Faith – Page 12 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Minute: Your Hopes and Dreams

Posted August 15, 2014
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Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do. – Pope John XXIII

One of the most important things you can do as a leader is to never give up on your hopes and dreams. They are the lifeblood of your heart and the passion that drives you. We’ve all faced setbacks and disappointments that have tried to discourage us and cause us to give up. It’s part of our learning and growth. But the challenge today is not to dwell on things of the past; especially the defeats and failures; they are but stepping stones on your success journey. Be encouraged today to embrace your hopes and dreams. Dare to believe that your best days are ahead of you and that all things are possible. Don’t allow fear, frustrations, or unfulfilled potential to hold you back. This is your day to embrace your possibilities and look to the future with hope and confidence.

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Leadership Minute: Nicer Than Average

Posted August 14, 2014
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The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. – Andy Rooney

Be nice. It’s a simple enough concept and is one that we were taught from an early age. The beauty of the idea is that once it’s developed it will serve you well in all areas of your life. Enter your role as a leader. Being nice as a leader does not mean that you have to be a pushover and not be firm. It doesn’t mean that you are naïve and are not business savvy. Being nice is a reflection of your character and how you treat people is important to you. Being nice is a matter of respect for those around you even if you don’t happen to like them. Let’s face it; some people are just jerks and being nice to them can be a challenge. But being nice is not about them – it’s about you. You can be better than average by being nicer than average. Give it a try!

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Leadership Minute: Learn From Your Mistakes

Posted August 13, 2014
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If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner. – Tallulah Bankhead

Of the vast experiences you will have as a leader making mistakes will rank pretty high on the list. It’s what leaders do. Granted, the fewer the better, but it’s part of your growth process. Your growth and maturity as a leader comes from taking risks, not settling for average, and by believing that you can achieve your goals. By embracing this attitude you are setting yourself up to make mistakes. It happens. So what’s the payoff? The rewards come and satisfaction is found when you know how to turn those learning experiences into positives. Past mistakes are simply signposts on your success journey. Each experience is teaching you and sharpening your leadership skills. When you are not afraid to make mistakes the faster you will achieve your goals. The question is not will you make mistakes, but rather, what will you learn?

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Leadership Minute: Serve Well

Posted August 4, 2014
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I have always believed that the best leader is the best server. – Herb Kellleherm

As a leader you wear many hats and juggle many responsibilities. Your leadership journey is one filled with up’s and down’s and everything in between. But what are the defining characteristics of your leadership? Could it be your charismatic personality? After all, people are drawn to vibrant and energetic leaders. Perhaps it’s your track history of great successes that draws people to you. While there could be any number of things to point to that defines you as a leader there is really only one that truly matters. Serving is the ultimate and highest expression of your leadership. When you make serving your priority you set the tone for how customers are going to be treated, how employees will perform, how clients will be represented, how business will be conducted, and how growth will be achieved. Serving is the ‘secret formula” for success and life. When you stop looking inward and start looking outward you can start going forward.

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Leadership Minute: The Power of Your Influence

Posted August 1, 2014
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Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other peoples’ interests first. – Bob Burg, The Go-Giver

Influence is a by-product of your leadership. It’s also the blessing of your leadership and it comes with a powerful responsibility. Every day you have the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of people around you. You are not in your place of leadership just to occupy space or for it to be self-serving. You are there to serve and help others. When you use your influence with abundance it tends to have a reciprocal effect. When you are generous with your influence – be it as a mentor, helping someone make an important connection, being involved with a charity in your community, etc. it all comes back around on you in positive ways. The measure of your leadership will be determined in part by what you did with your influence. When you use your influence to lift others up you are raising the level of your leadership. Give generously.

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Leadership Minute: The Right Path

Posted July 31, 2014
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Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. – Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas

Not all of your decisions as a leader will be easy. Sometimes in making the right decision you are making the harder one. The unintended consequences of the right decision can cause you to question if it was the right choice. Understand this; while there is great fulfillment in leadership it often comes at a price. Doing the right thing is the result of living the right way. When choosing which path to take don’t always look for the easy one. Not every path will be hard and not every choice will be difficult. In the end, what matters is that you are willing to make that choice. At the end of the day the question is not whether you made the hard choice or the easy choice but whether you made the right choice. Regardless of the outcome let the decisions you make and the paths you walk be driven by what’s right; not what’s easy.

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Leadership Minute: Make Peace With Your Past

Posted July 29, 2014
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Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or…learn from it. – Rafiki, Lion King

One of the greatest hindrances to your leadership today and that of your future can be things from your past. While you can’t go back change it you can adapt new ways of dealing with it. Perhaps you did some things that you are not proud of or someone hurt you and you are holding on to resentments. It could be a failed relationship or business that has turned your attitude the wrong way and it is affecting your leadership today. While you can’t go back and have a do-over, you can embrace new behaviors and attitudes today that can help you. The past is the past. You can learn from it but it is a choice you have to make. When you let go of the past; forgive, forget, and move on- you can experience the freedom that comes from a fresh new outlook on life. Make peace with your past.

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Leadership Minute: Opportunity Awaits

Posted July 25, 2014
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At times leadership boils down to this simple challenge: Will we rise to the opportunity placed before us? – Hans Finzel

Leadership is about seeing and seizing opportunities. The catch is being able to recognize it when you see it. Your opportunities won’t always look like what you might expect. It could come disguised to as opportunities to serve. It could look a lot like more work; and usually will be. Your opportunity could be found in mentoring a young person or coaching Little League. Don’t make the mistake in believing that the opportunity that awaits you is about you. Seize opportunities to empower others, meet needs, and let the expressions of your leadership be those that will outlast you. There will never shortages of opportunities to make a difference with your leadership. When you take the focus off yourself and place it on others you will see more opportunities than you will know what to do with. Will you rise to your opportunity?

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Leadership Minute: Defining What’s Possible

Posted July 23, 2014
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The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination. – Tommy Lasorda

The secret formula for the success that one achieves over the impossible is found in determination. Great skills and talents are wonderful assets but are of little value to the person who has no motivation or determination. A keen mind combined with a unique business savvy is enough to make anyone envious but is of no value if you quit at the first sign of difficulty. Possessing a charismatic personality that people want to follow puts you at a considerable advantage but not if you don’t possess a long-term commitment to succeed. Determined leaders are a special breed of leaders who are not fazed by external circumstances but rather have their eyes on the goal and a steady hand at the wheel. These are the leaders who are used to hearing “impossible” but forge ahead anyway. The secret ingredient of this leader and their success is not really a mystery. It can be summed up in that one powerful word: determination.

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Leadership Minute: Be Grateful

Posted July 22, 2014
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Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining- it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems. – Zig Ziglar

What are you grateful for? It’s really all about your perspective. You can spend your time and energy finding things to complain about. You can be one of “those” people who aren’t happy unless you’re unhappy and in the process make everyone around you miserable. But life is too short for that. We all have our share of troubles, but more importantly we all have many things to be thankful for. The thoughts that dominate your mind tend to set the tone for your outlook and life and the happiness you experience. If you are living the life of a complainer then your focus is wrong. The expressions of a grateful heart are realized when you choose to see the good, find ways to serve others, and life your life with a greater purpose. You are blessed more than you realize. Be grateful.

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