Introduction to Leadership

    So you’ve started reading this and you’re probably thinking leadership? Really? Don’t those guys make big bucks and live in some really big house? Well, my friend, no they don’t. Leaders can be anybody; anybody who has the courage to let their voice be heard and do something that others will not do. Right now, before we dive in to what makes and breaks a leader, examine yourself. Are you a young person, maybe a teenager whose a captain on a sports team; or a leader of any sort in a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop; or maybe you have big dreams of someday moving to to top of a mega business like Ford, General Electric or the like. Are you a college student looking for some basic leadership skills that may help you along towards your first promotion on your first real job?
    Whether you’re in one of those situations, or any situation, knowing when and how to take that extra step can make a huge difference. It starts with you; a dream perhaps. Well, every great leader starts out with what is called a vision. It’s his or her idea of where he or she will be a months and even years down the road.
    This is one of the first steps to being a great leader and will be one of the first major topics we cover later on. Along with the vision, as we will discuss, goals are needed to reach that vision. Without goals, small steps towards reaching the vision; it will just be that, a vision. The third item under this topic that we'll hit strongly on is planning. Planning is critical to every thing a leader does. Whether it's planning a celebration for progress made, or planning in case something goes wrong;  if there is no plan, goals may not be reached and ultimately your vision may not be fulfilled.
      I am going to use very few references in this book. Why? Because no matter how long my bibliography may be, some of those things that worked for others may not have worked for me. It is my goal, by the time you are finished reading this, that I may give you my knowledge and some tools that will work for anybody to make them a better leader.