Tony Robbins

2 3 4 5 6 7 16 REAL-LEADERS.COM / FALL 2020 COVER STORY: CRISIS LEADERSHIP PLAYBOOK “ EXCEPTIONAL ANDCOMPELLING VISION. ” Without a vision, people perish. A great leader communicates a clear and compelling vision and then unites people around it. It needs to be a vision that captures the hearts, minds, and energies of a significant number of people. It’s the story of how life can be made better for some group of people, customers, a race, a country — something that makes people bring their resources to the table. Leaders start with asking how. Leaders askwhat andwhy; they do not focus on how. Steve Jobs is a quintessential visionary leader. He was known for his big ideas and his knack for creating an innovation culture. He’s known for his ability to envision a future that didn’t exist yet. President John F. Kennedy did this with his famous moon speech. He painted a vision, united a nation, and challenged us to do the impossible. “Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.” He didn’t focus on howwewere going to do it, he called to us and ignited hearts and minds around a higher vision through a deepermeaning. One of my favorite examples is Walt Disney. On the day Disneyland opened, a reporter told Roy Disney, Walt’s brother, “Boy, this must be a bittersweet day for you. It’s a shame Walt never got to see it.” Roy responded, “It’s obvious why you’re a reporter on other people’s visions and not a visionary yourself because if you were, you’d understand one thing. Walt saw this. That’s why you get to see it today.” “ PASSIONATE ANDEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR. ” There’s an energy to leadership. There’s a passion. But to effectively communicate, you must know who your audience is and how to speak in a way that moves them. Themost important thing I teach is this: To influence another person, you have to knowwhat already influences them. You have to know what they think, want, fear, and desire most. “ ABSOLUTECERTAINTY. ” Extraordinary and effective leaders bring certainty to uncertain environments. How? By first creating unwavering confidence within themselves. They turn their fear into fuel. The strongest leaders have an absolute core belief that what they’ve envisioned they canmake real. There is power in belief. Certainty is what shapes human beings, and one common denominator of great leaders is their absolute conviction. “ BRILLIANT STRATEGIST. ” Leaders in a crisis aren’t just driven. They’re not just passionate communicators. They’ve figured out a strategy, a systemto get fromwhere they are towhere theywant to be, tomake their vision real. Maybe you aren’t a brilliant strategist. That’s okay; some leaders aren’t. But they can recognize a brilliant strategy. You’ve got to know when to give and when to demand, when to talk and when to listen, when to lead and when to follow. “ INSANELYPERSISTENT ANDYET FLEXIBLE IN THEIRAPPROACH. ” The key is to stay committed to your outcome but flexible in your approach. Part of why real leaders succeed in life is persistent flexibility. It sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it’s true. Real leaders lead by example. They walk their talk. Authenticity creates credibility, and without credibility, no one can lead. All great leaders have stories of possibility, not impossibility. If it’s the story of impossibility, it’s not a leader. They go first so that they know it’s possible. There’s the story of a poor woman who brought her child to see Gandhi. She knew her child would stop eating sugar if Gandhi told him to. The first time she sees Gandhi, after traveling three days and nights across the country, she begs him, “Please, tell my child to stop eating sugar!” Gandhi turns around and is somewhat short. He tells her to bring her child back in three weeks. The woman is frustrated and even thinks to herself, “Some guru you are.” She’s just traveled a long way, and now she’s got to do it all again? But she does. She brings her son back three weeks later, and Gandhi says to the boy, “Don’t eat sugar.” The woman goes, “Why didn’t you tell him that before?” And he says, “Because three weeks ago, I was eating sugar.” Tome, real leadership is to be in service of something greater than ourselves. As leaders, if we can find a higher meaning amid our pain and struggles and persist despite our fear, we become a source of love and inspiration to others. We bring strength to others, and together, we become the change we all want to see. “ AUTHENTICANDCONGRUENT. ” SHANNON FINNEY / GETTY IMAGES

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