"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." - Vince Lombardi

And yet in the modern world, we find that many “leaders” are not made with hard effort.

Some are born in to it (Parents legacy).

Some have grown in to it (Prolonged tenure).

Some have shoved their way into it (Playing politics)

Very few “leaders” have gotten to be who they are due to hard effort.

Come what may, only a few have ever reached their true potential as leaders.

Come what may, if you are in this situation, DON’T PANIC.

The vision of this article is to rid you of the shackles of mediocrity and give you a formula to become the greatest leader out there; to whisper words of wisdom, to set you free.

“I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.” – Morpeus, The Matrix

The ViSSPER system (A 6-Step Guide)

Vision: As the title “leader” implies; a leader leads. To lead someone, somewhere, you should first know where you are headed. Without a clear idea of where you want to go, how do you suppose you are going to get there? Know your destination first.

"Without vision, even the most focused passion is a battery without a device" – Ken Auletta

2. Self: A great leader will always have a sound moral compass and an unwavering belief that he is the one. The weak leader, on the other hand, will always end up either going down the wrong road or subscribing to another’s vision. The passion for their vision will always exude from their entire being. A great leader will always have this thought running through their head; If not me, then who? If not now, then when?

"People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision" – John C. Maxwell

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes" – Carl Jung

3. Systems Thinking: Think cause and effect – en masse – applicable to every aspect and all paths leading unto your destination. Learn how to manipulate them to reach your destination. The result? A beautiful orchestration between crystallized and fluid intelligence working in harmony to get you to your destination. Play to win.

“I need you to be clever, Bean. I need you to think of solutions to problems we haven't seen yet. I want you to try things that no one has ever tried because they're absolutely stupid.” – Orson Scot Card, Ender’s Game

"The founding fathers were not only brilliant, they were system builders and systematic thinkers. They came up with comprehensive plans and visions." – Ron Chernow

4. People: Man has a short lifespan. To achieve dreams as big as conquering the galaxy, division of labor is imperative. But different people will always have different goals and aspirations and this will always compete with your leadership vision. Surround yourself with people who will genuinely subscribe to your vision and would literally die for it. Recruit for attitude and upbringing first, skills come later. Your generals will decide if you would succeed or not, so vet them well before getting them in.

"Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team" - John C. Maxwell

5. Execution: Once you have all the above in place, work diligently towards the fruition of your plan. Once the journey has begun, you cannot stray from the path. Your job as the leader is to sore high up above the sky like an eagle, and spot the little bush-fires that may be on your path to the destination and alert your people to them so that they will know what to do when the time comes.

"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs" - Vance Havner

"Don’t think, just do." – Horace

6. Reflect: At the end of each day or milestone, look back at the things you have done and identify what you have achieved, the things you have learned and the things to watch out for the next day towards your goal. Course correct as needed.

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." – George Santayana

There you go; that' the ViSSPER system for you. With many hopefully adopting this system, it is my vision to produce a league of leaders who are capable of conquering even the galaxy!

Use ViSSPER; and stop your team from bleeding due to poor leadership.

Use ViSSPER; and always stay free from the shackles of mediocrity.

Use ViSSPER; and a great period of leadership is yours to claim.

Now, go be a hero.