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The Leader Within
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I have always been fascinated by how history keeps an eye for people of character and leardership. In my
own experience, I have realised how leadership can bring the success and downfall of an organization.
Even though at times that I think that I can do things better myself, life still shows me that nothing big
can be achieved without the application of teamwork. And when working with a team, I soon realised that
if I was to be successful in life, I would have to become first, a LEADER of my own self so as to awaken
the LEADER WITHIN.
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Leadership is the ability to obtain followers.
He who think he’s leading and has no followers is just taking a walk.
The key to success in any endeavor is the ability to lead others successfully.
- Everything rises and falls on leadership.
- The effectiveness of your work will never rise above your ability to lead and influence others. You cannot produce consistently on a level higher than your leadership. (your leadership skills determine the level of your success and the success of those who work around you.)
A leader takes people where they would never go on their own.
McDonald Story
1930 – moved from New Hampshire to California.
1937 – opened a small drive-in restaurant in Pasadena. With plates, glassware and metal utensils.
1940 – moved to San Bernardino, expanded menu from hotdogs, fries, shake to include barbecued beef and pork sandwiches, hamburgers and others. $200,000 annual sales, $50,000 each. Financial elite in the town.
1948 – modified to walk-in, reduced menu to focused on hamburgers. Eliminate plates, glassware and utensils, switching to paper products. Reduced costs and prices. Speedy service system (assembly line), objective to serve customer in less than 30 secs.
Mid 1950’s - $350,000 annual sales, $100,000 each. (McDonalds Hamburgers)
1952 – tried franchising but failed.
1954 – ray kroc.
1955 – ray kroc, Mcdonald’s System, Inc (later called McDonald’s Corporation), bought rights to a franchise to use as model and prototype to sell other franchises. Mid 50’s, First 8 years, sacrifice a lot, worked long hours, no salary, borrowed money from bank and against his life insurance to help cover salaries of a few key leaders he wanted on the team.
1961 - $2.7 million, bought exclusive rights to McDonalds from the brothers.
1952-1954 – only 10 franchises by the brothers.
1955-1959 – ray kroc opened 100 franchises
1963 – total of 500 mcdonalds.
NOW – 25000 mcdonalds.
Success is within reach, the reach of just about everybody. But personal success without leadership ability brings only limited effectiveness.
The Major Attributes of leadership (by: Napoleon Hill)
1. UNWAVERING COURAGE based upon knowledge of self, and of
one’s occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks
self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follower will be dominated by
such a leader very long.
2. SELF-CONTROL. The man who cannot control himself, can never
control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which
the more intelligent will emulate.
3. A KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE. Without a sense of fairness and justice,
no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.
4. DEFINITENESS OF DECISION. The man who wavers in his
decisions, shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others
successfully.
5. DEFINITENESS OF PLANS. The successful leader must plan his
work, and work his plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without
practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or
later he will land on the rocks.
6. THE HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR. One of the
penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness, upon the part of the
leader, to do more than he requires of his followers.
7. A PLEASING PERSONALITY. No slovenly, careless person can
become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not
respect a leader who does not grade high on all of the factors of a Pleasing
Personality.
8. SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING. The successful leader must
be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and
their problems.
9. MASTERY OF DETAIL. Successful leadership calls for mastery of
details of the leader’s position.
10. WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY.
The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the
mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this
responsibility, he will not remain the leader. If one of his followers makes a
mistake, and shows himself incompetent, the leader must consider that it is
he who failed.
11. COOPERATION. The successful leader must understand, and apply
the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do
the same. Leadership calls for POWER, and power calls for
COOPERATION.
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