Posted By Shawn M. Fouts – West TX A&M U.

This leadership thing is consuming me. Not that I have always been the consummate leader, mainly as a lack of knowledge and modeling. But, as I work with this thing called leadership I have come to a few conclusions:

1. Leadership is a philosophy, not a theory.
2. Leadership philosophy is life philosophy, in my mind the two are one.
3. Leadership is nothing more than Relationships + Influence. How can I influence people in my relationships?

Leadership = Relationships + Influence

Profoundly simple really. I wonder why we see such a lack of leadership all around us then? I intentionally choose to be a leader (at the least an active participant) in everything I do, everywhere I go, and in every relationship I currently have and make on a daily basis, no matter how big or how small. But, I have to choose to be an influence and I have to choose what kind of influence I will be, either positive or negative. I wonder if influencing one really is influencing many? I think it’s worth a try.