In today’s age of wisdom and information leadership is a way of thinking rather than a formal position. Leadership is the ability to influence and inspire others to find their own purpose in life. Leadership begins with self mastery and maturity because only then can we really inspire others to be the best they could be.

Here are the ten steps to developing true leadership

1.Find Your Own Path.
Many of us are great at something but not everything. There are big picture abstract people and those that are good with details. There are those who work best alone and those that excel in teams and are best placed in positions to motivate people. Working to your own strengths and surrounding yourself with people who have complementary strengths is a positive step to high achievement. Most people know what they are best at doing. If not a personality test may be helpful. There are many websites that offer personality tests which give you a wonderful insight to your strengths. Email us xenia@adprop.com.au if you would like us to recommend one to you. It doesn’t’ matter what tests you take the idea is to get you onto a path that is uniquely you and use your time to play to your strengths.

2.Build Your Knowledge
You just don’t know what you don’t know and it is sometimes what you don’t know that can make a difference between success and failure. Eskimos have twelve different words and meanings for “ice”. To them it is not just frozen water it is a way of life and they know their surroundings intimately. Whether you are in business or real estate investing or both you need to know your area well enough to alter your strategies with changing economic conditions and remaining proactive at all times. The average person will struggle to read one book per year…. don’t be average! Reading regularly, listening to audio books while you drive and attending three to four live seminars and workshops per year will not only accelerate your learning, it will put you heads and shoulders above the average investor. Live seminars and workshops offer the advantage of interaction and exercises designed to stimulate a more advanced way of thinking. They are also a quick way to get lots of information in one hit. I will usually read over 100 books and conduct two years of research to write just one two-day workshop.

3.Begin as Quickly as You Can
Knowledge is power but only when it is combined with action. Taking action as quickly as you can will allow you to build momentum to keep going. When I attend live seminars and workshops I book in an extra day away from the office to implement all the new information into my business plans. If the seminar is interstate, I will usually stay interstate one more day booked into a motel where I can plan to implement the information. Start at whatever level you can. If you plan to build a property portfolio don’t wait until you have the finance for a multi-storey enterprise, buy a unit or even form a unit trust or syndicate to purchase properties with other investors if you are not able to get purchase a whole property alone just yet. The idea is to just get started.

4.Develop Vision
Effective planning is better than just “seeing how it goes”. The most successful businesses including enduring property portfolios (yes they are a business) began with a written plan of action. Having long term vision is part of the mindset of a successful person. Rich people plan ahead and have a vision for the next year, 5 years and 10 years. Poor people live day by day and have short sighted vision.

5.Work Only on High Priority Items
Wealth is created by what you choose to do in your spare time. While relaxation and down time is essential, those who choose to create their life in lieu of watching television, or wasting time with small talk will do much better than those who don’t. Brian Tracey has published a book called Eat That Frog which suggests prioritising tasks and only dealing with the biggest and most valuable tasks or projects each day. Tasks that do not contribute directly to your success or plans, such as mindless chatting, television or other people’s priorities should be minimised.

6.People Before Profits
No business (including real estate investing) will succeed long term if it is just about making money. All business missions need a strong focus on service and a people before profits attitude. Real estate investing like businesses are about people, looking after the people, tenants, professionals etc will ensure that your business withstands the pressures of time enough to profit in the long term. When was the last time your properties were renovated? Are they air conditioned and comfortable? Providing a great service to clients and focusing on that will increase the chances of a longer term lease and that means no losses through vacancies.

7.Develop an Abundance Mindset
Abundance is a value, it is the mindset behind a win/win attitude and ethics in business. It is the mindset that recognises opportunities and wealth in your environment. In the absence of abundance there is a scarcity attitude that focuses on win/lose and threats in competition and successful people. People with a true abundance mindset will view competitors as a valuable source of education and networking opportunities. They are truly happy with other people’s successes and wins and are not threatened by others.

8.Build a Wealth Network
Networking with wealth-minded people ensures that you work to your strengths and builds a support team of people with complementary strengths that are happy to do what you are weak at. Wealth-minded people are those who are focused on success in their own life and have a true abundance mindset. They are able to provide insights, opportunities, ideas, finance and support to help you to grow to the best that you can be. In today’s turbulent economic times, businesses and individuals with valuable relationships with a wealth network are those who are succeeding the most. When economic times are down, quality people relationships can keep you afloat.

9.Limit Your Interaction with Poverty Minded People
While surrounding yourself with wealth-minded people is important, it is also important to recognise that not everyone is wealth minded even if they own properties or business or are in a professional position. I have met a few accountants and solicitors as well as property investors who are very poverty minded. They have a definite “ceiling” on their own growth and can also limit your success if you allow them to. Because these people are not able to mentally conceptualise continuous growth and immense wealth they tend to have a cynical, sarcastic and often controlling or suppressive attitude to people who are successful. They will either overtly or covertly disempower your plans of action by making them wrong to justify their own acceptance of mediocrity. Do not allow yourself to become the subject of other people’s imperfections and allow poverty-minded people to mess up your life.
It’s not that they are bad people they are just the average person who has been conditioned for poverty and working from pay cheque to pay cheque and find what you do “risky” or “greedy”. Limit the discussion of business ideas with these people and focus your time on the high priority item of building a wealth network instead.

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10. Become a Person of Influence
Truly successful people are an inspiration to those who are ready and prepared to be inspired. While surrounding yourself with poverty minded people should be limited, I would not recommend ever burning bridges with any individual, everyone does the best they can with the information they have. Deep down everyone is perfect, powerful and successful it is only circumstances and conditioning that create a poverty attitude. If you truly lead from the front and provide and example of wealth, it may be just the thing poverty conditioned people need to encourage them to take action but only when THEY are ready.

Xenia Ioannou – is a Director of AdProp.com.au – Advanced Property Management, and two other businesses, she is a strong advocate on wealth creation through property investment and business growth and the creator of the high powered Millionaire Mindset Workshops Xenia is also a business coach and mentor to many entrepreneurs and property investors, a member of the property management committee at the Real Estate institute of South Australia protecting the interests of AdProp property management clients through changing legislation and runs the Real Estate Wealth Network a meeting and greeting place for wealth-minded property investors and business entrepreneurs. Over 100 investors attend the Real Estate Wealth Network meetings each month, to be part of this unique and positively charged group and receive our newsletters subscribe for free at Adprop