Leadership

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. 

If you’re ready to develop the “being” side of your leadership, take the following critical steps:

1 – Develop Your Character

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.

2 – Protect Your Integrity

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.

3 – Focus on Consistency

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!

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:

1 – Plant Seeds

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.

2 – Cultivate Growth

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.

3 – Yield Results

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!

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:

1 – Define and Know Your Values

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.

2 – Communicate With Words, Demonstrate With Actions

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.

3 – Advance Your Reputation With Credibility

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 our world of self-promotion, humility isn’t a very popular trait these days. However, to be a leader who attracts high-quality engaged people to your team or organization, it can’t be all about you. While personal branding is valuable in the complex world we live in, there’s a fine line between building your brand and allowing your ego to run wild. 

If you desire to be someone people love to follow, consider the following key ideas and actions to implement in your daily leadership.

1 – Lowering Yourself Requires Strength

Too often, humility is viewed as a weakness because you’re not pounding your chest or shouting “I am the greatest!” like Muhammed Ali, but in reality, it’s a strength. It takes strength to restrain yourself from being egotistical and arrogant. It takes strength to put others’ needs above your own. It takes strength to help others win without receiving all the credit yourself.

2 – Bend Down to Lift Others Up

When you are committed to developing leaders in your organization, you must meet them on their level. In sports, when a player falls to the ground, his or her teammates rush over to help them up. They don’t stand up tall and expect them to come up to their level. Instead, they bend down to grab their hands and lift them up. To help others improve their skills and performance, bend down to meet them where they are, then help them rise up to accomplish new goals.

3 – Gain Respect by Giving Respect

Respect is earned, not simply given. Yes, there is often a “honeymoon” period when leaders receive respect simply because they are hired into certain positions, but it doesn’t last forever. Titles and roles only go so far. Respect is ultimately gained (and kept) through intentional daily actions. When you give respect to those you lead, you are more likely to receive it back. Regardless of the various roles people play in your organization, each person should be valued for who they are, as well as their unique contributions.

Imagine people feeling comfortable enough to approach you because you don’t place yourself on a self-given pedestal.

Imagine your followers trusting you to help them rise to new levels in their own leadership.

Imagine receiving respect simply because of who you are and how you treat others regardless of what roles they serve in your organization.

This can be your reality when you intentionally choose to exemplify humility. Followers appreciate humble leaders who display quiet strength and produce results without having to draw attention to themselves. This doesn’t mean you must suppress your enthusiasm or outgoing personality if that’s natural for you. It’s merely about the posture you take as you interact with your team.

In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #16 – Exemplifies Humility. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!

Until next time…make today GREAT!

In 2009 author and thought leader Simon Sinek published his book Start with Why and it quickly became a hit. The premise of his book is that we too often start by asking ourselves and our teams “how” or “what” we’re supposed to do, but our “why” is the fuel that truly makes things happen. It’s the purpose behind our tactics and strategies.

So many leaders are wearing themselves out by staying busy without being purposeful. When we are purposeful, it alters the way we think and act. It makes us more intentional. It makes us better.

If you want to become a leader who gets the most important things done with and through your followers, consider the following for being a more purposeful leader:

1 – Give of Yourself

Leading with purpose often requires that you set your agenda aside so you can serve your team in meaningful ways, which in turn empowers them to perform better. Leadership isn’t a one-person show. It’s about attracting, training, equipping, and deploying your team members to accomplish well-defined goals and tasks. When you give of yourself to your followers, they are more likely to buy into your leadership and vision. This leads to them working more purposefully.

2 – For the Benefit of Others

Many leaders sacrifice their time, energy, and health trying to receive accolades and pats on the back, but purposeful leaders who attract and retain high-quality team members work for the benefit of those they lead. They find ways to serve them so they can improve their skills and abilities. They help them define their personal goals and help them advance on their career paths. They find ways to add value to their followers daily. They don’t use their position for personal gain and power plays, but rather for enhancing the quality of the workplace environment. This gains favor with followers and motivates them to become better team players so the organization’s goals and objectives are achieved.

3 – For the Sake of the Mission 

Whether stated or not, each organization has a mission to accomplish. So do individuals. When you serve your followers purposefully, you not only help them grow and develop but you also increase your chances of accomplishing your mission more effectively. As a leader, you must continually keep the mission in front of your people. No one should show up to just work, but rather to take the next steps toward accomplishing key goals and objectives. When you serve purposefully as a leader, you set the tone for the team’s performance. They will follow your lead as you guide them to meet personal and team goals.

It’s often been said to serve “without an agenda.” I disagree. The most effective leaders always have a worthy agenda to pursue. The mission of your organization is part of it. The development of your followers is another. Your personal success can be yet another. The key is to keep things ordered so everyone has the chance to be successful. 

Imagine having a team of men and women who show up with a passion to pursue your organization’s mission each day. 

Imagine having dedicated followers who are excited to be on your team and recruit other talented people to help you achieve your mission.

Imagine ending each day feeling accomplished and enthusiastic because you are making consistent progress. 

All this can be your reality when you choose to serve purposefully rather than working in a random, scattered manner.

In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #15 – Serves Purposefully. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!

Until next time…make today GREAT!

Leadership is ultimately about people, but many leaders often lose sight of this amidst the busyness of their schedules and the pressures of deadlines. In order to develop a highly engaged, high-performing team, you must ensure that you don’t neglect building quality relationships with your followers. 

While doing this isn’t necessarily easy, you can become a much better people manager by implementing the following three strategies:

1 – Build Relationships With Your People

Leadership that transforms lives and organizations is highly relational. To attract and retain high-performers, you must prioritize building relationships with your followers. As you do this, you’ll get to know their stories, strengths, and weaknesses. You’ll be able to understand their personal visions for their lives. You’ll become a leader they trust and want to follow with more energy and enthusiasm. Choose to be a relationship builder and watch how your influence grows.

2 – Foster Relationships Between Your People

Building personal relationships with your people is critical, but can’t be your end goal. You must also ensure that your followers are relating well with one another. Think like an air traffic controller who is seated higher up to see what’s happening on the ground so planes don’t collide on the runways or at the terminals. Think about how they monitor computer screens to ensure that there are no collisions in the air. As a leader, you can connect people to one another in ways they wouldn’t think about. You can head off problems before they happen. You can encourage your followers to build relationships with each other, which will strengthen the team. Choose to be a people connector.

3 – Champion Relationships In Your Organization

Steps one and two are focused on what you personally do, but this third step leads to your followers taking ownership of relationships as well. When you champion relationships throughout your organization, it becomes a better place to work. People become more energized as they feel more connected with their peers. You can’t be everywhere all the time, so make it a priority to encourage ongoing relationships to be built and fostered. While some people will take this more seriously than others, everyone can contribute.

Imagine having a workplace culture that is enjoyable and energizing.

Imagine knowing your people so well that you can help them succeed and grow faster than ever before. 

Imagine having a team of well-connected people who are looking out for each other and are willing to step in and help as needed. 

Make the commitment to prioritize relationships in your leadership and you’ll begin to reap the benefit of deeper trust and improved effort among your team.  

In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #14 – Prioritizes People. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!

Until next time…make today GREAT!

Teaching your followers what to do is critical to your organization’s success. However, it can’t stop there if you want to achieve peak performance. It also requires equipping them for growth so they (and you) can experience greater success. As with other key aspects of leadership, many leaders find themselves unsure about how to do this well. 

If you want to become a leader people love to follow, implement the following three action steps so your team members can reach new levels of success:

1 – Cast Vision for Stepping Up

In order for anyone to reach new levels of success in any area of their life, a new vision must be placed before them. Think about mountain climbing. If all you do is stare at the base of the mountain, nothing will change. However, when you look up at the peak, all sorts of things begin to happen. New thoughts emerge. Fears and doubts emerge. The excitement begins to build and adrenaline begins to race through your veins. Dreams of accomplishing a monumental challenge flow through your mind. Vision becomes the driving force of achieving new goals and objectives. Leaders must be vision-casters if they want their teams to tackle new challenges and succeed at new levels.

2 – Equip for Climbing Up

Once the vision is shared, it is the leader’s job to ensure that each team member has the tools and resources to be successful. Telling someone to climb Mt. Everest without the proper gear is setting them up for failure. Expecting your team members to accomplish big goals without making sure they have the training and tools to succeed does the same thing. Make sure your followers have what they need to be successful. As the leader, you’re often asking people to go where they’ve never gone before. This requires that you do your own research to make sure you give them the tools they need.

3 – Celebrate Reaching New Heights

Many leaders struggle with celebrating success. We can be so future-focused that we neglect to celebrate the wins along the way. If you want to help your followers maintain momentum and feel energized to tackle future challenges, become intentional about celebrating wins. If it’s a big win, celebrate big! If it’s a small win, acknowledge it in simple ways that show your people that you noticed their efforts paying off. I’ve heard it said that what gets celebrated gets repeated. If you want your team to stay motivated long-term, throw more parties when milestones are reached.

Imagine having a team of fired-up followers energetically taking on any challenge you throw their way. 

Imagine having people with incredible confidence because they know they have the training and tools needed to be successful.

Imagine casting vision and then having confidence that your team will immediately step up and take action. 

This can be your reality when you consciously choose to equip your followers to climb successfully. You’ll be thrilled at their results and you’ll gain favor with your people because they’ll know you have their best interest in mind.

In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #13 – Equips Climbers. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!

Until next time…make today GREAT!

Accountability is something most organizations and leaders desire, but few execute well. One key reason is because of a critical fear – “If I hold you accountable, you may just hold me accountable.” Yikes!

However, accountability is vital to the health and success of any team or organization. If this is so important, how can you become better at it?

Consider the following three critical actions that will help you develop a more accountable organizational culture:

1 – Be a Person Others Can Count On

Like all other things in leadership, accountability doesn’t end with you, but it does begin with you. When you become a person others can count on, you set a standard for the rest of your followers. You become a model worth emulating. You have greater credibility when you hold others accountable for their actions and production. Commit to being a leader who consistently does what you say you’ll do.

2 – Help People Count On Each Other

In order to help others count on each other, expectations must be communicated clearly and often. Many frustrations in relationships occur because of unmet expectations. While this will certainly always be a challenge, you can improve accountability between your followers by making sure everyone is aware of who is responsible for the details needing to be accomplished. You also need to monitor and facilitate the health of team relationships. As relationships grow stronger, trust is built. As trust is built, people begin to count on each other more naturally and the speed of success increases.

3 – Cultivate an Accountability Culture

Leadership is a lot like gardening. You need to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, pull the weeds, water the plants, and protect them from intruders. When you take the steps to cultivate an accountability culture, you are taking responsibility for the long-term health and success of your team and organization. As a leader, you must set the standard. You must make sure expectations are clear. You must continually communicate the importance of being accountable and hold one another accountable. You can’t do this on time and let it go. It has to be a continual message because accountability requires intentionality.

Accountability is often the “secret sauce” of highly effective organizations and teams. 

Imagine walking into your team meetings where everyone gives a report on having accomplished their required tasks. 

Imagine a team full of people holding one another accountable to become better every day. 

Imagine outperforming other departments or competitors because each person knows that the others are depending on them to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. 

This doesn’t have to be a dream scenario. It can be your reality when you implement these three critical actions in your leadership. 

Take the time to do some self-reflection and then begin modeling and building a culture of accountability today.

In my new book, The Magnetic Leader: 18 Essential Actions of Leaders People Love to Follow, I go much deeper into Essential Action #11 – Embraces Accountability. CLICK HERE to learn more and to purchase your copy today!

Until next time…make today GREAT!