Personal Development
The LEADER method or framework is something I stumbled upon and accidentally created out of necessity for my own survival and growth in life and business.
At its core is the understanding and belief that I do have a set of skills that are helpful to others. I can help people. I can provide value. I am valuable.
I created this as a way to help myself get into the right mindset as I was about to hop onto sales calls with people needing help with websites and marketing. I knew I had the ability, and yet I would always get nervous and end up stumbling through things. I was not really sure how to lead the call and help us both determine if I was a good fit for them and vice versa.
It turns out that I was too focused on making the sale. Too focused on earning money. I needed a way out of that mindset and into one that would allow me to be me. When I was young, selling wasn’t hard or scary because it wasn’t something I had to do. All I had to do was be a LEADER.
LISTEN
Listen with the goal of learning.
Listening is the first step toward understanding. Whether in business or personal life, actively listening helps us to truly comprehend the needs, desires, and perspectives of others. This foundational skill is crucial for building trust and forming strong relationships.
As I grew in life and gained experience helping people solve business problems, I realized that context educates clarity and clarity empowers ability. If we try to do something or make decisions, we’re likely going to stumble, get frustrated, and throw in the towel. But if we seek context surrounding the situation, we gain clarity, and that clarity seems to just empower us to move forward(we gain the ability to do what we wanted in the first place.) It’s like we get stuck until we get clarity. And that clarity comes through context.
When it comes to sales calls, serving customers, or really anything in life, we get that context by listening. But truly listening and engaging with what’s being said.
But it’s very important to understand, especially with business, that this has to be done with the goal of learning and helping and not with the goal of selling something. Most people are aware when someone is just asking questions to lead them into a sale. These “loaded” questions do nothing to actually help the person.
EDUCATE
Educate to bring clarity.
Education is about more than formal teaching; it’s about sharing knowledge and insights that can illuminate and inspire. By educating others, we not only provide them with the tools to make informed decisions but also foster a culture of curiosity and lifelong learning.
Continuing with the sales and business example, education is about helping the person truly grasp what’s going on, what the possible solutions are, and what they would entail. The goal is their clarity and empowering them to make the right decision for them, whether that is hiring you or not.
The goal has to be to help the person. Not selling the person something. Remember, context educates clarity, and clarity empowers ability. What they need is context. That context will bring them clarity. That clarity will empower them to make a decision. And if you were the one to bring it to them, if they have decided to hire someone, you’ll likely be it.
ALIGN
Align efforts towards the desired outcome.
Alignment involves harmonizing goals, efforts, and expectations. Whether aligning a team towards a common business objective, ensuring products meet customer needs, or establishing shared family values, alignment ensures that all efforts contribute meaningfully toward the desired outcome.
As this acronym started to evolve out of necessity for me, I realized it was about more than just getting through sales calls.
Sure, when you are truly seeking to educate someone to bring them clarity, they will naturally be aligned with the decision that is right for them. Which will likely be hiring or partnering with you, but not always—and you have to be good with that and understand you still helped them in the long run.
Aligning their efforts with the desired outcomes is also about setting expectations for what it will actually take and encouraging them to just start and keep moving forward. Sometimes, the context they need to get unstuck is just someone rooting for them, a belief that they can do it.
DELIVER
Deliver without compromise and/or demonstrate ability.
Delivering or demonstrating refers to the tangible expression of our commitments. It’s about following through on promises with actions that speak louder than words, whether delivering a product or service that exceeds expectations or demonstrating values through personal behavior.
Again, as this started to all come together I realized it was about more than just sales. But about service delivery too. Just being able to help them on the phone make the decision to hire you is only one part of it. And that’s where demonstrate came into play as well. Because in sales, specifically in service-related sales, being able to demonstrate that you actually have the ability to help them is crucial. Sometimes, this can happen in the form of reputation or word of mouth. Sometimes, actually seeing work you’ve done for others is needed to demonstrate your ability—which, in that case, is the context they needed to move forward(see how that works.)
But moving beyond sales, this is a commitment to excellence—a commitment to continue to seek to help them in every aspect and trust that in doing so, you will be rewarded. Of course, a part of doing that is learning how to charge for your services properly, but that’s for another time.
EMPOWER
Empower to action.
Empowerment is about enabling others to take action and make decisions confidently. This principle is key to building independence and self-reliance, encouraging individuals to take ownership of their actions and their outcomes.
At the essence of all of this and with helping someone is their empowerment. That’s the goal. Helping them move forward in one way or another. Education and empowerment. Clarity and ability.
And the way that happens is by truly seeking to help and not sale. To hear and not be heard. To literally take yourself out of the situation entirely. And honestly, this is why the Internet blew up so fast. Becuase people could gain access to empowerment on their own terms without having to go through others needs.
But this is also why the quality of the Internet and content out there is in decline: because content marketing has been sold as this magic bullet. Why? Because great content empowers people to take action in one way or another by delivering clarity to them through context. But just like people caught onto cheesy salesmen and their loaded and leading questions designed to undermine your autonomy for the sake of the sale, people have caught onto digital content that only exists to sell things as well. Unfortunately, the vast majority of content online exists to sell something. Even some of the content that is on my website was only written because I know that someone exists out there and has a specific problem that might find value from it and, in turn, might seek my paid assistance with it.
However, just like there is a right way to handle sales calls, there is also a right way to write sales content. You can’t undermine people or remove their power while backing them into a corner where they either hire you or are left with a problem. It’s about empowerment. Empowering them to move forward in the direction that is right for them.
Report / Restart
Report on the results and restart. Close the loop for continuous improvement.
Reporting and Restarting involve reflecting on actions and outcomes, sharing insights gained, and using this feedback to begin the cycle anew. This step is vital for learning from experiences, making necessary adjustments, and setting the stage for ongoing growth and development.
Growth, learning, and life are continuous cycles that require data, evaluation, change, and then another attempt or restarting. This is widely known, for example, in tech companies—If they can get to market as fast as possible, get feedback, make changes based on that, and get back to market as fast as possible, they have the greatest chance at success. They are utilizing this feedback loop to drive progress without feeling like they’re failing in the process. That feeling of failure is what stops most people.
Most have heard the saying of failing forward and that you only truly fail when you quit trying. I believe that at some point in the future, humanity will understand that there technically was never such a thing as failure or mistakes because everything will be necessary for our learning and growth.
So, like life, this process, framework, methodology, acronym, or whatever you want to call it or however you want to use it requires a constant and non-judgmental evaluation and restarting for the sake of goodness and growth.
The LEADER Method in Practice
While originally conceived in sales anbd business contexts, the LEADER method’s principles are universally applicable, offering valuable insights for personal development and everyday interactions.
- In Business: Beyond selecting partners or executing strategies, the LEADER method can guide leadership development, team management, and customer relations, fostering an environment of mutual respect, continuous learning, and shared success.
- In Personal Growth: Individuals can apply the LEADER principles to personal goals, relationships, and self-improvement efforts. Listening to oneself, aligning personal values with actions, and embracing continuous learning and adaptation are all aspects of a fulfilling and growth-oriented life.
- In Communication: Effective communication, whether with family, friends, or colleagues, benefits from listening, sharing knowledge, aligning expectations, demonstrating understanding, empowering others, and learning from each interaction to improve future communications.
The LEADER method offers a dynamic and integrated approach to leadership, communication, and personal development. By embracing these principles, we can foster more meaningful interactions, achieve our goals more effectively, and embark on a continuous journey of learning and growth. This method shows that true leadership is about guiding with empathy, acting with integrity, and inspiring continuous improvement, making it a valuable blueprint for success in all areas of life.
Remember, context educates clarity, and clarity empowers ability.
If you get stuck, forgive your ignorance, fight for your goodness, and start with others in that process. A lot of times it’s our own judgment of others in terms of right and wrong, coulda, shoulda, woulda, that holds us up. In reality, it’s because you are taking that approach with yourself and so of course you would take it with others.
Forgive their ignorance.
Fight for their goodness.
Start with yourself.
Be a LEADER.
See you there.
