hoping… Jacqui
Thanks for these great comments. Pam, you’ve done exactly what the article says – you’ve followed with faith and intelligence and got results. And congrats Jacqui as it seems you are your family are doing the same thing. Some people pay for mentoring programs and just consume the info. You have actually taken the next step and taken action. Congrats to you!
Mark. Lance Armstrong! What an incredible man and you’re right – His mindset is something to study and model. Thanks for recommending him.
And gorgeous Sharon. It always makes me laugh how you call me the diplomat of our group
So true though, that we can actually become the mentor we need and if you can’t find the person you need in one place, look around you as you may very well have a composite from all the inspiring people you have already in your network.
Keep it coming……..what other leaders have you modelled and got inspiration from?
Wow I love this article and could spend a whole month talking about this -I agree with Sharon – be the woman leader you are waiting to find!
Next, surround yourself with peers that inspire you – I’ve got mine in SAGE (Stellar Aussie Goddess Entrepreneurs) – in Valerie Khoo, Janet Beckers you dynamo, Sharon Tieman, Stacey Barr, Ankya Klay, Belinda Jackson
Also – we can learn something from the Americans here ladies – once you evolve a level, turn around and lend a hand to the women coming along behind you – help another woman upwards!
Inspiring leaders for me:
Lance Armstrong – he kicked cancer’s butt!
Roger Federer – persistence, dedication, commitment, and ability to show disappointment in front of millions
Ali Brown – continual evolving and stepping out on a limb
Agi De Simone – colleague who inspires and is totally real
Rob Routh – my husband, whose simple philosophy of ‘just be happy’ keeps ME real!
Zoe
One person who springs to mind that has influenced my business decisions is a friend who I used to work with when I was making a database for a Kidz Klub run by my local church.
He wasn’t my ‘boss’ as such but he’s so wise that I go to him when I’ve got things to decide. Having watched him lead his own life and business I know that he’s honorable, sensible and considerate but has got a good head for business. Having asked him if I can have 15 minutes of his time, he’ll tell me honestly if he’s too busy at that time and will diary me in asap. He doesn’t ‘tell me what to do’ rather he listens to the whole story, considers his response, then tells me what he thinks about it all.
This kind of friendship is invaluable as you know you’re not necessarily going to get told what you perhaphs might want to hear, you’re going to get great, sound advice, born out of years of experience.
Out of this advice my company was born http://www.SarahsFleeces.co.uk and I aim to be the same kind of leader as my friend.
That is such a great story Sarah. So many times we think of famous people as leaders but more oftne than not it is someone present in your life in the day to day things that has the greatest influence.
When I was nominated to be listed in Who’s Who of Women in Australia I was asked to list who is my most influential teacher. I thought of so many but then you know who I identified as being the most influential teacher in my life?
My Mum!
I’m sure you will be a great leader sarah and you have someone very real to model.
Cheers
Janet
I liked this piece. I have been blessed with so many inspiring women in my life. I have great spiritual mentors in Ana Rabia Chisiti and Tanznim Fernandez. They teach me kindness, discipline and they allow me to feel seen.
I have been growing my EFT practise for a year now, but I haven’t found a business mentor yet. I love “Think and Grow Rich” . Despite the dated language with regard to gender and race, I love the philospy and how straight forward it is. I am sick an tired of not thriving, so I am willing to try anything that doesn’t trigger my scamdar.
I even signed up as an afiliate for a company giving away copies of the book for free, so that I could make a good effort to get it in the hands of as many women as possible.
Anyone interested in either the book or being an affiliate to get it out can go to my link at
http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/LakshmiSmiles
Practising thoughts to retrain my brain,
Boye