Catching the Leadership Sun by Joan Marques Shining as a leader is not impossible, even if the position you currently hold in an organization does not require you to guide others. Your leadership first has to start shining for YOU before it can for anyone else. Remember, it's not just guiding people that marks you as a good leader: it may very well be the way you guide yourself that draws admiration and recognition from others. So, let's consider some ways in which you can catch the leadership sun, even if you are not the highest branch (yet) in the corporate tree: You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you do your job with just a little bit more diligence than others, and are willing to go just one mile further than the rest.

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You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you give your very best, even to projects that do not really represent what you would like to identify with. You have to start somewhere, after all, and someone's got to do the cruddy stuff. If you excel at it and set the bar high, though, cruddy may turn into classy!

You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you are willing to take on challenges before you really know if you can handle them - yet with one conviction: you got what it takes to succeed, because you are a driver, and are not afraid to ask for help or clarification when you need it. These two factors, help and clarification, are the keys to success in any project, even those projects that you doubt being able to handle.

You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you don't worry about what others say but, in spite of their discouraging whispers about your no-fun attitude, just give your best at all times. The great socializers around you usually waste a lot of precious time gossiping and aimlessly chattering instead of producing.

You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you don't fall into the codependency trap, which is the harbor for the above mentioned socializers: It's the best way to stay out of trouble and refrain from being accused of what he said that she said you said.

You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you keep learning: inside and outside your work environment, in order to sustain your qualities and prevent obsoleteness of your skills.

You will catch the leadership sun sooner or later if you make sure your output is seen. There are too many simple ways to display your efforts. Use them, for if you don't, no one will for you.

Catch the leadership sun while you can. The hard workers always get the recognition, if only they use the appropriate channels. And oftentimes they get much more than they originally anticipated: they reach for the stars, and they end up being the sun.

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About the author: Joan Marques emigrated from Suriname, South America, to California, U.S., in 1998. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, a Master's in Business Administration, and is currently a university instructor in Business and Management in Burbank, California. Look for her books "Empower the Leader in You" and "The Global Village" in bookstores online or on her website: http://www.joanmarques.com
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