Leader’s Edge met for the first time in Canton Ohio on Wednesday September 17th at Lolli’s Restaurant in BeldenVillage. The topic was on “Becoming a Can-Do Leader”. Dwight Mason, a Canton native, and the founder of Leader’s Edge spoke about three Can-Do attitudes. The first is an attitude of commitment. Making a commitment to do your very best on a consistent basis. The second attitude is an attitude of control. Some things are out of our control, but we can control certain things, like our attitude, our responsibilities, our decisions and our approach to dealing with stress. The third attitude is an attitude of challenge. How do you view challenges that come your way? Do you rise to the challenge or shrink from the challenge?
Dwight talked about two vital skills in developing these can-do attitudes. The first skill is transformational coping. How do you cope with the problems you face every day? The key is perspective, keeping the bigger picture in mind. Dwight said “The difference between a follower and a leader is perspective, and the difference between a good leader and a great leader is better perspective”.
The second skill he talked about was developing a social support system. The danger for leaders is to isolate themselves instead of engaging with people. We all need people around us that help to sharpen us and hold us accountable.
Dwight closed with these four thoughts:
- Thrive on Change.
- Take action (Make the tough call)
- Be resilient at home.
- Develop perspective.
Lead on!
