Every great leader has a story to tell. Their rise to prominence and effective leadership didn’t occur overnight as some would lead you to believe. Moments that defined their character, integrity, and persistence to succeed were all part of their “ingredients to success.”

Several weeks ago, we (Christy Beauchamp, Nicole Craig, and I) attended a seminar on leadership. All the “greats” were there to tell us about their successes, failures, and advice on what it takes to be a great leader. Rudy Giuliani, Stephen R. Covey, Ram Charan, Jack Welch, Brian Tracy, Suze Orman, and Donald Trump all had different definitions of leadership. The one common answer amongst them was vision – Being able to see what could be and going after it.

As an effective leader what are those questions and decisions that we must make on a daily basis? Are we making the correct decisions, more importantly, are we asking the right questions? As a leader, are we energized by the day ahead of us? Is our ability to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on fact or our gut or maybe a little of both? Do we want the team to win? Do we have a cause and are we going after it? As their leader, how do I rally the troops? All of these questions run through an effective leaders mind on a constant basis because it leads to the execution of how to get something accomplished.

Ram Charan said that one must question their capability. Consider this question, “Why does it take 10 years to be at the level that you are?” “What does it take to get higher?” Capability. What is yours? Another piece of advice that Mr. Charan gave us, “Practice,” do it, practice it, build it. Be consistent, persistent and really develop your mental capability.

Stephen R. Covey spoke to us about lofty goals that require specific actions. His principle, “To achieve goals you’ve never achieved before, you need to start doing things you’ve never done before.” He goes on to explain that the “old school of thought,” would mean that people knew the goal and would know what to do about it. However, in the “new school of thought” one’s thinking should be, “goals will never be achieved until everyone on the teams knows exactly what they’re supposed to do about them.” The outcome, “Identify the new and better behaviors needed to achieve your goals and then translate those behaviors into weekly and daily tasks.” All this is incorporated in his concept of “The 8th Habit.” As the author of the world renowned book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Mr. Covey explains that the 8 th Habit is “finding our voice so as to inspire others to find theirs.” The 8th Habit has four disciplines of execution:

1) Focus on the wildly important; 2) Create a compelling scoreboard; 3) Translate lofty goals into specific actions; and 4) Hold each other accountable – all of the time.

Rudy Giuliani, Suze Orman, and Donald Trump said it best when asked the question, “What does it take to be an effective leader?,” their responses first and foremost, You have to love what you do. Beyond that, have a strong set of beliefs, be an optimist, be courageous, be relentless at preparation, have strong ethics, understand teamwork, communicate, function well in a crisis, that every wish you wish for another be gentle and generous, stay focused, be passionate, always work with the best people, keep momentum moving for you, and at the end of the day, go home and be with your family. As Mr. Trump said, “To be a winner, you have to think like a winner.” This applies to all aspects of life.