Map your way to success

To assess your leadership abilities and learn to project your strengths in the best light, consider the following seven traits of outstanding leaders.

1. Know what you want and go for it. Create your own definition of success, so you'll know when you arrive. Design a success map — your personal plan for reaching your career destination. Include small steps you can take now to use your leadership skills and feel successful.
2. Fail proudly. Successful leaders are willing to take risks and make mistakes. Go beyond your fear of being "wrong" and tap into your intuitive sense of leadership. Consider each "mistake" you make an unplanned learning opportunity. Focus on what you learned from the experience and decide how you'd do it differently next time.
3. Be your own best publicist. Wait for someone to notice your achievements and you'll likely wait forever. You must make them notice! When you take action to bring the recognition you deserve, you model leadership behavior.
4. Identify your "mapping mentors." You wouldn't go into a foreign country without a map. So why try to discover your golf facility’s leadership paths without a guide or mentor? A mentor offers you support, encouragement and insight. You, in turn, make your mentor look good. Look for someone who has the right positional power and experience to help you reach your goals.
5. Plan for continuous growth. Include professional development in your plans for increasing your promotability and marketability. Continue your education, volunteer in professional and community organizations and broaden your networking group.
6. Network, network, network. Step outside your comfort zone and talk to people in other areas of the golf facility whom you don't know well. Begin networking by bringing information. Your expertise, your conversational skills, your knowledge of people and your industry are gifts you can give to others. Consider every person you talk to a potential resource.
7. Keep your ear to the ground. There’s a difference between gossip and information you can use to your advantage. Don't discount what may seem like facility “politics" too hastily. The key is to listen closely and be careful about what you repeat. Part of being a strong leader is having information.

Copyright Dennis A. Romig, 2005, author of Breakthrough Teamwork and the Wall Street Journal bestseller Side by Side Leadership, www.sidebyside.com. Used with permission.