The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Competence

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.

Quality #5 - Competence: If you build it, they will come.

“Competence goes beyond words. It's the leader's ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how - and know that they want to follow you." - John C. Maxwell

We all admire people who display high competence, whether they are precision craftsmen, world-class athletes, or successful business leaders. But the truth is that you don't have to be Faberge, Michael Jordan, or Bill Gates to excel in the area of competence.

If you want to cultivate that quality, here's what you need to do:

1. Show Up Every Day.
   1. Responsible people show up when they are expected.
   2. They come ready to play every day - no matter how they feel, what kind of circumstances they face, or how difficult they expect the game to be.
2. Keep Improving.
   1. All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing and improving.
   2. They do that by asking why.
   3. The person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss.
3. Follow Through with Excellence.
   1. "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." - Willa A. Foster
   2. Performing at a high level of excellence is always a choice, an act of the will.
4. Accomplish More than Expected.
   1. Highly competent people always go the extra mile.
   2. For them, good enough is never good enough.
5. Inspire Others.
1. Highly competent leaders do more than perform at a high level. They inspire and motivate their people to do the same.

Where do you stand when it comes to getting the job done? Do you attack everything you do with fervor and perform at the highest level possible? Or is good enough sometimes good enough for you?

When you think about people who are competent, you're really considering only three types of people:

1. Those who can see what needs to happen.
2. Those who can make it happen.
3. Those who can make things happen when it really counts

Bringing it home:

1. Get your head in the game.
   1. First, rededicate yourself to your job. Determine to give it an appropriate amount of your undivided attention.
2. Redefine the standard.
   1. If you're not performing at a consistently high level, reexamine your standards.
3. Find three ways to improve.
   1. Nobody keeps improving without being intentional about it.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc