The Laws of Leadership

The Laws of Business Success

34. The Law of Integrity
35. The Law of Courage
36. The Law of Realism
37. The Law of Power
38. The Law of Ambition
39. The Law of Optimism
40. The Law of Empathy
41. The Law of Resilience
42. The Law of Independence
43. The Law of Emotional Maturity
44. The Law of Superb Execution
45. The Law of Foresight

Leadership is the most important single factor in determining business success or failure in our competitive, turbulent, fast-moving economy. The quality of leadership is the decisive strength or weakness of organizations and institutions. The ability to step up to the plate and provide the necessary leadership is the key determinant of achievement in all human activities. And there has never been a greater need for leaders at all levels than there is today.

The qualities of leadership and the personal attributes of leaders have been studied for more than 2,500 years, going back to Thucydides and his History of the Peloponnesian War. There are currently more than 5,000 different books, articles, and commentaries on leaders and leadership, each of which gives insights and ideas into ways that individuals can learn to become better leaders in their personal and business lives.

Perhaps the best news is that leaders are made, not born. A person becomes a leader when a leader is needed and the individual rises to the occasion. Many men and women have lived average lives for many years until a situation arises that requires that they step forward and accept the mantle of leadership, with all that that entails.

You become a leader in your business and in the world around you by practicing the qualities and behaviors of leaders who have gone before you. Like any set of skills, leadership is developed by practice and repetition, over and over again, until you master it.

The rewards for becoming a leader are tremendous. As a leader, you earn the respect, esteem, and support of the people around you. You enjoy a greater sense of control and personal power in every part of your life. You become capable of achieving goals and objectives far beyond the ordinary.

The more you behave like a leader, the more positive you feel about yourself. You enjoy higher levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride. You feel stronger and smarter and more capable of getting results through others. You become more effective in bringing about positive changes in your work and personal life.

The Laws of Leadership have been identified and discussed over and over throughout the centuries. They are taught in military schools, colleges, and universities. They are taught in business schools and practiced every day in the businesses and organizations of our society. These laws and principles are followed by men and women everywhere who emerge to assume positions of power and authority whenever the situation demands it.

When you begin to think and act the way leaders do and you apply the Laws of Leadership to your life and work, you will attract to yourself opportunities to use more of your talents and abilities at ever-higher levels. The more you exercise the qualities of leadership in small matters, the more you will be given an opportunity to be a leader in larger matters. The better you fulfill your responsibilities today, right where you are, the greater the responsibilities
that will be entrusted to you in the future. It is in your hands.

Source: Brian Tracy, The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc, (San Francisco, 2000).