PHOENIX, AZ, USA, January 29, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Influential leaders are the people who are willing to make hard choices and take risks, skills that can only be developed when one fully works past the fears and excuses that hold them back.

That’s the advice of corporate leadership expert Lisa Rehurek, author of the book "Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You" (2021, Indie Books International.)

“To be influential, there is no place for constant explanations around why something cannot happen,” says Rehurek. “Your role as a leader is to figure out a way through any excuses that arise.”

Rehurek, founder and CEO of The RFP Success Company, has utilized her 25 years of corporate expertise to help businesses win more business through Requests for Proposals. With her team, Rehurek has trained hundreds of business development staff, and helped organizations win over $50 million in new business.

According to Rehurek, successful leaders deal with the same fears and excuses as everyone, the difference is leaders know how to navigate those roadblocks.

“As leaders, you get paid to make decisions that scare the bejeezus out of you,” Rehurek explains. “Just because you are making the hard decisions, or taking risks, does not mean you aren’t scared. It means you are willing to push through and do it anyway. Sans excuses.”

Here are seven tips from Rehurek’s new book to help eliminate excuses and build strategies for the challenges that occur.

1. Know what you are working toward. When you know what you want, and you have your eye on that prize, you will not let anything get in your way. Make sure you are clear about what you are moving toward.

2. Understand what motivates you. We are all motivated by different things, but it is important to be in tune with what drives us into action. When you are motivated to move toward that goal, excuses won’t stop you.

3. Get comfortable with fear. People assume successful leaders don’t have fears. Quite the contrary. They feel the fear, and they bring it along for the ride. It is part of the excitement of leading.

4. Catch yourself in the act. If you find yourself avoiding things and then making excuses as to why you cannot move forward, stop yourself dead in your tracks. Awareness is one of our most powerful tools. The more aware you are, the better you will be able to start eliminating those excuses.

5. Figure out how to work through your fear. Leaders figure out how to step through fire even when they do not want to do it, even when they cannot see a safe path ahead. All you need to decide is what the next best step is, then take it and keep moving forward.

6. Rewrite the stories. Instead of letting yourself believe they are holding you back, determine how you can use those stories to propel you forward.

7. Let go of old stories. You may have stories from generations ago that are so ingrained in you it is hard to move past them. Leave the past where it belongs.


Rehurek adds that working past excuses, especially ones based on fear, requires practice, mental fortitude, and a lot of hard work. That willingness to put in the work is a key defining aspect of a leader, and it comes from a place of driven motivation with a clear eye on your goals.

“Influential people define hard work differently,” says Rehurek. “Working hard is a way of life for them. It does not feel heavy. It feels driven.”

About Indie Books International

Indie Books International (www.indiebooksintl.com) was founded in 2014 in Oceanside, California by two best-selling business authors. Since then, the company has released more than 100 titles. Similar to indie film companies and indie music labels, the mission of Indie Books International is to serve as an independent publishing alternative to help business thought leaders create impact and influence.

Henry DeVries
Indie Books International
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