Attain Leadership

6 RuralLeaderMagazine.com | FEBRUARY 2016 Even though I know better now but still when I think of a leader I think of the president, or the founders of countries, philanthropists like mother Teresa or the CEOs of the companies, I am sure I am not the only one. Leadership, to us, seems like a responsibility with unbelievable burden rather than a gift. It is seen as a curse that will drain out the happiness from your life rather than a blessing that will conjure fountains of the happiness of achieving something great.

Worst of all, we think of leadership as an inborn thing, meant for the great to do the great, and confined to the most prominent positions in the world. Like I said, when I think leader I think prominent people. Fortunately, I am wrong. Leadership is not confined to those positions. These are not the only leadership roles out there. And sure some people are born with the ability to utilize their leadership skills but far more than that is the number of people who learn to use their leadership skills later; far more is the number of people who find the leader in them. For, in every single one of us, maybe hidden under one layer, maybe hidden below 10, is a leader.

You can be a leader at your school, and not just as the school president, but in your group of friends. You lead your group to some cause or with their help implement something that has a long lasting effect on their lives; you become a good leader. Or if you lead them to something destructive, you become a bad leader. A good leader can always distinguish between what is right and what is wrong and thinks about the people he is leading more than his personal interests. You can be a leader in your house, for that you do not have to be the parent either or the house owner, you can be a leader among siblings.

In today's world, from major corporate giants to small companies, the post of "manager", in the literal sense of the word, is diminishing. There was a time when to yell was to manage well, but the time of managing is gone now and it is the time to lead. To be a leader in a company you do not have to have the top floor corner office but you can very well be at the 3rd floor and still lead your group to success. We are all leaders.

We have different leadership roles at different times of our lives and at different times of the day even, for example, a father and a manager at a company. What we need to understand is that all leadership roles are equally important and that somebody's world other than your own is riding on you. And to lead effectively we need to keep some basic and simple guidelines in mind. Put the interests of the people you are leading before yours. Believe in yourself and the people you are leading.— About the Author

Chris Cruz is leadership expert and author of Life Success Secrets.

Five Tips to Protect your Identity and Celebrate Refund Season

The holidays may be over, but refund season is just beginning, and there’s a lot to celebrate. This tax season, while consumers are eagerly awaiting their refund, tax preparation companies, tax officials and the IRS are working together to combat one of the fastest growing threats for tax season 2016 - tax identity fraud.

Based on IRS data, nearly 3 million people have been victims of tax identity theft since 2010. Every year, criminals use increasingly advanced tactics - particularly geared toward taxpayers filing online - to steal taxpayers’ personal information, file fraudulent tax returns in their names and steal their refunds. After fraud occurs, it can take months and multiple steps by the victim to access a stolen refund and regain an identity with the IRS.

Protect your identity - and your refund - with these five tax tips from H&R Block:

1. File early and be cautious. Filing your taxes early will allow you to claim your refund before a criminal can. Before you file, protect your personal information by installing a security software with anti-virus and firewall protections.

2. Keep your paper records safe. Shred records you are no longer using and keep your social security card and any sensitive documents under lock and key.

3. Do not respond to individuals posing as a tax agency. The IRS does not demand immediate payment without sending a bill in the mail first. If you receive a phone call or an email with an external link, do not click on the link or share personal or financial information unless you personally know the person on the other end.

4. Change your password. The 2015 tax season saw a significant increase of tax fraud in the do-it-yourself (DIY) space. When using at-home tax software, such as H&R Block’s DIY products, create a strong password with capitalization, numbers, and symbols or avoid the risk by visiting a tax preparer.

5. Use tax identity protection services. Visit the IRS website to learn more about how to protect your identity. Additionally, H&R Block’s Tax Identity Shield provides clients with tools to reduce the risk of tax identity theft and resolution services, if a client becomes a victim of tax identity theft.

This tax season, take away the stress and put the “fun” back in “refund” by filing early. Plus, this year, you’ll have a chance to boost your refund - as an extra incentive, H&R Block is celebrating refund season by awarding $1,000 a day to 1,000 people. The first drawing for this limited time offer was Jan. 16. Visit hrblock.com/grand for rules and an alternate method of entry. Enter early to protect your refund and for more chances to win.—BPT