Becoming an effective leader means you become a person with a passion for a cause larger than yourself.

You have a vision and you are committed to seeing it through.

You are either in the process of developing as a leader or improving as a leader…

There are 21 Keys of Strength that can be thought of as aspects of your personality that you already have to some degree.

When you turn your strengths into passion, belief and faith, these strengths then get into your heart.

When you love what you do, it no longer feels like effort. I see far too many people attempt businesses they don’t enjoy and then they try to succeed. Try being the operative word here… which means they end up resisting the process before they ever really commit.

A major contributor to success in any area is finding something you enjoy and then developing the strengths required to be successful in that area.

That’s why I’m going to take you through 21 Strengths so you can begin to evaluate where you require developing your talents in order to take your business to the next level and become an effective leader.

The 21 Keys of Strength

1. Achiever: When you’re an achiever, you are driven to achieve. It is in your blood. It is in your soul. You play the game for its own sake. Every day starts at zero, and producing is your game. Developing a sense of peace in achievement will enhance productivity in the long term.

2. Doer: Doers believe that only action makes situations happen. Their decision making is not only intuitive, but in the moment, and acted upon immediately. Doers have great drive and determination. They lead by example, learn from examples and learn by leading. Doers are not driven by what people think. They know they will be judged by what gets done, and they enjoy the process.

3. Being in the Now: Strength number three is being in the now. Being in the now means living in the present… This strength allows you to be very adaptable, and to also handle adversity and success as it comes. When you’ve developed this strength, your highs are low and your lows are high—no more emotional roller coaster. Being in the now attracts good people and situations because of your stability. This strength allows you to be productive even when you are pulled off course. It’s not that you don’t plan, but your future is based on being in the present, being in the now. You are a good connector and are able to adapt and connect with people spontaneously without worry or fear of making mistakes or being judged.

4. Belief: Belief is a must in any success. A belief is based on a sense of certainty. When you have belief, you have core values that are enduring. People who apply this strength to themselves value themselves and others in areas of health, success, spirituality, change, giving and receiving. This core value comes from a deep sense of trust in oneself and the Universe. When developing strengths, belief is one of the strongest anchors you can possess. People are also attracted to people with strong belief because of the strong energy they send. Their strength of belief usually makes them easy to trust, and people like to be led by them. This belief must have a purpose and be meaningful. 
5. Forthrightness: Forthrightness is about telling it like it is. To develop this strength, you have to be prepared to make a stand, even if forthrightness may be unpopular. When done from sincerity and caring, it allows you to confront issues without attachment. This is about calling it as you see it. A large percent of society shies away from ever developing this strength because they are afraid people won’t like them or they could make a mistake. They worry about hurting someone’s feelings, even at the risk of continuing to give away their power and stay victims.

This strength is about being direct. This allows you to get to the heart of the matter, or find out the bottom line. This is about asking questions so you can achieve two objectives: evaluating who and what qualities qualify for your time, and asking other people to make a decision. When developed, you can ask confidently for the order, the sale, the decision or the commitment.

6. Connecting: Connecting is the strength of charisma, and it allows you to meet and greet people with great ease. People buy from people they like. Connectors are the people who can bring you thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars. These are the people magnets of the world. To be a connector requires a well-developed self-esteem. This strength requires the ability to be in the moment, strike up conversations with ease, without fear of being rejected or appearing foolish. A connector is definitely a people person with a love for life, someone who notices small details about people and situations.

7. Communication: Most people believe communicating is about talking. I believe it is more about listening. People love to talk about themselves, whether in a business environment or a more relaxed setting. If you are talking, you aren’t learning about other people. Communicating is about conveying ideas. It’s about trust and sharing, being open and sometimes vulnerable. Communicating is also about caring for other people. Developing this strength requires a healthy self-esteem, confidence in yourself, and approving your own self-talk. When your inner dialogue is comfortable for you, you can get comfortable with others.

8. Developer: Attracting and surrounding yourself with good people is important, but being able to assist them in their personal development matters, too. With this strength, you are able to see potential in others. This strength also requires that you don’t get too attached to someone’s potential. You can’t want it more for them than they want it for themselves. You give your time and energy to people who deserve it, not those who take it.

9. Self-Discipline: Self-discipline is the ability to stay the course, to stay on track over a certain time period, developing habits and patterns that allow you to achieve an objective. This strength is about establishing routines, and being able to consistently commit to the routine to achieve a desired objective. You can set up routines, timelines and deadlines and stay self-motivated over a long period of time. This strength allows you to break long-term projects into a series of specific, short-term plans and systematically progress through each plan diligently. This strength is about precision and the ability to design and follow a method.

10. Competitive: Being competitive is about developing the winner in you. Competing is about comparison. It’s how you measure your wins and losses. Winning and achieving is what motivates you. If you can compare, you can compete, and if you can compete, you can win. You love to compete because it produces a winner, and when you win, there is no feeling quite like it. This strength is extremely important because it allows you to push through challenges by feeling your competitive spirit. When you’re competitive, winning is in your heart.

11. Intuition: Intuition is the inner voice that you hear. This is your compass in life. This strength is about your inner voice… the first voice and first feeling you get. It’s your gut feeling. We’re all born with this talent, but most people never fully develop this strength. The more you learn to stay in the present, the louder you hear and feel this strength resonate in your being. This strength is developed as you start to really feel comfortable with operating from self-love and inner peace. Not only do you start to trust yourself, but you trust the Universe as well. Your words start to become your law. Your words are your bond. This also affects what you attract to your reality as you begin to operate from peace, love and trust.

12. Focus: Focus is about being able to know what you seek and then achieving that objective. This is what gets you back on course when you get off. Focus is about establishing priorities and then accomplishing what will return the greatest reward. When this strength is developed, you shift from goal setting to goal getting. This is when it really gets in your heart. You have a laser focus. You really start to feel what is going to bring you the greatest return now. This is a key component of accomplishing and achieving. Focus is what eliminates chatter and chaos from the mind. You start to focus on the task at hand.

13. Vision: Vision is the strength that allows you to borrow from the future and believe in the invisible. You are the kind of person who many people call a dreamer. Your vision is not created by holding on to the past. It comes from knowing where you are, and most of all, where you are going. Being visionary refers to being able to see into the future, with a belief and a sense of knowing what will occur. A strong vision is where clarity is created in a desired objective.

In times of challenge, your vision can be used as an anchor or safe haven to visit and to remind yourself you are on the right path. Meditating, relaxing, breathing through a situation and being able to crystallize your path to an eventual destination can anchor you in your vision despite any circumstances or challenges that get the average person off course. When vision gets in your heart, you are able to really believe and borrow from the invisible.

14. Listening: Listening is another strength that is thoroughly grounded in the now. Listening in the now allows you to really hear what people mean, not just what they say. The average person listens from two perspectives: past and future tense. When conversing, most people aren’t listening because they are thinking about what to say from the perspective of, “I have to say the right thing, I have to be right. I have to respond perfectly, or I might lose this person or this opportunity.” When this dynamic is played out, listening stops about mid-sentence as the listener starts to plan his response. Such people operate from thinking rather than feeling. Bad listeners are also interrupters, which comes from, “I have to be right, I have to be heard, what I say is more important.”

To develop this strength requires you to be in the moment, in the now. Maintaining eye contact, being relaxed, saying what you feel and coming from the heart are all ways you develop great listening into great communication. When you are a great listener, you enhance your intuitive ability. You trust what you hear telepathically. Being able to hear in the moment for meaning rather than just content is one of the most valuable communication skills and technique there is.

15. Student of the Game: Being a student of the game is where you learn the process. The downfall is that most people don’t stay in it long enough to ever really learn the game or the process. No matter what business, what company or what endeavor you’re involved in… it is crucial that you learn the rules of engagement. You can go to seminars, read books, get coached, mentored and explore many other methods that will assist you and enhance your value, but nothing replaces action and experience. The typical person falls short of success because they fear the process. The game is really learned by taking concentrated action consistently over time.

16. Maximizer: As a maximizer, being exceptional, not average, is your expectation. Taking something from average to exceptional is your strength. Such a person can be counted on in an organization. This person can operate independently of others. If you see a project or a situation crumbling, you step in and take over. This person is extremely dependable, and is a solution-oriented visionary, not a typical problem-solver. They invent and create solutions, not solve problems. They don’t spend their time dwelling on their weaknesses, but are obsessed about developing their strengths. They capitalize on the gifts with which they were blessed. This inspires teammates and employees to do their best. This is a tremendous strength to develop and is one that will greatly enhance your productivity.

17. Positivity: Strength number seventeen is positivity. When you have this strength, you exude an energy that is infectious. People desire to be around you because of how you project and present yourself. You are great at building others up when they are down. This is a great strength to be born with, but it can be developed also. For you, the glass is half full consistently. You speak a different language than the average person. You speak in the present tense and the positive future tense:

I am becoming.

I am a leader.

I attract to my reality like-minded individuals with whom I can partner to develop six-figure income earners. 

I will not be denied.

I will achieve my dreams.

This is how you speak from positivity and from a sense of certainty. This is not just saying your affirmations over and over so eventually they will happen. When I am talking about positivity, I am talking about radiating, transcending, becoming, doing, and being in the moment. People see you as spirited and lighthearted. You seem to glide through life. Your emotions are consistently steady—not too high and not too low. You are a people person and most of all, a people magnet. Your leadership ability also creates good followers. You know how to pick people up when they are down and how to find what’s good in the world. You see the possibility to benefit from any situation.

18. Relator: Being a relator describes your attitude about relationships. This strength is about people: skills, trust, understanding and the ability to share certain intimacies. You have the ability to turn strangers into friends in a very short time period. When this strength is developed, people trust you quickly. The relator is exceptional at asking questions. People feel comfortable around you because of your quiet energy that is warm and soothing. You operate from your feelings, not your thinking. You want to understand people’s feelings and emotions, and you gain strength from understanding your own feelings objectively.

You are also an exceptional listener, which is another quality that allows you to hear and feel where people are really coming from. You are able to trust. More than that, you attract trust to yourself in the form of trustworthy people. This strength is about relating from the heart, having a deep sense of caring about people and knowing there is a place for you in the Universe.

19. Forgiveness: Forgiveness is not only a powerful strength to possess, but also a great gift to give yourself and to teach others. When you can forgive, you are able to let go easily and with understanding. In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult strengths to develop, but one of the most rewarding.

Letting go and forgiving can be such a powerful experience, yet very few people ever really embrace this strength. When forgiveness is in your heart, love starts to find you and you find it in many ways. Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgiving is not taking someone or some situation off the hook. Forgiving is a gift that you give yourself so you can heal the pain, so you can let go and love, so you can get on with your life. Forgiving is taking responsibility for your present and releasing the significance of the past. Forgiveness releases other people from your pain, and allows you to heal and love from your heart.

20. Responsibility: Responsibility is your own personal code of honor. This strength goes hand in hand with commitment and self-discipline. Many people fear responsibility. Many people are afraid to claim responsibility for a goal, a dream, a vision, a person or a team.

I believe that much of this turmoil and confusion stems from a misunderstanding of responsibility. Responsibility cannot be forced on anyone. When it is, it becomes obligation. Responsibility has nothing to do with blame, shame, guilt or fault. Instead, responsibility means you claim your power to affect results and stop blaming your problems on external circumstances that you cannot control. Thus, responsibility is the ticket to freedom that takes back your power from outside events and other people.

21. Charisma: Charisma, or what I refer to as W.O.O., winning others over… is when you emit a natural energy that telepathically states, “I’m comfortable with myself, I like to have fun, I can lead you and I am dedicated.” Charisma is what people buy and what they want to be a part of. When developed into a strength… it operates like your unseen ace, your secret calling card.

You do this from your heart, not from your head, because it’s so natural you don’t even have to think about it. When this is a strength, people come to you… you don’t have to find them. This means you have the ability to attract people. This strength can be greatly enhanced by getting comfortable with yourself, loving yourself and forgiving past hurts and betrayals. In your world, there are no strangers, just people waiting to meet you. When you walk into a room, people feel your presence… they feel your charisma, which naturally allows them to want to be a part of whatever you are doing, big or small.

So there you have it… the 21 Keys of Strength.

As a leader, always strive to take your game to the next level. Your commitment to your business and self-improvement is what will allow you to lead a winning team!