weLEAD Online
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Copyright 2005 ă weLEAD, Inc.
One of the classic dictionary
definitions of the word drive
is; “to supply the emotional or physical energy that leads somebody to act or
behave in an extreme way”. This is an important principle of personal
leadership! Servant-leaders are not content with the status quo; they are
always looking for ways to improve themselves and the world around them.
Whereas most people are content with the way they are, or the way our present
world is structured, genuine leaders are motivated by a better vision of the future. Personal leadership demands
that this better future start within the self.
It is this inner vision that generates the drive
needed to achieve great things. It is our personal vision that fuels drive, and
without that vision we will quickly run out of gas and lose our commitment. We can
expand our understanding of this principle by examining how an automobile is driven!
An automobile is a machine
that internally has an engine pushing
the vehicle in a certain direction. We call this driving the automobile and it responds toward the direction we
guide it. Typically, when we are driving
toward a desired destination a number of obstacles are often encountered. For
example, if we drive a car uphill or against the wind there is greater
resistance against the vehicle. When this occurs we are able to take steps to
signal to the engine that greater momentum
is required to overcome the added resistance against the automobile. This is
also true when we drive in the rain, or on snowy roads! Inside the engine is
the power to generate the right resources
at the right time to continue on our journey. The automobile is designed to
respond and provide extra horsepower to overcome natural obstacles. The same
can be said of the drive required to
achieve the goals and vision we desire.
Much like an automobile that
has an internal engine, we have a human mind
that has incredible untapped resources. Scientists are just now beginning to
understand the enormous creative potential that exists within each person. It
is our mind, when inspired by a clear personal vision, that
will prod us to move forward through
obstacles that are placed in our path. The greatest enemy of achievement is a half-hearted
effort, and this is always caused by an inability to push ourselves when we
face resistance. It is our own drive that will propel us toward our goals even
when all the odds seem to be against us. It is also our demonstration and
example of relentless drive that will inspire
others to help and join us in a worthy cause. Drive is contagious and seeing
people who have this quality motivates others to want to be part of something bigger than themselves! If you
seem to lack the drive needed to prod yourself to achieve the things you
desire, it is because you do not have a clear inner vision of a desired future! Similar to the way an athlete
prepares for an event by “envisioning” the perfect performance, our vision must
become real to us. We must get
excited about it and picture it so vividly that we can imagine how achieving it
will feel, taste, smell and look. This is the kind of vision that prods us to
move mountains if necessary to get things done! Possessing a clear vision
generates drive, and it is this characteristic called “drive” that never allows
us to give up and quit.
An example of a man with a
tremendous drive was the famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison. In his lifetime he
achieved an unbelievable 1,093
We will now focus on just
the drive that
In
1876,
You may be saying to
yourself that this is certainly an impressive example of personal drive prodding one to achieve great things.
But… you may be saying to yourself… look at all the resources he had!
The rest of us don’t have laboratories to perform experiments in. We don’t have
a team of workers to help us make our dreams come true. Most of us don’t have
financial backers or investors to help us fund our vision of a better future! Yes, there is no doubt that at this
point in
In the 1970’s I had an
opportunity to attend a small private college in
In 1927 this individual made
a “mockup” of the magazine he envisioned. Yet there were many obstacles that
got in his way including a lack of finances and other limited resources. For
about seven years he was unable to continue his dream and virtually
nothing happened with the magazine. I am sure that other priorities constantly
came up, and many other needs arose to impede his goal. For most people, this
would have been the end of their dream of a new magazine. Most would have
allowed the idea to “die on the vine”. But, he never gave up on his vision and
prodded himself to slowly but surely continue the project. It was not until
February of 1934 that he published the first
issue of the magazine. He published about 250 copies by hand on a mimeograph machine and was both the Editor and author of
most articles. However, other roadblocks occurred and he was unable to publish
the magazine regularly, and by the middle of 1935 it ceased publication! He had
virtually no financial resources, no associates to help him write or edit
articles and obstacles in every direction. What this man did have was a
lot of drive and a vision! Again, by now most folks would have given up on
their dream and moved on to other things. Many would say to themselves at this
juncture that “I tried and it just didn’t work out” and they would give up
satisfied that they did their best. Yet, this religious leader (who was by now
making regular radio broadcasts), was not a quitter. He had the drive to see
his vision come to completion even if he would be forced to delay this heartfelt goal due to numerous challenges and
circumstances. He drove himself to never forget his deep inner vision of the
new magazine he had in his mind.
It was not until January of 1938, (2 1/2 years
after he ceased publication) that he began printing the magazine once again. It
was now 11 years since he had originally conceived the concept of this
publication. It was again a hand produced mimeographed magazine with only 1050
subscribers on his mailing list. Over the next few years the future of the
magazine was in question due to continuing
challenges with finances. Eventually the magazine was regularly published on a
monthly basis, and it grew steadily in subscribers from the 1940’s through the
1980’s. Over the years it grew from being an 8-page, black and white
mimeographed publication to a 36-page full color publication. By the time of
the editor’s death in 1986, the magazine had
over 6 million subscribers and was published in 7 languages! It was estimated
that 20 million readers worldwide
read the magazine each month, and it was published by one of the largest
printing houses in the United States. Numerous times this vision of an
international news publication faced near extinction, but it was the drive of one man who prodded himself and
others around him to overcome substantial roadblocks. The editors theology
may have been controversial and nontraditional, but it is hard to argue with
what he accomplished, fueled by his
personal drive.
In conclusion, the ability
to push yourself during difficult or stressful
times is an essential principle for
personal leadership! You may have established the right visionary goal (#1),
you may have invested well in the education needed to excel in your chosen
field (#2), and you may be living a positive lifestyle that enhances your
health and personal well-being (#3). That is wonderful but if you lack the
drive needed to prod yourself toward
a vision, you will have a greatly limited ability to
lead. If you don’t believe in your
own vision and show others how excited you are to achieve it, why will they
want to follow or join you?
Much
like the analogy of a vehicle we discussed earlier, there will be times when
you have to use more energy to
prevail over added resistance. Yes, due
to circumstances there may be times when you are even forced to delay your dreams, but don’t ever give
up on them or on your own ability to overcome the challenges. When this
happens, spend some time reminding yourself of who and what you are. Imagine
what it will be like to finally attain your dream. Fire yourself up by thinking
about what a better future can and
will be like for others and yourself.
Then promise yourself that
when your drive gets you to the destination, you will never take it for
granted!
Comments
to: editor@leadingtoday.org
To see
all Greg’s articles click
here.
About the author:
Greg has an extensive thirty-five years experience in public
speaking and has spoken to hundreds of audiences worldwide. Greg has a Master
of Arts degree in Leadership from
Bellevue University, where he also has served as an adjunct professor teaching
courses in business management and leadership since 2002. His first book, 52 Leadership Tips
(That Will Change How You Lead Others) was published
in 2006 by WingSpan Press. His second book, Making
Life's Puzzle Pieces Fit was published in March 2009. Both are available at
amazon.com. Greg is also the president of Leadership
Excellence, Ltd and a Managing Partner of the Leadership Management
Institute. Leadership
Excellence, Ltd. effectively builds
individuals and organizations to reach their highest potential through enhanced
productivity and personal development using a number of proven programs. He is also the president and founder
of weLEAD Incorporated.