In this episode, author and leadership coach Chris McClure discusses a key characteristic of leaders who have the power to change the temperature of a room or situation simply by their showing up.
You can learn about and order Chris’s book, “The Magnetic Leader,” at www.magneticleaderbook.com
Leaders are action takers. That’s often the reason they are given promotions and opportunities to lead. However, it’s incredibly easy to be so focused on “doing” that we forget about improving our “being.” This has significant ramifications.
Who you are matters more than what you do and how you do it. “Being” informs and impacts what you do and how you do it. If we can get the being part right, the what and how will become easier and more successful.
The “being” aspect of your life is all about your character. This is you becoming the best version of yourself possible. It’s about becoming stronger, better, faster, smarter, etc. It’s about having integrity and being trustworthy. If you overlook developing your character, it will cost you much. When you focus on developing good character, it will take you farther than you ever thought possible. Developing your character requires a daily commitment to investing in yourself through learning, thinking, listening, praying, and challenging yourself. Find ways to get better every day.
It’s been said that integrity is who you are when no one is watching. Integrity is defined by Dictionary.com as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty; the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished; a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.” While none of us are perfect, leaders people love to follow strive to give and be their best each day. When you’re tempted to lie, cheat, steal, or slander someone’s character, integrity restrains you. Integrity causes you to take the high road when you’d rather take a cheap shot at someone with whom you’re frustrated or angry. In order to improve your “being”, protect your integrity as a critical action.
One of the great characteristics of leaders people love to follow is consistency. This allows your followers to be confident in knowing what to expect from you. Unpredictable people are hard to follow. In fact, most people won’t follow them for long. They may stay in their organization or on their team, but they’ll secretly ignore the person’s words because they aren’t dependable. Consistency requires you to show up with a predictable demeanor and operate with a predictable approach. Your people need to know what to expect from you. Be yourself. Authenticity makes consistency easier. Choose each day to be calm in the midst of the chaos that inevitably ensues. Steadiness and consistency go hand-in-hand, especially during turbulent times.
Who you are matters to your followers. Continue to be an action-taker since it is necessary for leadership, but don’t allow your “doing” to supersede your “being”. If you do, it will be to your detriment.
Imagine being the kind of leader people are glad to see arrive each day.
Imagine being the kind of leader people trust for guidance and support during challenging times.
Imagine being the kind of leader people know they can depend on because you are consistent in how you “show up” each day.
This can all be possible when you implement these three critical actions of focusing on your “being” before “doing”.
Are you ready to become the kind of leader people love to follow so you can attract high-quality team members and clients? If so, CLICK HERE to purchase your copy of The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow!
Until next time…make today GREAT!
In this episode, author and leadership coach Chris McClure discusses a topic that many don’t consider as a part of leadership but can make a critical difference – loving those you lead. In fact, this one essential action is enough to drive all the others.
You can learn about and order your copy of Chris’s book, “The Magnetic Leader,” at www.magneticleaderbook.com
If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that adaptability is critical for leadership in uncertain times. Looking back, I’m quite amazed at how so many organizations pivoted in a very short period of time when they had to adjust to survive.
I love the commercial of a bike company that shifted its business model to offer virtual video demonstrations using the Microsoft Teams app with customers all over the world. The owners tell the story of how their business expanded quickly because they were no longer bound by a specific brick-and-mortar location. What could’ve been crushing for this business became an opportunity to expand their reach globally.
Not every business was able to easily adjust like this based on what they do, but many leaders who went virtual are saying they’re never going back to the way they did business prior to the pandemic. Only time will tell if this holds true, but the reality is that adaptability is a vital characteristic of leaders in today’s world.
When I was a teenager, I remember the youth leaders at our church teaching us to make decisions in advance so we would know how to respond when we found ourselves in various situations. They taught this because they knew we could either freeze up or make poor decisions at the moment, but if we thought about how to respond in advance, we could remain calm and think more clearly. The same is true in leadership. You don’t have to run “worst-case scenario” drills every day, but it helps to think through various situations to be prepared for critical moments. Think about how schools run practice emergency drills periodically in order to prepare the students for real threats. Determine “emergency drills” to do with your team so you’ll be more prepared for a variety of challenges.
No matter how solid your team and organization are, challenges will arise. In fact, leadership is needed most because of the inevitable challenges. Each day may not bring a crisis, but most have their moments of frustration. I once spoke with a leader who said he metaphorically walks around each day with two buckets in his hand – one with water to put out fires and one with gasoline to start them. I love that illustration because it’s so true! Some people are starting fires that need to be put out and addressed. Others need a fire lit under their seats in order to take action. Both are challenges that leaders must address.
If you’ve done #1 above, this action is much easier. There is a fine line between responding and reacting. Responding carries with it a much calmer, thoughtful approach. Reacting can cause chaos. Think about first responders who show up on the scene of an emergency. You don’t see them running, but rather walking with intention. Why? Because if they run, they’ll be reacting based on adrenaline and be emotionally charged. This could lead to poor decision-making. But a calm, intentional pace allows them to assess and address the problem better. As a leader, if you run toward problems you’ll find yourself easily worked up and reacting. But if you slow your breathing and pace, giving yourself the space to assess things clearly, you’ll be able to respond intentionally.
While the buck may stop with you as the leader, you shouldn’t ignore the very people you’ve assembled to help solve problems. You will see challenges from only one perspective, but your team members will add additional perspectives to help you see things differently. This is extremely helpful in times of challenge or crisis. I’m continually amazed that when I look at projects one way I don’t see a solution, but when I shift my view even slightly I can see things differently to accomplish my goals. We recently had a new stove delivered to our home and I didn’t think our old one would fit through our door to be removed with the door on its hinges. However, when the delivery crew arrived, they simply said to turn it sideways and it would fit fine. While I felt a bit silly, it reminded me to look at things from multiple angles more intentionally. The same is true in leadership. Ask for different viewpoints. Even if you don’t like what you hear, you can determine the best next move with a well-rounded assessment.
At the end of the day, leaders can’t sit still even when they don’t know what to do next. We gain momentum through movement. It’s like trying to steer a parked car. You’ll exhaust yourself trying to come up with a perfect solution and waste precious time. However, when you start moving in any direction, you can make simple course corrections that lead to better outcomes. Don’t let “paralysis of analysis” set in. Be thoughtful about how to respond, but then do something. The best action may be to enlist your team or quickly draft possible solutions on paper to brainstorm. Whatever feels right to do, do it. The only true wrong action is inaction.
Imagine being able to confidently lead your team through chaotic, uncertain situations.
Imagine having a reputation for being a leader others can depend on when things to be falling apart all around you.
Imagine being looked to for guidance when challenges arise because you’ve built a reputation for success amidst difficulties.
This can be your reality when you implement these five key actions.
In my book, The Magnetic Leader, I teach about 18 essential actions that leaders should take if they want to attract high-quality team members and keep them engaged. If you want to become a leader people love to follow, CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!
Until next time…make today GREAT!
In this episode, author and leadership coach Chris McClure discusses a topic that many leaders often neglect because we somehow lose perspective on our creativity after childhood.
You can learn more about and order your signed copy of Chris’s book, “The Magnetic Leader,” at www.magneticleaderbook.com
Producing results is expected of leaders, but many fail to live up to their potential because they aren’t intentional with what they do on a daily basis. Many leaders are left wondering why they couldn’t achieve more.
However, it’s possible to produce massive results when you become intentional with your daily activities and improve your thinking.
In order to produce optimal results in your life and business, follow this simple (not necessarily easy) three-step process that we see in demonstrated in agriculture:
Salespeople understand that in order to acquire new customers and clients, many seeds have to be sown daily. Not all seeds bear fruit. Some produce massively. However, leaders often overlook this in regards to developing and managing their followers. If you want better leaders, you must sow seeds in the form of skill and character development consistently. If you want stronger teams, you must invest time and attention to make it happen. Nothing worthwhile happens by accident. It takes intentional planting day in and day out over extended periods of time so you can later receive the fruit of your labor.
Beyond consistently planting seeds, leaders must work daily to make sure weeds of dissension and disengagement are removed. You must invest time, energy, and resources into your followers so they can perform and produce at the level you expect of them. You must make sure your team and organizational environments are conducive to growth rather than dysfunction. You simply can’t leave growth to chance. Planting seeds isn’t enough. You must also make sure the soil is in good condition to produce the fruit you want.
If, and only if, you’ve done the consistent diligent work to plant seeds and cultivate growth you’ll then later achieve the results you desire. Yielding tremendous results is what everyone wants, yet many leaders aren’t intentional about the planting and cultivating aspects to achieve them. The results you achieve are evidence of the upfront work you’ve put into the process. Annual reports reveal how the organization did over the previous 12 months. As a leader, you must focus on increasing your inputs in order to increase your results. While you can’t always control your results, you can control the effort of planting and cultivating. If you need more leaders in your organization, then you need to develop more people. The time to start raising up new leaders isn’t when you need them. That’s too late. You must be diligent now in order to have quality trained leaders available to you when you need them most.
If you care for your people and are a person of high character, you can still fail as a leader if you’re not producing results. People want to be on a winning team. Shareholders expect a good return on their investment. Customers and clients expect quality from your organization. When they don’t get it, they move on to someone else who will provide it. Producing results matters too much to leave it up to chance.
Imagine having a pipeline full of skilled leaders who you can place in a variety of roles as your organization grows.
Imagine having a culture that fosters the growth and maturity of leaders now and into the future.
Imagine reaching the end of each month, quarter, and year excited to see your organization or team producing incredible results repeatedly.
This can be your reality when you intentionally plant and cultivate so you can yield increasing results over time.
In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #18 – Produces Results. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!
Until next time…make today GREAT!
In this episode, author and leadership coach Chris McClure discusses a critical topic that is often a challenge to understand and implement…how and why to trust your insight. And why it’s different than “intuition.”
You can learn more and order a copy of Chris’s book, “The Magnetic Leader”, at www.magneticleaderbook.com
We’ve seen way too many key leaders in a variety of sectors “fall from the top” because of poor moral or ethical choices. Yet somehow we find ourselves surprised each time. The reality is that it shouldn’t be surprising if we’re actually watching how they live and lead.
Integrity is a value that organizations and individuals often proclaim, but struggle to uphold. If you want to become a leader who people trust through thick and thin, guarding your integrity must be a high priority.
Consider the following three ways to improve or operate with integrity more consistently:
Many leaders don’t live out their values because they don’t know what they are. Organizations often make their core values public and evident to both their employees and customers. People rarely do the same. I believe it’s a simple oversight that has significant ramifications. I encourage you to invest time listing and defining what your core values are so you can intentionally live up to them. If you struggle with this exercise, ask someone close to you to share the values they see you living out. If you’re not living out what you want to portray, define at least one aspirational value to work toward displaying. This will help you raise your own bar toward excellence.
We’ve all been around people who say one thing, but do another. The problem with this in leadership is that someone is always watching and followers do what they see. You can’t expect them to live up to a standard that you refuse to model. Be bold and share your personal core values with your followers and ask them to tell you when you let them slide. This provides credibility and a stellar example to them. Encourage them to define their own values, share them with you and their peers, then live them out daily.
It’s often said that your reputation precedes you. This is very true. Just think of how you think about certain people before you ever meet them. Their reputation is either good or bad in your mind because of what others have said about them in advance. When you guard your integrity by defining and living out your values, your reputation will be aligned with how you want people to perceive you. As you intentionally act based on your values, your credibility and reputation will improve.
Integrity is too important to leave to chance. You must prioritize each day to develop and guard it.
Imagine having clarity on your personal values and holding yourself to a higher standard than most others around you.
Imagine living out and demonstrating your values each day as you live, work, and play.
Imagine walking into business meetings and social engagements with people looking favorably on you before you ever arrive.
This can be your reality when you do the deep inner work of knowing and living out your core values.
In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #17 – Guards Integrity. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!
Until next time…make today GREAT!
In this episode, author and leadership coach Chris McClure discusses the importance of pouring into yourself so you have something to give others and keep up in our ever-changing world.
You can order Chris’ book, “The Magnetic Leader”, at www.magneticleaderbook.com
In this episode, author and leadership coach Chris McClure discusses a common mistake many leaders make by waiting until everything is perfect before they start.
You can learn more about and purchase a copy of Chris’ book, “The Magnetic Leader,” at www.magneticleaderbook.com
