The ASPIRE Leader Model
Have you ever asked yourself, "What sort of Leader do you ASPIRE to be?" and "Which type of Leader do you ASPIRE to work for?"
In this Thought-of-the-Week entry titled The ASPIRE Leader Model, let me share with you, the reader, Rested Edge Advisory's ASPIRE Leader model.
In the ASPIRE Leader model, A stands for Authenticity. Many of us perform at our best, are & will constantly be at our best, when we are at our most authentic --- when what we do, how we feel, and how we lead are entirely based on who we are, what we are most concerned about, and on what we are most naturally talented in --- when we lead in areas and on activities which we are most passionate in, to achieve goals we are most interested to.
S stands for Successful. Success is important for a Leader, his Teams and his Followers, and it is very important that Success is Sustainable and not Sporadic (or once-off). Sustainable Success differentiates the very best leaders, from the above average, the average, and the mediocre. A Leader, his Teams and his Followers need to constantly & consistently enjoy success, and to do so, the Leader must be able to predictably will his "best 10 minutes" whenever he needs to --- such that each success approximates closer & closer to world-class performance, and that in time, the leader can predictably and sustainably will (whenever the need arises or when the situation warrants) this successful performance & impact.
P is for Passionate. Many great Leaders have an interesting personal philosophy of Life, and many absorbing, compelling points-of-view on the various facets of what Life should be about --- out of which a significant portion is his personal philosophy on why he Leads and how he does so, and his points-of-view of what Great Leadership should be about, how it should look like, and what it should achieve. Passion focuses exponentially a Leader's Time, Energies, Emotions, Talents, Experiences & Interests into a heady, powerful, scorching mix of charisma, clarity, conviction, courage & commitment.
I is for Inspiring. When a Leader is not inspiring, he will be over reliant on Power (or Position) and under utilizing of Influence. Whilst we may not openly articulate it, most of us are aware that "all Influential Leaders have Power, but not all Powerful Leaders have Influence". When a Leader is inspiring, his influence is not only naturally & fully leveraged, his Power (or Position) acts as a smoothly orbiting satellite broadcasting and extending the strength, distance & impact of his message. Inspiring leaders give their ideas wings (through Influence) and an additional much needed lift (through Power or Position). Their ideas take flight longer, and they fly stronger and further than those of their peers. Not only do their ideas land with greater impact, they also achieve stronger immediate impact and longer lasting results.
R is for Resolute. In Life and in Leadership, not every thing is easy. In fact, most Leadership journeys will be challenging, tough, bruising, bumpy, unclear of success, and just plain difficult. The best Leaders have a strong sense of Resoluteness. They know what needs to improve, what needs to get done, they know the road isn't going to be smooth, they employ their best teams, their best followers, their best constituents and their best stakeholders to execute their best strategies, and they maintain the resoluteness of mind, body & spirit, keep strong & high the psychological & social capital of they and their teams, followers, constituents & stakeholders, and work steadily, steadfastly and calmly towards their final destination. Resoluteness is very important for Leaders to achieve not only great outputs, but great outcomes. Many times Resoluteness accounts for whether a Leader is Sustainably & Successfully Transformational or Sporadically Transformational (& Largely Incremental).
E is for Exemplary. Exemplary means "standing head & shoulders above others" in the same circles, the same company, the same industry, the same community, and the same society. To be Exemplary, a Leader has to, first of all, be Authentic, Successful, Passionate, Inspiring and Resolute --- the first 5 aspects of the ASPIRE Leader Model.
Authenticity artfully employed, success skilfully handled, passion powerfully channelled, influence & power responsibly & inspiringly wielded, teams & followers consciously & competently developed & progressed, constituent & stakeholder relationships smoothly & deftly cultivated --- all these are key elements of what it takes to be an Exemplary Leader.
If "5" means "Excellent" and "1" means "Poor" on the ASPIRE Leader model, where do you currently stand? Is that where you already were 5 years ago... ...meaning that you have not proactively, strategically & intentionally focused on your own Leadership Development?
Are you a Leader who is Authentic, Successful, Passionate, Inspiring, Resolute & Exemplary? What more can you do to be a better Leader? Perhaps it's time to make an intentional, strategic & proactive commitment to rapidly improve, accelerate & develop your own Leadership, and the Leadership of your Followers, Constituents & Stakeholders? Become a better Leader today --- an ASPIRE Leader who many people will ASPIRE to work with, team with, or work for.
