I was recently having a conversation with a friend of mine, we were talking about “leadership” and what it takes. He’s currently in a position where he might have to step up and take control; it seems that he is concerned.

We were chatting about how he should approach certain problems and he made a statement that made me think…

I was giving him some “sneaky” advice about how to talk to people and well…get them to do what YOU want.

His response:

“But I don’t want to be manipulative…”

hmm…”Is that what I am?” - Time for a “self-check” - one of those moments where you wonder “Have I gone from good to evil some where along the way?”

Let me give you some background about why I felt this way…

I checked the definition of the word “manipulation” and I actually found two completely contradictory definitions in the dictionary right next to each other.

Here are the two definitions:

Skillful or artful management.

and…

Shrewd or devious management, especially for one’s own advantage.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but they seem to be the exact opposite. One seems to be a compliment and the other seems to be slanderous.

My personal opinion is that “manipulation” has been taken the wrong way - but it does sound like a negative word. So, after lots of thinking I realized that “No, I’m not evil, I’m not really manipulating anyone…I’m INFLUENCING them…”

Using Your Manipulative Powers For GOOD….

Here’s the blatant truth whether you like it or not. All good leaders, political, CEOs, religious (you name it) are INCREDIBLY manipulative - they know how to get what they want from a MASS of people.

But, here’s what differentiates between good and evil…

Are they using it for GOOD or for BAD?

If you’re using it for good then let’s call it INFLUENCING and not manipulation…

Bottom Line, 99% of People Are Followers…

Here is the next blatant truth for you: most people are followers, not leaders. We’re taught to be that way from birth. Even religions are built with hierarchy - you are to FOLLOW…

So…because of this, if you want to be a leader, you have no choice but to learn how to influence.

A good leader has to motivate and get the mass to do what he/she feels is the best to do.

Leaders Get Inside Heads…

Bottom line, you need to be able to get into the heads of others, lower their red flags, gain their trust and then lead them in a direction.

The powers of influence can be enormous, use them wisely and use them only for good - but you have to use them.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share some of my *sneaky* techniques here, they already did wonders for my friend (from what I’m hearing)…

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So, I’ve been listening to “Good To Great,” which is all about dissecting what made the most successful companies in the world who they are today.

In addition, I had one of those long chats with a close friend last night over a couple of drinks.

Combine the two and it’s exactly why I’m up right now at 1:15 AM on a Saturday night writing this post for you. I couldn’t sleep thinking more and more about it, figured I’d share.

My friend and I were talking about what’s going on with the world today and how things are falling apart left and right. Well, HIS view on the situation is quite more cynic than mine is, I understand there are two sides.

No matter how much evil we see, there is just as much great around us as well (it’s just that the media chooses not to talk about the good).

Anyways, he posed a question that concerned me and also led into a long heated (yet friendly) debate:

“Is it too late to change things? Is there no more hope? Look at everything around us, how did we let it get to this?”

As we talked about it, only one word came to mind…

Leadership

That’s right. I explained to him firstly that absolutely not, it’s not too late. Also, “how did we let things get to this point?” It’s all about leadership.

I’m a big believer that everything, every organization, family, business, government - all of it is shaped by a leader. We all look to follow someone who can INSPIRE and MOVE us. We believe in his/her dreams and we pledge our loyalty.

A great leader stays TRUE to his commitments and does ANYTHING to make them happen. I mean EVERYTHING, that includes the toughest decisions anyone can imagine making.

“Much of The Leadership Is Absent Or Has Gone Astray…”

That was my only answer for him. I oversimplified the matter by saying that really if we want to see things fixed, we need new leadership. But, if you really think about it, it really is THAT simple.

Any and all successful organizations have had leaders that were fearless, brilliant and made tough decisions like you wouldn’t believe. If you have not yet, I HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy of “Good To Great” - it really drives home this point.

A Great Leader Inspires

Without going into a great big rant, I want to leave everyone with just one thought - if you want to succeed in life, you need to first master the art of inspiring and motivating those around you.

You have to begin to lead and get away from following (believe me, it sounds great, but it’s tough).

Every great leader in our world has been the role model for what it means to be a “fighter.”

Creating Impact…

One of my good friends and probably one of the nicest guys I know, Kenneth McArthur, recently wrote a book called “IMPACT.” I just got done listening to the free audio and I loved it.

Kenneth’s book is the next one on my list, I’ve only heard great things about it.

The subtitle explains my entire point:

“How To Get Noticed, Motivate Millions and Make a Difference in a Noisy World…”

Fighting for your goals and dreams involves building a coalition around you and gaining support. If you ever plan on doing that, you have to inspire, motivate and create impact…

Kenneth is giving away MANY of his materials for FREE, including the amazing interview I listened to, just visit his site and sign-up. I highly recommend getting the book as well (I’ll give you a full review when I finish it).

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