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Awakening the leadership
giant within
Learn about yourself and help others.
by Chris Heagerty What a miraculous planet we are on. Movie stars can become presidents, and body builders and wrestlers can become governors. Are such journeys fantastic, or could they be an inevitable yet serendipitous outgrowth of our human condition?
Leadership talent rests within all of us. Evidence of this surfaces in the most unexpected ways. Examples abound of ordinary people stricken by tragedy who rise to cope with their burden and emerge as a leader to further a cause and inspire others to join their journey. In our lives, we see some of the most unlikely individuals transform and begin to influence others to move in a certain direction with them. Further, these leaders are often not in the acknowledged role of leader. They exercise their leadership from their place in line, be it toward the front, in the middle, or at the back.
If we buy into the fact that leadership ability is in all of us, then it follows that the logical next step is to discover, expose, nurture, and encourage it. For within the sleeping leadership giant inside us lies the potential for great personal fulfillment, impressive business and professional gains, and countless worthwhile contributions to the lives of others. The opportunity to lead is born every time we find ourselves saying “someone should do something about that” or “there ought to be a law” or “I know what I would do in that leader’s place.”
Leadership is a universal talent and skill because it transcends its germination. You might be inspired to develop such skills to give you an advantage in one arena, but it eventually becomes useful in everything that you touch.
The Texas Association of REALTORS® has developed a leadership training course, Texas REALTORS® Leadership Program, to be given by local associations for members who want to awaken and nurture their leadership giant. The benefits of nurturing leadership development spill over into your community work; your business; your REALTOR® activities on the local, state, and national levels; and any other endeavor where inspiring others is important.
In leadership development, you come to terms with those qualities within yourself that are indispensable and pivotal in leading others—charisma, commitment, communication, problem solving, self-discipline, responsibility, initiative, passion, etc. Leadership also enables you to understand the context of the problems and issues that you confront every day. This knowledge allows you to create a vision that not only grabs others, but inspires them to follow.
We are in an industry that values professional development. We encourage the attainment of designations and knowledge well beyond the statutory requirements of continuing education. The need for competent, strong leaders at every level of our REALTOR® hierarchy is paramount to the continued strength of our organization.
For a REALTOR® dedicated to improving herself, being the best that she can be, desiring to make a difference in the REALTOR® organization and in the community, the next frontier is personal leadership development. It is a fulfilling journey that will be chocked full of insightful experiences, dedicated to purposes that are bigger than ourselves, personally enriching at the deepest of levels, and really has no downside. Now that’s a journey worth taking!
Chris Heagerty is general manager for eRealty.com. E-mail her at cheagerty@eRealty.com.
Look for more details soon from your local association about the Texas REALTORS® Leadership Program.
Illustration © Artville.
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