Knowledge is power or for the pedantic applied knowledge is power and I guess for the OCD applies knowledge used in the right way at the right time is power. Regardless I think we can all agree that the more that you know, at least wisdom wise, the better off you’ll be in life. Or at the very least the better chance you have of living a good, healthy, productive, and happy life. Which I think is the goal of almost all men.
One thing we’ve talked about more is community and its importance. In a way its the evolution of the whole “tribe” discussion that goes on/went on among men’s self-improvement circles. But instead of being some boys clubs in the woods, though nothing wrong with, a community takes that power of a “tribe” and grows it exponentially. Someone well respected and known in a community, a leader, will have more pull than the leader of a small gang.
Because of this it’s important to know how to acquire a position of leadership in your community and reshape that community for the better or at least ensure it doesn’t go too far off the tracks. There are many paths to do this but first we’ll address why you’d want to do this, the skills that you’ll need to do this successfully, and then we’ll cover paths to do this both on a personal scale and also on a more open scale, which we’ll explain.
Why Would You Want To Be A Community Leader?
It makes sense to want to retreat from the world, with all the craziness and nonsense going about, it only makes sense right? I understand this and have often felt this way myself in the past. However its unfortunate when men that would make great leaders instead retreat inside themselves and become hermits. Again I understand the frustration and there are times and places where this is the best choice. Yet at the same time if you worry about what goes on around you and want to live in a healthy and happy place the best thing to do is be proactive about it.
People are sheep. I don’t mean that to sound superior or anything like that, it’s just a simple fact. They follow the leader, most don’t think for themselves and simply follow what or whoevers barking the loudest around them. They need a strong hand to guide them to keep themselves from walking blindly off a cliff. Now in general there’s nothing you can do about this for the world/nation you live in, in general.
You can’t compete with the media, news, governments, corporations, and so on and so forth for helping people figure out how to run their lives. However on a small scale you can. On a small scale and in a local community you can be more powerful than the media or news or whoever else is blabbing nonstop to people telling them what to say, think, and do. You don’t do this for a power trip but to keep the sheep from bleating off the side of a cliff. While understanding you’re not immune to these things either.
You can improve the world around you and help stop some of the rot that is promoted.
Skills Required To Become A Community Leader
I probably sound like a broken record, but that’s fine. As with just about everything else in the modern world one of the most important skills you have to develop is what most call “soft” or “people” skills. How to work with people, understanding human nature, and how to “harness” it so that people can best work for themselves. The foundation of soft skills is sales and persuasion skills. Again going back to studying sales, copywriting, and persuasion/negotiation. Plenty of good books on that subject and you need to start reading them and understanding these skills.
Public speaking and presentation is another one. Do you know the basics of how to present yourself and how to dress to get the right impression? Do you come off as suave and understanding? I’m not saying you have to be Mr. Politician Man or whatever but just understand the fundamentals of these things. Learn the basics of public speaking and how to influence a crowd. This ties into with the “soft” skills that I mentioned above.
In addition to all of this you also have to be good at “reading the room” or “getting a temperature” you have to understand the powers around you and where you fit in the ecosystem. You can’t go “off your rocker” even if off your rocker is the most sane place to be. You have to understand what to say tactically and what people are and are not ready for yet. Truth is dangerous and combustive. People hate it. You have to state it humorously, vaguely, or bit by bit lead them to it so they think it was their idea in the first place.
Some of this stuff isn’t “pretty” but nothing about humanity or human nature is pretty.
Places To Begin To Influence Your Community
So this might sound cheesy but I’m tempted to say, start where you are. Whatever you do just start there, whatever job you have see if there’s ways you can branch out. But say that doesn’t work, what are other options? Churches, mosques, or whatever religious organization is big in the community is a good start. Volunteer there and see what openings there are and what you can do. Teaching is another one, this doesn’t mean necessarily teach at a school but teach a class of some sort. You can do this at the local library if you live in a small town.
Coaching is another big one. Do you have an area that you specialize in then do that. This ranges from coaching boxing at the local MMA gym to coaching little league to the church softball team. Whatever just getting yourself and your face out there and influencing people’s lives. You can’t influence or change people if you’re stuck at home and not getting out there. Ultimately its up to you how much you want to influence and how important that is to you.
But it’s something to think about, especially if you’re worried about the community around you. And since you live in it, why wouldn’t you be?
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
