So, I’m sitting in a leadership course, on day 1, of a 3 day, 14 hours a day, leadership course.

On day 1: at 9 am the seminar leader is in the back of the room, she walks to the front of the room, she takes the room and the course begins. All day long we learned how to take on leadership in our lives. How to be a leader. We know we want to be the leader and we know we can be.

Day 2: 9 am the seminar leader is in the back of the room. She takes the platform and begins the seminar. All day long we learned, skills, strategy, and mindset of taking on being the leader we can be to make a great contribution on the planet. I’m all in. On day 2, I declared myself a leader, I am a leader and I got present to the impact that it could make on the planet and I got excited about taking on I. am. leader.

Day 3: 9 am no seminar leader. We start buzzing around, we start talking to each other asking what’s going on? 9:02 still no seminar leader. Now I’m getting ticked. How can you be a seminar leader on leadership and be late to the leadership course?

People are buzzing around talking to each other and you can tell their personalities are coming out. The leader takes the stage, stands in front of 111 people and says, “For seven minutes, you sat there, and you didn’t take the leadership position. Where else are you waiting for someone to tell you what to do?”

Yeah, 111 leaders, for 14 hours, two days, 28 hours, we declared ourselves a leader and we all sat there, gossiped, and judged. Not one person, including myself, took the leadership position.

That’s not the end of the story. So, the seminar leader looks right at me says, “Lisa, did you declare yourself leader yesterday?”

Why did she choose me? I said, “Yes, ma’am. I did,”

She said, “What did you say?”

I said, “I am a leader,”  she said, “Come on up to the microphone.”

I get up, I go up to the microphone and then she asked me “Why did you not take the leadership position?”

What do you think I said?

For those of you who didn’t, who would not take the leadership why? Why don’t you take the leadership position?

Well, this is what I said. She said, “Lisa, why didn’t you take the leadership business,”

I said, “Because I didn’t want to look bossy. I didn’t want people to judge me and say, ‘who does she think she is? Getting up there and taking the leadership position?’.”

She looked at me and she said, “But you are bossy”.

Then she said something quite profound. She said:

“Lisa, the second you accept that, is the second you’ll make a difference on this planet.”

Wow. So, the second I accept I’m bossy and put no judgment on that, the second I accept that and don’t make it mean anything is the second I’m into leadership and I can perfect, chisel away at, and polish my skills and my leadership. But do you see how that self-view is holding me back and it’s all not real. It’s all a made up story.

So, what about you? Where do you not take the leadership position in life? At a meeting with your goals, with your workout schedule, with yourself, with your love life, with your relationships, with your children, or with that friend, with that philanthropy effort? Where are you not taking the leadership position and here’s the better question why?

What are you making it mean? I made it mean I don’t want people to think I’m bossy. What do you present to right now? What are you making it mean around leadership? You and leadership.

I want you to think right now in your mind of a leader. Picture a leader in your mind.

Did you picture a leader?

Look at that leader. Notice the attributes that make that person a leader in your mind. So, there’s that leader.

Now, I want you to picture in your mind. A second leader. Just think of another leader.

Did you get that picture right there in your mind? Notice the attributes of that leader, that you say makes that person a leader.

Now, finally, I want you to notice in your mind, a third leader.

So right there in your mind, you are picturing three leaders. Now I have a question for you, are any of those people you?

How many people saw themselves as the leader?

So, leadership is created in the mind first, that’s how the brain works.