Faith – Page 9 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Minute: Don’t Lose Your Way

Posted October 26, 2014
by admin

Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances. – Proverbs 11:14, The Message

Have you ever been lost? When you lose your sense of direction it can be frustrating and time consuming. Good directions are essential to reaching your desired destination. As a leader it’s important to have good directions. You have people who rely on you and look to you for assurances that you know the way. One of the best things you can do for yourself as a leader is to get wise counsel. That’s right; ask for directions! There is so much you can learn from mentors and other role models who can speak truth into your life and keep you grounded. The easiest way to lose your way is to think you can do it alone. But when you are willing to humble yourself and learn from others, the better your chances are for success. What have you learned today?

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Leadership Minute: Never Give Up!

Posted October 23, 2014
by admin

Never, never, never give up – Winston Churchill

Leaders – have you ever felt: like throwing in the towel, overcome by discouragement, all alone and wore out, like a babysitter, frustrated, stressed, angry, confused, looking for answers, tired, burned out, weary, delirious, doubtful, skeptical, hurt, battered, bruised, betrayed, overworked, underappreciated, and asking the proverbial question of ‘why me?’. Welcome to the world of leadership. So before you throw in the towel and call it quits (we’ve all been there), let me take a moment to encourage you. You are more than the sum of your fears and frustrations. Your life, your purpose, and your destiny have you today where you are meant to be and doing what you were meant to do. It may not be the final stop on your leadership journey but it’s your place to shine today. Don’t allow your emotions to sidetrack you from fulfilling your purpose or keep you from your ultimate destiny. Take a deep breath and remember you are not alone. Never, never, never give up!

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Leadership Minute: Serve Your Purpose

Posted October 20, 2014
by admin

Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye. – HAL computer, 2001: A Space Odyssey

What is your purpose as a leader? You’d be hard pressed to find anything more important to you as a leader than serving your purpose. It’s what gives your leadership meaning. Unfortunately for many, the purpose of leadership gets lost to secondary matters. For some it’s about attaining an element of power. Others might think it’s about a title or position. When these things become the focal point or belief as to what leadership is about then the purpose of leadership has been lost. The higher you climb as a leader and the more responsibilities you take on as a leader the greater this knowledge becomes. In short; it’s not about you. It is however about taking and using the influence you have to serve causes greater than yourself. Once you understand that this is your purpose as a leader you can then see it really has little to do with you. It’s about what happens through you.

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Leadership Minute: Measuring Success

Posted October 8, 2014
by admin

Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others. – Danny Thomas

How do you measure success? The answer will vary depending on who you ask. For some it’s the bottom line – the bank account. For others it’s defined by promotions or rank in the company hierarchy. And for some it might be the admiration and respect of your peers. On the merits, none of these things are wrong. But is it truly the measure of success that makes a difference in the long run? As a leader I believe that the true measure of your success will be defined by what you do for others and great causes that will outlast you. What that looks like for you in large part will be defined by the values you embrace and the issues close to your heart. In short; it’s not about you. Measure your success by what matters most- did it help someone else?

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Leadership Minute: Know Your Surroundings

Posted October 7, 2014
by admin

I really do believe in the influence of your surroundings. – Matt Sharp

As a leader, your surroundings are an important factor in the formation and execution of your leadership style. The people you surround yourself with may not always be of your choosing. Just as some circumstances are out of your control, so too, are some of the people around you such as co-workers. Being aware of your surroundings is about your cognizance of toxic behaviors and attitudes that you need to be on your guard against. It’s an awareness of your surroundings and knowing who to keep out of your circle. But when you know your surroundings here is what else you know: You know who you can trust. You know who has your best interests at heart and who the pretenders are. You know the power of being with like-minded people and what you can accomplish together when ego and who gets the credit is not the driving factor. Knowing your surroundings is all about knowing who you want to surround yourself with. Are you familiar with your surroundings?

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Leadership Minute: Dreams or Fears?

Posted October 6, 2014
by admin

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. – Les Brown

Sometimes the line between living your dreams and living your fears can be thin. On one side of that thin line are the dreams and desires of your heart that resonate from deep within you. On the other side of that line are the fears that hold you back. Perhaps it’s a fear of repeating a past mistake. It could be a fear of the unknown or failure. But one thing is certain- your fear of failure will come true by default if you do not act. Your dreams can only come true when you make up your mind that your life is going to be defined by faith, not fear, and that your dreams are the more powerful than fear. What fear is keeping you from crossing the threshold from fear to living your dream? Don’t allow your fears to crush your dreams. Today can be a day of new beginnings when you cross the line and don’t look back. What is your dream?

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Leadership Minute: A Winning Attitude

Posted October 2, 2014
by admin

I think whether you’re having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude. – Colin Powell

Your attitude is one of the most important attributes as a person and as a leader. All leaders go through times of testing. It can be a rough and tumble world out there. But whether you are in the midst of good times or setbacks, your attitude is very important. The only thing that can make the good times better is an attitude of gratitude. The only thing that can make a setback worse is a bad attitude. The common thread in any situation you face is whether the attitude you choose will help you or hurt you. When you display a winning attitude it will spread to others around you. The message it sends will inspire confidence and give hope that even though things may look bad at the moment, things are going to be fine. What message is your attitude sending to those around you? Choose today to embrace a winning attitude.

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Leadership Minute: Set Your Course

Posted September 30, 2014
by admin

Among the safe courses, the safest of all is to doubt. – Spanish Proverb

Let’s be honest; all successful leaders starting out have their doubts. Whether those doubts about the future and their goals are self-inflicted or placed upon them by someone else, every leader has doubts. You know the doubts I speak of: Am I qualified? What happens if I fail? What will people say or think if I fall short? Well, hang around long enough in leadership and you will no doubt hear those sentiments. The question is not whether you will have doubts but what you will do with them. The key is not to be defined by your doubts or doubters but to set your course and not look back, neither to the left nor to the right, but straight ahead to the goals before you. You must listen to the only voice that matters that comes from deep within you saying this is the way. Set your course, cast aside your doubts, and chase your dreams. You can do this!

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Leadership Minute: Scripting Your ‘Good Ole Day’s’

Posted September 29, 2014
by admin

The illusion that times that were are better than those that are, has probably prevailed all ages. – Horace Greeley

This is perhaps a widely accepted generational belief that the good ole days of yester-year were somehow better than the present. It’s not hard to look around without having a certain measure of longing for what we perceive was a better time and place. Just bring back the good ole days we cry. But the good ole days of the next generation is what we create today. As a leader this is your day, this is your time, this is your moment to create the days you long and wish for. Time doesn’t stand still for any of us. The good that you hope the next generation will look back on and remember as the ‘good ole days’ is created by what you do today. It’s found in your daily random acts of kindness, the service that you render to others, and it’s a script that only you can write. You are the author of the next generation’s good ole days. How is your script coming along?

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Three Things Talent Can’t Do For You

Posted September 26, 2014
by admin

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. – Albert Einstein

Gary Inrig tells an interesting story about Bertoldo de Giovanni. Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art.

One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!”

When it comes to the recruitment of the best and brightest in most organizations the safe bet is to always go with the most talented. For example, you don’t see the top law firms competing for the bottom ten graduating students from law school; instead they go after those graduating at the top of their class.

It goes without saying that talent is important. You want and need talented people on your team. But is talent alone enough? I’d like to highlight three things that talent can’t do for you and in doing so hopefully help you to see the broader picture of what matters most.

Talent can’t be a substitute for your character

Whenever you place a higher premium on talent than on character you have made a mistake. A talented individual on your team can be a valuable asset. But if they are strong on talent and weak on character in the end you will both lose. This is a trap many leaders find themselves in. What do you do when the “star” of your office (top sales producer, etc.) is also the office jerk, a bully, cuts corners, or exhibits otherwise questionable behavior?

At the end of the day, you can always find talented people to help you. You can also find people of character. It’s not an either-or proposition. You can have both but you have to esteem one over the other. Which do you think is more important?

Talent can’t be a replacement for your motivation

Talent and potential is one thing while possessing the motivation and desire to achieve is another. A person with lesser talent but with a higher motivation factor can achieve more than an unmotivated person with more talent. Talent is not what gets you up and out the door in the morning. Talent does not give you an advantage; motivation does.

A classic example is Steven Spielberg. Spielberg dropped out of high school and applied to and was rejected by three different film schools because of his “C” average grade. His report card didn’t measure his motivation and passion. But because his motivation joined forces with his talents we’ve all enjoyed some really great movies. The key here is not to become complacent or coast just because you are talented. No one will remember you because you had talents, but they will remember what you did with it.

Talent can’t be a predictor of your success

What talents do you possess? What is your driving passion? What would you attempt to do if you knew that you could not fail? These are pointed but necessary questions you need to answer if you want to be successful. You see, it’s not your talents that define you or guarantee your success – it’s your choices.

In your possession are talents that you have been blessed with. And every day your choices take you one step closer to perfecting those talents and achieving those dreams or your choices hold you back.

Here are some key choices you will have to make: Your attitude; it will make you or break you. Your friends; the true ones will always believe in you and stick with you. Your faith; it will give you strength for your journey and peace in your storms. Your fears; you will be defined by how you overcame them or how they overcame you. Your talents; will you use them or will you lose them. Talent does not guarantee success it is simply part of the formula.

Embracing your talents is a necessary first step going forward. The formula looks like this: T (Talent) + C (Character) + M (Motivation) + C (Choices) = S (Success). What are you doing with your talents?

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