Number One

Develop your dominant character traits by seeing yourself as your own source of self-mastery.

Only five have remained alive. And the sharks, which had become „smarter" as a result of the experiments, had flooded almost the entire Aquatica underwater laboratory. They almost lost their hope. Russell Franklin, the main shareholder of the laboratory, who, in the past, had managed to save a group of people from an avalanche in the Himalaya mountains, tries to calm people down:

- We have to find a way to get out of here. First, we have to...

He did not even get the chance to finish, that, all of a sudden, for a moment, one of the sharks made a jump from the pool which connected with the exterior and grabbed him entirely.

The fear amplified. Tom Scoggins immediately started to feel icy shivers down his spine, his heart beats went wild when he saw the horrific scene. Like anyone who feels endangered, a "hold on" type of reaction started in him. Without a doubt, he was in a moment of extreme weakness.

- Jesus, it ate him ! I won't move from here. I won't move. Someone will come to help us. They'll get us out of here, and everything will be fine. I won't move from here, he said, hustling to a corner, overwhelmed with negative emotions, struck with the fear that he would share the same fate as Franklin.

When the model of authority vanishes, do your primary personality traits immediately collapse into a 'freeze' reaction?

The more you try to be an active role model for others in moments of crisis, the closer you come to becoming the environment's first victim. However, those with leadership skills emerge precisely during such difficult times. Carter Blake, the shark wrangler, did not remain indifferent. The moment he noticed Tom panicking, he approached him, spoke to him, and encouraged him, making him understand that staying pinned to that spot gave him a higher chance of dying than if he followed him. Grabbing Tom by his right hand, he helped him up, and they continued on their way.

It is very hard for a person to live with no hopes. Others have too much of it. Carter was given to Tom instead of hope because he had the firmness he was lacking. He had something superior in him, he had an extraordinary courage, which he proved countless times, a fact which made Tom to lay his possible salvation in his hands. Leadership is the discipline of being the temporary buttress of collective courage until the inner structure of others becomes able to bear its own weight.

Changing does not come by itself, but comes through the involvement of people in action. By the power of his adventurous genius, due to his "win by every means possible" type of attitude, Blake got Tom on the right path, and consciousness gave him the power to continue.

Do you manage to transform the borderline situation into an effort to reveal self-control, refusing to project an empty promise on the real danger?

Tom's future and of the other survivors depended totally by one man, Carter Blake, number one in everything: when it came to courage, taking responsibility, firmness, taking initiative, readiness of mind and ingenuity. He was the only one capable of saving them. He was the only one who truly knew his duties. Furthermore, considering himself strong enough, he did not hesitate to put his life in danger for the others, his flair giving him an enormous helping hand in taking the best path to follow.

Just as an amputated arm is replaced by a perfect copy of the missing member, so and you, by your power of influence can replace human weaknesses and hopes to lead them to act in accordance with your thinking and attitude.

Can you take control of people's emotions and to counteract the negative effects of change? Do people trust you? Do you have the power to convince people that by your side they have a "chance"? Do you prove the presence of mind and courage in difficult situations? Do you have the ability to take control of their emotions, to revitalize their energies, and to take them out from that point, often paralyzing, which prevents them from acting?

Leadership is not measured by how many people follow you, but how many people have learned to walk alone because of your presence of mind.

Number one is the character who has a lot of self-control, who does not lose himself in critical situations and quickly finds solutions to get out of any standstill. He is the one who manages to mobilize people, giving them confidence and courage in order to overcome the difficult moments through which they inevitably pass. Are you such a person?

The degree to which you build yourself as a source of modeling other people (after your thinking and attitude) helps you develop the dominant traits of your character. Consequently, make in such a way that people would perceive you as the most reliable and efficient "component" of their full potential.