There are many people out there who consider themselves a leader; and then there are those who don’t see themselves as a leader but they truly are. Being part of CDT, I have encountered many of both types!

We have seen some IDTs who take time and energy to educate their teams make action plans and work with individual members of their groups to help each and everyone succeed.

Then there are those who advertise that they are leaders and sit back to see how much money the people under them can make them; feeling like they are at the top of the food chain. Soon after they complain when the people who have no guidance and no training become stagnant and don’t generate any income.

As a result of our observations we thought it best to outline the qualities of an effective leader so that both parties mentioned above can see what the true definition of a leader is and better understand why they have or have not achieved the level of success they expected.

There are many different ways to lead successfully; but almost all of those ways require action on the partof the “would be leader”. You can lead by example: When you were growing up did your parents ever tell you, “do as I say, not as I do.” As you may know and any psychologist can tell you that this form of leadership never works! People learn by the examples that are set before them, not by the words that are spoken to them. Do the types of things you want your teammates to do and they will learn how to follow suit.

Lead by following: sometimes the best way to lead is to follow those who know more or are more skilled in an area of marketing than you. By following their lead and learning new skills that you can pass on to the remainder of your team, you will be acting as an excellent leader. A good team leader doesn’t always have to be the person who plans everything or makes the decisions. Knowing how to utilize the talents of other members of your team is a great form of leadership.

You don’t need to be declared the Team-Leader in order to take initiative and lead. If there is a need for leadership on your team and there is no one stepping up to the plate, go ahead and take the helm. Keep your team motivated and make a schedule that you can all follow then work together to stick to it.

Be present and available for your team and encourage them to do the same for others so you are not the only voice they rely on. Cultivating confidence is going to be the most effective way to grow a strong successful team; a team that has confidence in your ability to lead and their own ability to do will ensure a cohesive unit that can assess, troubleshoot, or accomplish anything.

Look at the various areas of responsibility you will have to work on in order to keep the team together; ie. Presentations, team training, online marketing etc.; and give each area it’s own time. Focusing on any one area can cause you to drop the ball elsewhere leaving your team lacking in other areas.

To make sure that you are able to be effective as a team leader follow this model that was first published in 1973 by leadership expert, John Adair, called Action Centered Leadership or ACL. This states that a leader can effectively manage his or her team if he or she goes with the following criteria; Tasks, Team, Individual.

By balancing the actions of making sure the teams tasks are completed; there is effective team building and development and time spent nurturing the strengths in individuals while working on their weaknesses, then the team will be able to succeed. After reading this article, take action. Set up a meeting with your teammates and make a plan of action to meet your goals by using the tools developed for you. Find the strengths of your teammates and support each other’s shortcomings to build a formidable team that will ensure success.

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Are your behaviors causing post action dissonance with your new teammates? You may have heard the term buyer’s remorse; and you might be the cause of it. The relationship between you and your new teammates can be a tenuous one if you do not devote enough time to make the relationship a solid one right from the beginning. During the marketing process many people spend time developing the relationship and mutual trust between themselves and their potential protégés. Unfortunately after the new protégé commits to being a part of the team they find that the individual who spent so much time wooing them is all of a sudden too hard to reach.

The psychology behind this feeling of regret is often associated with the buyers belief that there is relationship that is being built upon an “I scratch your back; you scratch mine” kind of deal. Once a transaction is completed, the lack of reciprocity makes the new protégé feel used and they become lethargic in marketing. To often we have heard IDTs tell us that they could no longer get a hold of their upline and thus we have to encourage them to carry forward on their own and advise them not do the same to their future protégés. At this point however, much damage has already been done.

As a marketer, there is no point in developing a 2-way relationship if you do not intend to carry it on, because you are creating higher expectations with those you engage with. If you fail to follow through once they have committed to joining you; you will be viewed as no better than an advertiser.

As a marketer it is important for you to understand that your protégés will always question the actions they have taken to be part of your team and it is your job to help resolve that conflict in their mind by being there and reminding them that you are there for support now that they have committed to you.

By making the whole experience more enjoyable for the new protégés from beginning to end it will be easier to motivate them to start marketing from the beginning. Always remember that it is human nature to doubt and thus it is your job to make that temporary dissonance dissipate by keeping to your end of the commitment and making a stronger connection

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