In survey after survey, interpersonal communication skills are consistently ranked at or near the top of a list of skills necessary for career success. People who possess these people skills enjoy a richer personal life, better relationships at work, and more productive interactions with those around them.
Teams with members who excel at people skills are more productive and more cohesive. No one is born with these people skills. They are the result of attention and practice. Here are five guaranteed ways to hone your people skills.
1. Recognize differences in people and be ready to adapt.
Because we think of ourselves as operating within a norm, we tend to see people who act and communicate differently from us as deviating from the norm. As a result, we believe that one communication style (ours) should fit all. Overcome this limiting mindset by recognizing differences in preferences and motivations among people.
If it's all about communicating you say, why do we need all the distinctions? You don't use a rolling pin to chop vegetables and you don't use a chef's knife to roll out bread dough, even though it's all cooking. You have to choose the right tool for the right job.
For example, a fundamental principle of adult learning theory is that we have different preferences for acquiring knowledge. Depending on those preferences, we'll be more effective in communicating our message when we learn whether to emphasize visual, verbal, or tactile approaches.
People also have different motivations. Anne may be motivated by the promise of a salary increase while David strives for peer recognition. Discovering and applying the right motivation will help you get the cooperation you need from others.
2. Learn to listen well.
When people compliment someone on being a great communicator, they often mean that the person is a good listener. Although most of us will have had at least one, if not several courses on reading, writing, and speaking during our years of formal education, have you ever taken a listening course? We spend more time listening than in any other communication activity. In fact, given how much time we spend listening, it's neglect is surprising.
A major problem with listening occurs when we approach an interaction with different goals. I may be listening to gather information and solve a problem while my partner wants me to listen so that I empathize with his or her feelings. If I'm focused on generating solutions when my partner is looking for support, I'll be perceived to be "not listening" or unsympathetic to my partner's point of view.
Sometimes, what you see as a simple yes or no question designed to elicit information will be interpreted as a criticism of the other person. Don't become frustrated when your question is met with more information than you expected. It's probably designed to establish a context for the answer and explain the behavior that your partner thought you criticized.
To improve your listening skills, you'll need to develop genuine interest in your partner. Demonstrate your interest by seizing opportunities to ask questions. Search for common ground and be open to the possibility that you'll learn something new. There is a wise old saying that we were born with two ears but only one mouth so we could listen twice as much as we talk.
3. Realize that communication is more than just the words we use.
We take communication for granted because we do it so frequently, but it's actually a complex process. While we are all wired with the same hardware (brain), the software (interpretive framework) varies tremendously among individuals. This means that given the same input (behaviors or words), we will reach different conclusions based on how we process that data. There are three aspects involved:
What you mean to say
How you code this thought into language that gets verbalized
How people interpret what you say
Consequently, there is often a tremendous difference between what you say and what someone hears. Here are two examples:
Meant: "I know this is a big project, so I should chip in and pull my weight."
Said: "I'd like to offer my help on the project."
Heard: "You're not doing this right, so I'd better become involved."
Meant: "I'm very busy with all the projects I've been assigned."
Said: "I'll get to your task as soon as I can."
Heard: "Your task isn't as important to me as the other things I'm doing."
Be sensitive to the non-verbal clues of your partner and explain statements that seem puzzling or critical.
4. Learn to manage conflict rather than avoid it.
We often think of conflict as something to be avoided at all costs. However, conflict is a natural part of human interaction. Sometimes, in an effort to avoid conflict, important information isn't communicated. Avoidance is only one strategy among many. When an issue is very important to someone else, but of little consequence to you, consider accommodating the person.
Managed properly, conflict can actually be beneficial. For example, conflict provides a method to weed out faulty assumptions and premises. Make a clear distinction between a conflict with a person and that person's ideas. Show respect for the person even when you disagree with the ideas. Learn to manage conflict with the appropriate strategy rather than simply to avoid it.
5. Be known for positive rather than negative interactions.
This doesn't mean you have to be an optimist on steroids. An over-the-top optimist never recognizes a problem exists. A pessimist never realizes a solution exists. When you consistently maintain a positive frame of mind, you'll become known as a problem-solver rather than a complainer. People avoid complainers. They seek out problem-solvers.
A great way to demonstrate a positive outlook is in your language. When someone thanks you, do you ever respond with the phrase "No problem" or "Not a problem"? If so, you are marking the interaction by two negative words. Turn those negatives into positives by responding "I'm glad to help" or "It was my pleasure."
Summary
Developing excellent people skills requires recognition of differences, listening, an awareness of the different aspects of communication, strategies for managing conflict and an optimistic outlook. You can improve your people skills. Remember, an individual's interpersonal style is not just "who he or she is." It is who he or she chooses to be.
By Joseph Sommerville, Ph.D.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Loyalty Effect
Frederick F. Reichheld, contributor to the Harvard Business Review and author of several books, defines The Loyalty Effect as "The full range of economic and human benefits that accrue to leaders who treat their customers, operators, and employees in a manner worthy of their loyalty."
Reichheld's premise about loyalty might seem obvious at first. Of course loyalty is important for business success. But studies have shown that loyalty, in fact, is a concept many companies might be able to talk about, but can rarely develop in their customers and employees.
Truett Cathy, legendary founder of the wildly successful Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, has taken the development of loyalty to an art form. In fact, Chick-fil-A fosters so much loyalty among its customers and operators, that Reichheld wrote, "I can't imagine a serious discussion of loyalty in business that does not reference the Cathy family and their accomplishments.
Why? Because Chick-fil-A has succeeded by designing its entire business system around customer loyalty; because Truett Cathy recognizes that a company earns customers' loyalty by consistently delivering superior value; because Chick-fil-A has created a degree of loyalty among its customers, employees, and restaurant franchise Operators that I had never imagined possible . . ."
Cathy himself writes, "The more we can foster the feeling that we are a group of people working together, depending on each other, and not just bound by a franchise agreement, the more likely we are to be loyal to each other. In our case . . . the extra measure of trust has brought us the success we enjoy today."
Imagine that! A company whose "secret sauce," "crown jewels," or "proprietary advantage" is the way it treats people! Ideas like that almost sound, well, out of date. Can it really be that simple?
One of the most important things to understand in the world of leadership is that principles never change. There is no such thing as an "out-of-date" principle. Absolutes are never trendy. The longer I live, the more I am convinced of the truth of the saying, "Methods are many, principles are few, methods always change, but principles never do." Loyalty as a business strategy sounds both obvious and out-of-date at the same time. I find that interesting.
But what I have witnessed in my own life shows the wisdom of Cathy and Reichheld. Wherever loyalty has been earned and developed, great things happen. Wherever it is demanded or compelled, bad things happen. Personally, I appreciate the people who have taken the time to earn my trust, make deposits in my life, and add value to me as an individual. They have earned my loyalty. I am also thankful for all the people in my life who have shown me loyalty. It is encouraging, but also comes with massive responsibility. I would never want to let them down!
As leaders, I think we would do well to duplicate the example of Truett Cathy and the culture he has built at Chick-fil-A. Whether our leadership is in the home, at work, in a business of our own, at church, or in our community, we should build loyalty in all that we do.
This brings up an interesting question for discussion: in what ways can we as leaders "build loyalty?" How, exactly, does that get accomplished? I look forward to your input!
By Chris Brady
Reichheld's premise about loyalty might seem obvious at first. Of course loyalty is important for business success. But studies have shown that loyalty, in fact, is a concept many companies might be able to talk about, but can rarely develop in their customers and employees.
Truett Cathy, legendary founder of the wildly successful Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, has taken the development of loyalty to an art form. In fact, Chick-fil-A fosters so much loyalty among its customers and operators, that Reichheld wrote, "I can't imagine a serious discussion of loyalty in business that does not reference the Cathy family and their accomplishments.
Why? Because Chick-fil-A has succeeded by designing its entire business system around customer loyalty; because Truett Cathy recognizes that a company earns customers' loyalty by consistently delivering superior value; because Chick-fil-A has created a degree of loyalty among its customers, employees, and restaurant franchise Operators that I had never imagined possible . . ."
Cathy himself writes, "The more we can foster the feeling that we are a group of people working together, depending on each other, and not just bound by a franchise agreement, the more likely we are to be loyal to each other. In our case . . . the extra measure of trust has brought us the success we enjoy today."
Imagine that! A company whose "secret sauce," "crown jewels," or "proprietary advantage" is the way it treats people! Ideas like that almost sound, well, out of date. Can it really be that simple?
One of the most important things to understand in the world of leadership is that principles never change. There is no such thing as an "out-of-date" principle. Absolutes are never trendy. The longer I live, the more I am convinced of the truth of the saying, "Methods are many, principles are few, methods always change, but principles never do." Loyalty as a business strategy sounds both obvious and out-of-date at the same time. I find that interesting.
But what I have witnessed in my own life shows the wisdom of Cathy and Reichheld. Wherever loyalty has been earned and developed, great things happen. Wherever it is demanded or compelled, bad things happen. Personally, I appreciate the people who have taken the time to earn my trust, make deposits in my life, and add value to me as an individual. They have earned my loyalty. I am also thankful for all the people in my life who have shown me loyalty. It is encouraging, but also comes with massive responsibility. I would never want to let them down!
As leaders, I think we would do well to duplicate the example of Truett Cathy and the culture he has built at Chick-fil-A. Whether our leadership is in the home, at work, in a business of our own, at church, or in our community, we should build loyalty in all that we do.
This brings up an interesting question for discussion: in what ways can we as leaders "build loyalty?" How, exactly, does that get accomplished? I look forward to your input!
By Chris Brady
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Listening: A Lost Art
We all take talking for granted. Though you may occasionally feel your hands grow cold before giving a speech, you often talk without recognizing the simultaneous changes that occur in your body.
Research shows that while we speak with our words, we also speak with every fiber of our being. This ‘language of the heart’ is integral to the health and emotional life of all of us.
Blood pressure and heart rate elevates every time you speak, even when discussing the most neutral topic. Even those who speak through signing have the same results.
For people who are hypertensive, the rise caused by talking was much greater than for healthy people, and often well into the danger zone. How do hypertensive people handle this? After all, most do not drop dead during social encounters. Other studies show that they subconsciously maintain distance in their relationships and minimize what can be for them ‘lethal dialogues’.
What makes the cardiovascular system of hypertensive’s so vulnerable to verbal communication? Though the hypertensive’s studied were outwardly calm, many tended to talk intensely and breathlessly, interrupting and speaking over other people. This kind of speech is typical of Type – A behavior, an impulsive, hard driving life style linked to increased risk of heart disease.
Most normal talk is a seesaw. The rising of blood pressure when one talks is balanced by a rapid lowering of pressure when one listens. But the rhythm is out of sync in hypertensive’s. They frequently fail to listen; they are on guard, defensive. So their pressure stays up.
Learning to calmly listen to another person helps lower blood pressure. By learning to listen more, by breathing regularly while talking, and paying attention to what the other person is saying, you can learn to lower your blood pressure.
Since so few people genuinely attend to others, those who will learn to draw out the other person can be guaranteed all the friendships they can handle and can be assured of deepening the relationships they presently own.
Why are so many of us poor listeners? Much of our listening education was in the form of: be quiet, listen and pay attention. Most of the people in our society are passive listeners, geared to react on trigger words and to shut out tedium.
Time spend learning in school:
40% learning how to read
35% learning how to write
25% learning how to talk
1% learning how to listen or communicate
We can learn to be good listeners with some work and practice. The rewards can be great.
1. Know when you are not listening.
Check yourself by asking silently: "Can I repeat, rephrase or clarify what has just been said?” If you can’t, the sound may be on but the replay is broken.
2. Know why you are not listening.
As you define your excuses for not listening you will systematically eradicate the ‘watching someone talk’ syndrome. Check the following common reasons for not listening and begin to take silent control of the communication.
* We hear only what we want to hear.
* We consider the topic or information unimportant.
* We jump to conclusions
* Too many other problems on our minds.
* Radical departure from our own thinking.
* Waiting for our turn to talk.
3. Avoid judgments.
Nearly all the reasons for not listening focus on our own ego and our inability to grant equal attention to another person. As soon as the person speaking is elevated to a pinnacle of importance, the active listening process begins and we weigh each thought mightily as if our lives depended on a total recitation of the prior narrative. As you fine tune your listening skills avoid listening only when you deem the speaker worthy of hearing.
4. Match your thought process to the speaker’s words.
We think and hear about 1.000 words per minute. The average speaking speed is 125 words per minute. What then do we do with the time lapse? Human nature combats the problem with anything from boredom to rudeness. Good listeners use the time to clarify, validate and reiterate the conversation topic in their mind. Listen for ideas and emotions rather than facts. Fact listening is defensive. Emotion listening is offensive. Idea listening is progressive.
5. Know thyself.
Do words like difficult, stupid, revolutionary, or assignments shut off your listening process? Does a reference to love, food or fun cause your ears to perk and your antenna to turn in? Understand where your hot and cold buttons are and adjust your listening process to circumvent any sudden shut down because of an emotion laden word or phrase. (This seems to me to be what happens with communication with husbands and wives. We allow too many words to become hot or cold buttons and therefore we render ourselves unable to really communicate)
6. Conversation always moves from agreement to disagreement and then stops.
Listeners who are involved in two way conversation and are prepared to repeat and clarify information will immediately direct the conversation back to agreement and then reach an understanding.
7. Keep alert.
Listening shuts down when both apathy and anxiety set in. Strive for enthusiasm in listening. Communicate with you body; lean forward, smile, nod, become involved by maintaining direct eye contact. If you are on the telephone; stand up, walk. The more attentive and alert, the better you listen.
Listening is an acquired skill that is critically important to success in life. Adults spend about 75% of each day in verbal communication; 45% of this time is spent listening. Persons in a business or social situation who do not have good listening skills are ineffective. Mistakes due to poor listening skills cost organizations thousands of dollars each year.
Listening to another is the highest form of building personal self esteem. For only when we feel good about ourselves and the world around us do we go beyond ‘waiting for our turn to talk’ or ‘watching someone else talk’ to ‘passionate’ listening that elevates us to pinnacles of thought and action separates us from animals making noise.
Listening attentively to another is to pay the highest compliment to them. You do not have to be witty to be a good conversationalist; you simply have to know how to listen. The secret of being interesting is to be interested in the other person. Ask questions the other person will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves. But don’t be the silent partner in the conversation. Silence can be described as negative feedback. Like a failed monitoring system on a moon rocket, it tells you something is wrong, but it doesn’t go very far toward telling you what.
Conversation with your friends will indeed get sparse if you restrict yourselves to facts, but when you talk about your feelings there will always be plenty to discuss. It’s amazing the way a man listens to you. When you talk to him he looks you squarely in the eye. He seems to shut out all other interests and hang on every word you utter. It is flattering to have someone give you that much of his attention. The eye lock is a powerful magnet for making contact with people. Look people squarely in the eye it is one of the surest indicators that you are interested in the other person.
Be careful not to give advice too quickly. Often people ask for advice when what they really want is for someone to listen to them. By listening to them you help them get the problem outside of themselves and on the table between you, the issues become clear and they are able to arrive at their own decision.
When people confide in you they are often afraid they have said too much. They will be watching you to see if you raise your brows or appear to have lost confidence in them. It is important to allay those fears by not over-reacting to what has been said. To put them at ease, compliment them on being able to share with you. By all means don’t reveal anyone’s private matters. When you tell something told to you in confidence you identify yourself as an untrustworthy confidant. So the way to be a confidant is to let no one know that you are a confidant to others.
Seek first to understand and then to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand: they listen with the intent to reply. They’re filtering everything through their own paradigm, reading their autobiography into other people’s lives.
From The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
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Research shows that while we speak with our words, we also speak with every fiber of our being. This ‘language of the heart’ is integral to the health and emotional life of all of us.
Blood pressure and heart rate elevates every time you speak, even when discussing the most neutral topic. Even those who speak through signing have the same results.
For people who are hypertensive, the rise caused by talking was much greater than for healthy people, and often well into the danger zone. How do hypertensive people handle this? After all, most do not drop dead during social encounters. Other studies show that they subconsciously maintain distance in their relationships and minimize what can be for them ‘lethal dialogues’.
What makes the cardiovascular system of hypertensive’s so vulnerable to verbal communication? Though the hypertensive’s studied were outwardly calm, many tended to talk intensely and breathlessly, interrupting and speaking over other people. This kind of speech is typical of Type – A behavior, an impulsive, hard driving life style linked to increased risk of heart disease.
Most normal talk is a seesaw. The rising of blood pressure when one talks is balanced by a rapid lowering of pressure when one listens. But the rhythm is out of sync in hypertensive’s. They frequently fail to listen; they are on guard, defensive. So their pressure stays up.
Learning to calmly listen to another person helps lower blood pressure. By learning to listen more, by breathing regularly while talking, and paying attention to what the other person is saying, you can learn to lower your blood pressure.
Since so few people genuinely attend to others, those who will learn to draw out the other person can be guaranteed all the friendships they can handle and can be assured of deepening the relationships they presently own.
Why are so many of us poor listeners? Much of our listening education was in the form of: be quiet, listen and pay attention. Most of the people in our society are passive listeners, geared to react on trigger words and to shut out tedium.
Time spend learning in school:
40% learning how to read
35% learning how to write
25% learning how to talk
1% learning how to listen or communicate
We can learn to be good listeners with some work and practice. The rewards can be great.
1. Know when you are not listening.
Check yourself by asking silently: "Can I repeat, rephrase or clarify what has just been said?” If you can’t, the sound may be on but the replay is broken.
2. Know why you are not listening.
As you define your excuses for not listening you will systematically eradicate the ‘watching someone talk’ syndrome. Check the following common reasons for not listening and begin to take silent control of the communication.
* We hear only what we want to hear.
* We consider the topic or information unimportant.
* We jump to conclusions
* Too many other problems on our minds.
* Radical departure from our own thinking.
* Waiting for our turn to talk.
3. Avoid judgments.
Nearly all the reasons for not listening focus on our own ego and our inability to grant equal attention to another person. As soon as the person speaking is elevated to a pinnacle of importance, the active listening process begins and we weigh each thought mightily as if our lives depended on a total recitation of the prior narrative. As you fine tune your listening skills avoid listening only when you deem the speaker worthy of hearing.
4. Match your thought process to the speaker’s words.
We think and hear about 1.000 words per minute. The average speaking speed is 125 words per minute. What then do we do with the time lapse? Human nature combats the problem with anything from boredom to rudeness. Good listeners use the time to clarify, validate and reiterate the conversation topic in their mind. Listen for ideas and emotions rather than facts. Fact listening is defensive. Emotion listening is offensive. Idea listening is progressive.
5. Know thyself.
Do words like difficult, stupid, revolutionary, or assignments shut off your listening process? Does a reference to love, food or fun cause your ears to perk and your antenna to turn in? Understand where your hot and cold buttons are and adjust your listening process to circumvent any sudden shut down because of an emotion laden word or phrase. (This seems to me to be what happens with communication with husbands and wives. We allow too many words to become hot or cold buttons and therefore we render ourselves unable to really communicate)
6. Conversation always moves from agreement to disagreement and then stops.
Listeners who are involved in two way conversation and are prepared to repeat and clarify information will immediately direct the conversation back to agreement and then reach an understanding.
7. Keep alert.
Listening shuts down when both apathy and anxiety set in. Strive for enthusiasm in listening. Communicate with you body; lean forward, smile, nod, become involved by maintaining direct eye contact. If you are on the telephone; stand up, walk. The more attentive and alert, the better you listen.
Listening is an acquired skill that is critically important to success in life. Adults spend about 75% of each day in verbal communication; 45% of this time is spent listening. Persons in a business or social situation who do not have good listening skills are ineffective. Mistakes due to poor listening skills cost organizations thousands of dollars each year.
Listening to another is the highest form of building personal self esteem. For only when we feel good about ourselves and the world around us do we go beyond ‘waiting for our turn to talk’ or ‘watching someone else talk’ to ‘passionate’ listening that elevates us to pinnacles of thought and action separates us from animals making noise.
Listening attentively to another is to pay the highest compliment to them. You do not have to be witty to be a good conversationalist; you simply have to know how to listen. The secret of being interesting is to be interested in the other person. Ask questions the other person will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves. But don’t be the silent partner in the conversation. Silence can be described as negative feedback. Like a failed monitoring system on a moon rocket, it tells you something is wrong, but it doesn’t go very far toward telling you what.
Conversation with your friends will indeed get sparse if you restrict yourselves to facts, but when you talk about your feelings there will always be plenty to discuss. It’s amazing the way a man listens to you. When you talk to him he looks you squarely in the eye. He seems to shut out all other interests and hang on every word you utter. It is flattering to have someone give you that much of his attention. The eye lock is a powerful magnet for making contact with people. Look people squarely in the eye it is one of the surest indicators that you are interested in the other person.
Be careful not to give advice too quickly. Often people ask for advice when what they really want is for someone to listen to them. By listening to them you help them get the problem outside of themselves and on the table between you, the issues become clear and they are able to arrive at their own decision.
When people confide in you they are often afraid they have said too much. They will be watching you to see if you raise your brows or appear to have lost confidence in them. It is important to allay those fears by not over-reacting to what has been said. To put them at ease, compliment them on being able to share with you. By all means don’t reveal anyone’s private matters. When you tell something told to you in confidence you identify yourself as an untrustworthy confidant. So the way to be a confidant is to let no one know that you are a confidant to others.
Seek first to understand and then to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand: they listen with the intent to reply. They’re filtering everything through their own paradigm, reading their autobiography into other people’s lives.
From The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
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Seven Secrets of Leadership Success
Fortune magazine once published an article entitled “The Best Advice I Ever Got.” It was a great article that offered wit and wisdom about achieving business success. I liked it so much, that it motivated me to produce my newest book, Leadership: Best Advice I Ever Got, which describes the best leadership advice 136 successful CEOs, coaches, consultants, professors, managers, executives, presidents, politicians, and religious leaders received that most helped them become effective and successful leaders.
Here are seven secrets to leadership success:
1. Leadership is about making things happen.
If you want to make something happen with your life – in school, in your profession or in your community, do it. Perceived obstacles crumble against persistent desire. John Baldoni, Author, Leadership Communication Consultant and Founder of Baldoni Consulting LLC, shared this advice that had come from his father, a physician. He taught him the value of persistence. At the same time, his mother taught him compassion for others. Therefore, persistence for your cause should not be gained at the expense of others. Another bit of leadership wisdom!
2. Listen and understand the issue, then lead.
Time and time again we have all been told, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason"... or as Stephen Covey said, "Seek to understand, rather than be understood." As a leader, listening first to the issue, then trying to coach, has been the most valuable advice that Cordia Harrington, President and CEO of Tennessee Bun Company has been given.
3. Answer the three questions everyone within your organization wants answers to.
What the people of an organization want from their leader are answers to the following: Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What is my role? Kevin Nolan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health Systems, Inc. believes the more clarity that can be added to each of the three questions, the better the result.
4. Master the goals that will allow you to work anywhere in today’s dynamic business world.
Debbe Kennedy, President, CEO and Founder of Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies, and author of Action Dialogues and Breakthrough once shared this piece of advice that was instrumental in shaping her direction, future and achievements.
She was a young manager at IBM just promoted to her first staff assignment in a regional marketing office. For reasons she can’t explain, one of her colleagues named Bookie called her into his office while she was visiting his location. He then began to offer unsolicited advice, but advice that now stays fresh in her mind. He mentioned that jobs, missions, titles and organizations would come and go as business is dynamic - meaning it is always changing. He advised her not to focus your goals toward any of these, but instead learn to master the skills that will allow you to work anywhere.
He was talking about four skills:
The ability to develop an idea;
Effectively plan for its implementation;
Execute second-to-none;
Achieve superior results time after time.
With this in mind, Kennedy advises readers to seek jobs and opportunities with this in mind. Forget what others do. Work to be known for delivering excellence. It speaks for itself and it opens doors.
5. Be curious.
Curiosity is a prerequisite to continuous improvement and even excellence. The person who gave Mary Jean Thornton, Former Executive Vice President & CIO, The Travelers, this advice urged her to study people, processes, and structures. He inspired her to be intellectually curious. He often reminded Thornton that making progress, in part, was based upon thinking. She has learned to apply this notion of intellectual curiosity by thinking about her organization’s future, understanding the present, and knowing and challenging herself to creatively move the people and the organization closer to its vision.
6. Listen to both sides of the argument.
The most valuable advice Brian P. Lees, Massachusetts State Senator and Senate Minority Leader, ever received came from his mentor, United States Senator Edward W. Brooke III. He told him to listen to all different kinds of people and ideas. Listening only to those who share your background and opinions can be imprudent. It is important to respect your neighbors’ rights to their own views. Listening to and talking with a variety of people, from professors to police officers, from senior citizens to school children, is essential not only to be a good leader in business, but to also be a valuable member within your community.
7. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. If one has truly prepared and something goes wrong the strength of the rest of what you've prepared for usually makes this something easier to handle without crisis and panic. One of the best pieces of advice Dave Hixson, Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach at Amherst College has ever received and continues to use and pass on is this anonymous quote -“Preparation is the science of winning."
Along with this are two expressions from Rick Pitino's book Success is a Choice, which speaks to preparation. Hixson asks his teams every year: "Do you deserve to win?" and "Have you done the work?" This speaks to the importance of preparation toward achieving your final goal. If you haven't done the work (the preparation) the answer to the second question is an easy "no!"
Great advice comes from many sources – parents, other relatives, consultants, bosses, co-workers, mentors, teachers, coaches, and friends. The important point to remember is to stay open, listen to everyone, but also develop your own leadership style.
by Paul B. Thornton
Here are seven secrets to leadership success:
1. Leadership is about making things happen.
If you want to make something happen with your life – in school, in your profession or in your community, do it. Perceived obstacles crumble against persistent desire. John Baldoni, Author, Leadership Communication Consultant and Founder of Baldoni Consulting LLC, shared this advice that had come from his father, a physician. He taught him the value of persistence. At the same time, his mother taught him compassion for others. Therefore, persistence for your cause should not be gained at the expense of others. Another bit of leadership wisdom!
2. Listen and understand the issue, then lead.
Time and time again we have all been told, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason"... or as Stephen Covey said, "Seek to understand, rather than be understood." As a leader, listening first to the issue, then trying to coach, has been the most valuable advice that Cordia Harrington, President and CEO of Tennessee Bun Company has been given.
3. Answer the three questions everyone within your organization wants answers to.
What the people of an organization want from their leader are answers to the following: Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What is my role? Kevin Nolan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health Systems, Inc. believes the more clarity that can be added to each of the three questions, the better the result.
4. Master the goals that will allow you to work anywhere in today’s dynamic business world.
Debbe Kennedy, President, CEO and Founder of Global Dialogue Center and Leadership Solutions Companies, and author of Action Dialogues and Breakthrough once shared this piece of advice that was instrumental in shaping her direction, future and achievements.
She was a young manager at IBM just promoted to her first staff assignment in a regional marketing office. For reasons she can’t explain, one of her colleagues named Bookie called her into his office while she was visiting his location. He then began to offer unsolicited advice, but advice that now stays fresh in her mind. He mentioned that jobs, missions, titles and organizations would come and go as business is dynamic - meaning it is always changing. He advised her not to focus your goals toward any of these, but instead learn to master the skills that will allow you to work anywhere.
He was talking about four skills:
The ability to develop an idea;
Effectively plan for its implementation;
Execute second-to-none;
Achieve superior results time after time.
With this in mind, Kennedy advises readers to seek jobs and opportunities with this in mind. Forget what others do. Work to be known for delivering excellence. It speaks for itself and it opens doors.
5. Be curious.
Curiosity is a prerequisite to continuous improvement and even excellence. The person who gave Mary Jean Thornton, Former Executive Vice President & CIO, The Travelers, this advice urged her to study people, processes, and structures. He inspired her to be intellectually curious. He often reminded Thornton that making progress, in part, was based upon thinking. She has learned to apply this notion of intellectual curiosity by thinking about her organization’s future, understanding the present, and knowing and challenging herself to creatively move the people and the organization closer to its vision.
6. Listen to both sides of the argument.
The most valuable advice Brian P. Lees, Massachusetts State Senator and Senate Minority Leader, ever received came from his mentor, United States Senator Edward W. Brooke III. He told him to listen to all different kinds of people and ideas. Listening only to those who share your background and opinions can be imprudent. It is important to respect your neighbors’ rights to their own views. Listening to and talking with a variety of people, from professors to police officers, from senior citizens to school children, is essential not only to be a good leader in business, but to also be a valuable member within your community.
7. Prepare, prepare, prepare.
If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. If one has truly prepared and something goes wrong the strength of the rest of what you've prepared for usually makes this something easier to handle without crisis and panic. One of the best pieces of advice Dave Hixson, Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach at Amherst College has ever received and continues to use and pass on is this anonymous quote -“Preparation is the science of winning."
Along with this are two expressions from Rick Pitino's book Success is a Choice, which speaks to preparation. Hixson asks his teams every year: "Do you deserve to win?" and "Have you done the work?" This speaks to the importance of preparation toward achieving your final goal. If you haven't done the work (the preparation) the answer to the second question is an easy "no!"
Great advice comes from many sources – parents, other relatives, consultants, bosses, co-workers, mentors, teachers, coaches, and friends. The important point to remember is to stay open, listen to everyone, but also develop your own leadership style.
by Paul B. Thornton
Saturday, March 8, 2008
A Great Leader is a Great Follower
"The world needs transcendent leaders whose eyes we trust, whose heart we know, whose soul is rampant in all that they do" - Robert Rabbin.
What does it really take to be a great leader?
As an Executive and Business Coach, I ask my clients this question when setting leadership goals. One of the first steps in achieving success in leadership is creating a vision of what a great leader means for you. This vision, along with a plan, continuous action, courage and commitment create some of the "greatest" leaders.
Many of these great leaders "follow in the footsteps of other great leaders and use coaching to reach their leadership goals. Why? Because coaching is a powerful tool that involves lifting a person's vision to higher sights, raising their performance to a higher standard, and building a personality beyond its normal limitations to its full potential.
So as you set off on your quest to becoming a great leader, here are two steps you may want to "follow".
1. Develop "Double vision" - Great leaders have a "vision" of what being a great leader means for them. They know what it looks like and feel like and they act accordingly by practicing good leadership skills. It also means having "vision" In this case I mean the ability to talk about the future as if it were already here. Steve Jobs often does this. He creates a clear picture in people's minds of how a new product will change the world -- before it's even launched. He gets people excited about the future he sees in his mind. That's an innate talent. Stepping out on a limb like that comes much more naturally to some people than to others. The good news is, if you haven't got that skill, you can develop it!- It's not so much about your own technical expertise as it is about inspiring other people to be better at what they.
2. Become a great follower. Along with the skill of vision and leading comes the skill of "ability to follow". What I mean by this is the ability to identify and follow the patterns of success within your organization-follow the footsteps of others who are "great leaders".
Here is what other great minds say about this concept.
In "Reinventing Leadership", Warren Bennis wrote, "Good leaders should also be good followers. If you're coming up within an organization, you must be a good follower or you're not going to get very far. Leaders and followers share certain characteristics such as listening, collaborating, and working out competitive issues with peers."
In "Launching a Leadership Revolution", Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward, stress the importance of becoming a Performer in leadership development-the need to create a record of performance. "You need to become a great follower, a great contributor."
According to Brady and Woodward, the quickest way of gaining a track record of performance is to master the patterns of success already established in your organization.
Thus, the goal of every leader is to become a "Performer" who successfully works with and master the existing patterns of success within the organization.
As a successful "Performer" you have the knowledge and expertise to help others accomplish similar results. You gain recognition, respect and power in the organization. You have influence, another key ingredient to successful leadership.
Sam Rayburn says it all in this wonderful quote: "You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."
By Carol Giannantonio as posted on Success.biz
What does it really take to be a great leader?
As an Executive and Business Coach, I ask my clients this question when setting leadership goals. One of the first steps in achieving success in leadership is creating a vision of what a great leader means for you. This vision, along with a plan, continuous action, courage and commitment create some of the "greatest" leaders.
Many of these great leaders "follow in the footsteps of other great leaders and use coaching to reach their leadership goals. Why? Because coaching is a powerful tool that involves lifting a person's vision to higher sights, raising their performance to a higher standard, and building a personality beyond its normal limitations to its full potential.
So as you set off on your quest to becoming a great leader, here are two steps you may want to "follow".
1. Develop "Double vision" - Great leaders have a "vision" of what being a great leader means for them. They know what it looks like and feel like and they act accordingly by practicing good leadership skills. It also means having "vision" In this case I mean the ability to talk about the future as if it were already here. Steve Jobs often does this. He creates a clear picture in people's minds of how a new product will change the world -- before it's even launched. He gets people excited about the future he sees in his mind. That's an innate talent. Stepping out on a limb like that comes much more naturally to some people than to others. The good news is, if you haven't got that skill, you can develop it!- It's not so much about your own technical expertise as it is about inspiring other people to be better at what they.
2. Become a great follower. Along with the skill of vision and leading comes the skill of "ability to follow". What I mean by this is the ability to identify and follow the patterns of success within your organization-follow the footsteps of others who are "great leaders".
Here is what other great minds say about this concept.
In "Reinventing Leadership", Warren Bennis wrote, "Good leaders should also be good followers. If you're coming up within an organization, you must be a good follower or you're not going to get very far. Leaders and followers share certain characteristics such as listening, collaborating, and working out competitive issues with peers."
In "Launching a Leadership Revolution", Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward, stress the importance of becoming a Performer in leadership development-the need to create a record of performance. "You need to become a great follower, a great contributor."
According to Brady and Woodward, the quickest way of gaining a track record of performance is to master the patterns of success already established in your organization.
Thus, the goal of every leader is to become a "Performer" who successfully works with and master the existing patterns of success within the organization.
As a successful "Performer" you have the knowledge and expertise to help others accomplish similar results. You gain recognition, respect and power in the organization. You have influence, another key ingredient to successful leadership.
Sam Rayburn says it all in this wonderful quote: "You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."
By Carol Giannantonio as posted on Success.biz
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Temptation to Remove Freedom
One thing that is a common temptation for leaders is to lose patience with higher-level forms of influence and instead resort to an authoritarian style. After all, isn't it easier to bark out orders and make demands, flexing one's "authority" muscles and showing subordinates your "stripes?" I ran across a great paragraph by author Dan B. Allender in his excellent book Leading with a Limp:
"The temptation for all leaders is to encroach on human freedom and take away the suffering of humanity through some form of authoritarian order. Indulging this temptation underlies the fascism of all utopias. Removing human freedom is done with sincerity and the desire to serve the forsaken and bent brood of humanity. But all of this is a lie. If limiting human freedom tempted Jesus before he began his calling as the Christ, then it will conceivable be an ongoing temptation for all who fall into leadership."
First, one can clearly see where compassionate politicians take a wrong turn. With misplaced compassion, they propose programs and government agendas to relieve the sufferings and hardships of certain peoples, only to end up limiting human freedoms in the process. And it is a short argument to state that government is better at messing things up than they are at executing programs. It is almost a rule that government programs grow and take on an unmanageable growth-life of their own. What may begin sincerely enough as a measure to help others (giving the benefit of the doubt and ignoring the very likely possibility that there is self-serving "vote selling" involved, as well), apparently well-meaning politicians end up actually limiting human freedoms and accomplishing the opposite of what they claim they intended. As Ronald Reagan said, "The scariest words you could ever hear are; I'm from the Government and I'm here to help."
So much for politicians. What about companies? It seems there is always controversy swirling regarding some form of competition among companies: those that cry unfair competition with others, those that want government protection against foreign competition, those that try to monopolize their position in the marketplace instead of having to face the pressures of competition. But all of business life is about competition. Competition is the gymnasium of discomfort from which stronger companies emerge. The history of business in free enterprise societies shows that the society, through its customers, is nearly always better served when competition is allowed to reign freely. Any time it is constrained artifically, or when certain entities are given a "pass" from the rigors of competiton, the customers and society suffer.
Examples are plenty. One such example is the de-regulation of the phone companies. Another is the de-regulation of the airline industry. Another is the market driven "de-regulation" of the software industry through the concept of "open source programs." Each of these de-regulations spawned new days of freedom in those industries, and while change was painful and even fatal for some of the more entrenched and inflexible entities, the result was one of lower prices and better service for customers, and an improved competitive environment for companies that not only made the surviving ones better, but became a breeding ground for a host of new, agile, creative players on the scene.
One of my favorite examples of this is Southwest airlines, which had a competitive new idea and such excellent execution of its idea that the old, stodgy, poor-service, entrenched airlines didn't want to have to compete with the new upstart. Instead, the "big boys" resorted to lawsuits. They determined to utilize the full strength of their corporate financial resources to protect "their territory." Their strategy was that it would be easier to litigate a competitor to death rather than to beat them on the open field of play. Kill them while they were young, so to speak. After over a decade, however, Southwest airlines prevailed (even though a quick reading of the link above will show that companies continue to use courts to gain unfair advantages over competitors). Southwest Airlines not only survived the legal decimation strategy of scared-to-compete competitors, but have become a "big boy" themselves, consistently remaining the most profitable airline on the continent.
So much for companies. What of individuals? This is where I really want to focus. In my experience with leaders, the authoritarian style always appears to me to be the "amatuer approach." This is because, as Dan Allender so aptly points out, it is the easiest and most automatic. Without thinking, someone in a position of authority (and this can even be observed among little children!) most easily sinks to a level of relying upon their position for influence. John Maxwell calls this Positional Leadership. It is the lowest level of influence. "Do this because I have authority over you." And sometimes, the reason given by the leader for such behavior is the level of chaos encountered and the need for "drastic action." Certainly, there is a time for this, but it is rare.
More often, influence of a higher order is called for. I find it interesting that Allender calls this tendency for leaders to slip into authoritarian influence a "temptation." If he is correct, we as leaders should always be on guard against our tendencies for control, and work ever harder to adhere to our purposes of influence and cause.
The Fivel Levels of Influence co-author Orrin Woodward and I discuss in the Launching a Leadership Revolution book, are to serve as a roadmap away from this temptation toward authoritarian leadership. Corporations, small businesses, governments, homes, churches, and community organizations will all be better served by leaders that understand the nature of true influence.
Real leaders have influence because people want to follow them.
Real leaders have influence because others buy into them and their cause.
Real leaders have influence because people get caught up in their vision.
Real leaders have influence because they have character, get results, share the credit, and accept the blame.
I wonder how much better our society would be if our politicians, corporate leaders, and individual leaders at every level of society understood these basic truths?
By Chris Brady
"The temptation for all leaders is to encroach on human freedom and take away the suffering of humanity through some form of authoritarian order. Indulging this temptation underlies the fascism of all utopias. Removing human freedom is done with sincerity and the desire to serve the forsaken and bent brood of humanity. But all of this is a lie. If limiting human freedom tempted Jesus before he began his calling as the Christ, then it will conceivable be an ongoing temptation for all who fall into leadership."
First, one can clearly see where compassionate politicians take a wrong turn. With misplaced compassion, they propose programs and government agendas to relieve the sufferings and hardships of certain peoples, only to end up limiting human freedoms in the process. And it is a short argument to state that government is better at messing things up than they are at executing programs. It is almost a rule that government programs grow and take on an unmanageable growth-life of their own. What may begin sincerely enough as a measure to help others (giving the benefit of the doubt and ignoring the very likely possibility that there is self-serving "vote selling" involved, as well), apparently well-meaning politicians end up actually limiting human freedoms and accomplishing the opposite of what they claim they intended. As Ronald Reagan said, "The scariest words you could ever hear are; I'm from the Government and I'm here to help."
So much for politicians. What about companies? It seems there is always controversy swirling regarding some form of competition among companies: those that cry unfair competition with others, those that want government protection against foreign competition, those that try to monopolize their position in the marketplace instead of having to face the pressures of competition. But all of business life is about competition. Competition is the gymnasium of discomfort from which stronger companies emerge. The history of business in free enterprise societies shows that the society, through its customers, is nearly always better served when competition is allowed to reign freely. Any time it is constrained artifically, or when certain entities are given a "pass" from the rigors of competiton, the customers and society suffer.
Examples are plenty. One such example is the de-regulation of the phone companies. Another is the de-regulation of the airline industry. Another is the market driven "de-regulation" of the software industry through the concept of "open source programs." Each of these de-regulations spawned new days of freedom in those industries, and while change was painful and even fatal for some of the more entrenched and inflexible entities, the result was one of lower prices and better service for customers, and an improved competitive environment for companies that not only made the surviving ones better, but became a breeding ground for a host of new, agile, creative players on the scene.
One of my favorite examples of this is Southwest airlines, which had a competitive new idea and such excellent execution of its idea that the old, stodgy, poor-service, entrenched airlines didn't want to have to compete with the new upstart. Instead, the "big boys" resorted to lawsuits. They determined to utilize the full strength of their corporate financial resources to protect "their territory." Their strategy was that it would be easier to litigate a competitor to death rather than to beat them on the open field of play. Kill them while they were young, so to speak. After over a decade, however, Southwest airlines prevailed (even though a quick reading of the link above will show that companies continue to use courts to gain unfair advantages over competitors). Southwest Airlines not only survived the legal decimation strategy of scared-to-compete competitors, but have become a "big boy" themselves, consistently remaining the most profitable airline on the continent.
So much for companies. What of individuals? This is where I really want to focus. In my experience with leaders, the authoritarian style always appears to me to be the "amatuer approach." This is because, as Dan Allender so aptly points out, it is the easiest and most automatic. Without thinking, someone in a position of authority (and this can even be observed among little children!) most easily sinks to a level of relying upon their position for influence. John Maxwell calls this Positional Leadership. It is the lowest level of influence. "Do this because I have authority over you." And sometimes, the reason given by the leader for such behavior is the level of chaos encountered and the need for "drastic action." Certainly, there is a time for this, but it is rare.
More often, influence of a higher order is called for. I find it interesting that Allender calls this tendency for leaders to slip into authoritarian influence a "temptation." If he is correct, we as leaders should always be on guard against our tendencies for control, and work ever harder to adhere to our purposes of influence and cause.
The Fivel Levels of Influence co-author Orrin Woodward and I discuss in the Launching a Leadership Revolution book, are to serve as a roadmap away from this temptation toward authoritarian leadership. Corporations, small businesses, governments, homes, churches, and community organizations will all be better served by leaders that understand the nature of true influence.
Real leaders have influence because people want to follow them.
Real leaders have influence because others buy into them and their cause.
Real leaders have influence because people get caught up in their vision.
Real leaders have influence because they have character, get results, share the credit, and accept the blame.
I wonder how much better our society would be if our politicians, corporate leaders, and individual leaders at every level of society understood these basic truths?
By Chris Brady
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Great Leaders Are Made, Not Born
Are leaders born or made?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions in all leadership development.
To begin with, let’s start with a definition of "leader." My friend and mentor, Dr. Paul Hersey, defines leadership as “working with and through others to achieve objectives." Given this definition, anyone in a position whose achievement requires the support of others can play the role of a leader.
I love this definition because it supports the philosophy of “leadership at all levels,” which is so critical in today’s world of knowledge workers.
Indeed, millions of people who are currently working with and though others to achieve objectives are already leaders. Whether they think of themselves as leaders and whether they are fantastic leaders or disastrous leaders is another issue.
So can people who are already working to influence others become more effective leaders?
The answer is an unqualified “Yes.”
My partner, Howard Morgan, and I did and extensive study on leadership development programs involving over 86,000 participants in eight major corporations. Our findings were so conclusive they are almost impossible to dispute. Leaders who participated in a development program, received feedback, selected important areas for improvement, discussed these with co-workers, and followed-up with co-workers on a consistent basis (to check on progress) were rated as becoming dramatically better leaders -- not in a self-assessment, but in the assessment of co-workers -- six to eighteen months after the initial program. Leaders who participated in the same developmental programs -- and received the same type of feedback -- but did no follow-up were seen as improving no more than random chance.
Here are some specific suggestions to increase your leadership effectiveness:
1. Get feedback on your present level of effectiveness -- as judged by associates/co-workers that you respect.
2. Pick the most important behaviors for change -- those you believe will enhance your effectiveness as a leader (i.e., “become a more effective listener” or “make decisions in a timely manner”).
3. Periodically ask co-workers for suggestions on how you can do an even better job in your selected behaviors for change.
4. Listen to their ideas (don’t promise to change everything) and make the changes that you believe will further increase your effectiveness.
5. Follow-up and measure change in effectiveness over time.
Are leaders born or made? If you are working with and through others to achieve objectives, you are already a leader. Can you become a more effective leader? Definitely.
Posted at Harvard Business by Marshall Goldsmith
This is one of the most frequently asked questions in all leadership development.
To begin with, let’s start with a definition of "leader." My friend and mentor, Dr. Paul Hersey, defines leadership as “working with and through others to achieve objectives." Given this definition, anyone in a position whose achievement requires the support of others can play the role of a leader.
I love this definition because it supports the philosophy of “leadership at all levels,” which is so critical in today’s world of knowledge workers.
Indeed, millions of people who are currently working with and though others to achieve objectives are already leaders. Whether they think of themselves as leaders and whether they are fantastic leaders or disastrous leaders is another issue.
So can people who are already working to influence others become more effective leaders?
The answer is an unqualified “Yes.”
My partner, Howard Morgan, and I did and extensive study on leadership development programs involving over 86,000 participants in eight major corporations. Our findings were so conclusive they are almost impossible to dispute. Leaders who participated in a development program, received feedback, selected important areas for improvement, discussed these with co-workers, and followed-up with co-workers on a consistent basis (to check on progress) were rated as becoming dramatically better leaders -- not in a self-assessment, but in the assessment of co-workers -- six to eighteen months after the initial program. Leaders who participated in the same developmental programs -- and received the same type of feedback -- but did no follow-up were seen as improving no more than random chance.
Here are some specific suggestions to increase your leadership effectiveness:
1. Get feedback on your present level of effectiveness -- as judged by associates/co-workers that you respect.
2. Pick the most important behaviors for change -- those you believe will enhance your effectiveness as a leader (i.e., “become a more effective listener” or “make decisions in a timely manner”).
3. Periodically ask co-workers for suggestions on how you can do an even better job in your selected behaviors for change.
4. Listen to their ideas (don’t promise to change everything) and make the changes that you believe will further increase your effectiveness.
5. Follow-up and measure change in effectiveness over time.
Are leaders born or made? If you are working with and through others to achieve objectives, you are already a leader. Can you become a more effective leader? Definitely.
Posted at Harvard Business by Marshall Goldsmith
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Finishing Well
There is an abundance of sayings that address the concept of beginning something. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step," and "starting is more than half of finishing," are just two that come immediately to mind. But it seems to me that finishing is more important than starting.
Let me explain. In my lifetime, I've seen a lot of people start things; projects, businesses, jobs, careers, relationships, whatever. And I've done a lot of starting myself. But I have noticed that there are way more things begun than finished. As a matter of fact, I have come to think that the art of finishing is what seperates the truly great leaders from the rest.
Finishing Well is a concept that beggs consideration. Many leaders begin the journey, but only few finish. And even fewer "finish well."
J. Robert Clinton and Richard W. Clinton wrote that there are seven main barriers to "Finishing Well:"
1. Finances - their use and abuse
2. Power - its abuse
3. Inordinate pride - which leads to downfall
4. Sex - illicit relationships
5. Family - critical issues
6. Plateauing
7. Emotional and Psychological Wounding
A quick review of this list will have every leader's head nodding as he or she realizes they have either been sidetracked or tempted by one or many of these, or have known someone who has fallen to one of these culprits. But I found most helpful the list of things leaders can do to enhance their chances of finishing well, as given to the authors by their mentor, whom they refer to only as "Pastor Ray:"
1. gain and keep a broad perspective
2. develop an expectancy for renewal
3. practice disciplines, especially spiritual ones
4. develop and maintain a learning posture
5. have and listen to mentors
(paraphrased, taken from Leaders on Leadership, edited by George Barna).
As leaders on the journey to significance, I think it would benefit each of us to take these five enhancements to heart. Remember:
Any one can start,
and many do.
Few finish well,
it's up to you.
By Chris Brady
Let me explain. In my lifetime, I've seen a lot of people start things; projects, businesses, jobs, careers, relationships, whatever. And I've done a lot of starting myself. But I have noticed that there are way more things begun than finished. As a matter of fact, I have come to think that the art of finishing is what seperates the truly great leaders from the rest.
Finishing Well is a concept that beggs consideration. Many leaders begin the journey, but only few finish. And even fewer "finish well."
J. Robert Clinton and Richard W. Clinton wrote that there are seven main barriers to "Finishing Well:"
1. Finances - their use and abuse
2. Power - its abuse
3. Inordinate pride - which leads to downfall
4. Sex - illicit relationships
5. Family - critical issues
6. Plateauing
7. Emotional and Psychological Wounding
A quick review of this list will have every leader's head nodding as he or she realizes they have either been sidetracked or tempted by one or many of these, or have known someone who has fallen to one of these culprits. But I found most helpful the list of things leaders can do to enhance their chances of finishing well, as given to the authors by their mentor, whom they refer to only as "Pastor Ray:"
1. gain and keep a broad perspective
2. develop an expectancy for renewal
3. practice disciplines, especially spiritual ones
4. develop and maintain a learning posture
5. have and listen to mentors
(paraphrased, taken from Leaders on Leadership, edited by George Barna).
As leaders on the journey to significance, I think it would benefit each of us to take these five enhancements to heart. Remember:
Any one can start,
and many do.
Few finish well,
it's up to you.
By Chris Brady
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Why Listening to Yourself Can Get You in Trouble!
Much has been written on leadership throughout the years. A question that has always plagued me is; if I am going to improve, how can I do it by listening to myself? For years I would go to the book store, look at the books on the shelf and decide for myself what I should read. Occasionally someone would recommend a book or a CD to me. The problem was that the recommendations, either from me or others, were not having much of an affect on moving me toward my goals. At times it even had a detrimental affect, getting me in the bushes on some subjects, although interesting, having no significant impact on my future.
After many years of being on this planet (52 to be exact) I have come to realize that the best advice I could get is from people that have had more experience, life success (not just financially; long ago I have come to understand that money alone does not equal success), wisdom and a vested interest in me. Now I know some of you are thinking, can you really find anyone with more experience than a 52 year old? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can and age has very little to do with it. Wisdom and knowledge, particularly today, does not necessarily correlate with age.
Now before someone starts to disagree with me, I am not saying that you cannot develop wisdom and knowledge over time; the only question is how much time do you want to take? At my age, I don’t want to take much longer to get it. I might suggest that if you’re reading this and thinking, I’m done working or I’m not in a leadership position, I’m here to tell you we will all be called to lead at some time in our lives. It may come when you least expect it, such as, when many years ago you agreed to be an executor of someone’s Will or an aging parent is no longer in a position to take care of themselves and you have to make decisions for them…that’s leadership!
Are you going to be prepared? I have heard it said that we are in exponential times. If you don’t believe me, just jump over to youtube and watch "Did You Know."
Whether or not you’ve invested 8 minutes in this link, we all have to prepare ourselves. What I have found is that the Leadership Incorporated (ldrshpinc.com) has come up with a creative idea: information that comes to you on a regular basis to help you make better life decisions; you might even call it Life Leadership. I know someone is probably saying, “I read about three or four books a year, why do I have do more?” Think about it. That’s like saying you take three or four showers a year and expect to smell sweet every day. Learning has to take place on a consistent basis.
Imagine if you read a book every two weeks and listened to a CD a day. Call it home work. It’s great for your kids, why not for you? Remember, we’re in exponential times; you can keep up by investing just an hour a day toward your development. I can hear you now, “I DON”T HAVE AN HOUR A DAY!!!” Isn’t carving out an hour a day worth changing your life?
Give it a try. If you haven’t read a book in a while, read one. If you’re feeling brave, go on to www.leadevgrp.com and take a look. For the price of a latte a day, you too can have the information that may just rewrite your future.
Your friend signing off…Find out more about me. Google - Greg Rau
After many years of being on this planet (52 to be exact) I have come to realize that the best advice I could get is from people that have had more experience, life success (not just financially; long ago I have come to understand that money alone does not equal success), wisdom and a vested interest in me. Now I know some of you are thinking, can you really find anyone with more experience than a 52 year old? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can and age has very little to do with it. Wisdom and knowledge, particularly today, does not necessarily correlate with age.
Now before someone starts to disagree with me, I am not saying that you cannot develop wisdom and knowledge over time; the only question is how much time do you want to take? At my age, I don’t want to take much longer to get it. I might suggest that if you’re reading this and thinking, I’m done working or I’m not in a leadership position, I’m here to tell you we will all be called to lead at some time in our lives. It may come when you least expect it, such as, when many years ago you agreed to be an executor of someone’s Will or an aging parent is no longer in a position to take care of themselves and you have to make decisions for them…that’s leadership!
Are you going to be prepared? I have heard it said that we are in exponential times. If you don’t believe me, just jump over to youtube and watch "Did You Know."
Whether or not you’ve invested 8 minutes in this link, we all have to prepare ourselves. What I have found is that the Leadership Incorporated (ldrshpinc.com) has come up with a creative idea: information that comes to you on a regular basis to help you make better life decisions; you might even call it Life Leadership. I know someone is probably saying, “I read about three or four books a year, why do I have do more?” Think about it. That’s like saying you take three or four showers a year and expect to smell sweet every day. Learning has to take place on a consistent basis.
Imagine if you read a book every two weeks and listened to a CD a day. Call it home work. It’s great for your kids, why not for you? Remember, we’re in exponential times; you can keep up by investing just an hour a day toward your development. I can hear you now, “I DON”T HAVE AN HOUR A DAY!!!” Isn’t carving out an hour a day worth changing your life?
Give it a try. If you haven’t read a book in a while, read one. If you’re feeling brave, go on to www.leadevgrp.com and take a look. For the price of a latte a day, you too can have the information that may just rewrite your future.
Your friend signing off…Find out more about me. Google - Greg Rau
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Seven Leadership Principles
By asking two questions, “Why lead?” and “When is enough, enough?” of successful leaders, we learned a lot about leadership. We discovered seven core principles of leadership. We invite you to consider these principles—in making the decision to lead, to continue to lead or to take your leadership to another level—and also to answer the seven questions that correspond to the seven principles.
Principle 1. Leadership is a choice—an act of the will.
It is a choice that every leader makes—and not just once. It is a continual choice that leaders make over and over again.
Early in life, leaders might make that choice without realizing the implications. Leaders who want the glory, status, or rewards of leadership often underestimate the sacrifice, burden, cost, and dedication required. Hence, the “why lead” question will have different answers at different times in leaders’ lives. For many leaders, the purpose and meaning of their leadership evolves as they engage in reflection. We advise you to keep a diary and to think deeply on the challenges in your life and leadership.
Question 1: Do I find meaning, purpose and joy in what I am doing?
Principle 2. Leaders have a clear sense of purpose.
From your sense of purpose, you can set goals and align them with that purpose—goals that serve as a blueprint to others. Leaders often accept opportunities to do things early in life. While they may seem to become leaders partly through internal drive, they are often challenged to do more than others at early ages. The spark of leadership is usually kindled by circumstances—both by those put in front of them and by those created by them.
Question 2: Can I recite my purpose for leading in one sentence?
Principle 3. Leaders create achievable dreams, and others want to share in their passion.
The leaders’ passion for their goals is articulated in communication that connects emotionally with others. They keep the dream alive, improving on the dream with a committed team. While the spark that kindles leadership remains mysterious, all leaders create purpose, set clear pathways, and go for it. Beyond purpose, however, there are no clear-cut or pro-forma paths to becoming a leader. It is hard to imagine the impact that a sense of personal mission can have on a person—young or old.
Question 3: Do my dream and passion excite me and others to “go for it?”
Principle 4. Leaders have ideals, integrity, values or standards.
Others may not understand or share these ideals, but they admire them. All leaders possess a strong drive for improvement, even perfection. Some leaders may seem obsessive or imbalanced. High-impact leaders make it clear that they are leading with intensity and conviction, which can often make their leadership frustrating, even lonely. Leadership that arises from values or spiritual conviction is easiest to grasp because the intention is so clear. All devoted leaders are actively engaged. The devotion to a cause that is larger than them (and often consumes their life) is an act of sacrifice that is difficult for most people to imagine.
Question 4: Am I doing this for me or for a cause that will make a difference?
Principle 5. Leadership requires resolve and fortitude.
Without a sense of inner determination, no leader can stay the course through the inevitable setbacks and failures. Even when others give up on the dream, leaders expend energy to rekindle the flame.
Who can predict what experience in life will inspire someone to rise above their challenges? We all have dreams, but leaders have the sustained drive to make those dreams happen, while bringing others along with them. A quest can arise early or late in life, bringing leadership to a higher level by linking the enticement of a vision with the energy of passion. Suddenly, an ordinary leader gains eloquence and magnetism while engaging committed followers in a venture. What makes a person step forward, even when it is difficult or dangerous to do so? Leadership emerges when it is needed most—often from surprising sources.
Question 5: Will I have the strength to sustain and recreate the dream?
Principle 6. No leader is bullet-proof to failure.
Some failure usually follows success, and success almost always follows failure—as leaders regain the momentum. Leaders learn and grow continuously—from both success and failure—and they refrain from assigning blame. They are naturally curious and learn what they can about a challenge or new opportunity. In doing so, they discover new possibilities. They are driven to question the world; they are also driven to question themselves. Such self-reflection is the source of self-awareness, development, and personal growth.
Question 6: Do I have recovery plans to survive a downturn or disaster?
Principle 7: Leadership is not simply an inspiration or calling—it requires honed capabilities.
Leaders may be born or discovered early, but they do not become effective leaders without being tested. They do better after they fail and learn from their mistakes. Leaders choose to throw themselves into the deep end, again and again, where they must take on more than they can handle. Special survival skills are needed to thrive, despite the odds, and hold things together while managing the transition.
Question 7: Am I using the lessons learned to correct course and direction?
Your leadership is a choice. Yes, it starts with you but eventually encompasses
an ever-growing circle of family, friends, and colleagues. Your purpose becomes
a beacon for others to follow.
Phil Harkins is CEO of Linkange Inc. and Phil Swift is Co-Chairman of ARC Financial Corporation and recipient of the 2005 Warren Bennis Leadership Award. They are coauthors of Why Lead? from which this article is adapted. www.Linkage-inc.com, www.arcfinancial.com
Principle 1. Leadership is a choice—an act of the will.
It is a choice that every leader makes—and not just once. It is a continual choice that leaders make over and over again.
Early in life, leaders might make that choice without realizing the implications. Leaders who want the glory, status, or rewards of leadership often underestimate the sacrifice, burden, cost, and dedication required. Hence, the “why lead” question will have different answers at different times in leaders’ lives. For many leaders, the purpose and meaning of their leadership evolves as they engage in reflection. We advise you to keep a diary and to think deeply on the challenges in your life and leadership.
Question 1: Do I find meaning, purpose and joy in what I am doing?
Principle 2. Leaders have a clear sense of purpose.
From your sense of purpose, you can set goals and align them with that purpose—goals that serve as a blueprint to others. Leaders often accept opportunities to do things early in life. While they may seem to become leaders partly through internal drive, they are often challenged to do more than others at early ages. The spark of leadership is usually kindled by circumstances—both by those put in front of them and by those created by them.
Question 2: Can I recite my purpose for leading in one sentence?
Principle 3. Leaders create achievable dreams, and others want to share in their passion.
The leaders’ passion for their goals is articulated in communication that connects emotionally with others. They keep the dream alive, improving on the dream with a committed team. While the spark that kindles leadership remains mysterious, all leaders create purpose, set clear pathways, and go for it. Beyond purpose, however, there are no clear-cut or pro-forma paths to becoming a leader. It is hard to imagine the impact that a sense of personal mission can have on a person—young or old.
Question 3: Do my dream and passion excite me and others to “go for it?”
Principle 4. Leaders have ideals, integrity, values or standards.
Others may not understand or share these ideals, but they admire them. All leaders possess a strong drive for improvement, even perfection. Some leaders may seem obsessive or imbalanced. High-impact leaders make it clear that they are leading with intensity and conviction, which can often make their leadership frustrating, even lonely. Leadership that arises from values or spiritual conviction is easiest to grasp because the intention is so clear. All devoted leaders are actively engaged. The devotion to a cause that is larger than them (and often consumes their life) is an act of sacrifice that is difficult for most people to imagine.
Question 4: Am I doing this for me or for a cause that will make a difference?
Principle 5. Leadership requires resolve and fortitude.
Without a sense of inner determination, no leader can stay the course through the inevitable setbacks and failures. Even when others give up on the dream, leaders expend energy to rekindle the flame.
Who can predict what experience in life will inspire someone to rise above their challenges? We all have dreams, but leaders have the sustained drive to make those dreams happen, while bringing others along with them. A quest can arise early or late in life, bringing leadership to a higher level by linking the enticement of a vision with the energy of passion. Suddenly, an ordinary leader gains eloquence and magnetism while engaging committed followers in a venture. What makes a person step forward, even when it is difficult or dangerous to do so? Leadership emerges when it is needed most—often from surprising sources.
Question 5: Will I have the strength to sustain and recreate the dream?
Principle 6. No leader is bullet-proof to failure.
Some failure usually follows success, and success almost always follows failure—as leaders regain the momentum. Leaders learn and grow continuously—from both success and failure—and they refrain from assigning blame. They are naturally curious and learn what they can about a challenge or new opportunity. In doing so, they discover new possibilities. They are driven to question the world; they are also driven to question themselves. Such self-reflection is the source of self-awareness, development, and personal growth.
Question 6: Do I have recovery plans to survive a downturn or disaster?
Principle 7: Leadership is not simply an inspiration or calling—it requires honed capabilities.
Leaders may be born or discovered early, but they do not become effective leaders without being tested. They do better after they fail and learn from their mistakes. Leaders choose to throw themselves into the deep end, again and again, where they must take on more than they can handle. Special survival skills are needed to thrive, despite the odds, and hold things together while managing the transition.
Question 7: Am I using the lessons learned to correct course and direction?
Your leadership is a choice. Yes, it starts with you but eventually encompasses
an ever-growing circle of family, friends, and colleagues. Your purpose becomes
a beacon for others to follow.
Phil Harkins is CEO of Linkange Inc. and Phil Swift is Co-Chairman of ARC Financial Corporation and recipient of the 2005 Warren Bennis Leadership Award. They are coauthors of Why Lead? from which this article is adapted. www.Linkage-inc.com, www.arcfinancial.com
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Character is Often Forged in Adversity
A leader’s courage is not for himself or herself; it’s for the people who are depending on him to lead. – Tim Marks
Tim Marks’s taught thousands this lesson --long term leadership’s depends on solid character. Marks reminded the standing-room-only crowd of business professionals that solid character often has roots in difficult childhoods and provided examples in the lives of greats such as Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill.
Marks explained, “Here is one, Ronald Regan. Reagan didn’t become the man that he was when he was president over night. Ronald Regan actually started out in a different political party. When he couldn’t agree with the party’s behavior and agenda, he knew he had to leave. Reagan’s character was forged over years of struggle.
“So many of us have probably had rough childhoods. If you haven’t had a rough childhood, then you are the minority. I know I could tell you on one hand the people teaching here that probably would say, ‘I had a great childhood.’ People that would say, ‘My parents they loved me and encouraged me. They were at all my football games. I never saw my dad get drunk....’
“The rest of us normal people are dysfunctional right? (Cheering) And we aren’t alone in history. Winston Churchill came from a dysfunctional family and had a rough childhood and so did Gandhi. There are all kinds of different leaders who have come from a rough childhood and that difficulty forged their character.
Character is Built in Youth
“A solidarity tree, if grows at all, grows to be strong and sturdy, and frequently a boy deprived of his father’s loved feels determined to win that love back even after the father has gone. It is said that famous men are usually the product of an unhappy childhood,” wrote Winston Churchill. At age seven, Winston was sent to boarding school. His mother rarely visited him; she even forgot his Christmas presents. His father, Lord Randolph, was never sure how Winston was and never visited him although Winston begged him to. (Source: Winston Churchill, My Early Life)
Tim Marks continued,” When Ronald Reagan was ten or twelve years old, he’d find his dad passed out in the front lawn, vomiting because he was so drunk. He had to pick his dad up and drag him into the house, clean him up and get him to bed. That wasn’t a one time occurrence. Can you imagine what that does to a kid? Some of you probably don’t have to imagine it.
”Everybody has these different circumstances. Ronald Regan became an actor and he was actively fighting the communist party that wanted to control everybody and make them think the way they wanted them to think. Reagan was under attack by the communist party. I mean they wanted to take him out. Obviously he became president years later and what is Ronald Reagan famous for around the world? It didn’t happen overnight but he did it. Took down the wall didn’t he?
“What a story! He would never have been able to fight that battle and negotiate all that if he hadn’t had his character forged when he was a young man.
“A leader’s courage is not for himself,” observed Marks. “Ultimately if he or she is a true leader; it’s for the people who are depending on him to lead.”
Character Means Being An Example Each Day
“How many people just by a show of hands noticed the color of my tie yesterday? Wow! Look at that! You notice today that it is red. I just wanted to see if you noticed.
“Be an example because people are always watching. No matter where you’re at, no matter what you do, if you’re at church, if you’re at work, you’d be surprised who watching you. Especially when you become a leader.
“It only takes one little mess up for a leader and what you did, not only hurts your own character but you deprived somebody of something because they might have looked up to you. That should be the biggest fear of every leader is letting down those who follow him or her. That scares me!
“I feel a great sense of responsibility to do what I said I was going to do and never give up,” concluded Tim Marks.
Tim Marks’s taught thousands this lesson --long term leadership’s depends on solid character. Marks reminded the standing-room-only crowd of business professionals that solid character often has roots in difficult childhoods and provided examples in the lives of greats such as Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill.
Marks explained, “Here is one, Ronald Regan. Reagan didn’t become the man that he was when he was president over night. Ronald Regan actually started out in a different political party. When he couldn’t agree with the party’s behavior and agenda, he knew he had to leave. Reagan’s character was forged over years of struggle.
“So many of us have probably had rough childhoods. If you haven’t had a rough childhood, then you are the minority. I know I could tell you on one hand the people teaching here that probably would say, ‘I had a great childhood.’ People that would say, ‘My parents they loved me and encouraged me. They were at all my football games. I never saw my dad get drunk....’
“The rest of us normal people are dysfunctional right? (Cheering) And we aren’t alone in history. Winston Churchill came from a dysfunctional family and had a rough childhood and so did Gandhi. There are all kinds of different leaders who have come from a rough childhood and that difficulty forged their character.
Character is Built in Youth
“A solidarity tree, if grows at all, grows to be strong and sturdy, and frequently a boy deprived of his father’s loved feels determined to win that love back even after the father has gone. It is said that famous men are usually the product of an unhappy childhood,” wrote Winston Churchill. At age seven, Winston was sent to boarding school. His mother rarely visited him; she even forgot his Christmas presents. His father, Lord Randolph, was never sure how Winston was and never visited him although Winston begged him to. (Source: Winston Churchill, My Early Life)
Tim Marks continued,” When Ronald Reagan was ten or twelve years old, he’d find his dad passed out in the front lawn, vomiting because he was so drunk. He had to pick his dad up and drag him into the house, clean him up and get him to bed. That wasn’t a one time occurrence. Can you imagine what that does to a kid? Some of you probably don’t have to imagine it.
”Everybody has these different circumstances. Ronald Regan became an actor and he was actively fighting the communist party that wanted to control everybody and make them think the way they wanted them to think. Reagan was under attack by the communist party. I mean they wanted to take him out. Obviously he became president years later and what is Ronald Reagan famous for around the world? It didn’t happen overnight but he did it. Took down the wall didn’t he?
“What a story! He would never have been able to fight that battle and negotiate all that if he hadn’t had his character forged when he was a young man.
“A leader’s courage is not for himself,” observed Marks. “Ultimately if he or she is a true leader; it’s for the people who are depending on him to lead.”
Character Means Being An Example Each Day
“How many people just by a show of hands noticed the color of my tie yesterday? Wow! Look at that! You notice today that it is red. I just wanted to see if you noticed.
“Be an example because people are always watching. No matter where you’re at, no matter what you do, if you’re at church, if you’re at work, you’d be surprised who watching you. Especially when you become a leader.
“It only takes one little mess up for a leader and what you did, not only hurts your own character but you deprived somebody of something because they might have looked up to you. That should be the biggest fear of every leader is letting down those who follow him or her. That scares me!
“I feel a great sense of responsibility to do what I said I was going to do and never give up,” concluded Tim Marks.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Sheep Dog Calling
Daily; dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive. - Larry VanBuskirk
Larry VanBuskirk recently compared the leadership calling to ‘serve and protect’ to an intrepid sheep-dog, working for the Shepard to protect and direct the flock:
If you want to be a sheep dog and walk the warrior’s path, you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog isn’t a yes or no dichotomy. It’s a matter of degrees. It’s a continuum. On one end is the head-in-the-sand sheep and on the other hand is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end of the spectrum or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.
But since 9/11 almost everyone took a step up that continuum away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors and the warriors started taking their jobs more seriously. If you’re part of the military or a public servant like a firefighter or police officer, one of those sheep dogs, I’m honored to be in your company. God bless you.
It’s okay to be a sheep just don’t kick the sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little harder, try to protect a little better and be more fully prepared to pay the ultimate price of battle when the sheep go from ‘baaaahhhh’ to ‘thank you’.
We don’t call for gifts or freedom beyond our lives. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank. When day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens may just be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep and be grateful for the thousands and the millions of American sheep dogs who give you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
Taking A Stand
We’re going to affect the world around us. We’ve got a comfortable, fat, complaisant life. We have that comfort because of the sheep dogs who have stood out, who have guarded our country, who have made us who we are, protected us so we do have the ideas and speech, the ability to assemble, the ability to learn together and develop a formidable team of sheep dogs. But we’ve got to take a stand - to stand on the basic principles that made this country great.
We’ve got to make a stand with our government. It has become a self-serving mechanism to continue its own power. We’ve got to take a stand in our schools. They didn’t take God out the schools; they took the teaching of principles and morals and ethics out of the schools. We’ve got to take a stand with the media. The media doesn’t talk about any victories only loses. The screaming minorities are treated as the majority. There is disrespect for family values, sex is cheap, violence is normal. Basic principles and morals that have built this country are scorned!
Are you the best worker in your workplace? In your church do you know what you believe in your spirit? I’m not telling you what to believe but you have to have the courage to explore your spirit because - if not - you have nothing to sustain you when you walk through the valleys.
I’ll tell you this. Any nation without sustaining spiritual principles does fall. And we’re going to change that. Come on sheep dogs!
By Larry VanBuskirk
Larry VanBuskirk recently compared the leadership calling to ‘serve and protect’ to an intrepid sheep-dog, working for the Shepard to protect and direct the flock:
If you want to be a sheep dog and walk the warrior’s path, you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog isn’t a yes or no dichotomy. It’s a matter of degrees. It’s a continuum. On one end is the head-in-the-sand sheep and on the other hand is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end of the spectrum or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.
But since 9/11 almost everyone took a step up that continuum away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors and the warriors started taking their jobs more seriously. If you’re part of the military or a public servant like a firefighter or police officer, one of those sheep dogs, I’m honored to be in your company. God bless you.
It’s okay to be a sheep just don’t kick the sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little harder, try to protect a little better and be more fully prepared to pay the ultimate price of battle when the sheep go from ‘baaaahhhh’ to ‘thank you’.
We don’t call for gifts or freedom beyond our lives. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank. When day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens may just be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep and be grateful for the thousands and the millions of American sheep dogs who give you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
Taking A Stand
We’re going to affect the world around us. We’ve got a comfortable, fat, complaisant life. We have that comfort because of the sheep dogs who have stood out, who have guarded our country, who have made us who we are, protected us so we do have the ideas and speech, the ability to assemble, the ability to learn together and develop a formidable team of sheep dogs. But we’ve got to take a stand - to stand on the basic principles that made this country great.
We’ve got to make a stand with our government. It has become a self-serving mechanism to continue its own power. We’ve got to take a stand in our schools. They didn’t take God out the schools; they took the teaching of principles and morals and ethics out of the schools. We’ve got to take a stand with the media. The media doesn’t talk about any victories only loses. The screaming minorities are treated as the majority. There is disrespect for family values, sex is cheap, violence is normal. Basic principles and morals that have built this country are scorned!
Are you the best worker in your workplace? In your church do you know what you believe in your spirit? I’m not telling you what to believe but you have to have the courage to explore your spirit because - if not - you have nothing to sustain you when you walk through the valleys.
I’ll tell you this. Any nation without sustaining spiritual principles does fall. And we’re going to change that. Come on sheep dogs!
By Larry VanBuskirk
Thursday, February 7, 2008
REAL LEADERS Take 100 % Responsibility
One of the biggest things to understand, if you're going to be a leader, is that you must take responsbility for your results in life. One of my favorite quotes goes something like this, "You are where you are because of the sum total of your actions to this point in your life." That's tough advice, but in my experience it is totally true.
What I run into a lot are people who would like to lead, or people who think they are leading, or people who have lead in the past, who refuse to take responsibility for their situation. Maybe they missed a goal, or maybe they didn't do as well in their finances as they had planned, or maybe a business venture didn't go so well, or maybe they have messed up relationships, or maybe they have trouble at home, but the ONE THING they won't even CONSIDER as a possibility is that THEY ARE THE PROBLEM.
Contrast this condition with REAL LEADERS. Real leaders take stock of a situation, take a look at themselves, and as Jim Collins says, they confront the brutal reality as it really is. Then they TAKE RESPONSIBILITY themselves to make the changes necessary to move on and fix the situation.
I don't know why this is so rare. But what I have witnessed time and again are people who decide that their circumstances are to blame, or their mentor is to blame, or their spouse is to blame, or any number of things that safely keep THEM out of blame's way.
Want to become a leader? Want all the benefits of success, admiration, recognition, contribution in the lives of others, and everything else that comes from striving as a leader? Want respect from those who should be following you? Do you really want this? I hope you do. And I'll share a secret with you about how to accomplish it.
Are you ready?
Here it is.
The secret to becoming a leader and enjoying all the benefits that go along with it is:
LEAD
What?
You've got it.
LEAD.
You are not a leader if you are not leading. In my opinion, anyone who is daring to become a leader ought to wake up each morning and command themselves to do just that, to "LEAD."
This is silly. This is dumb. It seems so redundant. "Of course," you might say, "If I want to be a leader I've got to lead. Who wouldn't have THAT figured out already?" Well, believe it or not, hundreds, if not thousands of people.
People want all the trappings of leadership without accepting any of the responsibility. People want the success without the struggle. And they want the respect without the battle.
If you ever feel as though you are failing in your leadership journey, the solution is simple. Go out and lead. Get active. Take command. Begin performing right now, right where you are, with what you have. Take responsibility for your results and DO someting about it. Get off your couch. Throw away the excuses. Go out the door. Lead.
There is no faking it in leadership. You are either leading or you are not.
We all have a choice.
We can either lead, or we can try to explain why we are not.
By Chris Brady as posted on "Author Chris Brady's Leadership Blog" 1/12/08
What I run into a lot are people who would like to lead, or people who think they are leading, or people who have lead in the past, who refuse to take responsibility for their situation. Maybe they missed a goal, or maybe they didn't do as well in their finances as they had planned, or maybe a business venture didn't go so well, or maybe they have messed up relationships, or maybe they have trouble at home, but the ONE THING they won't even CONSIDER as a possibility is that THEY ARE THE PROBLEM.
Contrast this condition with REAL LEADERS. Real leaders take stock of a situation, take a look at themselves, and as Jim Collins says, they confront the brutal reality as it really is. Then they TAKE RESPONSIBILITY themselves to make the changes necessary to move on and fix the situation.
I don't know why this is so rare. But what I have witnessed time and again are people who decide that their circumstances are to blame, or their mentor is to blame, or their spouse is to blame, or any number of things that safely keep THEM out of blame's way.
Want to become a leader? Want all the benefits of success, admiration, recognition, contribution in the lives of others, and everything else that comes from striving as a leader? Want respect from those who should be following you? Do you really want this? I hope you do. And I'll share a secret with you about how to accomplish it.
Are you ready?
Here it is.
The secret to becoming a leader and enjoying all the benefits that go along with it is:
LEAD
What?
You've got it.
LEAD.
You are not a leader if you are not leading. In my opinion, anyone who is daring to become a leader ought to wake up each morning and command themselves to do just that, to "LEAD."
This is silly. This is dumb. It seems so redundant. "Of course," you might say, "If I want to be a leader I've got to lead. Who wouldn't have THAT figured out already?" Well, believe it or not, hundreds, if not thousands of people.
People want all the trappings of leadership without accepting any of the responsibility. People want the success without the struggle. And they want the respect without the battle.
If you ever feel as though you are failing in your leadership journey, the solution is simple. Go out and lead. Get active. Take command. Begin performing right now, right where you are, with what you have. Take responsibility for your results and DO someting about it. Get off your couch. Throw away the excuses. Go out the door. Lead.
There is no faking it in leadership. You are either leading or you are not.
We all have a choice.
We can either lead, or we can try to explain why we are not.
By Chris Brady as posted on "Author Chris Brady's Leadership Blog" 1/12/08
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Over Deliver
I read a book recently that really got me thinking (always a good thing). It taught the lesson of giving value to others beyond the level expected. The concept is "under promise and over deliver."
What a great place the world would be if everybody, in every transaction, placed chief concern on adding the most value to the other person. In a world where so many people seem bent on calculated benefit to themselves, only doing things that they perceive will bring value back to them, it is always refreshing to run across someone who operates differently. "What can I do to help you?" "How may I serve you?" These questions, when sincere, are like a breath of fresh air.
Who are the people in your life who have behaved in this manner? When were you truly touched by the selflessness of another? Who deserves special mention here on this blog for living this principle? I think more of us should be inspired to live this way, and those who are deserve a call-out here! Let's hear about it; give us their stories! And let's all of us remember to add value to others as a matter of habit, without calculating a return for ourselves!
By Chris Brady
What a great place the world would be if everybody, in every transaction, placed chief concern on adding the most value to the other person. In a world where so many people seem bent on calculated benefit to themselves, only doing things that they perceive will bring value back to them, it is always refreshing to run across someone who operates differently. "What can I do to help you?" "How may I serve you?" These questions, when sincere, are like a breath of fresh air.
Who are the people in your life who have behaved in this manner? When were you truly touched by the selflessness of another? Who deserves special mention here on this blog for living this principle? I think more of us should be inspired to live this way, and those who are deserve a call-out here! Let's hear about it; give us their stories! And let's all of us remember to add value to others as a matter of habit, without calculating a return for ourselves!
By Chris Brady
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Leadership Habits and Self-Discipline
I am researching the habits of leaders. Self-discipline is critical to a successful life and it takes self-discipline to develop the right habits. Like they say, “You make your habits and your habits make you.” The following is from an article by Bea Fields that discusses some important leadership habits:
Many people are born leaders, yet the ability to lead is actually an art and an amazing collection of skills which can be learned and sharpened. The following top ten daily habits will help you and/or your clients grow as a leader personally, professionally, and spiritually.
1. Spend 30 minutes each morning looking for "cracks" in the major areas of your life.
Your depth of character is key to determining your success as a leader. It is easy for us to say that we are "in integrity," but your actions are the real indicators of strength of character. Spend 30 minutes each morning looking at the major areas of your life: career, marriage, family, community, and spirituality. Write down any instances where you see "cracks" (you have cut corners, something is inconsistent, you have not kept your word, you have been dishonest, etc.) Do all in your power to repair those cracks by apologizing and dealing with the consequences of your actions. After facing up to past actions, begin a plan that will rebuild you and prevent you from making further mistakes.
2. Show up and be ten minutes early for every appointment.
Great leaders show up for every appointment, and they are always on time. Each day, practice not only showing up but being ten minutes early for each and every appointment. "The early bird gets the worm" has never been so true than when it applies to becoming a great leader that others want to follow.
3. Be dedicated to a high level of learning.
Great leaders are highly competent, because they are dedicated to a high level of learning, growth, and improvement. Spend 15-30 minutes each day devoted to learning something new. Do not settle for knowing "how" to do something. Dig deeper by asking the question "why" and then, go find the answer. Search the internet, interview an expert, or take a day trip to find the answer to a question that is on your mind or the minds of those who follow you.
4. Be simple and crystal clear in all communication.
As a leader, your communication should be simple, clean, and clear as a bell. Examine both written and verbal communication for simplicity and clarity. Use as few words as possible, and eliminate jargon and "big words" from your vocabulary. Express yourself in a way that your listeners can understand.
5. Surround yourself with great people.
One of the secrets of a great leader is great people. Hire the right staff, surround yourself with a strong inner circle, and spend time daily with people who have a variety of gifts. With the support of a strong circle of men, women and children, you will be ready for anything that comes your way.
6. Develop a sense of commitment and responsibility.
People do not follow leaders who are not committed and responsible. Commitment and responsibility can be measured by the hours you spend and how you spend them, the money you spend and how you spend it, and by what you do for others. Spend 15 minutes each day analyzing your time, your checkbook, and your volunteer work. Look closely at how much time you spend with family and friends as compared to work, how you spend your money, and how you give back to the community. You may be very surprised at what you find.
7. Develop a positive attitude by altering your mind.
It is very possible to alter your attitude by altering your mind. Saturate yourself daily with motivational literature, positive people, and inspiring music/art. By conditioning your mind to be more positive on a daily basis, you will find that winning will be a daily reward of your life.
8. Accept responsibility.
Great leaders never play the role of a victim. They recognize that part of being a great leader is being ultimately responsible for all successes and failures. On a daily basis, analyze your current projects, and ask yourself "Have I done all that needs to be done? What have I not done that I should?" Once you have analyzed each project, if you find a weakness, go the extra mile by working extra hours, hiring an outside expert, or getting really creative to repair the weakness or to turn it into a success!
9. Make self-discipline a part of your lifestyle.
What do you need to develop self-discipline? Following a better diet or exercise routine? Getting up one hour earlier? Being rigorous with your spending? Learning something new every day? Eliminate excuse-making from your life, and begin to develop habits that will invite self-discipline to become the foundation of your life. Hire a coach to support you during the development of a routine of self-discipline, and remove rewards until the job is done!
10. Develop courage by facing fear.
By a show of courage, you will inspire others to follow and to walk in your footsteps. Spend 15-30 minutes each day doing something simply for the sake of developing courage: speak to an audience, make a difficult phone call, learn a new skill, write an article or a top ten, or visit someone you have always wanted to meet. As Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Many people are born leaders, yet the ability to lead is actually an art and an amazing collection of skills which can be learned and sharpened. The following top ten daily habits will help you and/or your clients grow as a leader personally, professionally, and spiritually.
1. Spend 30 minutes each morning looking for "cracks" in the major areas of your life.
Your depth of character is key to determining your success as a leader. It is easy for us to say that we are "in integrity," but your actions are the real indicators of strength of character. Spend 30 minutes each morning looking at the major areas of your life: career, marriage, family, community, and spirituality. Write down any instances where you see "cracks" (you have cut corners, something is inconsistent, you have not kept your word, you have been dishonest, etc.) Do all in your power to repair those cracks by apologizing and dealing with the consequences of your actions. After facing up to past actions, begin a plan that will rebuild you and prevent you from making further mistakes.
2. Show up and be ten minutes early for every appointment.
Great leaders show up for every appointment, and they are always on time. Each day, practice not only showing up but being ten minutes early for each and every appointment. "The early bird gets the worm" has never been so true than when it applies to becoming a great leader that others want to follow.
3. Be dedicated to a high level of learning.
Great leaders are highly competent, because they are dedicated to a high level of learning, growth, and improvement. Spend 15-30 minutes each day devoted to learning something new. Do not settle for knowing "how" to do something. Dig deeper by asking the question "why" and then, go find the answer. Search the internet, interview an expert, or take a day trip to find the answer to a question that is on your mind or the minds of those who follow you.
4. Be simple and crystal clear in all communication.
As a leader, your communication should be simple, clean, and clear as a bell. Examine both written and verbal communication for simplicity and clarity. Use as few words as possible, and eliminate jargon and "big words" from your vocabulary. Express yourself in a way that your listeners can understand.
5. Surround yourself with great people.
One of the secrets of a great leader is great people. Hire the right staff, surround yourself with a strong inner circle, and spend time daily with people who have a variety of gifts. With the support of a strong circle of men, women and children, you will be ready for anything that comes your way.
6. Develop a sense of commitment and responsibility.
People do not follow leaders who are not committed and responsible. Commitment and responsibility can be measured by the hours you spend and how you spend them, the money you spend and how you spend it, and by what you do for others. Spend 15 minutes each day analyzing your time, your checkbook, and your volunteer work. Look closely at how much time you spend with family and friends as compared to work, how you spend your money, and how you give back to the community. You may be very surprised at what you find.
7. Develop a positive attitude by altering your mind.
It is very possible to alter your attitude by altering your mind. Saturate yourself daily with motivational literature, positive people, and inspiring music/art. By conditioning your mind to be more positive on a daily basis, you will find that winning will be a daily reward of your life.
8. Accept responsibility.
Great leaders never play the role of a victim. They recognize that part of being a great leader is being ultimately responsible for all successes and failures. On a daily basis, analyze your current projects, and ask yourself "Have I done all that needs to be done? What have I not done that I should?" Once you have analyzed each project, if you find a weakness, go the extra mile by working extra hours, hiring an outside expert, or getting really creative to repair the weakness or to turn it into a success!
9. Make self-discipline a part of your lifestyle.
What do you need to develop self-discipline? Following a better diet or exercise routine? Getting up one hour earlier? Being rigorous with your spending? Learning something new every day? Eliminate excuse-making from your life, and begin to develop habits that will invite self-discipline to become the foundation of your life. Hire a coach to support you during the development of a routine of self-discipline, and remove rewards until the job is done!
10. Develop courage by facing fear.
By a show of courage, you will inspire others to follow and to walk in your footsteps. Spend 15-30 minutes each day doing something simply for the sake of developing courage: speak to an audience, make a difficult phone call, learn a new skill, write an article or a top ten, or visit someone you have always wanted to meet. As Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
God Bless, Orrin Woodward
Friday, February 1, 2008
Anyone Can Be a Leader
Leadership is not about the size of your office or the prestige of your title. And it’s not just for CEOs and VPs of sales. We can all lead—in all we do. To me, true leadership is more about the depth of your commitment and the strength of your character than about the position you hold.
I write a lot about a phrase I’ve been sharing with business clients around the world. It’s a simple one that speaks to the power each of us has to craft a world-class career and remarkably successful life: Lead without a title.
To me, leadership is a way of being. It’s about inspiring all of those who surround you to realize their gifts and stand for personal greatness. It’s about taking responsibility for every dimension of your life (versus blaming others for what’s not working). It’s about devoting yourself to excellence in every pursuit and making things better—no matter how good they already are.
Leadership is also about connecting to people. Deeply. Genuinely. Passionately. Because business and life are really all about people.
As I write this, I’m reflecting on the death of a special friend of mine, Greg Brophy, found of Shred-it, a huge Canadian success story.
His passing, from a plane crash at the age of 44, brings so many things to mind. How incredibly short life can be. How we need to dream, act and be the people we know we can be right now. How all that we can leave behind in the end are the great things we have done—and the kindness we have given. And how success is powerful. But living with significance is even better. Greg lived all these elements. That’s what made him a superb leader and human being.
Any person who wants to lead—and live—a remarkable life can. Teachers can lead. Entrepreneurs can lead. Artists can lead. Students can lead. As Mark Twain once wrote, “If everybody was satisfied with himself there would be no heroes.”
By Robin Sharma
I write a lot about a phrase I’ve been sharing with business clients around the world. It’s a simple one that speaks to the power each of us has to craft a world-class career and remarkably successful life: Lead without a title.
To me, leadership is a way of being. It’s about inspiring all of those who surround you to realize their gifts and stand for personal greatness. It’s about taking responsibility for every dimension of your life (versus blaming others for what’s not working). It’s about devoting yourself to excellence in every pursuit and making things better—no matter how good they already are.
Leadership is also about connecting to people. Deeply. Genuinely. Passionately. Because business and life are really all about people.
As I write this, I’m reflecting on the death of a special friend of mine, Greg Brophy, found of Shred-it, a huge Canadian success story.
His passing, from a plane crash at the age of 44, brings so many things to mind. How incredibly short life can be. How we need to dream, act and be the people we know we can be right now. How all that we can leave behind in the end are the great things we have done—and the kindness we have given. And how success is powerful. But living with significance is even better. Greg lived all these elements. That’s what made him a superb leader and human being.
Any person who wants to lead—and live—a remarkable life can. Teachers can lead. Entrepreneurs can lead. Artists can lead. Students can lead. As Mark Twain once wrote, “If everybody was satisfied with himself there would be no heroes.”
By Robin Sharma
Monday, January 28, 2008
A Leader Preparing To Launch
My son just enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps. He will begin boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina on April 7th. His recruiter told him there is a 95% chance he will be sent to Iraq after training.
Naturally, I have some radically mixed feelings. Fear, pride, guilt, worry, and surprise are just a few. My first reaction was to question his sanity; then his motives.
“What made you choose the Marines? Why not the Air Force? Didn’t you think about auditioning for the Marine Band? How much research have you done? Please, please, please talk to someone other than your recruiter. You need to talk to people who have been Marines. Are you just doing this because you don’t know what else to do with yourself? Is this your way of feeling like a real man? Is it too late to change your mind?”
On and on the barrage went. Understand, Ryan is not the kind of person you think of as a Marine. He is tall, strongly built, and quite handsome. But he is a gentle soul; a true phlegmatic if there ever was one. Easy-going, relaxed, likeable, loyal, quiet, kind, witty, calm, patient, competent, compassionate, and friendly. To know Ryan is to like him.
Like many phlegmatics however, he is not terribly motivated or disciplined, doesn’t get enthusiastic about much, is unlikely to take the lead in any situation, can be rather indecisive, and dare I say…lazy! I cannot think of a worse combination than a phlegmatic son with a choleric mother who did not understand the personality types. Which I am, and I didn’t even know there were personality types until Ryan graduated from high school.
Until then, he drove me crazy!!! Nothing ever bothered or worried him; not school assignments, not chores, not money, nothing! When report cards were issued, Ryan usually got one of everything: A, B, C, D, and E. He always got the E in whatever class was held first hour. Sometimes his low marks were given because he didn’t turn in homework; often the assignment was in his folder but he didn’t feel like getting it out and turning it in.
As for college, let’s just say it was a long, painful, and expensive ordeal.
So what on earth would make him decide to join the Marines? His answer was one I could not argue with. He believes that this is what God wants him to do. Period.
Yes, he spoke with several former classmates who joined the Marines; two have completed their enlistments and are on to other endeavors; one has chosen to make it his career. He has read everything he could find online, both for and against. He is sure the discipline will help him throughout his life. But the bottom line, the compelling force, is the belief that God wants him to be a Marine.
How can I argue with that?
Since the day last month that Ryan was sworn in, he has blossomed. He stands taller. He exudes confidence. He hired a personal trainer and gets up at 5:00 am each morning to work out. He told the trainer to be tough! He has totally changed his diet. He asked his recruiter what he needs to do to be the Honor Graduate for his group, and has set that as his goal.
Mind you, this is from a kid who wouldn’t try out for a seat in the orchestra because there were only four seats available and five kids who wanted it. He let the other four have them.
This is from a kid who joined the wrestling team but wouldn’t compete because he didn’t want to beat anyone else.
This is the kid who was on the swim team for years but hated competitions because, you guessed it, he didn’t want another kid to lose.
I think there is something to be said for feeling that your actions in life have a purpose; that you are going in the direction that God wants you to go in. For the first time in his life, Ryan knows what it is he is supposed to do, and that has filled him with a desire to do his very best.
There isn't anything more gratifying than doing what you were put on this earth to do. That is where the seeds of true leadership bloom. Life is just preparation for the moment when it is our turn to take charge.
And I am just bursting with pride.
Submitted by Chris F
Naturally, I have some radically mixed feelings. Fear, pride, guilt, worry, and surprise are just a few. My first reaction was to question his sanity; then his motives.
“What made you choose the Marines? Why not the Air Force? Didn’t you think about auditioning for the Marine Band? How much research have you done? Please, please, please talk to someone other than your recruiter. You need to talk to people who have been Marines. Are you just doing this because you don’t know what else to do with yourself? Is this your way of feeling like a real man? Is it too late to change your mind?”
On and on the barrage went. Understand, Ryan is not the kind of person you think of as a Marine. He is tall, strongly built, and quite handsome. But he is a gentle soul; a true phlegmatic if there ever was one. Easy-going, relaxed, likeable, loyal, quiet, kind, witty, calm, patient, competent, compassionate, and friendly. To know Ryan is to like him.
Like many phlegmatics however, he is not terribly motivated or disciplined, doesn’t get enthusiastic about much, is unlikely to take the lead in any situation, can be rather indecisive, and dare I say…lazy! I cannot think of a worse combination than a phlegmatic son with a choleric mother who did not understand the personality types. Which I am, and I didn’t even know there were personality types until Ryan graduated from high school.
Until then, he drove me crazy!!! Nothing ever bothered or worried him; not school assignments, not chores, not money, nothing! When report cards were issued, Ryan usually got one of everything: A, B, C, D, and E. He always got the E in whatever class was held first hour. Sometimes his low marks were given because he didn’t turn in homework; often the assignment was in his folder but he didn’t feel like getting it out and turning it in.
As for college, let’s just say it was a long, painful, and expensive ordeal.
So what on earth would make him decide to join the Marines? His answer was one I could not argue with. He believes that this is what God wants him to do. Period.
Yes, he spoke with several former classmates who joined the Marines; two have completed their enlistments and are on to other endeavors; one has chosen to make it his career. He has read everything he could find online, both for and against. He is sure the discipline will help him throughout his life. But the bottom line, the compelling force, is the belief that God wants him to be a Marine.
How can I argue with that?
Since the day last month that Ryan was sworn in, he has blossomed. He stands taller. He exudes confidence. He hired a personal trainer and gets up at 5:00 am each morning to work out. He told the trainer to be tough! He has totally changed his diet. He asked his recruiter what he needs to do to be the Honor Graduate for his group, and has set that as his goal.
Mind you, this is from a kid who wouldn’t try out for a seat in the orchestra because there were only four seats available and five kids who wanted it. He let the other four have them.
This is from a kid who joined the wrestling team but wouldn’t compete because he didn’t want to beat anyone else.
This is the kid who was on the swim team for years but hated competitions because, you guessed it, he didn’t want another kid to lose.
I think there is something to be said for feeling that your actions in life have a purpose; that you are going in the direction that God wants you to go in. For the first time in his life, Ryan knows what it is he is supposed to do, and that has filled him with a desire to do his very best.
There isn't anything more gratifying than doing what you were put on this earth to do. That is where the seeds of true leadership bloom. Life is just preparation for the moment when it is our turn to take charge.
And I am just bursting with pride.
Submitted by Chris F
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Definitions: What Is Leadership?
Leadership is the influence of others in a productive, vision-driven direction through the example, conviction and character of a leader. -- Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
Leadership is the energetic process of getting people fully and willingly committed to a new and sustainable course of action, to meet commonly agreed objectives whilst having commonly held values. -- Mick Yates
Leadership is working with and through others to achieve objectives. -- Dr. Paul Hersey
Leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less. -- John Maxwell
My definition of a leader . . . is a man who can persuade people to do what they don't want to do, or do what they're too lazy to do, and like it. -- Harry S. Truman
Leadership is the ability of a superior to influence the behavior of a subordinate or group and persuade them to follow a particular course of action. -- Chester Bernard
Leadership is the art to of influencing and directing people in such a way that will win their obedience, confidence, respect and loyal cooperation in achieving common objectives. -- U. S. Air Force
The first job of a leader is to define a vision for the organization.... Leadership of the capacity to translate vision into reality. -- Warren Bennis
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. -- John Quincy Adams
A leader is a dealer in hope. -- Napoleon Bonaparte
A leader shapes and shares a vision which gives point to the work of others. -- Charles Handy
Leaders are those who consistently make effective contributions to social order, and who are expected and perceived to do so. -- Hosking
Leadership is the energetic process of getting people fully and willingly committed to a new and sustainable course of action, to meet commonly agreed objectives whilst having commonly held values. -- Mick Yates
Leadership is working with and through others to achieve objectives. -- Dr. Paul Hersey
Leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less. -- John Maxwell
My definition of a leader . . . is a man who can persuade people to do what they don't want to do, or do what they're too lazy to do, and like it. -- Harry S. Truman
Leadership is the ability of a superior to influence the behavior of a subordinate or group and persuade them to follow a particular course of action. -- Chester Bernard
Leadership is the art to of influencing and directing people in such a way that will win their obedience, confidence, respect and loyal cooperation in achieving common objectives. -- U. S. Air Force
The first job of a leader is to define a vision for the organization.... Leadership of the capacity to translate vision into reality. -- Warren Bennis
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. -- John Quincy Adams
A leader is a dealer in hope. -- Napoleon Bonaparte
A leader shapes and shares a vision which gives point to the work of others. -- Charles Handy
Leaders are those who consistently make effective contributions to social order, and who are expected and perceived to do so. -- Hosking
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