Jacques_Louis_David_-_Bonaparte_franchissant_le_Grand_Saint-Bernard,_20_mai_1800_-_Google_Art_Project-2-compressor

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted throughout the Internet as having once said a leader is a dealer in hope. That’s what you are when you lead: a hope dealer.

Out of everything you do to achieve your vision, one of the most important is writing like a leader. Too many times, it’s the face-to-face that everyone pushes, but if you can master leadership writing, you will master your thoughts for all other forms of leadership communication. The one idea I’d like you to take away is that you can lead using the written word as a vehicle to deliver your beliefs to those who will take action on them.

Here are four reasons why it’s important to begin writing as a leader.

  1. Email, email and more email. You are an emailing machine. Everyone is. How many times do you get missives that are uninspired, unstructured and get instantly deleted? If only a portion of your emails contain your well-structured inspirational beliefs, you will have already boosted the impression you make on others.
  2. Some people have to read it to believe it. A certain portion of your audience will be likely to run with the message when you deliver it in written form. While others learn from doing or hearing, you want to ensure you are also tapping into those who learn best by reading.
  3. Scripts, speeches and multimedia. Your words can be transported. They can become a YouTube video devoured by millions or a speech spoken at a conference to thousands. Words fly when fitted with the proper wings.
  4. Leadership happens everywhere. From the CEO.ca chatroom to the company boardroom, you are given multiple opportunities daily to lead. It’s up to you to decide whether or not you take them, in whichever form they come.

Mastering the ability to present your beliefs and ideas to others through your writing and convince them to take action on those beliefs is extremely powerful.

Tonight, visualize the ways you can inspire people into action through writing. Decide whether you would be closer to reaching your goals if even a portion of what you wrote in a day dealt out the precious commodity of hope.