When you think of $22,000,000 what do you think of? Winning the lottery, Google stock maybe Steve Jobs? What about Anne Schieber? Who ? You say. Anne Schieber. She was a IRS auditor who retired in the mid 1940’s. And with savings of $5,000 and a meager pension of $3,150 she built a $22,000,000 nest egg.
Ms. Schiber built her fortune by using one of my favorite Laws of Leadership – The Law of Process. The Law of Process is of the the 17 Laws of Leadership in John Maxwell’s book 21 Laws of Leadership (Amazon affiliate link). The key to Schieber’s success, as Maxwell points out, “ …she spent most of her life building her wealth.”
Being a Leader is investing in yourself
One of the reasons I like this law is it shows that becoming a great leader is achievable for anyone. The first step to becoming a great leader is slowly investing in yourself little by little just like Anne Schieber did with her stock portfolio.
Four Phases of Leadership
In the book John explains the four phases of leadership:
1.) I don’t know what I don’t know – I think of my 3 year old son with this phase. Even though he has bumped his head from jumping off any object, he still does it. He does not understand the law of physics. I am sure at 3 years of age he doesn’t know they exist and that is why he falls down. People treat leadership this way. They feel like leadership is only for a select few. They fail to invest in themselves and miss out on an opportunity.
2.) I know what I don’t know - We go through this with our first leadership position. You may feel inadequate as a leader. That is okay. When I took a leadership position in a local non-profit organization I wasn’t sure how to motivate my volunteers. I talked to people who have been in leadership positions for a minimum of 5 years. That time spent paid off. I still seek out leaders who show traits of phase 4. ( See down below)
3.) I grow and it starts to show – This is where your hard work of studying starts to pay off. By reading blogs, attending leadership seminars, classes, listening to podcasts, your leadership starts to show. People begin to wonder ‘how did he grow so fast?’ The key is that leadership growth doesn’t happen fast. To people on the outside of your sphere of influence it appears to happen fast.
4.) I go because I know - This is the phase I am looking forward to. This is the payoff for all your hard work to the dedication to the Law of Process. You start to lead automatically. Situations arise and you know what to do. It takes time and dedication to get to this last phase.
I hope you dedicate yourself to learning leadership and applying the Law of Process to your life.
You don’t have to study leadership every day, but a weekly commitment to read blogs, listen to podcasts and talk with your peers will go a long way in helping you advance your leadership and your career.
Image credit: Huffington Post
