The Fundamental Principles of Leadership

Copyright (c) 2012 Scott F Paradis

Leaders by their conviction, their focus, and their discipline are the sparks that fire a powerful engine of change. Thomas Fuller was describing leaders when he said, "A strong will, a settled purpose, an invincible determination, can accomplish almost anything; and in this lies the distinction between great men and little men." Winning and losing in all aspects of life are the products of action. Leaders are men and women of action. While failure may be the result of circumstance, success is the invention of leadership.

Leaders direct, guide, and lead to ensure others have the opportunity to succeed. The success of any team depends on the commitment, the discipline, and the fortitude of a wide array of diverse individuals - men and women who support and encourage one another to overcome, at times, nearly insurmountable obstacles. Patrick Henry once stressed, "Adversity toughens manhood, and the characteristic of the good or the great man, is not that he has been exempted from the evils of life, but that he has surmounted them." Great leaders surmount adversity and make success possible.

Leadership, in a word, is inspiration. The single defining characteristic of a leader, any leader, good or otherwise, is inspiration. A leader inspires people. A leader stirs people. A leader, through word and deed, causes people to move, to act, to create or destroy. A leader ignites desire, whether to realize pleasure or avoid pain, and gets people to do things they otherwise would not do.

To inspire action, a leader provides either one or both of the indispensable and invaluable assets required to achieve any purpose: vision and motivation. Leaders spend their time, energy and talents creating and sharing relevant visions of worthwhile objectives. And leaders provide the energy, the drive, and the discipline to move the team forward toward the goal. Teams fail when leaders fail to inspire.

Every inspirational leader possesses two essential qualities: caring and competence. Leadership is about a leader knowing what he or she is doing - being technically competent at the task at hand - and genuinely caring about people. If a leader is not competent success depends on the team members. If he or she is competent but doesn't care about people he or she may achieve the objective, but that leader will not be a success. Leadership is about connecting people and succeeding as a team.

Good leaders are tenacious, intelligent, and caring. They promote worthwhile goals and seek the common good. Achievement depends on choices leaders make. Being a great leader is a lonely calling. Knowing the right thing to do is hard enough; doing it is sometimes next to impossible. But that is what great leaders do - make the impossible possible.

You too are a leader. You are challenged to make hard choices managing power and facing fear - these are basic conditions of living. Carefully employ the assets you possess. Abdicating responsibility surrenders power. Don't knowingly or unwittingly forfeit your personal power. It is by trial and tribulation that human beings strengthen themselves and exceptional societies evolve. Leaders bear the burden of personal responsibility. Running from adversity only fashions regrets, never victory. Employ these fundamentals principles of leadership to lead when it matters and succeed.


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Scott F. Paradis, author of "Warriors Diplomats Heroes, Why America's Army Succeeds: Lessons for Business and Life", teaches the fundamental principles of leadership and success, http://Success101Workshop.com


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