Top 3 misconceptions about leadership that hold you back.

 I assume every single person who ever thought about becoming a leader has been asking herself if she has whatever it takes to be a leader? Actually, if you address the same kind of question changing the only form of one word, you will be able to find the answer much easier, I believe. Let me reformulate my question: To become a leader do you have whatever it takes to lead?

I hope you said much easier “yes” in your mind right now.😉

Hi, my name is Leo Kleo and in this video, I would like to clarify the top 3 misconceptions about leadership that hold you back to become a powerful leader in the digital era, no matter where you are and what your background is! Yes, you heard me right, I am frankly saying that everyone can be an inspiring powerful leader and I will prove it by the end of the video, so you start believing in yourself and your powers before I start teaching you about becoming a digital leader.

Misconception nr.1: If you are handicap (mentally, physically, socially), - you can not become a leader.

 False stories! Everyone can inspire and bring change! Let me show the true story disproving the misconception:

In 1982 a man was born with an extremely rare congenital disorder known as Phocomelia, which is characterised by the absence of legs and arms. As a child, he struggled mentally, emotionally, and physically. Bullied at school, he attempted even to make suicide and only his love for his parents prevented him from following through. At the age of 17, he had an inspiring dialogue with his high school janitor that changed his life forever. The janitor told him that “You’re going to be a speaker”. The janitor saw something in the guy that he didn’t see himself and encouraged him to share his story. The first speech was delivered in front of an audience of six students. After realizing that he wasn’t alone in his struggles, the desire to help others to find hope and meaning in life was set on fire. Now the charismatic Australian speaker travels the world addressing huge crowds. He has visited more than 57 countries and given over three thousand talks, some of which have attracted audiences as large as 110,000 people. He is happily married and is a  proud father of two sons.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about the famous Nick Vujicic. His example shows that nobody is expecting you to be a leader by flying into space or do something impossible with his limitations, but enlightening people lives, helping them to find purpose and sense.

Misconception nr.2: You should be born to be a leader.

False, there is no leadership genome. Just think for a moment if there would be a leadership genome, we all would have it from our common ancestor. On top of that, I have another true case, demonstrating that being born in a ruling family does not mean you will be a good ruler, but only your training, learning and environment will make a great difference. 

The second son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, Charles became king of France in 1560, after his older brother Francis II passed away. Everyone expected Francis to rule and therefore he was trained and educated appropriately. Charles did not have the same priority and when he became the king he was weak-willing, according to those times descriptions. He was described as a lonely and vulnerable man, easily influenced by relatives and allies. He was not caring about politics and civil wars that had place during his ruling but enjoyed parties and hunting. For instance, Charles allowed the massacre of all Huguenot leaders spreading protestant religion at the instigation of his mother Catherine de Medici and other close advisers. Those events completely disproved royal intentions to resolve religious fights in peace and Charles’ capability to act according to his will, considering that even some of his friends have died in that massacre.

Misconception nr.3: You can't be a leader if you are born in the wrong place, family, time.

Right opportunities can indeed influence your progress but never hold you back from being a leader! Many great leaders have been born in poor families, or times when their class had no rights or countries that have been under the oppression of other powers but still succeeded to become great leaders.

For instance, CEO Starbucks - Howard Schultz grew up in a housing project in Canarsie, Brooklyn, a neighbourhood so poor that today it doesn’t even have a Starbucks. Or Nelson Mandela have lived in times when the ruling party of South Africa installed a racial segregation system.  Mandela became an anti-Apartheid activist, which means that he fought for those who were disadvantaged by the system of racial segregation. Mandela became a civil rights leader, leading many to fight for freedom and equality for all South Africans and in 1994 became President of the South Africa.

Therefore no matter what limitation have you had in the past or present, you can always find an important message about a better future and inspire others to move towards that vision! Don't hold yourself back, be a great leader!!! KR, Leo Kleo