Welcome to Episode 69 of Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing
In episode 69 the topic is “eCourses to build and grow your business.” I’ve created an eCourse on the topic of leadership, and I’m using it as an example for what I am teaching during this podcast episode.
An eCourse is an electronic course, presented as a series of short lessons on a topic of interest to your target audience. Leadership, like time management, productivity, and many others, is a topic that is almost universal to people throughout the world. This gives you the opportunity to connect with prospects and build an ongoing relationship based on what you are offering.
Once I chose leadership as the topic of this new eCourse, I began to outline the information I wanted to share. I thought past the initial impact my eCourse lessons would have on someone interested in knowing more about leadership, and on to what would be possible for those who took the time and made the effort to become leaders in their chosen fields.
Personally, I had never thought of myself as a leader until I became a school teacher at the age of thirty. It was my first school administrator who tapped me to lead a committee of teachers in the area of technology. I ended up writing a grant that put three computers in my 5th/6th grade classroom, something that was extremely rare in 1987.
This principal, Sue Shannon, made it possible for me to shine in the areas I was most interested in and passionate about. She thrust me into the role of a leader and I went on to achieve many goals based on her guidance and the faith she had in me.
Effective leadership requires a host of skills that you can learn, such as:
Accountability – Not only do you need to understand how to take responsibility when needed, but you also, as a leader, need to understand how to hold others accountable too ethically and fairly.
Assertiveness – You must learn how to say no, or yes when it’s the right thing to do and express your fact-based opinions confidently. Part of being a leader is other people’s perception of you as a leader. If the people around you believe you and know you’ll stand up for them and your causes, the perception is you’re a good leader.
Communication – Knowing how to talk, listen, and when to do both is a skill a good leader processes and a skill you can learn. The more you learn about the process of communication, the more you can add to your leadership skill set.
Ethical – Doing the right thing, regardless of what others think, is what a strong leader does. They have a strong awareness of their morals, values, and principles and make decisions that demonstrate them.
Focused – A good leader knows when and how to get things done. They pay close attention to details and don’t allow distractions to lower the quality of their work or slow them down.
Honesty – Despite how it sometimes seems in the media, a good leader knows how to be truthful and doesn’t try to hide the truth from their audience.
Open-Mindedness – A good leader knows that they don’t know what they don’t know and may not even know what questions to ask about what they don’t know. Therefore, they keep an open mind and pay close attention to facts as they reveal themselves to change course if needed.
Organized – Don’t worry. Even if you aren’t naturally organized, you really can learn to improve your organizational skills. But even if you can’t keep your home uncluttered, you can learn how to manage all your work using the tools of the trade.
Relationship Builder – Due to their understanding of themselves, human nature, and conflict resolution, a good leader is an effective relationship builder both at work and personally.
Reliable – If a good leader tells you they will do something, they always do. You can trust them at their word. But this is also why they are not afraid to say no because they’re not saying yes...
