Desire. Passion. Drive.

Whatever you want to call it – the best athletes have it.

Having the best opportunities, rich natural talent, and all the resources in the world can never overcome apathy. The best athletes want it. They learn to direct their minds, their bodies and their emotions all towards the goal they have chosen to accomplish. As a result, we stand in amazement at what they can do.

It’s exactly the same for people who provide great leadership. They also want it. They want it in a way that other leaders will never understand. They want greatness for the people they lead. They can see the potential in others and are driven to see it realized. They see the potential within their teams, or organizations, and are driven to maximize what can be done. They recognize their influence in their communities and are focused on using that influence to improve the conditions of others.

People who provide great leadership are crystal clear about three things:

Purpose: Great leadership comes from people who know ‘Why’ they are doing things and ‘Why’ those things matter. Their work has purpose and is done on purpose.

Internal Alignment: Great leadership comes from people who maintain integrity between what they believe, what they value, and how they behave and speak. They are authentic. The more you get to know them, the more you see consistency between what they believe, what they value and how they behave. Living in alignment frees up the energy it normally takes to live an inconsistent life. It engenders tremendous trust and loyalty from others.

Focused Urgency: Great leaders have a sense of urgency about what’s really important. They know what is important and why. They feel no inner conflicts about it, only drive to make it happen. They aren’t blown aside by every new ‘urgency’ or demand that emerges.

Exercise:

Think about the first person who comes to your mind as a great leader. Were they passionate or driven? (About what?) Did people grow around them? (In what ways?) Did they impact those even beyond their immediate sphere of influence? (What was the impact?)

Think about a leader who seems mediocre. Do you see passion in them? Do people grow around them? What does their influence look like?

In what way would you like to improve? Clarity about Purpose? Developing Alignment? Focusing/Developing Your Urgency?

What is one thing you can do this week to improve in one of those areas?