Look behind you….don’t see anyone? If that’s the case my friend then you”re probably not the leadership of your mlm organization. You are either following everyone or just going for a walk alone. I know, you’re doing all the stuff the book told you; but the solution may be hidden in these rarely discussed leadership characteristics.

There are five essential elements that are key characteristics to successful leadership in a network marketing business. We all here regularly hear about attitude, discipline, skill, determination and the like. But the ones rarely mentioned are alignment, alpha leadership, being present, preparation and professionalism. So lets just get to it cuz you’ve got places to go, things to do, people to lead..right?

The easiest place to begin is always the beginning so lets start with the “A”s. Alignment…What? When you hear this word you’re usually in a conversation about wheels not leadership. But alignment is essential to achieving your goals. “What do you need to align”? That is the question.

If you think of this in musical terms you can easily see the point. A symphony, for example, is simply a well orchestrated aray of instruments notes and musicians all carefully organized to perform a single melody. A note struck out of harmony with that melody woud be considered “sour” because it is out of alignment with the melody.

Think of your vision as the melody you want to play. Your written goals and plan would be the score so to speak… your mind and body are the instruments and your beliefs, thoughts and emotions are the notes you are playing. In this scenario a sour note would be any belief, thought or emotion that is not aligned (in harmony) with the melody you intend to play.

Developing an “Alpha Personality” is a major turning point for many leaders in this industry. In a nut shell it is that point in your career when you put aside your fears and anxieties and start to carry yourself with confidence and authority. Like animals, people can sense doubt and uncertainty. But the Alpha personality has risen above all that and exudes confidence and certainty. Isn’t that why you are followling your leadership?

You ever wonder why at the beginning of a presentation the speaker always ask you to turn off your cell phones and leave the trials of the day outside? You are being called to “Be Present”. It is the characteristic that allows you to keep the past in the past and deal with the future when it comes, but “NOW” is the time when all meaningful activity happens. Effective leaders all know how to BE PRESENT!

Everyone wants to succeed, not everyone is mentally or emotionally prepared to succeed. “Preparation” has to do with mental toughness and emotional maturity at a level above the level of success you envision. If you want to win at anything, you can’t wear your heart on your sleave. Effective leadership entails a level of mental and emotional awareness that strengthens you to push through all obstacles, even if it means leaving people that you care about behind.

Lastly, by most peoples definition “professional” is any one who gets paid for their talent, service and expertise. Yet we all know people who are getting paid and are considered very un-professional. You might be able to get away with that if it doesn’t require the trust and confidence of other people. But leadership implies that there will be someone behind you with some level of expectation particularly when you’re involved in an mlm or network marketing business. That level of expectation has to do with the way you present your self, handle your business and your people. Unless your presentation is aligned with professionalism, don’t expect people to follow you far.

In the end the real task of leadership is to leave our self-defeating behaviors behind and use our conscious minds to undermine the destructive but unconscious beliefs that cause us to defeat ourselves.

Marion Douglas is a well known mlm and internet marketing professional. He has created a resource center to support other online professionals and for a limited time you can pick the free 7 video series How To Attract Endless Distributors And Customers To You get yours now!