TAKING COMMAND! ACHIEVING YOUR OBJECTIVES.

You must exude self-confidence if you choose to be a leader. People admire decisiveness and strength of conviction even more than they do wisdom and diplomacy in a leader. It's true. To command others, they must be coldly convinced that you are absolutely resolute in your goals, beliefs and personal identity.

The majority of the populace does not want to be inundated with research, choices and philosophy -- people eschew this cerebration for "bottom-line" leadership. They want to follow someone who has (presumably) done all of that work for them and is prepared to forge ahead immediately.

Self-confidence is manifest in simple, methodical, bold words and action steps. Wavering is (with the occasional exception of a Bill Clinton) seen as weakness or deceitfulness.

This whole phenomenon steps from a deep, behavioral propensity on the part of most people to be led by a parental figure, despite their idle protestations to the contrary.

To Take Command, you must be a leader in every aspect. You must be, and you must appear self-confident. Your body language, tone of voice, passion, posture and mood serves to stimulate the reactive minds of your charges or constituents.

You may have your doubts, but you, as a leader, and a commander-in-chief, do not have the Human luxury of expressing uncertainty, or of hesitation.

Some interesting material follows for sharpening your leadership skill-set.

Douglas E Castle

3 ways to lead more like Ronald Reagan

Source: YouTube/John Baldoni

The best leaders -- people like John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan -- have more than just star power, writes John Baldoni. They also have earned authority: a tangible confidence and sense of their mastery of a situation that inspires others to follow them and work toward a common goal. "You can't lead another person if you don't believe in yourself," Baldoni writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (7/29)