Leadership

The most influential people in the world that have the staying power over the course of their lives stand out to us because they are willing to do what few others are willing to do themselves. It’s not that they have some secret formula or magic potion that no one else has. It’s that they implement the fourth step in this series on becoming a transformational leader.

What is it? It’s simpler than you think, but not necessarily easy to implement.

In the first article of this series, I discussed that we must first CHOOSE what we want and what we need to do in order to achieve our desired outcomes. 

In the second article, I discussed that it’s not enough to simply choose, but we must ACT on the choices we make. If we don’t, they’ll just stay in our minds as nice ideas. 

In the third article, I shared that when you consistently make choices and intentionally take action, you BECOME a new, better version of yourself, which then leads your team and organization to become better. 

Today, let’s look at the final step of this 4-step process…

Step #4 – REPEAT

When you read the label on shampoo bottles, you’ll often find in the instructions to “apply, rinse, and repeat.” Beyond wanting you to use twice as much shampoo to increase their sales, the manufacturers are giving specific instructions to help you achieve optimal results with their product. 

Leadership development is significantly different than washing your hair, but there is a similarity in the “apply, rinse, and repeat” action steps. When you learn to consistently make quality choices and act on them intentionally, you become better and different. The “flywheel effect” kicks in when you repeat this pattern consistently. What starts out feeling hard becomes easier and easier over time as you develop personal growth habits.

Choose. Act. Become. REPEAT.

Choose. Act. Become. REPEAT.

Choose. Act. Become. REPEAT.

When I was 20 years old, I discovered my first leadership book. I was given Becoming a Person of Influence by John C. Maxwell at the end of an internship by a volunteer who I had worked with closely for 7 months. In it, she wrote a nice message, but one understatement she made was in saying that she hoped the book would help me in “some small way.” 

Little did she know that this one book would be the first domino that would impact the rest of my life. 

The reason you’re reading this article is that she gave me that book. She made a choice and acted upon it. That changed my life forever.

I read that book and acted upon what I learned from it. This led me to search for more books like it and become a growing leader who is committed to personal growth until the day I die. 

Our choices contain great power IF acted upon. 

Our actions lead us to become better people and leaders IF we are intentional.

But it’s important to understand that “becoming” shouldn’t be a one-time event. Rather, when you reach a new level of growth, it’s time to repeat the cycle: CHOOSE – ACT – BECOME.

When you implement this cycle REPEATEDLY you’ll begin to experience the compound effect of personal growth which leads to exponential results. 

CHOOSE. ACT. BECOME. REPEAT.

If you’re tempted to think this is an oversimplification, I challenge you to think about how the best artists and athletes in the world arrive at their status. 

Go to a professional sports arena or field and watch the players before their games. You’ll find them doing the same warm-ups and drills that children do when they first begin playing. 

Go to a theatre and watch how musicians and singers warm up before each performance, which they’ve been doing since they began their careers. 

Gary Keller, founder of the real estate empire Keller Williams once stated, “Success is sequential, not simultaneous.” What he was saying is that you become successful in any endeavor one building block at a time. If you skip a step, you’ll cause your foundation to weaken and potentially crumble. 

CHOOSE. ACT. BECOME. REPEAT.

You can’t achieve incredible results if you don’t choose wisely. 

You won’t become better as a leader (or person) if you don’t act on your choices. 

You won’t maintain your influence and increase your impact over the long haul if you don’t repeat the cycle consistently. You’ll stagnate, plateau, and begin to drift backward. 

CHOOSE. ACT. BECOME. REPEAT.

Imagine placing these four simple words on your desk or creating a phone screen image as a reminder. 

Imagine working through this 4-step process consistently over the course of a year and looking back to barely recognize yourself because you’ve grown so much. 

Imagine being the kind of leader people love to follow because they witness continual growth and drive to become better every day. 

This can be your reality when you implement the “CHOOSE. ACT. BECOME. REPEAT.” transformational cycle. 

If you’re ready to exponentially increase your leadership skills and impact, CLICK HERE to learn how to join the next Magnetic Leadership Accelerator group coaching program! 

Becoming a transformational leader is a process of development, not a one-time event. In this series, we’re addressing four steps that are required to become the kind of leader who transforms businesses, communities, and even families. 

The problem is that too many leaders are unsure where to begin. That’s why in the first article of this series we discussed the power of choice. The second article focused on taking action on the choices you make. Today let’s tackle the important next step which is where personal transformation begins to occur.

Step #3 – BECOME

When you make choices and act on them, you begin to change. You can’t remain static if you desire to be a leader who makes a difference. Just as a caterpillar can’t fly unless it goes through a metamorphosis to be transformed into a butterfly, leaders can’t become more impactful without going through a process of change and development. 

“Becoming” isn’t a one-time event, but rather a series of events over time. It requires the commitment to improve daily rather than expecting to reach your full potential in a single day. While there are key moments in our lives when we seem to grow exponentially, it typically happens gradually in the mundane circumstances of everyday life.

The process of becoming a new, better version of yourself occurs when you consistently choose and act. The more you act on your choices, the farther you go and the better you become. If you don’t take action, your choices will remain ideas that stay confined in your brain. That doesn’t do you or your followers any good. 

Becoming also requires a desire. If you are content with who you are and where you are in your life and leadership, there’s nothing to do to stay there. However, just as muscles atrophy without use, your leadership impact will atrophy without consistent activity. You must put yourself out there daily and allow the challenges you face to become opportunities for growth. 

Imagine where you’d like to be in your influence and impact one year from today. 

Next, imagine how your followers would feel about you if you are exactly the same then as you are right now. 

Finally, imagine how they would feel about you if they witnessed exponential growth because you made key choices and then acted upon them so you could be better every day.

Choose. Act. Become. 

These are the first three steps toward growing in influence and impact to make a transformational difference wherever you go. 

In next week’s article, we’ll look at the fourth critical step that is often overlooked when we experience success and growth. I can’t wait to reveal it to you and share how it can be a game-changer in your life and leadership.

If you’re ready to exponentially increase your leadership skills and impact, CLICK HERE to learn how to join the next Magnetic Leadership Accelerator group coaching program!

In my last article, I shared about the first step toward becoming a transformational leader right where you are personally and professionally – CHOOSE.

Choice requires thoughtfulness and intentionality, but making a choice alone doesn’t lead to transformation. Transformation comes through the next step, which takes your thoughts and puts them to work.

Step #2 – ACT

A choice is about your thoughts, which are extremely important. But once you make a choice of any kind, the impact comes through taking action. In my experience, there are many leaders who are strong on strategy and weak on implementation. There are many reasons for this, but one key reason is their fear of the unknown. While it’s true that we can’t predict the outcomes of all of our choices, the reality is that we can never advance without taking action. 

Imagine making the choice to go on a trip with your family. You dream about it. You think about it in the margins of your days. You envision packing up and traveling together. In your mind, you’re already at your desired destination. 

But there’s a problem… 

You never block your calendar for time away. You don’t buy plane tickets. You don’t book a reservation at the hotel or reserve the vacation home. You don’t reserve a rental car. 

You can’t simply think about this amazing experience. While you first have to choose to take the trip, you then must take action to make it happen. 

While this may seem like a silly illustration, this is what many leaders do when it comes to their organizations. In their minds, they can see a better way forward. They have a vision for a new product, service, or marketing campaign, but their day-to-day busyness delays or entirely hijacks the vision. The choice remains in their heads and never is implemented. Many times, delays lead to missed opportunities because, by the time you actually take action, the window of opportunity closes. 

I’m sure you don’t want this to be your story. However, in order to achieve greater results and transform your life, team, or organization, you must act on the choices you make. 

Imagine how you would feel if you saw your ideas consistently becoming reality. 

Imagine the enthusiasm your team would feel when they know ideas are actually developed. 

Imagine the response of your team as they see that you’re serious about taking action to get better results.

This can be your everyday reality when you act on your choices. 

Refuse to let ideas lay dormant in your mind while you miss opportunities. 

Regardless of how you’ve operated in the past, make today “day one” of a new way to lead through intentional, consistent action. 

You can do it. I believe in you!

If you’re ready to exponentially increase your leadership skills and impact, CLICK HERE to learn how to join the next Magnetic Leadership Accelerator group coaching program!

It doesn’t take long when you look around to see that our world is desperately in need of better, higher-quality leaders to step up and make a difference right where they are – in their families, communities, and businesses. The problem is that many people are unsure of how to become this kind of leader who can transform their environment or circumstances. 

In this blog series, let’s take a look at 4 key steps to make it happen most effectively.

Step #1 – CHOOSE

Anything worthwhile begins by making a choice. When you choose, you determine in your mind that something needs to change for the better. This doesn’t mean things are necessarily bad, but everything can be enhanced…including your leadership.

Look around at your environment and circumstances and reflect on the following questions:

• What is broken that needs to be fixed?
• What is “good” but could be made or done “better”?
• Who could you help to develop so they can contribute more or better to the team?
• Who is consistently underperforming and may need to leave your team?

By taking the time to reflect on questions like these, you’ll begin to see things with fresh eyes. Once you see things more clearly, then you will need to make a choice about what to do about the issue(s). 

A choice is a powerful tool in the hands of a leader. It’s also a great responsibility. Before you can effectively act you must thoughtfully consider what needs to be done in order to transform your team, organization, family, or community into an improved version. 

Imagine the impact of blocking 15-30 minutes per week to think about how to improve your team, organization, family, or community. 

Imagine how taking the time to slow down, strategize, and simply breathe deeply could calm your mind and influence your decisions.

Imagine becoming a better leader because you’re using more of your brain to strategically respond and be proactive rather than reacting to the inevitable fires that come your way.

Choice offers great power, opportunity, and responsibility to leaders. Choose to intentionally think about your leadership opportunities and how you can take the next step toward transforming what’s under your control.

If you’re ready to increase your leadership impact exponentially, CLICK HERE to learn how to join the next Magnetic Leadership Accelerator group coaching program!

One of the greatest challenges for leaders is guiding their followers through the challenges of unknown situations and circumstances. Many times, the leader hasn’t experienced the situation previously. This means everyone is walking into the fog with some level of fear or trepidation together. However, when leaders boldly advance despite the uncertainty, they gain significant credibility and trust. 

In order to courageously lead your followers into uncertainty, implement the following three strategic actions:

1 – Prepare Continually

While you can’t predict the future, you can look for trends and indicators of what could be coming your way. Invest in your personal growth so you can be the leader people need when challenges arise. Don’t wait for critical moments to prepare; make it a daily habit. The more you grow as a leader each day, the better prepared you’ll be when moments arrive to lead your people into unknown territory. Block out at least 15-30 minutes each day to invest in yourself. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Attend conferences. Watch webinars. Find a mentor. Hire a coach. Whatever it takes, prepare for the challenges that will inevitably come.

2 – Build Trust Daily

Trust takes a long time to build and a moment to lose. If you want to be able to lead your followers through the fog of uncertainty, you need to invest in relationships. While this takes time and diligence, it pays big dividends when you need people to trust you most. People find it easy to follow leaders when things are easy and calm, but they want to know they can depend on their leaders when challenging situations arise. If you will focus on building trust each day, you will be prepared to ask for more from your people when you need it most. They will step up in ways that may surprise you when they trust you to lead them from a place of healthy relationships.

3 – Advance Boldly

Leadership requires courage. Leading through the fog of uncertainty requires even more courage than normal. When you prepare yourself and build trust, you will be able to advance boldly into the unknown knowing that your team has your back and are willing to go the distance with you. Advancing boldly doesn’t mean you are wreckless. Rather, it means you step into the fear and break through what some call the “terror barrier”. This invisible barrier pops up when you can’t predict what’s on the other side of the situation. I’ve also heard it called the “tunnel of chaos” that you enter without knowing what’s on the other side. This is precisely when leaders are needed most. This is where leaders are made or gain greater credibility with their followers. You won’t know all the answers, but you can figure things out with your team if you have prepared yourself and built trust along the way. It’s easier to advance boldly when you know you have a solid team surrounding you. 

Imagine having greater confidence to lead during the toughest of challenges. 

Imagine having a team of people who are excited to tackle the biggest challenges with you because they know you have their best interest in mind. 

Imagine growing in your leadership credibility because you confidently and boldly advance despite the uncertainty. 

This can be your reality when you implement these three strategic actions consistently. 

If you’re ready to step up to higher levels of leadership capabilities, 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!

People respond exceptionally well to leaders who value them, but it’s easy to inadvertently devalue them in the hectic pace of business and life. This often happens when you focus too much on tasks rather than relationships. 

If you want to be a leader people love to follow, showing others that you value them is critical for your success. 

In order to express value to your followers, implement the following three intentional actions daily:

1 – Pay Attention

We live in a world that is fighting for our attention at all times. Whether it’s on TV, social media, email, or a multitude of other things, we are living in a highly distracted era. Being a leader is not an easy task when people’s attention is being targeted 24/7. It’s easy for leaders to be distracted in the process of trying to get important things done, but when you genuinely pay attention to your people, it pays incredible dividends. They feel valued. They feel seen. They become more committed to their work because they feel cared for. Instead of being a number in the system or a faceless team member required to accomplish certain tasks, they feel like actual human beings. Because distractions are so strong in our world today, giving someone your attention is extremely valuable and needed. People can find new ways and places to earn a living, but they’re all desiring to be seen and heard. Pay attention to your people and you will reap incredible rewards of greater loyalty and productivity.

2 – Listen Deeply

Most people feel overlooked and underappreciated because few leaders slow down long enough to listen to their ideas, needs, or concerns. Leaders who listen deeply find great favor from their followers. They become valuable sounding boards, which lead to better ideas. They become confidants who resolve workplace tensions. This leads to better, healthier cultures. This leads to a more positive work environment that is attractive to new team members. The ripple effect of listening deeply goes far beyond the effort required. Many leaders fear that their time will be wasted by people in pointless conversations. However, most people don’t need huge allotments of time but rather focused listening sessions in short bursts. If team members become time-wasters, respond by setting clear boundaries and expectations. Don’t allow the fear of what “could” happen to hold you back from listening deeply to those under your care.

3 – Express Appreciation

Many leaders overlook a simple way to build people up in the midst of busyness. Also, when people perform the tasks on their job description, it’s often seen as simply doing what they’re paid to do. While that may be technically true, expressing appreciation for a job well done goes a long way. How people accomplish their tasks matters just as much, if not more, than simply getting things done. It’s a quality issue. Those who feel appreciated want to excel and will exert more effort. Those who are disengaged and distracted will do enough just to get by. How leaders respond to the quality of their employees’ work often determines how they continue to produce. When you express appreciation for working with excellence and diligence, performance will improve. Motivation will increase. Attitudes and behaviors will improve. People want to feel appreciated and when you express appreciation to them, they feel more valued. This leads to better outcomes and more loyalty toward their leader.

Imagine having a team of highly engaged people on your team who work diligently to produce quality results.

Imagine being the go-to leader who others can depend on because they feel valued each day. 

Imagine the kind of culture you could have if everyone feels valued and in turn values one another. 

This can be your reality if you’ll implement these three intentional actions to express value to your followers.

If you’re ready to up-level your leadership so you can attract high-quality team members and keep them engaged, 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!