When you step into a leadership role, you become someone who is in the position of influencing other people. While much has been written on the subject of leadership there is a difference between simply understanding leadership and actually being a leader. In my experience, there are four steps ("4 E's") that are critical to developing a simple, yet very effective leadership process in your business.

Step 1 - Envision.
All great leaders from Martin Luther King to Sam Walton have had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. I interact with a number of business owners each day and one of the common problems they face is their lack of vision. If they had one initially, it's become cloudy or is gone all together. For example, upon starting a business, one business owner is focused on how to get their first client while another business owner is thinking about how finding their first 100 clients. As a business owner, think big, dream big and define your vision as clearly as you can.

Step 2 - Energize
To realize your vision, you must be excited about it. It's always amazing to see how some people are consistently energized at a much higher level than others. One concept related to this idea is to determine what "zone" you're in. This is an area studied extensively by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago. Mihaly defines the three zones as:

The Flow Zone. In this zone, individuals perform consistently at peak level. I'm sure you can think of at least one person you know that's always in this zone. They are amazing to watch and they attract into their lives the right people and the right opportunities that propel them even further.

The Drone Zone. In this zone, nothing seems to go right. People get down and often feel like they're "stuck in a rut." Most of us have been there and you may be there now or know someone who is.

The Panic Zone. In this zone, people lose confidence and hope. They may resort to blame, denial and excuses - or as we say at Action - "below the line behavior." They may even make hasty decisions out of desperation that deviate from a proven plan, making matters only worse.

We all move in and out of zones, but clearly we want to be energized in the Flow Zone as much as possible. To do this, we need to think positively, take control of our own destiny, focus our attention on the immediate challenge before us and measure our performance against pre-determined goals.

Once you are energized, you need to energize your team. A positive attitude is vital - and it's contagious. As your enthusiasm and positive energy spread, your team will be likely to follow and together you can rise to new levels of success.

Step 3 - Enable
You and your team need the right tools and resources to succeed. This may include equipment, training, infrastructure, or knowledge resources you and your team can turn to for the right information.

Take risks and enable your team to take risks (within defined boundaries). The consequences of inaction far outweigh the consequences of any initial risk. Leaders understand they or their team will sometimes make mistakes. But mistakes are incubators for great successes. Leaders understand they either evolve - or their plans, programs and businesses will inevitably dissolve.

Step 4 - Example
As a business owner, you are the personification of your business vision. For example, you can't declare the importance of customer contact and then spend all your time hiding in your office. You need to walk the talk and instill your passion and energy within everyone you meet. One of my favorite proverbs states, "If you think you're leading and no one is following you, then you're only taking a walk." Certainly this is true in the business world. If you find yourself 'only taking a walk,' you're likely headed for some difficult times.

As a business owner, leadership is not a choice, it's an obligation. Take the time to check yourself against the 4 steps above, then lead yourself to personal improvement and lead your team to greatness.

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