How to Lead with Purpose

The biggest difference between teams that win and teams that lose is leadership.

Winning teams have strong and effective leadership.

Losing teams have weak and ineffective leadership.

That's the truth.

Unfortunately, many people are attracted to leadership for the wrong reasons.

They look at leadership as a token of status and power.

Instead of using the title as an opportunity to help the team win...

They use it to inflate their ego and delegate their workload.

That's not effective leadership ... and a big reason why so many people fail as "leaders".

If you want to be a great leader and you want your team to win...

You must lead with purpose.

The right purpose.

The Truth About Leadership

Being a real leader is just like being the tip of a spear.

It's the bloodiest...

It's the dirtiest...

...and it's the most damaged part of the spear.

It also leads the charge.

Which means if you want to be a real leader...

Someone who leads with purpose...

You have to be the first one to get their hands dirty.

You have to deal with the most bullsh*t.

You have to undergo the most pain and struggle.

You have to shoulder the most responsibility.

You have to lead by example.

You have to make the difficult decisions.

You have to hold your team accountable.

You have to act in the best interest of the mission.

You have to have the hard conversations.

You have to accept responsibility for the team's performance.

You have to answer to everyone.

That's the truth of leadership.

It isn't sexy. It's the opposite.

...But it's also extremely rewarding.

Lead with Purpose

What does it mean to “lead with purpose?”

Your team needs a purpose.

There needs to be a collective mission you're all working toward.

There needs to be a goal or end result that everyone feels like they're playing a part in accomplishing.

As the leader, it's your job to provide the purpose and remind your team of the purpose at every chance you get.

A purpose gives the team a clear direction and a vision to rally behind.

It's what strengthens and unites the team.

It's also what inspires the team to take action and produce the results required.

Leading with purpose is making sure the team is all rowing in the right direction.

It's taking the primary mission or purpose and using it to produce a high-performing team as well as high-performing individual team members.

All winning teams have a purpose.

In a sports team ... It could be winning the championship.

In a business ... It could be changing the industry and making an impact on people.

In a household ... It could be setting the example for other families for what it means to be a strong and supportive family.

Whatever it is...

All teams need a purpose to be effective.

How to Lead with Purpose

1. Cast a Massive Vision

As a leader, you have to be able to create and share a vision.

Your team needs to know what they’re working towards.

This is their purpose.

However, a vision or purpose alone isn't enough.

As the leader, you have to be able to communicate the actions necessary to achieve the end goal, vision, or purpose.

...and when a team member falls short, screws up, or doesn't meet the standard...

It's up to you to enforce the real standard...

Hold them accountable for how it should be done...

...and relate everything back to the purpose or vision you cast.

When it does come time for this, you have to be direct in your communication.

2. Be Direct in Your Communication

No matter what you're doing, whether it's holding the team accountable...

Enforcing a standard...

...or anything in between...

You have to learn how to be direct in your communication.

Tell the truth.

Be clear and concise.

Your job as the leader is not to coddle anyone or make them feel better about falling short.

It's to hold a high standard and demand that the standard is met by every member on the team.

That means you'll need to have uncomfortable conversations when it comes time to enforce the standard.

Don't beat around the bush.

Don't decorate your words with fluff.

Get to the point and tell the truth even if it makes your voice shake.

You aren't being impolite or rude for telling the truth...

You're doing the person a favor by bringing awareness to their shortcomings and challenging them to be better.

Even if they hate you for it now...

They'll learn to love you for it in time.

Because you told them the truth they needed to get better when nobody else had the balls to do it.

3. Lead by Example

Nobody is going to trust you or respect you if your words and actions are misaligned.

Not your team...

Not your spouse...

Not yourself...

Nobody.

Great leaders don't just lead with purpose.

Great leaders also lead by example.

If you aren't willing to do the tasks you're asking of your team...

You will have an extremely difficult time getting anyone to rally behind you at all.

Because while people may pay attention to what you say...

They are ultimately inspired and driven by what you do.

You have to constantly demonstrate your own commitment by getting your hands dirty and getting to work.

Preaching one thing and doing another is the fastest way to lose all respect and credibility...

That's why the best and only way to lead is by example.

4. Take Ownership

All great leaders accept responsibility for the performance of the team as a whole.

It's never anybody else's fault if they fall short...

It's their own.

If you want to lead with purpose...

You have to take ownership of the team and the mission.

At the end of the day, there are no bad teammates…

Only bad leaders.

Being a leader means taking ownership of the outcome, regardless of what happened to produce the outcome.

5. Practice Accountability

As we just discussed, if you’ve set standards for others…

You better follow them yourself.

But you also need to make sure your team is aware of those standards, and are held accountable in maintaining them.

There are no excuses.

There are no free passes.

Your job is to hold the line no matter what.

When you let things slide and start to focus more on your popularity than the success of the overall mission...

You’re not helping your team.

You're setting them up for failure, which they'll eventually resent you for.

You must communicate the expectations when they're not met...

Relate it back to the success of the mission...

...and demand they meet the expectations moving forward.

That's leading with purpose.

All Great Leaders Have Mental Toughness

Being a great leader is one of the single most difficult paths you can take in life.

Take pride in that.

...But also understand what will actually be required of you.

I can guarantee you it's far more than you can currently imagine.

You will need mental toughness.

This is something all great leaders understand and practice daily.

Mental toughness is the most important skill you can develop because it lays the foundation upon which every other skill needed to win is built.

Confidence.

Self-Belief.

Self-Worth.

Self-Esteem.

Fortitude.

Grit.

Discipline.

These are all skills that mental toughness will help you cultivate.

The Book on Mental Toughness will provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to build mental toughness.

It will also equip and prepare you to be the best leader you possibly can be...

Because it requires mental toughness.

If you think you can be an effective leader without a rock-solid foundation of mental toughness...

You're wrong.

Trust me on that.

Ready to lead with purpose?

Apply everything you learned today and get your copy of The Book on Mental Toughness now.

You'll be grateful you did.