If you're going to be an effective leader, then you must do this ONE thing

You must WALK YOUR TALK.

I've been thinking a lot about this in the last few days.  One of the reasons I believe that our country and our world is in such chaos is because of a leadership void.

We no longer have ACTUAL PRODUCTIVE & FRUITFUL leaders at the forefront.  We have celebrities, false prophets, and people trying to sell us stuff but we don't have effective LEADERS that  are role models that will inspire us to greatness and produce much fruit.

In this hour the one glaring shortcoming  that I have seen of our "Leaders" whether it's political, social, familial, religious, or otherwise is a lack of people who WALK THEIR TALK.

In order to be an effective leader then it is imperative that you WALK YOUR TALK.

Webster's Definition of Leader

a person who has commanding authority or influence

We have a lot of terrible influencers these days.  Whether it is people with poor moral and ethical behavior or ignorant people who thrive on fluff and shallow content.

I believe that everyone is a leader in some capacity.  You may not have the title of leader at work but you are most likely leading in your every day life. 

If you're in a relationship, then you're a co-leader.  Some days you're a leader and some days when you just can't...you're a follower.

If you have children, then you are most definitely a leader.  

If you're serving in your church or volunteering somewhere, then you are a leader.  

If you've positioned yourself as an expert or coach, then you are a leader.

Bottom line if you have influence over SOMEBODY, then you are a leader.

The costs of not walking your talk

When you are in leadership and do not walk your talk, there are serious consequences and costs.

YOU forfeit your own power, influence, authority, and effectiveness

When you're saying one thing and doing another, the personal toll it takes is significant.

You feel as though you are a fraud

You feel as though other people will begin to learn your secret

You lose your boldness

You lose your affinity for risks because you're so afraid of being found out

You lose your own power and effectiveness.

You lose the EFFECTIVE people

One of the lessons I took away from my childhood and adolescence is that if you ever want to lose your credibility, influence, and effect with effective people, then say one thing and do another.  

Notice I said EFFECTIVE people.  If you want the lukewarm, mediocre, shallow, and ignorant crowd, then it won't matter because that group doesn't care one way or the other.  They will blindly follow and never question much of anything because they are just there.

However the EFFECTIVE people are not interested in following a hypocrite.

YOU lose your potential for Growth and Personal Development

When you're not walking your talk, you lose your potential for growth because there is no time for growth.  You spend more time hiding, deflecting, denying, and distracting yourself that you don't have the time for growth and development.

One of my keys to success for leadership is that they MUST be open to growth and personal development.  If you cannot grow, then you will end up dying on the vine!  These types of people have no business trying to lead anyone if they are not open to leadership.

Transparency is key!

Donna Brazile once said, "There has never been a leader who hasn't led his or her people into the ditch"

Every leader has screwed up.  Epic fails are a part of the job but one of the characteristics that  separates the great leaders from the mediocre are those who are transparent and honest about their epic fails.

As a Women's Health and Wellness expert, I went through a period where I was facing self image problems, disordered eating habits, weight gain, hormonal issues, etc.  I was very open about what was happening with me.  During this time I started connecting with other women who were going through the same thing.  I even got clients out of the deal because I could relate to what they were experiencing and I was sharing what I was learning with them.  We even went to workshops/events together as part of our healing.

My transparency with my own struggles helped others to know that they were NOT alone.  People even thanked me for being transparent about it because they didn't know what to call it and they thought they were the only ones.

I have worked with trainers who thought nothing of drinking soda, eating fast food, and tons of candy  IN THE GYM.  Needless to say they weren't effective trainers and lost all credibility with their peers AND the clients.

A Challenge to myself....WALKING MY TALK

As I am constantly going through my own learning and development, I've thought about how I want my message to land.  

I realize I will have the MOST impact if I am walking my talk because then I will produce the fruit to show that what I am saying works.  It's one of the reasons I am so focused on constantly studying, learning, developing, and taking action on what I learn because I want to be fruitful.

If I am living out what I am saying AND have the fruit to back it out, then my Message will land squarely and be effective.

I don't want to be one of these mediocre folks with a "good" story and some "good" points.  Ho hum. Lukewarm. Mediocre. Forgettable.

I also don't want to be one of these people with shallow surface level fluff.  Those types of people are great for selling fantasies to the dreamers who don't take any action but my audience are "Dreamers" who take action.

A leader who has authority, credibility, and influence is one who takes action in her own life and also inspires others to take action in their lives.

We need effective leaders

Watching the state of the world these days presents such mixed feelings. On one hand it is discouraging to seeing the constant turmoil, chaos, and confusion but on the other hand there is tremendous opportunity.

The chaos and confusion is intentional.  We are in a shift and I believe we are in a shift towards destabilization.  I believe it's spiritual as well as literal.  

I believe that we are headed into a time where we will need EFFECTIVE leaders.

We don't need the false prophets of celebrity, entertainment, and other snake oil salesmen.  We need real and effective leadership with authority, influence,  sustainability and most importantly POWER.

We will need effective leaders who have a MESSAGE and not just selling fantasies.

Now is the time to re-evaluate our own lives.  Are we walking our talk?  Are we producing the fruit that supports our message?

Even if you have gone into the ditch, now is a good time to get out and become transparent about the lessons learned. 

Our future is dependent on it!