If you own your own business, you’re probably a natural-born leader.  Now that doesn’t mean that you show up every day in a new Tahari suit or Jimmy Choo shoes. Leadership can be messy, can lack glamour, and can get down and dirty at times.  (So no matter what you’re wearing, keep a pair of beat up jeans in your desk for those roll-up-your-sleeves and dive in days.)

A leader is someone whom people choose to follow, and although leadership is an ability all of us are born with, many of us have to cultivate the ability in order to make it effective. Not everyone in charge is a leader, that’s just the reality of life. Sometimes entrepreneurs are amazing leaders; sometimes they aren’t. The inherent tension of leadership is the challenge of just doing things your way or soliciting and incorporating the suggestions of your top lieutenants. The price of leadership is high. You have to make the big decisions, take the big risks, put your neck on the chopping block, and guide people who may be difficult or uncooperative. Leaders also struggle with the inherent tension between their innate desire to lead and their fantasy of letting the reins go now and then. Heck, let’s admit it—some days it’s nice to just follow. However, the follower pays an equally high price, though it can be hard to see. Followers don’t have the benefit of seeing the big picture, they don’t see the business with the 360-degree view that leaders strive for. And that’s the most fascinating view in business.

Wherever you fit in your organization, think like a chief executive officer, because let’s face it: you are the leader of your life. Who are you going to lead in your own life? YOU. When you’re discouraged, you will “lead” that feeling in a more positive direction. When you’re feeling insecure, you will “lead” that emotion by listing all the things you’re secure about. Yes, leaders need followers. And that includes your ability to rise above and guide your negative emotions and thoughts into a more positive place. This is the only way to truly take 100 percent responsibility for your life.

Christine Comaford, Business Accelerator
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: If you’re ready to take your leadership to the next level and GROW your business, I’m holding a special sale where you can participate in my entire Business Foundation Blueprint system (for HALF OFF).  http://www.mvlinks.net/june-special