Can anybody become a legend?

You probably heard of legendary leaders. When you went to school, you had to recite the presidents, or the winners of great battles, like Alexander the Great, Julius Cesar, Napoleon, and others. When you went to college, and especially if taking any business classes, you probably heard of early legends like Henry Ford, Ferdinand Porsche, Gandhi, and later ones, like Lou Gerstner, Bill Gates, Jack Welch…

There are legends all around us, in business, music, the arts, and politics. In many cases these individuals actually became legends after they died, but recently a fair number of folks make it to that level well before their life ends.  That begs the question if one needs to be famous to be or become a legend and if you can become a legend as well?

Just imagine:

Wouldn’t it be great if many of the things you want get done everyday would happen as you directed them to?

Wouldn’t’ you like to know that you have the trust and admiration of the people you work with?

Wouldn’t you like to have weeks without stress because you know that your team is doing what needs to be done without complaints.

Don’t you crave for the day when your guidance, goals, and statements would be immediately understood and the whole operation would flow seamlessly?

Wouldn’t you actually like to take a 2-3 week vacation knowing that the organization would still work fine when you return and people would welcome you back because they missed you rather than dumping all the problems that accumulated in your absence on you in the fist half hour?

I know how you feel. I have been there myself, first in the military in charge of a $100 Million Dollar project, and then in private industry as a director of customer service and training. It felt like a rat race that never ended. It was constant pressure, constant stress, almost no time to take a breather, and honestly- no life.

You know what, I sometimes even wondered why I was doing all the things I stressed about and had the impression nobody appreciated. Then I began to study the legendary leaders to learn what they did and how they got to where they are, but more importantly – what they had that I didn’t.

In my coaching practice I actually use a program called “The Legendary Leader Within You”. In a six months course I go into much detail and analyze 12 different attributes I found to make a huge difference for anybody on the path to joy, fun in life and at work, appreciation, and ultimately the legendary status.

What I found when studying many books and film footage about Lengendary Leaders was pretty amazing. It wasn’t really the great decisions or actions they made (although that sometimes helped), but it was always the person and the behaviors that made the huge difference.

The legendary politicians needed people to follow their lead and they always found them because they were humble and dependable. Legendary business leaders are ambitious without aggression, confident without being pompous, balanced in emotions and facts when discussing tough issues, organized without being rigid. All leaders, most important of all, are willing to give praise to everybody around them who deserved it before looking at themselves, see themselves as servants to a larger cause, and surround themselves with individuals better than they are in certain specialties.

As you might expect, there is more to learn about Legendary Leaders and how to become one yourself. One thing is for sure: You can do it! Trust in those who want to help and support you, and when the next situation arises that would normally get you all stressed out, apply this formula:

1. Take a deep breath
2. Analyze the situation and work with the specialists who can best help you
3. Trust in the individuals on your team to follow your lead
4. Admit mistakes when they happen
5. Give praise where it is deserved
6. Calm down and believe in yourself

Bottom line: You can become a Legendary Leader, respected and admired by everybody around you at work and at home, in all aspects of your life. It will not happen over night, but trust me, it will happen if you are accepting help, believe in your followers, friends, and co-workers, and honor everybody who deserves your praise.

If you like to learn more about Lengendary Leaders, have comments or actual stories to tell about your steps on the path to Legendary Leadership, please send them to me or email me at AM@Meierhoefer.net

Axel Meierhoefer, AMC LLC