LEADABILITY - Pelumi Paul Jacob

ARE YOU FIT TO BE A LEADER?
– PELUMI PAUL JACOB (THEGREATPROF LEADERS NETWORK)
LEADABILITY
(ARE YOU FIT TO BE A LEADER?)
BY
Pelumi Paul Jacob
Follow me on Instagram.
Life Coach. Author. Public Speaker
THEGREATPROF LEADERS NETWORK ©. 2020

Thegreatprof.Org
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 1

ARE YOU FIT TO BE A LEADER? – PELUMI PAUL JACOB (THEGREATPROF LEADERS NETWORK)
TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION
THE FIVE LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
ARE YOU LEADERSHIP FIT?
8 LIFE HACKS THAT’LL MAKE YOU A FIT LEADER
1. ASK FOR FEEDBACK REGULARLY
2. GIVE FEEDBACK REGULARLY
3. SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME LISTENING
4. STAY HUMBLE
5. STAY UP TO DATE
6. PRACTICE A LOT
7. GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
8. BE EXTREMELY FOCUSED –
TEN SIGNS YOU'RE NOT READY FOR A LEADERSHIP ROLE
CONCLUSION
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 2

I NTRODUCTION
Being a leader isn’t something that comes naturally to most people.
It definitely didn’t for me.
When I was elected as CONS National President, I had no idea how

to hire a developer to create the site-product I saw in my head.
I ended up going through series of research before finding a long-term
fit. I spent huge before we even launched.
But anyone can learn to be a good leader with enough practice.
Leaders we look up to today like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Tony

Robbins (and many others), didn’t start their business es thinking, “I’m
going to be a great leader.”
They started companies because they wanted to solve a problem in the

world.
But to make that happen on a large scale, you need to grow a team.
To do that, you need to be an effective leader.
When you start to build your team, it may feel like people are following
you because you sign their paychecks.
Eventually, your skills will grow, and people will follow your
lead because of who you are.
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 3

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 4

ARE YOU LEADERSHIP FIT?
I’m not asking whether you can run a mile, do an hour of hot yoga, or do 20
push-ups. Being leadership fit is about being at the top of your leadership
game. It requires great balance of both the people and task aspects of
leadership. You must be focused, engaged, and adaptive while delivering
positive results. It’s about your performance and ongoing personal
improvement. It requires you to take an active role in incorporating ongoing
development to continuously develop your leadership skills. And it’s about
being transformational—both for you and for those you lead.
Enter Peak Leadership Fitness

Peak leadership fitness is an aspirational state built on consistently striving
toward exceptional interpersonal and technical skills, adaptability through
learning, and consistently positive results. It is built by balancing capability,
capacity, and mental toughness. It is accomplished through strong and
accurate self-awareness and a combination of relevant activities as part of a
regular development routine. Peak leadership fitness allows you to bring your
full and best energy to your leadership.
Peak leadership fitness is dynamic and aspirational because once you realize
your potential and achieve your goals, you have a new platform, or baseline,
on which you can continue to learn and grow. I think that is great news,
because it implies you already have a starting point for your leadership
fitness, with the potential to further elevate your leadership. It also implies
that you have far greater and ongoing potential for growth.
Why Should You Be Leadership Fit?

Great leadership is not about you; it is about those you lead. A key aspect of
leadership is engaging and motivating the people you lead. Unfortunately, low
engagement has reached epidemic proportions. There are multiple studies
that show that a significant amount of team engagement—up to 70 percent in
some cases—can be attributed to a person’s leader. This means that if we can
get leadership right, we’ll have a real chance to create an engaged workforce.
This becomes a force multiplier, too, where your actions inspire multiple
people to strive to be their best and bring their best energy to what they do.
Now that’s the type of organization and team I want to be part of.
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 5

However, there is much work to be done when it comes to engagement. Many
of those same studies that highlight the importance of leadership to drive
engagement also show that as little as 15 percent of employees feel engaged.
That is a huge gap with significant implications. When you factor in the lost
productivity and associated turnover costs, the implications of low
engagement quickly add up.
Becoming leadership fit is a major step toward bridging the engagement gap
by inspiring those you lead. I have seen this firsthand. People want to connect
with a vision. They want to be energized by their leaders. Members of those
teams have a tremendous amount of initiative, effort, and commitment.
Leadership expert Steve Arneson offers up a profound question that has
stuck with me: Do you want to be known as the type of leader who does
something to those you lead or for those you lead?
Two Challenges Facing Today’s Leaders

I have worked with, coached, and taught many leaders during my career, and
I’ve found that they face two critical challenges when it comes to their
development:
Challenge 1: Today’s leaders do not have enough time to focus on
development. There are simply too many demands, and development doesn’t
just take a back seat—it often rides in the trunk. This is particularly evident
with more seasoned leaders who often have so many priorities that leadership
development rarely rises to the top. Unfortunately, with the increasing focus
on results and demands on leaders’ time, this is only going to become more
challenging.
Challenge 2: Many leaders don’t know where to start. This is further

exacerbated by a crowded leadership development landscape. It has become
increasingly difficult to make sense of which activities will yield the best
results. Consequently, many leaders become passive participants in their
growth— waiting for someone else to serve up their development.
Some leaders do nothing when it comes to their development, or worse, they

invest their valuable time and money on the wrong activities, which includes
anything that does not help reinforce or improve leadership. This can be
costly both financially and in terms of misdirected effort and results.
Much like your physical health, when it comes to your leadership fitness, what
you consume matters. You will not stay healthy by fasting for extended
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 6

periods or consuming the wrong things. The implications extend beyond time
and money to include performance and engagement. It is too easy for leaders
to build unhealthy habits around their development and become disengaged
from their own growth and performance. The most common unhealthy habit I
see leaders engage in is inattention to their development. Most people realize
they should focus on their fitness (both leadership and physical), but other
priorities often get in the way. Life gets in the way. Over time, this takes its toll
and performance suffers.
Let me transition to some good news. Leadership development does not need
to be expensive or overly time-consuming. Much like your physical health and
fitness, though, it cannot be ignored or neglected. You must take action and
build good habits.
Bottom Line
Leadership fitness requires physical energy, emotional connection, and
mental toughness. It is about capability and capacity. Capability comes from
your knowledge and skills, while capacity comes from your energy and
engagement. This all needs to be balanced with mental toughness and a
leadership mindset. Your mindset evolves from experiences, feedback, and
reflection. The best leaders can effectively manage these attributes and
continuously evolve through self-awareness, feedback, and reflection. Peak
leadership requires active participation and planning.
So, are you working toward your leadership best? Are you bringing your best
energy to your leadership? Are you taking the necessary steps to achieve your
peak leadership fitness? If you’re not striving for peak leadership fitness, you
may not be working out as a leader.
Note this:
You're definitely leadership material if you see the potential in everyone
and get satisfaction out of encouraging people to step into their power.
You're ready for a leadership job if you've already learned from the good
and bad managers you've worked for. From the good managers, you learned
what real leaders do — and the bad managers taught you what a real leader
would never, ever do!
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 7

Here are eight life hacks you can start implementing today to become
a better leader.
Ask for feedback regularly

Let your employees know you want to hear what they think of you.
Not only will this give them the message that you value their input and
expertise, but it also ensures you’re always learning and growing.
Part of your job is to give your team feedback to help them advance.
Your team should be doing the same for you, but you have to ask them
to.
Here are a few ways you can ask your team for feedback:
One on one meetings

Set up weekly or monthly one-on-one meetings where your
employees/cabinets are free to speak candidly about the company or
you.
This gives everyone the chance to express their thoughts without

fearing for their jobs.
The key is to keep these meetings positive and based on real company
or leadership issues.
Don’t let them become sessions for your employee to complain about
things like the water cooler breaking again.
Surveys
Send out anonymous surveys via email to capture feedback people may
be nervous to share face to face.
Just because someone is shy doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of
good ideas to share.
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 8

Real time feedback
When announcing a big decision, simply ask your team what their
opinion of it is.
At the next company-wide meeting where you’re announcing something

big, ask your team for their feedback.
An example could be if you’re switching everyone to a new healthcare

plan.
Many of them might just have questions about the switchover.
Being open to all questions and comments shows that you’re not afrai d
to hear other points of view, even if they might disagree with your own.
Give feedback regularly

Your team expects you to give them feedback. They want you to.
But feedback doesn’t always need to mean a negative or constructive

comment. Feedback is just as much about giving positive
reinforcement.
In fact, employees rate managers as more effective when they

give mostly positive feedback.
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 9

This doesn’t mean that the only thing your team want to hear is “Good
job!” and “Way to go!”.
They want genuine constructive criticism to help them grow. The trick is
to balance it out, so your team don’t think you’re either praising too
much or being too critical.
It’s a tough line to walk, but don’t be afraid to offer more feedback. 65%
of employees want to hear more feedback, whether it’s positive or
negative. So, chances are, your message will be gratefully received!
Spend most of your time listening
Virgin Airlines owner Sir Richard Branson says one of the most
important skills an entrepreneur can have is to listen more than you
speak.
Branson, a successful businessman, author, and legendary thinker on
company culture, always carries a notebook to jot things down that he
learns from other people.
What could one of the world’s richest billionaires learn from ‘common
folk?’
That’s just it.
PELUMI PAUL JACOB 10

He doesn’t think anyone is below him, or above him. He considers
everyone equal.
That’s part of the reason why his companies under the Virgin Group
have excellent, employee-centric corporate cultures that people rave
about.
Branson offers his employees unlimited vacation time for one thing.
But it’s not the fancy perks or casual attire that makes people stay at
his companies. It’s the fact that they know they’re cared about.
He listens, takes advice, and works collaboratively with his staff to

manage the business.
If he didn’t listen to anyone, he’d never find out what makes people
want to work for his company.
The trick is to master active listening.

Active listening is a fancy way of saying that you’re actually paying
attention to other people when they’re talking.
You could be delivering feedback, listening to someone’s idea, or just

having a casual conversation.

Active listening sounds easy, but it takes some dedication to do it.
Many people assume they’re listening to a conversation, but their mind

is actually distracted.
Think back to yesterday. Can you remember in detail any conversations

you had?
Then you weren’t really listening.
Next time try asking more questions to the person you’re talking with,
and try repeating some key points back to them. It will show you’re
listening, and you’re more likely to remember those points.

If you want to save time running surveys yourself, TINYpulse is an easy
tool designed for employee feedback.
Every week, TINYpulse asks one work-related question so you and your
team don’t get overwhelmed with survey overload.
Since the surveys are automated each week, the feedback you get is
continuous. Your employees also have the ability to offer anonymous
suggestions at any time.
Then, depending on what employees are telling you, you’ll be able to
act on the feedback fast, which everyone will appreciate
.
Stay humble
You know the expression “treat others how you want to be treated?”
It applies to business, too.
It isn’t ground-breaking, but it is important. Treating your employees or

team how you want to be treated takes humility and the ability to check
your ego at the door.
If you think you’re better than your employees because you founded a
company or because they work for you, you’ll quickly find yourself
without any team at all.
As Donn Carr said, “People work for people; they do not work for
businesses.”
Who would want to work for a stuck up, egotistical manager?
They’ll find someone else to work for if that’s the case.
When I started Meritzone College I was young and inexperienced when

it came to managing others.
I had no choice but to continue learning and building my business.
For me, long-term failure was not an option.
Sure, I had failed before I hit new idea with TGLN, but I knew I had to
be successful eventually.

Having grown up a son of minister who wasn’t really noticed in the
country, I knew I wanted a different life. I wanted to build network that
changed the world, but my attitude had to stay humble.
I never saw myself as “better than” anyone who worked for me, and I still
don’t.
I’m grateful for everyone who’s helped build Thegreatprof Foundation
Network into what it is today. I know I couldn’t have done it without
them.
Okay, enough about me.
What I’m trying to say is that you need to not just think about what your
employees can do for your business. You need to think about what you
can do for them.
Channelling a little bit of John F. Kennedy, but the same logic applies to
business.
In essence, show your humility.
Stay up to date
As the head of your team, you’re the man or woman with the plan,
right?
People trust you to know what’s going on in your industry. They a lso
expect you to guide the company through tough economic times.
To do this, you need to stay up to date.
Watching the news or reading a few papers won’t do it. You n eed to
actually build a network of other business owners and talk about current
issues.
There are a couple of ways to do this.
Join a Meetup group.

Meetup.com has groups for almost everything. A Meetup is like a club.
You can find a group you like, join it, and then attend events the group
organizes.
When you land on the site, you can browse meetup groups by category:
Or search for your own topic:

Click on a group for more information. I chose the San Francisco

chapter of the American Marketing Association.
When you’re on the group page, you’ll see an introduction and a button
to join the group.

You can also scroll down to see upcoming events you could attend as a
member of the group.

Meetups can be a great way to build a network of local businesspeople

in your industry. Most events also have a presentation or speaker, so
that you can learn some new skills too.
Join a professional association.

While Meetups are rather informal, professional associations are
usually quite formal.
Most require you to pay an annual membership due or pay to attend

their events. There are thousands of them out there.
The best way to find one for your industry is to search online or ask
someone you know.

Some associations will be industry-specific, and others are broader. For

example, Ellevate is a network for professional women from all
industries.

Joining an association may set you back a few hundred bucks a year,
but the learning and networking opportunities will earn you a return on
that investment.
Just don’t join more organizations than you can keep up with. To get
the real value out of them, you need to actually attend their events
regularly.
Practice a lot
Like I said at the beginning, no one becomes a great leader overnight.
It takes a lot of hard work.
You will need to practice becoming an effective leader before you

notice any significant improvement.
Then one day an employee may say something to you like, “ Pelumi, I
really admire the way you tell me what I need to work on. It’s motivating
instead of making me feel like crap. I always look forward to learning
new things from you!”
Wow.
That’s how I judge my success as a leader. Hearing a comment like that
makes me feel like all the struggle of learning how to lead is so worth it!

But how much will you need to practice?
According to the experts, 10,000 hours of practice should cover it.

Often referred to as the “10,000-hour rule,” the theory was popularized
by author Malcolm Gladwell in 2008 in his book “Outliers.”
The theory basically says that you need 10,000 hours of ‘deliberate
practice’ at an activity or skill to become great at it. Of course, you
should probably be sort of good at it in the first place, too.
Gladwell’s book talks about famous business people and athletes,

people at the absolute top of the success pyramid, and how they got
there.
He argues it isn’t just about having talent, though that’s important.
His research found that it was a combination of talent, luck, and

extremely hard work that caused the meteoric rise of influential people
like Bill Gates and John Rockefeller.
About 10,000 hours of hard work and practice was the deciding factor
between ultimate success or failure.
Looking back, I’d say this rule was definitely applicable to me.

My first few attempts at online business failed, but I eventually found
success as I honed my skills. I worked a lot more than eight hours a
day, though, so I was able to master an art of orating and mentoring in
less than five years.
Regardless of if you believe in the 10,000-hour theory or not, you can’t

deny that practicing a skill makes you better at it.
You may not be the next Bill Gates, but you can build a software company
with practice.
The same goes for leadership.
Maybe you won’t be headlining leadership conferences and speaking

events with your ground-breaking approach to managing others, but
you can improve where you are today.
Here’s how I ensure I’m practicing what I preach.
Keep a written list of skills you want to improve on.

How can you know where you want to go unless you have a map?
Write down key skills you want to improve in and check your list often.
For leadership, your list could look like this:
• Giving constructive feedback in a positive way

• Preparing employee reviews ahead of time
• Better communicating my vision for the company
There are hundreds of things you could potentially write down. I
suggest keeping it to about 10-20 items per year, so you don’t get
overwhelmed.
Check in monthly.
Review your list of skills each month and think about any progress
you’ve made.
If you feel confident you’ve mastered one of the skills you wrote down,
cross it off.
Nothing feels as satisfying as crossing a goal off your list!

No matter how you keep track of your development as a leader, it’s
important to remember that you don’t have to know everything at first.
It’s okay to learn as you go.
Give credit where credit is due

If you’ve hit a milestone or exceeded a target, celebrate!
Reward your team with something fun like a free lunch or office party.
No matter how you celebrate, remember to give credit where it’s due.
If Mark in Accounting figured out a way to save the company thousands

of dollars, make sure everyone knows about it and that it was Mark’s
idea.
This isn’t to make other employees feel bad or that they didn’t
contribute anything. You should give praise to all team members when
they’ve done something well.
The idea is that publicly recognizing team contributions encourages

more of the same helpful attitude and hard work from everyone else.

Be extremely focused
It’s one thing to work toward a goal slowly over time, but it’s another
thing entirely to be laser focused on only that goal, blocking out
everything else.
Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, has been criticized for being
insensitive to employee’s personal needs. Some people have called
him rude.
I didn’t know him personally, so I can’t comment on that. But like him or
not, you can’t deny that Steve Jobs was a visionary leader.
He helped turn Apple around from a failing company in 1997 to now,

where it’s the world’s most powerful brand in 2017 according to Forbes.
Walter Isaacson, the author of Jobs’ biography, credits the success of

Apple solely to Jobs’ ability to focus on only the most important tasks.
Jobs had a practice of only working on four or five key tasks each day.
He blocked out everything else that didn’t relate to those tasks.
That’s really powerful.
Sometimes, there are things you can’t just block out, like a PR disaster
or a major issue with your product. But being mindful of what you spend
your time on each day is important.

I like to make a to-do list every day.
I only write down three things on it. Sometimes I have time to complete
more tasks, and other times I struggle to get the three done in a full
day.
That’s my list of regular tasks, but I also write down one leadership
related task to do each day.
It could be something like preparing for an employee review or just

remembering to tell someone I loved their work on a project.
Small actions add up over time.
By planning out a task each day, you’ll improve your leadership skills a
little bit each day.
Just think of where you’ll be a year from now.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of determination to start your own business.
It takes the same amount of determination to become an inspiring
leader your staff can look up to and enjoy working for.
If nothing else from this article sticks with you, remember to listen to your
employees.
They’ll tell you what they need if you’re open to hearing it.
If someone tells you they want more feedback, make a plan to change
your behavior and learn to give more.
Like most things in life, making a plan is the key to long-term success.
In this case, success is becoming an effective leader.
Don’t forget that the world of business is human, too.
We all want to work somewhere we believe in, do important work, and

be recognized for our contributions.

When in doubt about how to handle a leadership issue, like hav ing to
decide on layoffs or having to tell someone you’re letting them go, trust
your human instinct. Treat them like you would want to be treated.
Be kind, but also push people to do their best work.
Be firm, but not strict or unfair.
And most of all, just listen.
What have been the best leadership lessons you’ve learned?
Ten Signs You're Not Ready for A Leadership Role

1. This is not a good time for you to pursue a leadership job if the main
reason you want the promotion is because it pays more than your current
job pays.
2. You're not ready for a leadership job if you care about the job title, the
private office or other perks more than you care about the role itself.
3. You're not ready for a leadership role if you want the job primarily
because it will get you off the phones or ease your workload.
4. You're not ready to step into management if you want the job mainly so
you can tell other people what to do.
5. This is not the right time for you to step into leadership if you already
know which employees you're going to discipline or terminate the minute
you have the power to do it.
6. You aren't ready for a leadership job if you feel that employees are
generally lazy, sneaky or entitled.

7. A leadership job is not right for you if you have a hard time speaking up
when you feel strongly about something — even if you know your company
would benefit from your input.
8. Don't pursue the leadership role if you aren't willing to be open and
trusting with the employees on your team. If you would feel uncomfortable
talking with them about their personal struggles at work — challenges with
the workload, their schedule or other employees for instance — don't step
into a leadership role. A supervisor job is a coaching job. If you don't want
to coach people, it's not the right job for you.
9. You are not cut out for a leadership role right now if you feel that the
company's management is clueless or incompetent. If you don't respect
them, don't take a step up in their hierarchy.
10. Don't take the leadership job because you think it looks easy. I can
guarantee you that it won't be easier than the job you have now. Leaders lie
awake at night worrying about issues their team may not even know are
brewing. They take the frustrations of their team on their own shoulders —
along with their customers,' vendors' and managers' headaches.
Leadership isn't easy but for people who enjoy coaching, training and
relationship-building it is the only way to go!
If you decide to pursue the role, look at the office through your superior’s
eyes. What are the biggest issues for your department to surmount in
2020 — whether operational, team-related or something else?
Those are the issues to talk about at your interview.
All the best to you and your team! Keep Leading.

Yours,
Pelumi Paul Jacob
Follow me on Instagram.
Life Coach. Public Speaker
THEGREATPROF LEADERS NETWORK. © . 2020

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ARE YOU FIT TO BE A LEADER?

– PELUMI PAUL JACOB (THEGREATPROF LEADERS NETWORK)

Pelumi Paul Jacob

Life Coach. Author. Public Speaker

THEGREATPROF LEADERS NETWORK ©. 2020

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 1

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 2

Being a leader isn’t something that comes naturally to most people.

It definitely didn’t for me.

When I was elected as CONS National President, I had no idea how

But anyone can learn to be a good leader with enough practice.

Leaders we look up to today like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Tony

They started companies because they wanted to solve a problem in the

To do that, you need to be an effective leader.

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 3

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 4

Enter Peak Leadership Fitness

Why Should You Be Leadership Fit?

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 5

Two Challenges Facing Today’s Leaders

Challenge 2: Many leaders don’t know where to start. This is further

Some leaders do nothing when it comes to their development, or worse, they

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 6

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 7

Ask for feedback regularly

One on one meetings

This gives everyone the chance to express their thoughts without

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 8

At the next company-wide meeting where you’re announcing something

An example could be if you’re switching everyone to a new healthcare

Many of them might just have questions about the switchover.

Give feedback regularly

But feedback doesn’t always need to mean a negative or constructive

In fact, employees rate managers as more effective when they

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 9

Spend most of your time listening

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 10

He listens, takes advice, and works collaboratively with his staff to

The trick is to master active listening.

You could be delivering feedback, listening to someone’s idea, or just

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 11

Active listening sounds easy, but it takes some dedication to do it.

Many people assume they’re listening to a conversation, but their mind

Think back to yesterday. Can you remember in detail any conversations

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 12

It applies to business, too.

It isn’t ground-breaking, but it is important. Treating your employees or

When I started Meritzone College I was young and inexperienced when

I had no choice but to continue learning and building my business.

For me, long-term failure was not an option.

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 13

Okay, enough about me.

To do this, you need to stay up to date.

There are a couple of ways to do this.

Join a Meetup group.

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 14

Or search for your own topic:

PELUMI PAUL JACOB 15

Click on a group for more information. I chose the San Francisco