Leadership

“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” – Ray Kroc

What do you expect out of your followers? Are you modeling these expectations in front of them daily?

John C. Maxwell’s “Law of the Picture” states that “people do what people see.” It’s easy for leaders to be frustrated with their followers’ performance, but it’s not as easy to look in the mirror and ask “How can I lead them to perform better?” Personal accountability as a leader is critical!

Your example will be what is lived out in your organization. If you do not like what you are seeing in your people, it’s time to look within yourself. Spend time reflecting on your personal development. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I growing or have I plateaued?
• Am I striving to be better each day or am I content to coast?
• What are key areas of improvement that I need to work on?
• How can I be a better model to my followers?
• What outcomes do I want to see in the performance of myself and my team?

Before you criticize your team, do a self-check. Before you confront and criticize them, look in the mirror. When you do a personal evaluation first, you can better serve your team when you approach them with how everyone needs to improve – including yourself. You can’t ask people to do what you aren’t willing to do. Another great quote from John C. Maxwell is “A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Can this be said of you?

Be Intentionally Great Today!

It has been said many times that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason – to listen twice as much as we speak.

In leadership, this is critical. Many people mistakenly believe that when you are in a leadership role that you have to prove yourself to be the expert by spouting off a ton of information. In reality, the best way to lead people is to listen to them. The higher you rise in leadership, the more intently you need to listen. Many times, the key leader is the last person to know what is going on because what’s happening at the grass roots level takes a long time to work it’s way up to him or her.

Consider the following:

• What are your followers feeling about the current reality of the team or organization?
• What are the greatest challenges or fears that your followers are dealing with?
• What do your followers know that you don’t know?
• Ask “How can I help you?” before you end any conversation with a colleague or follower.

In this day and age, listening is truly an art. I would go as far to say that it can be a significant difference maker in the success or failure of a leader. John Maxwell wrote a book called “Good Leaders Ask Great Questions.” In it, he explains why questions are important. He also shares questions he asks himself and his team members.

As you reflect on your leadership today, take some time to evaluate if you are a good listener or not. If you are, keep improving! If you aren’t, start today to ask more questions and hold your tongue. When you feel the urge to speak, hold it in and give space to the other person to speak.

Contrary to the saying that “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”, in leadership what you don’t know can derail you. Don’t be caught off-guard. Listen intently to your followers and watch your leadership grow as you make better informed decisions!

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“Leadership is about being a servant first.” – Allen West

“Servant Leadership” is a topic that has been written and talked about for many years now. My goal is not to beat a dead horse, but rather echo what many have already said.

If you want to become a great leader, determine in your heart and mind that people have value, then treat them accordingly. Help them. Encourage them. Coach them along. Make THEIR success your goal.

No one wants to follow someone that doesn’t care about their well-being. Everyone would love to work for someone who cares enough to make their best interest a priority.

As a leader, serve your people. Take the time to get to know them. Ask about their families, hopes, dreams, personal and professional goals. Get rid of the idea that you have to keep your personal and professional lives separate. It’s not possible! You are ONE whole person with many facets. Your followers are too.

Today, think about how you can add value by serving the people that you are privileged to lead. In order to serve them well, you need to get to know them well. Andy Stanley has brilliantly said, “Do for one what you can’t do for everyone.” What can you do for one person on your team today? Don’t worry about being “fair”. Customize your serving to individual needs. As you serve your people, watch your trust and respect levels grow.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” — Peter Drucker

No matter what job you have or what industry you’re in, you’re in the people business! You may be a store or department manager, customer service representative, business owner, or non-profit leader. You could work in a variety of other roles for that matter. The bottom line is that how you interact with the people around you will make or break your leadership potential and level of success.

Many people want to be more successful in life, but they don’t get along with people. Bob Burg says that people do business with those they know, like, and trust. Can that be said of you? Do your team members know, like and trust you? Do you customers or clients?

If you want to win in business (and life for that matter), you need to work on your people skills. One key way of doing this is to be curious about people. Ask questions more than talking about yourself. Stephen Covey said that we should “Seek first to understand, then be understood.” Is that how you interact with people?

Today, spend some time reflecting on how you engage the people around you. Do a 360 degree assessment of yourself using the following questions:

• How do I interact with those I report to?
• How do I interact with my peers?
• How do I interact with those that report to me?
• How do I interact with friends and family?

Take steps to improve your people skills and watch your influence and success level rise.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

While the song by American Authors may come to mind, this isn’t a music review!

You may have figured out that “BIG” in my organization name stands for “Be Intentionally Great.” This was revealed to me as I dreamed of the vision for my organization and it has become my new life message. I believe that every human being has incredible God-given potential inside of them. The problem for most people is that their potential is never realized. Instead, we settle for small thinking and living. We’re afraid to take risks, so we accept our current circumstances even if we dream of something better or more significant.

What do you dream about? What do you hope for? Are you taking risks or are you playing small?

Today I want to encourage and challenge you to start living BIG! Be Intentionally Great – at home, at work, wherever you are. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Don’t let days haphazardly slip by. Lead a life of significance by serving others. Become great by thinking BIG and taking action to go after your dreams.

If you need a partner to think and dream with, I am here to serve as a coach. Please contact me.

Be Intentionally Great Today!

“Most people simply accept their lives – they don’t lead them.” – John C. Maxwell

Take a moment to think about your life. Are you intentionally leading yourself or are you simply accepting the way things are and the circumstances that you’re in? If you fall into the latter category, you’re in good company with most people. However, if you’re in the former group, you are in an elite club.

Jim Rohn said “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

You have one life to live. Are you making the most of it? Are you waiting for “someday” to go after your dreams? Are you waiting for the perfect conditions before taking action on your goals? Are you striving for a life of significance?

My challenge for you today is to start leading your life. Determine to stop accepting things as they are. Go after your dreams. Start today. Start moving forward. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. What is your one step today?

Go and Be Intentionally Great Today!

If you’re like me, you have greatly undervalued yourself at times. What you have experienced in life can add tremendous value to others. The good, the bad, and the ugly have hopefully taught you many lessons that you can now use to help others.

Humility is an incredible character trait. However, lack of self-worth is NOT humility! Humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself. It is possible to be humble and great at the same time. No one likes an arrogant person who loves to shine the spotlight on themselves without regard to others. The opposite is true too – no one likes to be around someone who thinks poorly of themselves and carries a “whoa is me” demeanor!

Take some time today to reflect on your true value. What life experiences and skills can you utilize to help others? What successes and failures have taught you key lessons that you can now teach others through? You have incredible value and others need to learn from you. You have one life to live – make it count by confidently adding value to others!

Be Intentionally Great Today!

Napoleon Hill said “If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.”

Isn’t it funny how many of us want to make a BIG difference in our world, but we aren’t committed to doing the small things that actually make big things happen?

In your leadership don’t get lost in the details, but don’t neglect them either. It’s often the mundane details that allow the big things to come to fruition. Every big goal must be broken down into small steps. Think about it – how many small details did it take so a man could walk on the moon?

Spend some time today writing down your BIG goals. Then spend some time writing down the small steps that you need to take to achieve those goals. Then take action!

Be Intentionally Great Today!

What habits do you have? Are they mostly good? Bad? Do you ever think about your habits determining your success?

The reality is that our daily rituals and routines determine our success more than we can imagine. Think about it – if we eat poorly each day, we gain weight. If we exercise regularly, we can have better health. If we monitor our finances, we can be better off financially.

Now, consider your leadership success. Are you regularly investing in your personal growth? Are you regularly sharing your learnings with those around you? Are you living out the principles that you are learning? It is in these things that help you grow and determine your success. Leadership development has to be intentional – it won’t happen by accident!

So, spend some time this week examining your habits. If you continue to do what your habits are, what will your future look like? Prioritize good habits that will help you develop as a person and leader. Create a “stop doing” list for the bad habits that will work against you.

Remember, your habits will determine your success!