Leadership Swagger

The greatest leaders that I have ever encountered always have a certain authentic quality about them. Whether they were on duty or off, these people never forgot who they are: Leaders. Leadership is a lifestyle and a way of being. Leadership is not just an activity you do sometimes.

I will not claim that I am a great leader. In my life I have met many who are. My aim is to show others how I think these great leaders came to be so that you and I can one day be privileged enough to be called a great leader.

The purpose of this blog is to analyze and understand how one can aspire to be a great authentic leader rather than just be an individual who is tasked to lead.

Leadership

Leaders make organizations move. All organizations have leaders. Everyone has followed a leader and many are leaders. Though many people are in leadership positions, few have embodied what it really means to be a great leader. Being a leader cannot be something that you do only during workday hours. Being a true leader requires living a leadership lifestyle. The swagger of a leader is never turned off.

Swagger

Swagger can be defined as how one presents him or herself to the world. Everyone has a certain swagger about themselves. The way a person walks, talks, dresses and acts all sum up to their swagger.

Some people may have a swagger that attracts while others may have a swagger that doesn't.

The way a person projects themselves to the world is not an accident but a conscious choice. The projection of oneself is not just a superficial matter. How a person carries themselves is a representation of the lifestyle that person lives. A man with an authentic confident swagger looks a certain way than a man who does not have genuine confidence. A man with real passion and conviction will appear much more authentic than the man who is faking it.

Leadership Swagger is a leader’s authentic presentation of him or herself to the world as someone who possess the characteristics of an outstanding leader.

The Difference

I don’t claim to be an expert on anything. Yet. All I have at my disposal are my experiences, observations, commitment to excellence and passion. One day I aspire to be the foremost expert on the subject of leadership. This blog will be my means to document this journey as well as contribute to others by sharing my views on leadership.

Studying and practicing leadership is my passion! I have always thought that outstanding leadership was the key to changing the world. If you think about it, change in the world happens like this: An idea is formed that can change the world. People like that idea and take action.Leaders give direction and management to people. Therefore, leaders lead change. Leaders make change in the world possible.

I am fascinated with answering the question “what makes the difference between an outstanding leader and a so-so leader?” This blog will be about answering this question.

Change the perspective

I am unhappy.

I have a nice apartment, a great paying job, and a life living in a foreign country.  Most people would kill for this.

I am unhappy.

In the two months that I have lived in this new foreign land with this job that I currently have, I feel there is a void in my life.  A void that won't take an additionally time.  What I know I am missing is simply a lack of feeling.  Passion.  I want passion.  I want meaning.  I want to wake up everyday feeling inspired. To me, the most important thing that I can own is not in the form of a material possession.  To me, the most important thing in my arsenal is my ability to feel passion at every moment, and for others to feel my passion. I want to wake up in the morning and be happy to be alive.  I want to rise out of bed with excitement as if there was great work to be done.  I want to work and I want to work hard.  however, I want my work to be filled with meaning.  

And so the story will begin.  Today will be the mark of a great experiment.  You see, many books write about the subject of figuring out how to change your life.  However, most of their answers lead to changing the big tangibles like moving to a new place, getting a new job, etc.  I seek a new challenge.  The same big tangibles will be in affect but I will attempt to do something different.  Instead of changing what I do, I will simply change my perception of my reality.  

Simply put:  I will attempt to figure out how to love the life I already have.