People used to believe that one had to be born in order to become a leader. We now know that leadership can be learned. In fact, leaders come in all shapes and colors. Any person can be a leader at any given moment. So what does it mean to lead? Leading is a way of getting people to want to follow somebody. Leaders must have followers. I'm not saying followers in the guru sense either. If you were to start something first and then others followed what you did, you were the leader.

There are ways that will help people lead more effectively. If you wanted to lead a group of people, then being able to communicate with them would be important. Using Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), you'd be able to understand who you lead and how to communicate to them where they would want to follow you.

Every person tends to filter out what doesn't fit with their beliefs and values. They will only see things through their own eyes. The problem that leaders face in communicating with people they lead is to understand how they view the world. NLP gives the leader a tool to understanding another person's world. This understanding will help the leader to have an influence on them.

First, get to know each person. That includes their values and beliefs. Find out if what they believe in life will fit with the goal and purpose they are working to achieve. Make sure there is alignment. You can easily find out the values and beliefs of other by the use of questions. You can begin by asking them what they normally do on a daily basis. What are your beliefs about what is right and wrong? What do you value out of life? Each of these will get you closer to understanding what behavior drives each person.

If a follower has made up his or her mind on a decision, the leader can work to change their minds by the use of framing or reframing. Reframing something basically changes the content or context of a given frame. When the content or context is changed, the meaning will change. If a person has a negative feeling to a goal, then reframing it so that it fits in better with the values and beliefs of that person will help create it in a more positive light.

Get in tune with your followers. By the use of matching and mirroring, you'll be able to build rapport with them. That includes matching body movements (though not in a mocking sense), voice tone & rhythm, and words. Know the modalities (their primary representational system) of each person. Those include whether they are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic as the primary modality.

One great tool that will help to move a larger group of people is the use of stories that are relevant. President Reagan was great at incorporating stories into his speeches. Former President Clinton and current President Obama also use stories very effectively to influence people. When telling stories, bring some color to it by using submodalities. Voice tone, rhythm, and inflection are important to make points within the story as well as the talk overall.

Finally, make sure you are fully engaged in your beliefs about how a purposeful goal will make a difference. You have to show it and believe it. Others will follow you when you show passion for something.