Leadership

Two weeks ago, I received a call from my dad requesting that I travel with him to see my uncle (his brother), who lives three states away and is declining in his health due to having ALS.

While I had to shift some things around in my schedule and ask for help from colleagues to cover for me, I knew this was an easy “yes” when asked of me.

As much as work commitments can seem vitally important, family and personal matters must be a priority for leaders when situations arise.

Work can wait or be delegated to someone else. Being a helpful friend or family member can’t.

Important matters rarely occur at the opportune time. You can’t always plan for things to work with your busy schedule.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work to make important shifts when needed.

Did changing my schedule quickly cause some stress? Yes.

Was the stress worth the benefit of visiting my uncle? Absolutely!

I’m not telling you this story to toot my own horn. (I often get this wrong.)

Rather, I’m sharing this as a recent example of how we must make important decisions that may feel inconvenient.

Here’s what I know…I’ll never regret shifting things around on my calendar to take the road trip with my dad to see my uncle.

Work details were figured out.

And, as a bonus, my oldest son was able to join us on the trip, too, which created another memory that will last a lifetime for all of us.

What do you need to “inconvenience” yourself with right now so you don’t look back with regret later?

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. ​The Way to Greatness​ book – Discover the five continual choices that lead to The GREAT Life and how to implement them immediately.
2. ​The GREAT Life Bootcamp video course​ – In this self-paced course, I’ll guide you to learn how to experience the life you were created to live by improving your faith, relationships, mindset, stewardship, and time management. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a subscriber-only 50% discount!)

Even though AI has been taking the world by storm over the past several years, I haven’t dug into the various tools much until recently.

One digital marketing expert I follow recently created a few mini-courses on how to use ChatGPT most effectively and how to create GPTs to use personally or with clients.

I’ve found this topic to be mind-blowing, and I know I’ll be able to level up my offerings as I continue to learn more and grow in this area.

I’ve also noticed that while some people dove into AI head-first, many people are still very hesitant, and some are simply burying their heads in the sand.

The reality is that AI is here to stay, and some experts are saying it will go 1,000,000X over the next four years, which means what seems astounding and complex today will be a million times more astounding and complex in just four years at the rate of AI development!

One expert told me, “This isn’t a situation where the train has left the station, but rather it’s a bullet train traveling at warp speed five states away and it’s impossible to catch up to it.”

I don’t say this to scare or frustrate you, but rather to encourage you to learn new technologies that are guaranteed to impact all aspects of life just like personal computers and the internet did prior to AI.

Whether it’s AI or another topic, I plead with you to make continual growth a priority so you’re not left behind in an ever-changing world.

You may not be comfortable with new realities, but that doesn’t make them go away.

Commit to continual growth and give yourself the opportunity to be more valuable in your role or for the clients you serve.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you:

1. ​The Magnetic Leader book​– Grab your copy of my playbook to consistently attract and retain high-quality team members, customers, and clients.
2. ​Magnetic Leadership video course​ – Learn the 18 Essential Actions to attract and retain high-quality team members. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a 50% newsletter subscriber discount!)
3. ​Magnetic Leadership Community​ – Join the community of growth-minded individuals focused on leveling up their leadership capabilities. (This is a monthly membership program that includes group coaching, expert interviews, the Magnetic Leadership video course, and bonus training)
4. ​Magnetic Leadership Community for Teams​ – Enroll your team for an 18-month leadership development program that provides a common leadership language and helps foster a thriving, attractive culture.

We all want things to be different or better at times, but are you aware of how to maintain consistent levels of happiness and satisfaction in life?

One crucial factor is managing your expectations.

When someone or a situation disappoints us, we’ve typically had an ideal in our minds that didn’t come to pass.

When we don’t get the response we want from a friend or loved one, it makes us feel bad.

If we don’t get the promotion, client, or new job we desire, we get upset.

While this may be a natural emotional response, managing your expectations can have massive implications on your “happiness meter.”

I’m not saying you should become a “Debbie Downer” and expect everything to go wrong so you feel good when they somehow go right.

Instead, I suggest taking a more balanced approach by accepting that things don’t always work out the way you hope while also staying cautiously optimistic as you wait for the result. This will set you up to embrace whatever outcome transpires.

By doing this, you can welcome and celebrate the wins and not allow the lows to be so deep that they lead you to unhappiness.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. ​The Way to Greatness​ book – Discover the five continual choices that lead to The GREAT Life and how to implement them immediately.
2. ​The GREAT Life Bootcamp video course​ – In this self-paced course, I’ll guide you to learn how to experience the life you were created to live by improving your faith, relationships, mindset, stewardship, and time management. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a subscriber-only 50% discount!)

I was recently reminded of a powerful formula originally taught by Dr. Robert Resnick many years ago, which emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for our lives regardless of what happens to us.

Here’s what it is: E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome)

We can’t always control what happens, but we can control our response, which leads to a certain outcome.

If our response is poor, we can make a bad situation worse.

If our response is positive, we can turn a bad situation into a positive experience.

Playing the blame game is a poor response because it assumes others have all the power in the situation.

Taking responsibility for our responses allows us to live an empowered life.

No matter the situation, you can always control your thoughts and actions.

Unfortunately, bad things happen in life. Fortunately, we can control our responses to and make something positive come from them.

At a minimum, we can learn from situations, which is a positive response that leads to the outcome of personal growth.

I’m not saying this is easy, but it is possible when we approach things with the right mindset.

The next time something negative happens to you, carefully choose your response so your outcome can be positive.

Don’t play the blame game. Instead, take ownership of your thoughts and actions so you can turn negative events into positive outcomes.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. ​The Way to Greatness​ book – Discover the five continual choices that lead to The GREAT Life and how to implement them immediately.
2. ​The GREAT Life Bootcamp video course​ – In this self-paced course, I’ll guide you to learn how to experience the life you were created to live by improving your faith, relationships, mindset, stewardship, and time management. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a subscriber-only 50% discount!)

Four years ago today, on my dad’s birthday, I launched “The Magnetic Leader” into the world.

It’s hard to believe so many years have passed already!

This book captures my lifetime of leadership lessons and personal leadership philosophy.

It teaches 18 “essential actions” that can transform a person’s influence regardless of role, title, age, or experience.

It’s applicable at work, at home, and in the community.

It includes a faith application component at the end of each chapter for those who are interested.

I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to share these lessons with numerous leaders, teams, and conference attendees.

If you’ve read the book, I would greatly appreciate your sharing an honest review on Amazon.

If you don’t have a copy and want to get one, you can either ​order at Amazon​ or ​directly from me​, as I have some copies in my inventory.

Milestones like this are often overlooked, so today I wanted to make sure I didn’t do that since it was a labor of love to write and share it with the world.

I believe you’ll benefit greatly from reading it, and I hope you’ll even share it with a colleague or friend so they get their own copy! 😉

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. ​The Way to Greatness​ book – Discover the five continual choices that lead to The GREAT Life and how to implement them immediately.
2. ​The GREAT Life Bootcamp video course​ – In this self-paced course, I’ll guide you to learn how to experience the life you were created to live by improving your faith, relationships, mindset, stewardship, and time management. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a subscriber-only 50% discount!)

The NFL draft occurred last week, and one story captured much attention.

Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, went undrafted in the first four rounds after many analysts predicted he would be picked early in the first round. He was finally selected in the fifth round as the 144th pick of the draft.

Most commentators were beside themselves. They couldn’t understand why he fell so far in the draft, but others claimed he wasn’t as good as he was hyped up to be. They also talked about the baggage he would bring to an organization, and that NFL executives weren’t interested in dealing with that.

Some commentators thought the NFL was conspiring against this young man, while others spoke out and said the league was making an example out of him, and other college athletes who are acting with an entitlement mindset.

Regardless of why he fell so far in the draft, I think there’s a good lesson for leaders in all of this.

Beware of hyping yourself or your organization up so much that it turns people off.

Whether Shedeur is ready to play at the NFL level or not, his self-promotion and the hype surrounding him didn’t help him achieve his dream of being selected early in this year’s draft.

When you create hype, you attract haters.

When you create hype, you make yourself a target.

It’s better to quietly do your business and let your results do the talking for you.

Don’t talk about what you’re going to do or how great you are. Instead, let your results speak for you.

Maybe Sanders will turn out to be a great player. Maybe not. Only time will tell.

However, let’s allow this situation to remind us to lead with humility and work with excellence so our results do the talking for us.

Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you:

1. ​The Magnetic Leader book​– Grab your copy of my playbook to consistently attract and retain high-quality team members, customers, and clients.
2. ​Magnetic Leadership video course​ – Learn the 18 Essential Actions to attract and retain high-quality team members. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a 50% newsletter subscriber discount!)
3. ​Magnetic Leadership Community​ – Join the community of growth-minded individuals focused on leveling up their leadership capabilities. (This is a monthly membership program that includes group coaching, expert interviews, the Magnetic Leadership video course, and bonus training)
4. ​Magnetic Leadership Community for Teams​ – Enroll your team for an 18-month leadership development program that provides a common leadership language and helps foster a thriving, attractive culture.

Recently I’ve had more downtime than I’m used to in the evenings, and it feels very strange.

My work days feel like a whirlwind of activity, so it feels like I’m going from 100 mph into a 25 mph speed zone when 5 PM comes along.

And it’s hard to adjust.

Have you ever felt that way?

Have you ever been super busy, then have unexpected margin in your schedule that you’re not sure what to do with?

I’ve felt this on vacation before as well.

It’s so easy to be insanely busy leading up to a trip that it takes a couple of days to calm down and enjoy the time away.

I know I’m not alone in this. I’ve had too many conversations with others about it for it to just be a “me” problem.

I’m trying to embrace the stillness.

I’m trying to unlearn busyness and embrace calmness.

I’m trying to focus on “being” rather than constant “doing.”

What about you?

Are you comfortable being still, or are you a fellow struggler?

I encourage you to create space in your schedule to slow down and just “be” for a while.

And if you find anything that works well for you, please share it with me so I can experiment!

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. ​The Way to Greatness​ book – Discover the five continual choices that lead to The GREAT Life and how to implement them immediately.
2. ​The GREAT Life Bootcamp video course​ – In this self-paced course, I’ll guide you to learn how to experience the life you were created to live by improving your faith, relationships, mindset, stewardship, and time management. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a subscriber-only 50% discount!)

Although I’ve been aware of Stephen R. Covey’s book, ​“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,”​ for many years, I am actually reading it for the first time right now.

On the surface, his 7 habits make a lot of sense, but he drills down very deep in the book in a way that causes readers to think deeply about each one.

I’m currently reading about Habit 3 – Put First Things First.

It’s all about prioritizing and managing your life rather than simply reacting to whatever is thrown at you.

It’s so easy in our 24/7 digital world to react versus plan and implement strategically.

We’re always “on” and connected.

We’re always within reach via phone calls, texting, or email.

It takes real discipline to prioritize what matters most and build your schedule around those priorities in the various roles we each operate in.

If you’re unfamiliar with Covey’s “urgent vs important” concepts, here’s an image to give you a snapshot of what he discusses:

Too many people live in Quadrants III and IV, which aren’t important.

Quadrant I must be dealt with, but Quadrant II is where the most effective people operate, which relieves them from the stress of the other three quadrants.

Without going too deep into this right now, I encourage you to think about your schedule and typical activities.

How much time, energy, and resources are you giving to things that are not important?

How much are you giving to the most important, even if they aren’t urgent?

There’s a delicate balance to navigate life and leadership with this mindset and approach.

I encourage you to invest some time to reflect and, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, grab a copy of Covey’s book and take a deeper dive into this topic so you can experience a better personal and professional reality.

Until next time, make today GREAT!

Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you:

1. ​The Magnetic Leader book​– Grab your copy of my playbook to consistently attract and retain high-quality team members, customers, and clients.
2. ​Magnetic Leadership video course​ – Learn the 18 Essential Actions to attract and retain high-quality team members. (Enter coupon code “MM50” at checkout to receive a 50% newsletter subscriber discount!)
3. ​Magnetic Leadership Community​ – Join the community of growth-minded individuals focused on leveling up their leadership capabilities. (This is a monthly membership program that includes group coaching, expert interviews, the Magnetic Leadership video course, and bonus training)
4. ​Magnetic Leadership Community for Teams​ – Enroll your team for an 18-month leadership development program that provides a common leadership language and helps foster a thriving, attractive culture.