Fear is the main factor that blocks people from being effective leaders, according to an international motivational speaker.

“Our fears are thieves that steal our confidence and diminish our potential,” said Sullivan Motivational Resources chief executive officer Steve Sullivan.

“To be good leaders we need to examine and understand our own fears whether it’s the fear of being wrong, of looking foolish, of being hurt, of having to change. All kinds of these fears act to block personal effectiveness and diminish our potential. And remember that failure has always been a better teacher than success,” he said.

Sullivan who was speaking at the American Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates’ (ABC) seminar entitled: ‘Change is Inevitable’ said what distinguishes good leaders is their ability to create energy in others by instilling a sense of purpose, goals or values.

“The question is how can leaders create energy? One cannot create energy in a closed environment. Closed environments close people’s minds and hearts. Leaders should create an open environment where others can communicate, agree and disagree freely without fear. Once you have an open environment, you can focus on your people and create ways to develop their skills and eliminate their fears.”

Sullivan said the foundation to leadership is integrity. A relationship built on integrity exhibits, among others things, candor, trust, confidence, support, fairness and accountability. Integrity, according to Sullivan is established by the leader’s behavior. When a leader indulges in the right behaviors, he or she creates energy in those they lead. That energy will move the organization or country forward.

“Good leadership is composed of the capacity for effective communication, persistence, teamwork, clear objectives, commitment and most of all courage. Strengthening these attributes can help empower and enhance the value of human capital,” he added.

According to Sullivan, what distinguishes good leadership from mediocre leadership is one’s ability to integrate these qualities in a way that allows a person to create change without losing sight of that sense of purpose.

“We are glad to have such an international renowned motivational speaker such as Steve Sullivan. The seminar was both informative and enjoyable. He addressed a set of leadership and performance topics in much depth and reinforced a very uplifting message,” said Bilal Sabouni, ABC vice-president of programs.

“Knowledge transfer is about transferring good ideas and skills between people, and that what we in ABC are trying to achieve by organizing such events and we will continue to do so,” he said.

Sullivan is the author of six books two of which, Selling At Mach 1 and Leading At Mach 2 were business bestsellers. Leading At Mach 2 was a Business Book of the Year Selection.

His videos on Selling and Leadership are Vision Award winners. His most recent book Remember This Titan is the best-selling acclaimed biography of celebrated Coach Bill Yoast. It was recently selected in the Wall Street Journal as one of the top five football books of all-time. – TradeArabia News Service