Mike Manazir

What is leadership? John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, said, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Leadership, therefore is using your influence in the lives of the people you touch to inspire them to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.

Our most powerful lessons are often gained from our most painful failures. As General George S. Patton said, ‘Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.’

This defeat became a foundational leadership lesson for me. I learned that just because you have a clear goal and you work hard at it doesn’t mean you will always achieve the goal—the first time. The path to success is paved with disappointments and defeats along the way. You pick yourself up, refocus on the goal, and go back to work with even greater determination. That’s what winners do.

I came to appreciate the fact that sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is to fail—and be given the opportunity to try again. You learn some of your most valuable lessons once you have persevered through a failure.

I always had the confidence that given the opportunity to work at something long enough, I would eventually master it. I expected to be as good as the best and better than the rest. Attitude is a key part of it. As Henry Ford said, ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.

I encourage leaders to shift their focus from their personal performance to their team’s performance. You may be able to produce impressive results. A competent team well led can deliver spectacular results.

My standing leadership mantra is that an effective leader only needs to do two things: give guidance and remove barriers. This assumes the leader resists the urge to micromanage (a sure path to failure) and has learned to delegate (your path to success).

Mentors who had the biggest impact on my life did three things. One, they believed in me and saw possibilities within me that I couldn’t see. Two, they opened doors of opportunity. Three, they gave me the benefit of their wisdom and experience to guide my way.

All the resources you need are available to you. You just have to pursue your dream relentlessly. If you believe it, you can achieve it.

Get clear on what you want. Embrace the setbacks. They make you better. Look for the greater opportunity embedded in your disappointments.

It was Dwight D. Eisenhower who said the supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.

Are you able to go through your tough experiences and find growth in your character and your inner strength? Can you feel the lessons you learned from the hard times? Can you come to a place where you feel grateful for the pain and suffering because an ordeal made you stronger?