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Do you want to be a leader when the time comes? start leading now.
Leadership is as important in life as it is on the battlefield. I know most of you won’t end up on a traditional battlefield someplace, but you may find a little piece of hell on earth that you have to save yourself or your family from.
If the time ever comes when you have to defend yourself or your family, it will feel like a battlefield.
If you want to lead yourself, your family, and others through those times you have to start preparing now.
Here are 5 things you can do to start becoming a battlefield leader:
- Learn
- Build Relationships and Leadership Capital
- Performance
- Be Decisive but not rigid
- Practice
Learn: Become an expert in self-defense, fighting, weapons, avoidance, and anything else that you think you might need. And keep learning.
Build Relationships and Leadership Capital: People want to follow others they know and that they know are competent. Others also want to be heard and have an influence on other people. Build relationships with everyone around you so they know you and your skills. Build leadership capital by leading well when it is called for, following others, and supporting leaders above you and around you.
You need leadership capital (a lot of it) if you are going to be able to give commands and have them followed when the chips are down and the battle is raging. People will have to know and trust you so they will do what you are saying and you can lead.
Performance: You have to perform at everything you do and prove yourself every day to keep your leadership capital. As soon as you are seen slipping or you don’t do something as well as you could, people will see that and think you aren’t as good as you say you are at things. You have to preform at almost every meaningless task all the time to have people follow you on the battlefield.
Be Decisive but not Rigid: You have to learn to make a decision and be known as the person that can. This goes all the way down to picking a place to eat. But you can’t have it your way or the highway. In everyday life, suggestions are a good way of making a decision but not being rigid about it. May I suggest Texas Roadhouse (one of my favorite places for food) for dinner? Then see what everyone says. If someone brings up an objection, then overcome it with feelings and reason, or suggest another place. In everything, take in information, make a decision, explain your decision so everyone is on board, then execute.
Practice: This means the little things like “Where should we go to dinner?” Yes, this seems like a pointless thing, but it is a way to practice your leadership. The more you practice now, the better you will get at it, and the better you will perform if you ever need those skills.
Stay Safe,
Ben