If you are trying to influence how a group of people thinks or acts, you are a leader by definition. As entrepreneurs seek to build their tribes and establish online communities, some fail to recognize their role as a leader.
With self-proclaimed “gurus” popping up across the internet, it’s difficult to discern true leadership habits from the cliche quips and memes.
Leadership is one of those topics everyone has an opinion about, but few are widely recognized as experts. Brad Lomenick studied under the godfather of leadership, John Maxwell, is the author of The Catalyst Leader, and was the visionary behind the iconic Catalyst movement for over 10 years.
This week on The Portfolio Life, Brad and I talk about the essential elements of leadership, and why you need all three in order to gain influence. Listen in as we discuss the relationship between humility, hunger, and hustle, and why this three-pronged strategy is the critical for digital creatives.
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Focus on the work first
Brad Lomenick has long featured a monthly “Young Influencers List” on his blog. When I was about 27 and working in marketing for a non-profit, I watched the list obsessively, hoping to see my name.
Month after month, I’d read Brad’s blog to check the list, and be disappointed each time I reached the end and didn’t see my name.
One day, I finally gave up and instead focused the energy I’d spent watching the list on doing work that mattered. You can guess how surprised I was to see my name on Brad’s coveted list the very next month.
Hustle rarely pays off so quickly, but the point is the moment I stopped watching the “Young Influencers List” is when I finally got on it. Making the cut wasn’t the result of one month of hard work, it was the eventual outcome showing up each day for years, and investing in others.
Influence is more about who you help than what you know or who you know. It’s a combination of doing great work and knowing the right people.
“The moment you stop worrying about what other people think about you, is usually the moment they start paying attention.” —Brad Lomenick
Go be great at what you do.
Show highlights
In this episode, Brad and I discuss:
- The quickest path to sustained success
- Why you must exercise intentional humility as your platform grows
- Developing a hunger for learning
- How to gain influence in new relationships
- The art of asking good questions
- Avoiding the temptation to always have an answer
- Reclaiming hustle as a key component of your leadership formula
- How humility and hustle counter-balance each other
- One of the most difficult lessons for leaders to learn
- What greatness looks like for the next generation
- Establishing the practice of handing over the baton
Quotes and Takeaways
- It’s easy to destroy what you’ve built without a strong infrastructure.
- Big breaks come from weak ties.
- “Successful leaders have an insatiable appetite for learning.” —Brad Lomenick
- “The quickest way to gain credibility is to ask really good questions.” —Brad Lomenick
- “A humble leader with no hustle doesn’t do anything.” —Brad Lomenick
- “You will never get extraordinary results from average work.” —Brad Lomenick
Resources
- H3 Leadership: Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick
- The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker by Brad Lomenick
BONUS: Until the end of today (January 1, 2016) you can get my best-selling book, The Art of Work, for only $0.99. Click here for details on how to get your copy before the price goes up.
Do you struggle to be humble? How hungry are you to learn? Is it easy to avoid the hustle? Which H3 leadership quality do you want to work on? Share in the comments
