Leadership and Business Growth

Last week I had one of my followers on the Gram tell me I was an idiot on a post I made about citing Adolf Hitler’s strong leadership skills. 

He went on to tell me how Hitler was a horrible person so couldn’t be a good leader. Stating that he didn’t get any electoral votes citing government beauracity and positional authority.

While I agree with his facts on the lack of democracy. I also agree that clearly, Hiter was a HORRIBLE person.

But he missed the point on what leadership actually is. 

Yes, Hitler was a HORRIBLE person but a great leader.

Leadership is influence. 

Nothing more or less.

If you have influence, you have leadership.

And clearly he had it.

Taking it a step deeper into the rabbit hole..

Leadership is actually neutral. 

It is just a tool that can be used for the good and bad.

So my message today is to arm yourself with leadership skills. 

And then use them for good to HELP and NOT hurt others!

The 5 C’s of the leadership framework is Consistency. 

As its essence, Consistency is trust. 

And without trust, a leader is ineffective and the team & mission break down.

The cold hard truth. So if you want to separate yourself, begin cleaning up your consistency.

• Email on a schedule.
• Meet on a schedule
• Work out on a schedule.

Consistency is both predictability & trust which is a great thing when you lead!

So my message today is to clean up your consistency and level up your leadership.

Communication is the 4th C in effective leadership. 

From Kennedy to Hitler (yes he was a horrible person but great leader), to Martin Luther King Jr., great leadership requires strong communication. In fact, you cannot show me a strong leader without this ability. 

This is especially true in today’s technological age. As there are many modalities to master.

From 1-1 meetings, weekly L10’s, boardroom presentations, broadcast emails, live videos on social media, Zoom presentations, and speaking on stage to hundreds, or thousands of people…

There are many ways to communicate.  

Which also means there are many opportunities to improve this critical skill which will add to your leadership ability.

Connection is the next C in the 5 step framework of leadership.

Why?

Leadership is about being able to build deep connections with others. Otherwise known as relationships.

In fact, in order to acquire leadership capital with your following, you have to build strong relationships. 

There’s no other way.

As without deep connection, it’s an uphill battle to lead.

The secret?

You must inherently like people.

Such a basic concept, but mission critical in your leadership.

If you do, you have an incredible advantage as building connections becomes much easier.

As when you do create connections, you increase your influence and can lead at a higher level.

Connection is the next C in the 5 step framework of leadership.

Why?

Leadership is about being able to build deep connections with others. Otherwise known as relationships.

In fact, in order to acquire leadership capital with your following, you have to build strong relationships. 

There’s no other way.

As without deep connection, it’s an uphill battle to lead.

The secret?

You must inherently like people.

Such a basic concept, but mission critical in your leadership.

If you do, you have an incredible advantage as building connections becomes much easier.

As when you do create connections, you increase your influence and can lead at a higher level.

Taking a step back..

Leadership is about being vulnerable. It’s about going against the grain. 

In fact, many times leadership requires you to put your neck on the line to direct change.

This is a fundamental aspect of leadership.

In order to do this… you need courage.

WHY?

Humans are wired to avoid conflict. That’s a fundamental truth of human nature and how our species evolved. 

And yes, there are many advantages to this wiring.

But many disadvantages as well, specifically when it comes to leading positive change.

So in order to lead, you have to have the guts to push forward in the face of resistance. To put your neck on the line for the betterment of your team and clients. Even if it’s the “unpopular” thing to do at the moment. 

A strong leader has to choose progress over popularity.

And COURAGE is the main ingredient in this formula to success.

This is the bottom line.

My friend, I wish there was a softer and easier way. 

But there’s not.

The good news?

Courage is a muscle that can be developed. 

The more you flex it, the stronger your courage becomes.

My message today?

If you want to level up your leadership, you have to level up your COURAGE. 

So keep flexing your courage muscle, you will develop more of it, and be well on your way to being the leader our community needs.

The first C of leadership is Clarity. 

As the leader, clarity inward for yourself and clarity outward for your team & organization is the first step. 

As without a clear target to pursue, friction and underperformance will set in any organization. 

Thus, as a leader, you must take time to reflect, and go inward often, so you have an understanding of where you are. And most importantly, to get clear on where you want to go.

This is the foundational point of your leadership, as it starts with you getting crystal clear on the vision..

And as the old adage says:  “without vision, the people will perish”.

This is very true and starts with you.

My question for you?

• Does your team know your company goals for the year? 
• Are they dialed on your rocks? 
• Are they aware of your target number of members? 
• Is there clarity of roles within your accountability chart?
• Are they focused in on the big goals you have for your clients and business?

Your action step?

It’s time to create clarity for yourself and your team.

In the coming weeks, we will compound on this to sharpen your leadership. Next week we will discuss the 2nd C which is Courage!

Advice to my former self:

Rewind the clock to November 5, 2012, the day Tatiana & I launched our first Fit Body location, I would have told myself to invest & focus on developing my leadership skills. 

As leadership (more than fitness/nutrition coaching) has been the biggest mover in growing my team and membership base. This is the same for our locations’ businesses as well. 

Consequently and in the 10 years of study, I have developed my own leadership framework which I call the 5 C’s. 

I list the 5 C’s below and over the coming weeks, will unpack them. For now, here is your high-level insight and I hope you are looking forward to the 5 weeks ahead!

The 5 C’s of Leadership 

1. Clarity 
2. Courage 
3. Connection 
4. Communication 
5. Consistency

Simply put, to get people to do what they need to do to support the mission and team.

As when the team wins, everyone wins.

Simple but true.

My question for you..

Are you working towards getting people to support the mission and team?

If so, you are leading..

If not, get to it.

One of the most important but underutilized elements of leadership.

Meaning leaders create & support small teams of leaders who have the autonomy to make decisions to move the mission forward.

As even the best leaders can only truly invest their time and knowledge into a handful of people. 

These people then lead their downline.

This is why its mission is critical to develop a team of leaders and not only followers.

As with a team of only followers, an organization cannot be truly transformational.

True execution happens when you decentralize command and empower others to lead.