“He’s got juice.” That’s how I heard a certain person described. I had heard the term previously, just as you probably have, but I never before really thought about specific characteristics of one who is said to have juice. What we are actually talking about here are qualities that help people lead in business, sports or any other aspect of community life, including in the family. And when we look at leaders with juice, some of the things we consider include:
· Someone with energy and enthusiasm who instills faith, respect and trust from others. He or she displays a strong sense of mission and acts with authority to reach the mission while helping others do the same.
· Someone who has the courage to stand up for his or her beliefs and ideas, even if these beliefs and ideas are unpopular. This person does not cave in to pressure or to others’ opinions in order to avoid confrontation. He or she will do what is thought to be right even if it causes personal hardship.
· Someone who is flexible enough to adjust to changing environments and will change courses of action when the situation warrants. Today, we hear much about multi-tasking, and a person with juice is able to handle more than one challenge or problem at a time.
· Someone who can coach, advise or teach others within the organization. He or she actively listens, and those being helped know they are being listened to and empowered. The juicer is an encourager and helps people gain the tools to accomplish what they are encouraged to do.
· Someone who seems to get better with age by applying past experiences of success and failure, along with perspectives gained, confidence established, knowledge accumulated and respect earned. The person also grows to understand people better and becomes more comfortable walking in the shoes of others.
· Someone who has respect for others. Even though the person may not always agree with others, he or she does not belittle their opinions or honest work efforts, regardless of their status or position.
· Someone who is approachable, friendly and pleasant to be around. Being affable doesn’t mean the person is weak and gets taken advantage of by others. It does mean that he or she has enough self-esteem to accept that no one is perfect. It means being nice to people, not just to get something from them, but simply because he or she is a decent person who tries to appreciate and understand where other people come from.
· Someone who leads others to use reasoning and evidence rather than unsupported opinion to reach conclusions. He or she helps others to think about old problems in new ways. The person with juice communicates in a way that assists others to contemplate ideas they never considered before.
· Someone who is dependable. He or she follows through on commitments. The person takes responsibility for actions, whether the actions lead to success or temporary failure. He or she can work with the team and can also work well independently, being what we commonly refer to as a self-starter.
· Someone who does what is morally and ethically right. He or she does not abuse leadership privileges and is consistently a good role model. The person usually reaches sound and objective evaluations of alternative courses of action through logic, analysis and comparison, putting facts together rationally and realistically.
Maybe you can think of other juice factors, but the ones above come to my mind when thinking of someone who leads with purpose and helps others achieve objectives and goals on the journey with him or her.
Carl Mays, author of over a dozen books and speaker at over 3,000 events, can be contacted at 865-436-7478 or carlmays@carlmays.com. His books, including A Strategy For Winning, People of Passion, Anatomy Of A Leader, Are We Communicating Yet? and Winning Thoughts, are available in stores, on www.carlmays.com and Amazon.com.
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