leadership character – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Three Signs That Pride is Impacting Your Leadership

Posted November 5, 2020
by admin

Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. – Ann Landers

A turtle wanted to spend the winter in Florida, but he knew he could never walk that far. He convinced a couple of geese to help him, each taking the end of a piece of rope, while he clamped his vise-like jaws in the center.

The flight went fine until someone on the ground looked up in admiration and asked, “Who in the world thought of that?”

Unable to resist the chance to take credit, the turtle opened his mouth to shout, “I did.”

Just as it was for the turtle, pride can be the source of your downfall in leadership. To be sure, we want to take pride in our work and do the best we can, but it’s another thing to allow pride to become detrimental to our leadership.

What does runaway pride look like on a day-to-day basis and why does it matter? Here are three traits to watch for.

An arrogant attitude

This is perhaps the most noticeable prideful trait you’ll display among your peers. To you, it’s a sign of confidence that says you believe in yourself and that you are in control. But an arrogant attitude in leadership does not come across that way to the people around you.

An arrogant attitude hurts your leadership because it sends the message to those around you that you think you are better than everyone else and gives off an air of superiority. Click To Tweet This, in turn, makes it much more difficult for your people to approach you or seek out your help for fear of ridicule. Drop the attitude and give your people a break.

An out of control ego

While an arrogant attitude may be the most noticeable prideful trait, an out of control ego can potentially be the most damaging. When your ego is out of control, over time your behaviors become more irrational. You eventually come to the place where you think everything is about you and take credit for things that you had nothing to do with.

An out of control ego not only hurts you as a leader, it also hurts those around you. When your team members are subservient to your ego and not focused on the mission, everything is in jeopardy. Get your ego in check. It’s not about you.

An overbearing management style

When an arrogant attitude and an out of control ego join forces the only possible outcome is an overbearing management style. This, of course, is the by-product of a leader who isn’t self-aware enough to notice what’s taking place. The result of this can be devastating to the people and to the organization unless the leader changes course.

The people who work under an overbearing leader will ultimately leave. They almost always do. This is why pride can be so detrimental to your leadership and is why you must always guard your heart.

Final Thoughts

It’s normal and natural to take pride in our work and pursue excellence. As leaders, you must be on guard not to allow pride in your work to become pride in your heart. When pride takes root in your heart, your leadership will always suffer.

As leaders, we must walk in humility and remember that it’s not about us.

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The Power of Kind Words

Posted July 2, 2020
by admin

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit – – Proverbs 18:21 ESV

I came across this story that I’d like to pass along to you:

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?” she heard whispered. “I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!” and, “I didn’t know others liked me so much,” were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last do so.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked. She nodded: “Yes.” Then he said: “Mark talked about you a lot.”

After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

“We want to show you something,” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.”

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded, and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him.

“Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”

All of Mark’s former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.”

Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.”

“I have mine too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary.”

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet, and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: “I think we all saved our lists.”

That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

Kind words. If there’s ever been a time when we need to speak and hear more kind words, it’s now. It seems that we are hearing less of them these days. Public discourse has a way of turning sour. We seem to be more concerned about being heard, than listening and understanding.

But all that aside, there is a better way. Taking the high road is an option and it’s up to people like me and you to lead the way.

Mother Teresa said, “ Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier”.

Change is never easy and at times the ship turns slow, but it happens one heart and one kind word at a time.

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Why Your Values Matter

Posted June 18, 2020
by admin

When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. – Roy E. Disney

In 2004, a painting by Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses, was brought to the Antiques Roadshow for appraisal. Born before the Civil War, Robertson did not take up painting until late in her life. Her primitive style eventually became extremely popular, and her work commanded a high price.

The man who brought the painting to be evaluated had lived nearby and his mother was a friend of Grandma Moses. He said, “She was just a wonderful friend of the family. And she would let my mother buy these paintings, which she thought had relatively little value. I guess my mother did, too. She probably bought eight or ten paintings in all, and my guess would be for perhaps under ten dollars each.”

The painting that was bought for around $10 was appraised as being with $60,000. In her early days of painting, Grandma Moses did not think of her works as being very valuable, so she parted with them for next to nothing.

Could it be that we are living in times when we truly don’t understand the importance of our values? Indeed, the times in which we live cry out for values-based leadership and in particular, leaders who are anchored to them. Click To Tweet We need leaders who know their true north and live it.

By simple definition, values are “the regard that something is held to deserve, the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” But defining values and living them becomes the challenge. Here are a few reasons why they are important to you as a leader.

Values are your non-negotiables

In leadership, your values represent your core convictions on how you lead, treat the people on your team, and how you interact with the clientele whom you serve. Your values bring clarity to who you are as a person and how you choose to live and interact with those around you. Your values, therefore, become the filter through which your decisions are made.

Values clarify policies and procedures

Many leaders pride themselves in the policies and procedures of their organizations. But they are only useful if they align with your values. Your policies and procedures do not operate in a vacuum apart from your values. Click To TweetAnd in the event you ever deal with a situation that is not addressed in your handbook, then your default procedure is always to defer to your values for guidance.

Values complement your ‘why’

Much has been said and written in recent years on finding your why and rightfully so. It’s imperative to you as a leader to know it. Knowing your why points you in the right direction while knowing your values provides you the moral compass to go there Click To Tweet. Trying to live out your why without values is like a fish trying to live out of water. It just doesn’t work. So before you begin your journey of discovering your why, start with your values.

Values facilitate decision making

As Roy Disney said in the lead-in quote, when your values are clear, decision making becomes easier. Many things about leadership are hard. Hang around long enough and you will learn that. But decision making within your organization becomes easier when your values are clear. Granted, not everyone will like your decisions, but when they are grounded in your values, then explaining that decision now becomes a teachable moment to remind them of those values.

Final Thoughts

Rumi said, “You know the value of every article of merchandise, but if you don’t know the value of your own soul, it’s all foolishness.” And this is the underlying reason to identify and know your values both personally and professionally. There are some things that are passing and temporary and other things that are eternal. The wisdom that comes from knowing your values helps you to know the difference.

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Leadership Lessons From Fred Rogers

Posted June 30, 2019
by admin

Life is deep and simple, and what our society gives us is shallow and complicated – Fred Rogers

It’s been 16 years since the passing of the beloved Fred Rogers, the host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”. His life was an inspiration to millions and the life lessons and values he passed on will not be forgotten by those of us who were privileged enough to watch him growing up.

His communication style was simple, straight forward, and sound. He told it like it was and inspired us to a higher standard.

There are many notable Fred Rogers quotes worth sharing, but the following are some of my favorites along with leadership applications.

There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.

To my previous point – his communication style was simple, straight forward, and sound. Being kind is a timeless leadership principle. What makes you a leader worth knowing, following, or emulating has nothing to do with your title, position, or who you know. It all comes down to this one thing- are you kind? Click To Tweet How you treat others says all that’s needed about what kind of leader you are. Be kind!

There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.

Just as life is not free from pain, neither is leadership. It has its painful moments. But the secret to your growth and development as a leader is not how to make all of your problems go away as pleasing as that might sound. It’s about learning how to wrestle. It’s about what you learn in the struggle that makes you a better person and leader. Don’t shy away from your problems, learn from them.

There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

As a leader, every encounter you have with the people you meet is an opportunity to add value to them. Think about the everyday encounters you have with others and ask yourself this simple question, “Did I add value today?”. Remember, with every encounter you are leaving a part of yourself. Make it count.

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

This is a great leadership principle. In today’s world, it’s so easy to be cynical and skeptical as we see how things have deteriorated on so many fronts. Regardless of how bad things may seem, don’t give up on the goodness of the human spirit. It’s still alive. Look for the helpers! Click To Tweet

Often out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak

This is one of the hardest leadership principles to learn. It’s during the dark times that we tend to drift mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and begin to doubt ourselves. And we wonder, “Is it time to throw in the towel and quit?”. Your winning streak is on the other side of the slump you may currently find yourself in. Don’t give up.

Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given

As it is with the principle of being kind, so too is the principle of making goodness attractive. You will never be less of a leader because you are kind or because you’ve made goodness attractive. If anything, you will make it more appealing. How are you making goodness attractive?

There’s a world of difference between insisting on someone’s doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.

This is a timeless leadership principle that can save aspiring leaders much grief and frustration. You can attempt to lead by decree that’s attached to your title or you can lead from the heart and through relationships. The one path is hard and unfulfilling. The other is transformative and rewarding. Make it your practice to establish the kind of atmosphere that fosters growth and builds your culture.

Times have changed since the days of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”. But the lessons in values and in leadership are as applicable as ever. And as societies and cultures change, we too as leaders must be a step ahead to interpret and give context. While the neighborhood may have changed, the lessons live on for a new generation of leaders.

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How To Defeat A Culture Of Apathy

Posted May 12, 2019
by admin

A lot of you cared, just not enough. – Jay Asher

Data from Gallup has confirmed what many have known for some time – employee engagement in the workplace is suffering. When only 32% are engaged in their work then we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Simply wishing things were different is not enough.

The Conference Board reports that 53% of Americans are unhappy at work. Think for a moment too about the economic impact of disengaged employees on your bottom line. If more than half the people in your organization are not happy, how do you think that affects your future?

An article in shiftboard revealed that disengaged employees are costing you money and affecting your profits. They say, “Each disengaged employee costs you 34% of their salary because of lost productivity, missed shifts, chronic tardiness, and disrupting others by spreading negativity throughout the company”. If not bad enough, the article goes on to say that “actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $483 billion to $605 billion in lost productivity.”

How much can you afford to lose to disengaged employees? What is an acceptable figure that you are willing to tolerate?

While every organization faces its own cultural challenges as it relates to employee engagement, there is usually one common denominator that can be found in most- apathy.

Apathy, in its simplest definition, is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. It sets in when your people believe they have no voice, and when they believe that things are not going to get better. Then they get angry.

When any of these characteristics are in play within your organization then you must move quickly to identify it and turn it around. Time is money and your productivity is at stake. Here are a few ways to defeat a culture of apathy.

Promote ownership

As a leader, you must do everything within your power to promote the mission and vision of the organization. It must be out there and repeated often. Never take for granted that because you’ve shared it once they will remember it forever. But, over time, the buy-in will happen as trust is built. However, if you want to fast track employee engagement, then give your people ownership. When people take ownership they will be less apathetic, they will be more invested, and will deliver their best work.

When people work to fulfill your vision it can be a struggle, when they work to fulfill theirs it can be life-changing. Click To Tweet

Promote community

A smart leader understands that there’s no substitute for a community of people within your organization who are known to each as colleagues and not combatants. Apathy becomes an issue when people see each other as combatants – not caring what the other group is doing- when in reality it all matters. A diversity of ideas and opinions is one of your greatest assets. In community, all ideas are welcome. In a community, relationships are coveted over competition and turf wars. In a community, people are held accountable for negative attitudes that would give rise to apathy. Click To Tweet

Good leaders are not just aware of the need for community but insist upon it because they know their existence depends upon it.

Promote culture

This is an important piece of the puzzle that leaders need to understand. Community is how you get along with one another. It’s the practice of good manners, cordiality, and civility. But your culture is your why. It’s what gives meaning and purpose to what you do.

Your organizational culture is weakened or is breaking down when you hear things like, “I don’t why I bother speaking up, no one listens to me,” or “What difference does it make if I’m late, no one will notice,” or “Why should I care if no one else does,”. How many times have you heard these type of statements? How many times have you used them?

A failure in community creates conflict. A failure in leadership creates apathy. Your organizational community is relationship driven. Your organizational culture is leadership driven.A failure in community creates conflict. A failure in leadership creates apathy. Your organizational community is relationship driven. Your organizational culture is leadership driven. Click To Tweet

As a leader, you need to understand that apathy is the greatest threat to your organization. With apathy there is no ownership, there is no community, and your culture is harmed.

Make it your practice to know the signs of apathy and be intentional in addressing it. It will make a world of difference to your organization.

Check out the link at the top of the page for information on my employee engagement workshop.

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Leaders – Sometimes We’re The Problem!

Posted March 10, 2019March 11, 2019
by admin

There are no big problems, there are just a lot of little problems. – Henry Ford

A story is told of an old guy driving home from work when his wife calls him on his cell phone. “Phil,” she shouts in a panic, “Please be careful! I just heard on the news that some lunatic is driving the wrong way on Route 80”. “Heck Doris, it’s not just one car,” he replies. “It’s hundreds of them!”

That humorous story is a reminder for all in leadership. For all the times we think we are the only ones who have it all together, we then come face to face with the reality that on any given day, we are the only one who doesn’t.

Sometimes we just have to drop all pretense and just admit it. We are not immune to screw ups. Like everyone else, we’re human.

Leaders deal with problems all the time. Usually someone else’s. But sometimes we’re the problem. There a few ways this plays out. Let me explain how. See if you can relate.

The problems we ignore

Leaders become part of the problem when we ignore problems. Leaders who ignore problems within their organizations – causing them to fester beneath the surface for far too long, only contribute to lingering morale issues. We become part of the problem when we refuse to address issues that have the potential to adversely affect our organization or our people. Click To Tweet

The problems we deny

Unlike the problems we see but ignore, leaders become part of the problem by denying certain problems exist. This can either be because we don’t want to believe it’s true, or because we are afraid of how it might reflect upon our leadership. Denying problems don’t make them go away. And when you, as a leader, continually deny the existence of issues going on within your organization, then by default, you are part of the problem. Click To Tweet

The problems we don’t delegate

Not every problem that exists within your organization calls for your attention. Only the ones no one else can handle or otherwise requires additional personnel to solve need our attention. We become part of the problem when we take ownership of every problem. Ask yourself this: If you have to solve every problem then what else are you meddling with that you shouldn’t?

The problems we obsess over

Every leader is different and every leader has that one pet peeve that sets them off as nothing else will. It’s in times like this that leaders need to be self-aware enough to realize that they need to back off and not allow their own prejudices to disrupt things. What we obsess over, in the minds and eyes of our people, may be insignificant in light of the big picture. Pick your battles wisely and don’t fall on the sword for your trivial gripes.

The same problems we deal with over and over again

As a leader, when we “solve” the same problems over and over again then we’re not really solving them. Band-aid approaches only last so long. Click To Tweet We become part of the problem when the same problems surface time and again. Every leader faces problems and some of them will look familiar or recycled. So don’t look for the quick fix. Find a long term approach that will last for the long haul.

As leaders, we don’t always get things right and make our fair share of mistakes. While it may not be obvious to you, it is to those around you. But don’t let that deter you. The greatest problem is not found in making mistakes or in getting things wrong, the problem is found in not acknowledging them and learning from them.

Are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution?

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The Face of Leadership

Posted February 24, 2019February 24, 2019
by admin

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen. – Brene’ Brown

Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer: “I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.”

This story is a great reminder of the power of leadership. Whether you serve in a large corporation, a small business, a nonprofit, of somewhere in-between, people look to its leadership not just for direction, but for a steady hand in the midst of the storm.

Check out most any list of essential qualities to be found in leaders today and more times than not you will find confidence and the ability to inspire others somewhere on the list. It’s that important. Click To Tweet

Think about the man in the story. He defied orders and he risked his life. But what he came away with made it all worthwhile. He was able to go back and with a cheer in his voice let the others know that they were going to be fine. Why? Because he saw the smiling face of the pilot.

There are a few leadership lessons for you from this story. Don’t underestimate them.

Perceptions matter

Normally, we try to steer clear of perceptions because it’s just too easy to mislead people. But as a leader, you must know that people (for better or worse) do look at you differently. The air of confidence and composure you give matters to people and you should be mindful of it.

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react.” said Tom Landry, “If you’re in control, they’re in control.” This is why perceptions matter to you as a leader. Just know this – people are watching. What signals are they picking up from you?

People will ride out the storms with you if they trust you

Trust is essential to your leadership. It will make it or break it. People will stick by your side and weather the storms with you so long as they know they can trust you. Click To Tweet All it took for the man in the story to have hope was to see the expression on the face of the pilot to know that things were going to be fine. But in today’s culture, it’s going to take more than just the expression on your face to carry the day. You must earn trust.

Seth Godin was spot on when he said, “Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest.” On good days, leadership is hard. You only complicate things if your people can’t look you in the eyes and know they can trust you.

Courage is contagious

When the daring passenger saw the smile on the face of the pilot, he went to the others with a cheerful heart to report the good news. In that brief exchange, courage was transferred from the steady hand of the pilot the frightful passengers below.

I think in our leadership circles at times we tend to overlook some of the basic fundamentals that translate to success. You don’t have to attend the latest conference or hire the most expensive leadership guru to tell you this. So I will. Courage is contagious. And when you display courageous leadership then your people will respond to it. Click To Tweet

John Maxwell says, “Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course,” and in your leadership – through the good times or in the storms, people will rely on you- not because you know how to steer the ship but because you are a leader they can trust.

The face of leadership should be one that gives confidence and courage not fear or retreat.

What is the face of your leadership?

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Three Ways Leaders Can Model Losing

Posted December 2, 2018
by admin

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas A. Edison

In most all leadership circles we hear much about winning and success. I’m not knocking it. We all like to win.

But in leadership, as in life, not every endeavor we undertake results in a win. Sometimes we lose. We don’t need books and webinars on how to win. That comes easy for most. Losing, on the other hand, is another story.

As a sports enthusiasts and player back in the day, we all heard the saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” That’s all good and well if you win but can ring hollow when you lose.

In leadership, losing and failure takes on a whole new meaning. We tend to tie our value to our successes and see failure as unacceptable (not that it ever should be), and not as a part of our overall success journey. We forget the big picture.

In his acclaimed book, Failing Forward, John Maxwell states, “One of the greatest problems people have with failure is that they are too quick to judge isolated situations in their lives and label them as failures. Instead, they need to keep the bigger picture in mind.” Your approach and attitude toward losing are critical to your leadership.

How you lose or fail as a leader says as much about your leadership as does winning. How will you model it? Click To Tweet

Here are three ways as a leader you can model losing. Weigh them carefully, one day you will need this.

You model losing with your humility

At the end of the day, nothing is more humbling as a loss. Losing has a way of keeping you humble and grounded as a leader. Not that you always want to end up on the losing end of things, but it is an indication that the journey to success is also littered with failures along the way.

Losing is a not so subtle way of learning that you don’t know it all and remaining humble is important. At times, the best thing that can happen to you is to experience a loss. A loss is a great teacher.

You model losing with your integrity

In the event of losing, be sure not to lose your integrity. Be humble and gracious. Don’t blame others for your loss and be sure to accept responsibility. Losing shows that you have skin in the game and that you were willing to take some risks.

There are worse things in a leaders life than losing. You can learn from your mistakes and live to fight another day. Click To Tweet But when you compromise your character and lose your integrity you’ve lost the most significant battle of all.

You model losing with your resolve

Thomas Edison’s attitude towards failure is a great example of resolve. He experienced setbacks (a fire destroyed his lab) and suffered numerous hardships. He is remembered not for his defeatist attitude but for having a positive one. Thirty days after that fire destroyed his lab he put forth the first phonograph.

The battles you win and lose as a leader is a reflection of your skills and judgment. How you lose is a reflection of your character and your heart. What kind of leader will you be? Click To Tweet

When you are an example of a leader who knows how to lose, you will be a leader who knows how to win, and one worth following. Stay humble, keep your integrity in check, and never lose your resolve.

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