Faith – Page 10 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Minute: Seek to Serve

Posted September 24, 2014
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We lead best when we seek the welfare of those we lead, when we seek to serve rather than being served. – Alan McGinnis

As a leader you will put many skills into practice. You will learn the ropes of good people skills, time management, vision casting, teamwork, conflict resolution, and much more. But chief among those skills and what will set you apart from your counterparts is a genuine heart for those you lead. When you seek the welfare of those you lead above your own it will be the defining mark of your leadership. When you seek to serve your people they will see up close and personal what real leadership is all about. This leadership philosophy runs contrary to what many people experience and what too few leaders practice. But think of how different things would be if it were. Your leadership is a privilege and it’s a gift. The joy of leadership is found in that discovery. Seek first to serve and everything else will take care of itself.

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Leadership Minute: Building Blocks

Posted September 18, 2014
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One measure of your success will be the degree to which you build others up who work with you. While building up others, you will build up yourself. – James E. Casey

Building others up is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do as a leader. Your ability to influence and build up others can be a real game changer. When you take the time to acknowledge a colleague, congratulate on a job well done or give a word of encouragement, you have no idea the impact it can have. Perhaps that person is having a bad day and you’ve just renewed their faith in your leadership. You just never know the private struggle the other person is carrying. But because you are a leader who builds others up you can make their day. Will it come back on you in positive ways? Of course it will. But as you grow as a leader you will soon discover the joy of being the blessing more than receiving it.

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Leadership Minute: Are You Adding or Subtracting?

Posted September 17, 2014
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No matter what level of the company you’re on, you have a choice about what you will contribute to the culture. – Bill Hybels

When it comes to your participation in your organizational structure are you adding to it or subtracting from it? Each day at your place of business you are either the face of everything that is good and right about your business or you are a good bad example. Your organizational structure is only as good and right and productive as each person in it. Some days are tough. I get it. There are some days and some people that just rub you the wrong way. I understand. The boss may be a jerk and there may be days you feel you are carrying the load by yourself. It happens. But at the end of the day your presence, your attitude, and your work ethic is a contribution for the good of your company’s culture or it’s taking away from it. The choice is yours. Let your contributions be an example others will choose to follow.

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Leadership Minute: Get Up and Get Moving!

Posted September 16, 2014
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Just remember that there’s no way for any of us to get to the place of our Big Dream without leaving our recliners! – Bruce Wilkinson

What is your big dream? It’s the dream or idea that will keep you up late at night and gets you up early in the morning. But the dream does not come true because you dream it – it comes true because you work it. Your dream is akin to a blueprint – it’s the map of your destiny. Without a blueprint the builder can’t build. Many people bemoan unfulfilled dreams but in reality, for most, it was work left undone. The reality is this: the bigger the dream the harder the work. My encouragement to you today is not just to dream big dreams but to work hard. You will know that your dream has captured your heart when it puts tools in your hand. Do you have a big dream? Get up and get moving. It’s time to go to work!

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Leadership Minute: Lead With Purpose

Posted September 15, 2014
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The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants. – Rick Warren

One of the most important things you can do as a leader is to run your own race. Doing so requires knowing your purpose and examining your motives. Many would like to have the title of “leader” but for what purpose? Is it for the sake of what that title can afford you? Is it for personal gain? How about your motives? Be sure of this truth in leadership – your motives will be revealed. But the servant leader is just as easily identifiable but for a very different reason. A leader with a servants heart places others first, looks for ways to lift others up, and is not too proud to serve. Servant leaders have a different mindset and create a different organizational culture. When serving others becomes your mission it’s a game changer. When “what can I do for you?’ replaces “what can you do for me?” it changes everything. The road of servant leadership is less crowded and for good reason. Give it a try!

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The Power of Ordinary Leaders

Posted September 12, 2014
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If you want a starring role, you’ll miss the miracle. If you’re willing to be an ordinary extra, God will do something extraordinary. – Mark Batterson, The Grave Robber

A story is told of a group of elderly, cultured gentlemen who met often to exchange wisdom and drink tea. Each host tried to find the finest and most costly varieties, to create exotic blends that would arouse the admiration of his guests.

When the most venerable and respected of the group entertained, he served his tea with unprecedented ceremony, measuring the leaves from a golden box. The assembled epicures praised this exquisite tea. The host smiled and said, “The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink. I hope it will be a reminder to all that the good things in life are not necessarily the rarest or the most costly.”

In recent years there has been an explosion of books and material on the topic of leadership. I am not only a contributor to the topic of leadership but I am also a consumer as it’s in my interest both personally and professionally to grow and develop. A recent Google search of leadership books netted more than 67,300,000 hits. Talk about your reading list!

With the availability of such quantities of leadership material out there perhaps it’s time to think through our expectations of leadership and what constitutes being a good leader in today’s world. Too often we look at those who have a large spotlight and are seen as the “superstars” in the world of leadership and think we can never measure up. We’ve read all about going from “good to great” but how do we simply become good or better- much less “great”?

I’d like to offer up some practical tips and words of encouragement for all current and aspiring “ordinary extra” leaders who daily work to make a difference. Here are four tips to help you become better.

Stay the course

My friend Dr. Greg Morris (on Twitter @LdshpDynamics) uses this phrase frequently and it has stuck with me – stay the course. I think on many levels this is part of the secret of being a good leader. There’s nothing really glamourous about it. It’s just a simple reminder that being a good leader and becoming a better leader is a matter of commitment. When times are tough – stay the course. When critics attack – stay the course. In times of success – stay the course. Leaders who last are committed and committed leaders stay the course.

Stay curious

Leaders who grow and improve their leadership skills over time have an insatiable desire to learn and grow. Curiosity is the gift that keeps on giving and good leaders ask the questions that one no else is asking, and as my friend Dan Rockwell suggests, will ask the second questions (http://bit.ly/1pWVyeG). Curious leaders want to know what his or her people are saying and thinking so that the culture of the organization remains healthy and strong. Curious leaders want to know what the customers are thinking in order to better serve them and to improve the bottom line. Curiosity will keep your thinking fresh and your skills sharp. What are you curious about?

Stay connected

It’s similar in nature to curiosity so being connected is central to your growth as a leader. Being connected is about relationships and communication. These are the basic tenants of your leadership development. Good leaders value and build relationships. Communication works best when relationships are strong. Being connected is an intentional act of your leadership. There are no shortcuts when it comes to being connected and there’s no better person to do it than you. If you want your people to connect with you then you have to take the first steps and connect with them.

Stay confident

Confidence is a key component to your success. You have achieved the measure of success that you enjoy, in part, because of confidence in your abilities and using them wisely. But this encouragement is dispensed also with a dose of warning. Be careful not to become arrogant and believe it’s all about you. It’s not. But confidence is needed in order to grow and become a better leader. In as much as low morale is devastating to the culture of your organization, so too, will low self-esteem hinder your personal growth. Stay confident in your abilities and keep your ego to yourself.

When you are willing to be an “ordinary extra” type of a leader you can make a significant difference. Your name may not be in the limelight but your contributions are just as valuable. Stay the course!

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Leadership Minute: Are You a Thankful Leader?

Posted September 11, 2014
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Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life. – Robert Louis Stevenson

A thankful heart is an essential ingredient in the DNA of a leader. Daily you have to account for all the responsibilities that fall on your shoulders. Your leadership skills are constantly being sharpened as your challenges grow. But at the core of who you are as a leader should be a remembrance of just how far you’ve come and the blessings that you now enjoy. Don’t allow yourself to get so caught up in the pursuit of success that you don’t know how to live in the moment with a thankful heart. A leader with a thankful heart knows how to keep their eyes open to new mercies. Consider the sacredness that each day brings and with appreciation live it to its fullest. Who are you thankful for? What are you thankful for? Whatever your answer may be – don’t forget it!

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Leadership Minute: Courage to Lead

Posted September 10, 2014
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You will never do anything is this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. – Aristotle

When it comes to the naming of essential leadership traits, courage ranks high on the list. Courage is what it takes to stand by your values and convictions even if it means standing alone. Courage is what inspires you to act when all other indicators say it’s not a good idea. Courage is telling people what they need to hear and not just what they want to hear. Being courageous may not always be popular but it is essential. The confidence that springs from being courageous is the product of being careful. Courageous leadership comes about by being confident, considerate, and is never about being arrogant. The fuel that drives courageous leaders is not ego but humility. You need courage to lead. Courage is your secret weapon and with it you can go far. Let it be your silent partner and give you strength. The world needs courageous leaders like you.

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Leadership Minute: Don’t Be Bitter

Posted September 8, 2014
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Some guys leave a place after a long time, and they’re bitter. Not me. – Peyton Manning

If there was ever a person who led by example on this issue it was Peyton Manning. When he left the Indianapolis Colts for the Denver Broncos he did it with as much class and style as anyone could. He modeled the way it can be done. But in your leadership journey I am sure you’ve come across those who left a place after a long career who didn’t leave on such good terms. Perhaps their journey didn’t go as planned. Maybe their dreams went unfulfilled and they left bitter and beat down. In leadership you will always have challenges. You don’t always choose your circumstances or how people will treat you. But you do own your attitudes and reactions. So regardless of what you are facing today – know this, you are there for a purpose. Make up your mind to guard your heart and your attitude at all costs. When it’s time to move on you will know it- not because you are bitter, but because you are at peace.

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Leadership Minute: A Life of Gratitude

Posted September 4, 2014
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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. – John F. Kennedy

As leaders we have much to be thankful for. No amount of words will ever suffice to express the gratitude we have for those in our life- past and present who helped us along the way. While kind expressions should be expressed it’s how we live our life that truly counts. Living a life of gratitude ultimately leads to a different way of leading. When we remember with gratitude those who gave us that first break, or those who welcomed us not just as colleagues but as friends, we tend to understand that those were defining moments in our leadership development. It’s from those experiences and many more that we learn how to live a life of gratitude and pass down those expressions of gratitude to those coming along behind us. Are you living a life of gratitude?

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