Written by: Alejandro J Tornato, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I love to be constantly reading and learning, keeping my mind fully engaged and active as much as I possibly can. My favorite topics for reading are non-fiction literature, particularly on personal growth, professional development and leadership, mindset shifting and human potential. Even before I became an International Speaker, Leadership Development Coach, and Facilitator, I was fascinated by filling my mind with autobiographies of great leaders, who had made an impact not only in their own fields but on the world at large.
As I was reading book after book, I started to see that a pattern was appearing in front of my eyes, that we can perfectly divide the world into two primary categories of people; those who are “victims” on the one hand, and those who are “leaders” on the other. Therefore, what I would like to do in the remaining of this blog is to present to you the most striking differences between being and acting as a victim versus the characteristics of servant leadership.
Let’s start this quick journey by stating that victims tend to be extremely passive and very seldom take risks, whereas leaders make their mark exactly by being risk takers. I don’t know if you had the opportunity to see how victims operate in every aspect of their lives, but they pretty much always expect others to take the initiative and produce the results. They feel extremely comfortable in their comfort zones and don’t want to move one foot from that cozy environment. They are and feel stuck because they don’t do anything creative to change their circumstances. However, leaders live day in and day out by following this mantra: “You don’t really grow unless you take some risks”. True leaders not only strongly believe this statement, but they apply it every time.
The second characteristic has to do with the fact that a victim has a mindset of “can’t”, and a leader has one of “can”. This is a very simple concept but a powerful differentiator indeed! Have you ever met someone in a position of service (no matter what field or industry), who was ruled by the mentality of “Can’t”? They feel completely overwhelmed and if it is a new task they are asked to perform, they rather say that they can’t do it as supposed to finding the way to resolve and do it. Victims do not go out of the regular ways to find solutions and make their customers happy, or to help their colleagues to tackle a new project. Always finding the easy escape of “can’t”. Leaders on the other hand are always ready and willing to help and to serve their clients, co-workers, etc. Leaders are quick to learn new things to be serving the needs of others, they don’t complain that things are difficult, and complexity doesn’t stop them from displaying a joyful attitude of excellent service without expecting anything in return other than the satisfaction of adding value to another human being.
The third point I want to bring forth is the fact that a victim is “busy being busy”, while a leader is “productive” in whatever he does. True leadership employs time effectively and productively. Leaders strictly follow the basic rule of expert time management, and that is that whatever is not written down on your daily agenda does not get done. Lots of people in leadership positions think that they can rely on important information stored in their heads, and unfortunately, only the things that are on paper will be executed. Leaders are very busy people and, in the end, they can show results because they are all about productivity. Victims are busy and rapidly moving from place to place, but they lack focus and concentration and therefore at the end of the day cannot show any positive results.
The last characteristic that totally separates victims from leaders is the fact that victims get easily distracted, and leaders are very task focused. Everybody knows that we are currently living in a world full of distractions. Years ago, one of the major sources of distraction was the television and the enormous, long hours that average Americans spend mindlessly in front of the TV. Now in 2018 in addition to the TV, we are immersed in the technological pool and victims’ attention is easily swayed by all sorts of mobile devices, the iPhone, tablets, laptops, and of course, emails, texts, social media notifications, etc. Victims fall prey to these continuous distractions and constant interruptions from their work and responsibilities. Personal mastery expert Robin Sharma says: “An addiction to distraction is the death of creative production”, and how truthful that statement really is in today’s world. Leaders on the other hand are very focused on their tasks and they make work their priority without wasting time on less important activities. To achieve this, they manage their own technology and don’t let it manage them. One thing is to own technology devices (nothing wrong with that), and another thing is to let them control your days and make you completely unproductive.
Now, that we reached the end of this short journey there is one more thing that I need to do, and it is that you take some time to reflect upon your own life and the way you have been performing in your personal and professional life, and ask yourself the question: Are you a victim or a leader? We all have the potential to be great leaders if we put the effort, and work hard at it…
Let’s do it and make a positive difference!
Alejandro J Tornato, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Alejandro J Tornato is the Founder and CEO of "Tornato Speaking, Leadership & Coaching LLC", offering Motivational Keynote Speaking, Leadership Coaching and Personal Growth & Development Training. Alejandro is a powerful and dynamic sought-after International Speaker and Coach Certified through the “Maxwell Leadership Organization”. He is also one of the Founding Directors at "Have The Edge", with a mission to provide the most comprehensive coaching and training programs for business leaders and entrepreneurs. Alejandro's teachings and communication style immediately connect with individuals and groups from all backgrounds. Alejandro is the co-author of "Create Terrific Teams", and the host and producer of both "The Alejandro Tornato Show" and "Have The Edge" Podcasts. Alejandro is a Top Mentor on Wisdom, the world's largest audio mentoring platform.
