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Chapter Nine - Leadership

‘If you want to lead, at least invest 40% of your time in leading
yourself’ - Dee Hock (Founder of Visa)

(WATERFALL) this chapter looks at the element ‘L’ for Leadership
I have a book on leadership that is not published yet, I interviewed
a lot of business leaders to find what makes them tick, what is the
common denominator and what is unique to an individual leader in
their sphere of influence.
The most difficult leadership job to do is leading yourself and this
is the reason for most failures in business. Dee Hock said, spend
40% of your time leading yourself. However, some people may be
taken aback by that, but I would tell you why that is the most
important task of an entrepreneur.

Freedom: Most entrepreneurs’ motivation for going into business
is the desire for freedom; that is to do what they want when they
want without anyone breathing down their necks. So, when they
leave the security of their jobs and jump into entrepreneurship, the
first thing to go out of the window is freedom. Why? They are in a
state of confusion, it is the nature of the transition. When you move
from a stable environment of employment into a volatile world of
entrepreneurship, it may feel like you are in a spin! This phase may
be short or long depending on your ability to adapt quickly and
settle into a new pattern. Let’s discuss Charles Darwin’s theory of
evolution (don’t worry we are not going into an academic treatise
that may confuse you, just stay with me). He said those who
survive are not the strongest, not the most intelligent, not the best
but one who is able to adapt to changing environment faster and
make the most of it. Please note that I am just paraphrasing him
not a direct quote. What I want you to take away from this is that
the ability to adapt is very important. If you can rapidly assess a
new situation and find solutions promptly; you will get ahead in
business better than others. So, what does it mean to lead
yourself? It must start with self-awareness which means you know
yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, your talents, etc. Peter
Drucker said, if you know your strength and find a vocation where
that strength is needed, it doesn’t matter what your weaknesses
are you will excel. Knowing your strength means that you will be

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