This is the 9th of 16 weekly installments on The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership. Every Thursday, I will break down the 5 Pillars and show you how becoming and influential leader will not only improve your job skills but your personal life as well.
The 5 Pillars is a project that I have been working on for almost two years and had a great time with the official launch of “The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership” Coaching program on May 23th.
Why the 5 Pillars? I have spent more than 30 years in the business world and although it has been primarily in the Construction world, the 5 Pillars philosophy works across all industries. In fact, while developing this program I realized that it can have a significant impact on your personal life as well.
I will break down each Pillar into three sections, personal, business and community. Any growth or improvement needs to start within, with the end goal of influencing the community you live in. In this post we will take a look at BUSINESS GROWTH.
For you soloprenuers, your business growth journey may be a one-man (or woman) show. For bigger business, it may include hundreds or thousands. Either way, adding value to your clients or customers is the goal.
ACTION
Wanting to do something and knowing what it is are obviously important pieces of expanding and improving your business. Just remember … all the knowledge in the world means nothing without action. Plan your work and WORK YOUR PLAN.
ADVERSITY
There is no real gain in life without overcoming some type of adversity. Overcoming adversity is something we are faced with every day. There is truth to the saying “No Pain, No Gain”, the question becomes “How much pain are you willing to overcome to succeed?”
CONSISTENCY
Consistency not only reinforces your habits, but also represents who you are. Being consistent builds trust and credibility. Lack of consistency creates doubt and fear.
GRATITUDE
Never, never, never forget that without your clients and customers, your business would not survive. Everyone provides recognition and interest before the sale. Successful people recognize after the sale. “Thank you” may be the most powerful two words in your business plan.
EDUCATION
Leaders are life long learners. Reading, attending seminars, webinars and workshops and collaborating with like-minded individuals are just some of the ways to increase your knowledge in your specific business lane. What are you doing, right now, to educate yourself further in your field?
EMPOWERMENT
If you are a soloprenuer, where do you draw your motivation? If you are a business owner, how are you empowering your people? If you are an employee, how are you being empowered or better yet, empowering others? Being believed in and believing in others are critical to forward movement.
PRODUCTIVITY
Are you simply busy, or are you actually getting things done? Busyness does not equal productivity. Next time you make a list, don’t just write down the things you need to do, write down why you need to do them. There is a big difference!
DEPENDABILITY
How dependable are you? Much like consistency, dependability says a lot about who you are. Being dependable tells others that you care. If you want them to care, you better show them that you do.
COMMITMENT
Commitment was my choice for my “One Word” for 2013. Everything, yes everything we do in business requires commitment at some level. Your level of commitment will be directly related to why you are doing what you’re doing. If you are weak on commitment, you might be weak on your why. Just a thought!
The 5 Pillars coaching program will take each topic to a much deeper level. We will explore open ended questions and how they are directly impacting your life and more specifically in this segment, will allow you to evaluate and understand your role in growing your business.
In the mean time, start asking the type of questions that will result in better answers. When you ask “How can I” you get an answer that will move the needle. “What can I do today that will help take my business to the next level?” Answer that question, act on it, and you will succeed.
RELATED:
- Click here to see Part 1
- Click here to see Part 2
- Click here to see Part 3
- Click here to see Part 4
- Click here to see Part 5
- Click here to see Part 6
- Click here to see Part 7
- Click here to see Part 8
- For more on The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership and to view my video click here
- To view my guest post in the 2013 International Leadership Blogathon click here
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Barry Smith 5/30/13 photo by author © Building What Matters 2013
