<p><a href="http://new.corepurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/followtheleader_woodall_wal1.jpg"><img style="border-width:0;margin:0 0 0 10px;" border="0" alt="FollowTheLeader_Woodall_Wal" align="right" src="http://new.corepurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/followtheleader_woodall_wal_thumb.jpg" width="284" height="263"></a>When it comes to the study of leadership, you could read a new book every day for the next 181 years and still not get through the list on Amazon alone.&nbsp; As a school of thought we have leadership styles, leadership strategies, leadership studies, leadership indexes, you can&nbsp; even get your Ph.D. in leadership from prestigious universities. Venerable organizations espouse leadership training for children, students, teens, adults, executives, and the would be leader. This is just personal leadership.&nbsp; Then we have brand leadership, corporate leadership, product leadership, innovation leadership, technological leadership, political leadership ... and the list goes on and on and on.</p> <h4><strong>Why a standard?</strong></h4> <p>In days of old, a standard was a conspicuous object (as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem for the people's leader.&nbsp; Today, the more common use of the word "standard" is something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example <strong>to</strong> be followed.&nbsp; Either way a standard is a hallmark of leadership.&nbsp; <h4><strong>You are only a leader when others choose to follow you.</strong></h4> <p>Looking at the picture, can you identify the leader?&nbsp; Is it the tall girl that the others look up to?&nbsp; Or, perhaps, it is the small golden haired boy who is pulling the others forward with both hands.&nbsp; Not sure?&nbsp; Could it be the leader is somewhere in the middle of the line, a point of connection leading the group forward?&nbsp; We'll never know.&nbsp; That is the beauty of art.&nbsp; It is all about perception.&nbsp; The same can be said of leadership.</p> <h4><strong>Leadership is not about what you say.&nbsp; </strong></h4> <h4><strong>It is the result of what you do.</strong></h4> <p>Whether we are talking about personal leadership, team leadership, corporate leadership or any other form.&nbsp; Leadership is not about what we say.&nbsp; Leadership is about the results of what we do.&nbsp; Leadership is granted when others choose to follow and the key to that choice is reliability.&nbsp; You see, reliability means that the result is not just visible and measurable, it is repeatable.&nbsp; Those that choose to follow you, buy from your company, or adopt your technology can count on a level of consistency, quality, and reoccurring results over time.&nbsp; </p> <h4><strong>So if reliability is the new standard for leadership...</strong></h4> <p>How can we establish ourselves as reliable leaders?&nbsp; The answer is reflective of two words: evidence and experience.&nbsp; In the early stages of making the choice to follow, employees, teammates, customers, or partners look for evidence that you do what you say you do on a repeated basis.&nbsp; If they find evidence that you are what you say you are and this is what they are looking for then they may choose to follow for a time.&nbsp; But the&nbsp; true test of leadership is not how many choose to follow, or buy or adopt.&nbsp; The true measure of success is how many choose to stay.&nbsp; That's where experience comes into play.&nbsp; Once I am a follower, a teammate or a customer, will you as a leader continually deliver on your promise of leadership.&nbsp;&nbsp; Will you do what you say again and again and again?&nbsp; Can those that you lead depend on you to deliver?&nbsp; If the answer is yes, then you are on your way to building your business or your personal leadership brand on a standard of reliability and the right people will follow.</p> <p>So keep on reading those leadership books, taking those classes, and refining your skills.&nbsp; They all can help in the quest for better leadership.&nbsp; But at the end of the day, it all comes down on reliability.&nbsp; A leader that can be counted on is a leader that others will follow and keep following.</p> <p>Thanks for stopping by.&nbsp; Stay tuned....</p> <p>&nbsp; I'll be sharing more tips to help you get ready for 2011 throughout the month of December.  <blockquote> <p>Joan Koerber-Walker</p></blockquote> <p>About the Author:  <p><a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/.a/6a01053650f43d970c013489b143d5970c-pi"><img style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" border="0" alt="Koerber-Walker-056" align="left" src="http://jkw.typepad.com/.a/6a01053650f43d970c013489b143e3970c-pi" width="83" height="103"></a> An entrepreneur, author, speaker and corporate advisor, <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/www.linkedin.com/in/joankoerberwalker">Joan Koerber-Walker's</a> journey has spanned from corporate America to entrepreneurship and non-profits, as well as into community leadership and into the halls of Washington D.C.&nbsp;&nbsp; To learn more about leadership and reliability, you can contact her by clicking <a href="http://corepurpose.com/contact.html">here</a>.  <p>&nbsp;</p> <div style="display:inline;margin:0;padding:0;" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:374746d1-f469-44f2-923f-cee82f9984b0" class="wlWriterSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Leaders" rel="tag">Leaders</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/leadership" rel="tag">leadership</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/reliability" rel="tag">reliability</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/standards" rel="tag">standards</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/leadership%20development" rel="tag">leadership development</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/leadership%20startegy" rel="tag">leadership startegy</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/product%20leadership" rel="tag">product leadership</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/personal%20leadership" rel="tag">personal leadership</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/brand%20leadership" rel="tag">brand leadership</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/political%20leadership" rel="tag">political leadership</a></div>