Since I was a young man I've always carried myself like a leader. I know a lot of it had to do with always being around older people that had the power of influence. But most importantly I grew to be a great leader because I was always surrounded by leaders in my family, church and friends. A lot of my leadership skills comes from seeing my father preach once a week at a bible study. I was able to learn how to public speak as a young child because my father helped me develop that skill at a young age. At a young age I had the talent of singing "rapping" and he helped me develop that skill for a positive cause by rapping to positive songs that had a positive message for adults and young once as well. Music was my way of preaching and speaking to many about a Jesus message and how to live a positive life according to him. By developing this skill and learning how to over come my fears on stage, helped me gain self confidence and understand the influence I had on others growing up. I learned how to be the head and not the tail in most groups that I surrounded myself as a young boy.
Understanding how to be a leader is not something you will learn the first time you hear it. In order to be a leader you must practice your leadership ship skills. Surrounding your self by people you have the power of influence is a great way how to learn to be a leader. Now, in life you will meet many type of people with influence but you choice weather you want to be influenced positively or negatively. You can't choice weather the person you are following is ether going to be positive or negative but you do have the power to choice who is going to influence you and weather that person is a positive or negative.
I understood that I had the power of influence at a young age. At the age of 15 my local pastor made me a youth leader of about 20 young men and women who had no leadership at our church. Part of the reason he made me a youth leader was because I never failed to miss any of the leadership classes he gave to his leaders at church. Part of the reason I never missed any of his leadership classes was because my father went and I was always interested in what was going to happen before it happened at our church. It was like knowing the behind the scene schedule before it actually happen.
After working very hard as a youth leader for 3 long years and had developed different leadership skills that today I still use, the church ended up with more than 80 young men and women who had became youth members through out the years. Being so young I struggled with the power of influence that I had and I decided to use it to my personal benefit. Have you ever heard the saying "great power comes with great responsibility"? Well, I wish I had known that at an early age and maybe I wouldn't had made so many mistakes through my leadership development years. I fell in love with the pastors niece which didn't end to well after my 3 years of ministry of a youth leader.
Understanding the difference between influence and leadership
Today I understand that what I had at the age of 15 was not leadership skill but only and simply influence. I had the power of influence and very little leadership skills. I had the power to influence others to do positive things but I didn't live the life of a leader. You must learn how to lead yourself before you lead others. Anyone can influence anybody with the rite skills but not anyone can lead others because the proof of leadership is found in the followers. Today I understand that a leader has to learn how to be lead before knowing how to lead others. The most imporatnt thing was that I didn't feel like a true leader because I didn't see myself as a leader in my own personal life.
I dropped out of high school at a young age and decided to work during my high school years. I fell in love at the age of 16 and I though that I was a man and didn't want to take my fathers advice at the age of 16. The power of influence got to my head and I didn't know what it really was to be a leader.
Every great leader has Character, Relationships, Knowledge, Intuition, Experience, Past Success and Ability. I had the idea but not enough practice, experience, knowledge and most importantly someone to teach me or lead me to become a great leader. I learned by imitating others and duplicating others ideas of what it is to be a leader. Little did I know that I was wrong.
I am 23 years old and I've been married for 3 years now and I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter and I am 2 months away from graduating from one of the best entertainment school in the world called Full Sail University. I have an Associate Degree in Recording Arts and working on finishing my Bachelor Degree in Entertainment business. Today December 3, 2010, I can say that I have a good idea and understanding what it is to be a great leader. I've developed and committed to be a great leader in my family and around those who surround me before I take a stand on a stage. I've committed to learn and develop all my leadership skills by putting aside all the concepts that I had in my mind of what it was to be a leader and decided to educate myself professionally so that next time I stand in front of a group of people I not only influence them to do what I say but most importantly leading by example. I've promised myself after leaving my ministry of leadership a 5 years ago that I will learn how to practice what I preach.
Today's greatest leaders are not the once who stand on stage and preach a great message. Today's greatest leaders are those who live a life of leadership by demonstrating how to live a life by example. How to lead others before opening their mouths. A leader speaks without words and leads with action. I've understood the power of influence but most importantly I follow great leaders who can teach me how to be a great leader at home before I lead others outside of it.
"When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you". By John C. Maxwell
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