Tag: Leadership Development. Professional Development

Bring Back Meaningful Conversations

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The most fruitful and natural exercise for our minds is, in my opinion, conversation. – Michel de Montaigne, The Essay: A Selection

As I was being escorted to a table in a restaurant not long ago, I passed by a family seated at a long table. There must have been five or six gathered around. What struck me as I passed by was not that they were all together or that they were laughing and talking and otherwise engaged with one another. Sadly, it was an all too familiar sight.

Every person at the table had their smartphone device in their hand and was using it. No conversations were taking place. It was just a group of people sitting together, but very far removed from one another.

According to Google, a survey by Pew Research Center revealed that many people find phone usage during dinner obnoxious. Of those people surveyed, 88 percent think it is okay to use a phone during dinner and 82 percent thinks that using a phone in social settings can hurt conversations.

I realize that we are addicted to our devices. I am clear-eyed in my understanding that it’s just a part of the fabric of our culture for better or worse.

Be it because of our electronic devices or any other distractions that come along, we are increasingly losing the art of meaningful conversation. It takes a toll on relationships, and yes, it can take a toll on your leadership if you are not careful.

Writing in his book, Didn’t See It Coming,  bestselling author, Carey Nieuwhof devotes a chapter as to why so many us feel alone and to the demise of genuine conversation. He writes about what many have come to know. He writes:

“Sadly, conversations seem to be developing into an exchange of monologues among people who don’t seem terribly interested in one another. People today appear to be talking at one another more than they’re talking with one another. Next time you’re in a conversation with someone, wait to see how often you get asked a question.”

What about you? What’s been your experience with this issue?

From a leadership point of view, I believe having meaningful conversations is one of the key ingredients to developing effective leadership skills.  Here’s why I think it so important and why we must return to them.

Meaningful conversations put you squarely in the moment

Unlike an email that can be put off or an incoming call or text that can be ignored, meaningful face to face conversation puts you in the moment as nothing else can Click To Tweet.  It’s your chance to give someone else your undivided attention. Be in the moment.

Meaningful conversations give you the necessary context

There’s just no substitute for meaningful conversations. It gives you the advantage of understanding fully from the source in a way that other forms of communication can’t deliver. Meaningful conversation strips away any chance of misunderstanding when you’re engaged with the source. Leadership in context is invaluable. Click To Tweet

Meaningful conversations teach you to slow down and listen

Leaders are busy people. Too busy at times. But when you engage in meaningful conversation it’s sharpening this all-important leadership skill. Too often our thoughts are elsewhere and we are not really tuned in when talking with our people. Meaningful conversations are not rushed. They’re thoughtful. It may try your patience or seem inconsequential to you, but it can make all the difference to the one you are conversing with. Slow down and listen.   

Meaningful conversations enhance trust

Nothing can build trust like meaningful conversations. They accomplish more than the tech devices that supposedly making communicating easier. Trust is the glue that binds your organization together and gives your leadership the credibility its due. Don’t allow your busy schedule or other demands rob you of this most essential leadership ingredient. Initiate meaningful conversations. Have meaningful conversations. Build trust.

Meaningful conversations are all about relationships   

The secret sauce in leadership is relationships. It’s all about people. The depth of your relationships in large part depends upon the depth of your conversations. Let the focal point of your conversations be more about the people you lead. Listen more. Talk less. When the people you lead have your ear, you will have their heart. Click To Tweet Don’t pretend it’s all about you. It’s not. You will build stronger relationships by having more meaningful conversations.

It’s time to get back to meaningful conversations. Your leadership depends on it.

©2019 Doug Dickerson  

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How To Finish The Year Strong

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Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.
– From, The Man Who Thinks He Can, by Walter D. Wintle

The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit.

As we move down the stretch toward the end of 2018 now might be a good time to think about how you are finishing the year. As it was with the Greeks, it’s the one who finishes the race with his torch still lit that wins.

At this juncture in the year, you may be tired and weary. You may be more than ready to turn the page and welcome a clean slate that awaits you in 2019. With the finish line of another year in sight let’s consider the traits of leaders who finish strong. It’s a simple list and is certainly not an exhaustive one. You may want to add to it. These are my top three.

Leaders who finish strong have clarity of purpose
One of the traits of leaders who finish strong is those who live their life intentionally with purpose. Each day is seen as a gift and an opportunity to add value to those around them and make a difference in their world.

Living and leading with a purpose makes each day meaningful and unique. It’s an opportunity to use your God-given gifts and abilities for a good cause. Click To Tweet When you live your life with purpose it motivates you in a different way. No longer is it about you, it’s about others. A selfless leader is a strong leader who will also finish strong.

Leaders who finish strong have a resilient attitude
I’ve yet to meet a leader who doesn’t face his or her fair share of problems and adversity. It comes with the territory. Maybe more so. But the leader who finishes strong is not the one who was exempt from adversity but the one who endured it.

Leaders who finish strong have discovered the secret that it’s not about what happens to them that matters but what happens in them that sets them apart. Leaders who finish strong have a resilient attitude that never gives up. Click To Tweet They understand that they are responsible for it and work at having a good one every day.

Leaders who finish strong have tapped into their work-life balance
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” so says the old proverb. Leaders who finish strong are those who understand the importance of a sound work-life balance. These leaders know and understand the value of hard work and give it their all day in and day out. They roll up their sleeves and are willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.

But finishing strong requires balance. And if as a leader you are burning the candle at both ends with no balance in your life as it pertains to rest and recreation soon you will be of little value to anyone.

Leaders who finish strong are able to do so because they have found the balance they need. Make sure that you give your mind and body the rest it needs and deserves. Remember, it was not about finishing the race first for the Greeks that mattered, it was finishing with your torch still lit. If you cross the finish line of 2018 burned out and spent how will you begin 2019?

As the year draws to a close think about how you can finish strong. What action steps do you need to take? It’s not too late. Finish strong and be ready to tackle a new year with a renewed sense of passion and purpose. Click To Tweet

© 2018 Doug Dickerson

 

 

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What Bees Teach Us About Teams

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Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. – Henry Ford

It’s been said that bees can show you something about teamwork. On a warm day about half the bees in a hive stay inside beating their wings while the other half go out to gather pollen and nectar. Because of the beating wings, the temperature inside the hive is about 10 degrees cooler than outside. The bees rotate duties and the bees that cool the hive one day are honey gatherers the next.

Who knew that the bee could teach us about the power and function of teams.

Pardon the pun, but there’s been a lot of buzz in recent years about teams and teamwork and rightfully so. Anyone can throw a group of people together and call it a team. But is it, really?

Until the following four characteristics emerge within that group of individuals they will simply remain a group of people struggling for identity, struggling to make sense of what they are doing, where they are going, and what they are accomplishing. Here are the four things we must learn from the bees.

Trust

It stands to reason that if a group people can emerge and gel as a team it will be predicated on trust

The bees trust one another to carry out their duties. Whether those duties are in the hive beating their wings or out gathering pollen and nectar. They depend on each other to get the job done.

One recent survey I read said that 45% of employees say that a lack of trust in leadership is the biggest issue impacting their work performance. So until the issue of trust is settled then those in leadership will continue to struggle. And sadly, so will the team and its ability to perform.

Empathy

Due to the revolving nature of the bees’ duties, they have an understanding of what it takes to get the job done each day. Each knows and understands what the other is going through.

Within your organization, developing empathy goes a long way in building trust and moving the team forward. Everyone’s skills and talents are needed and all must be respected even though not all are the same. Team members need to see the big picture not just through the lens of what they do but in what others do as well. Click To Tweet

Accountability

Bees depend on each other to cool the hive and gather food. If they fail to do their job, someone might just get stung!

In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni says, “Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.” And this is the secret sauce of how teams work. They hold each other accountable.

Without accountability, your team will flounder and miss the mark. It’s when you embrace it, as painful as it can be at times, that you will come to understand the power and potential of your team. Click To Tweet

Mutual respect

When team members begin to trust one another, develop empathy, hold one another accountable, then they can move forward with mutual respect.

When you look at your fellow team members not as competitors but as colleagues, you can then harness the power of teamwork. Don’t let petty office politics or gossip ruin what could otherwise be the making of a well-performing team. Click To Tweet

When you come together possessing these qualities you can move from being a group of people that look like a team to actually being one. If the bees can do so can you!

©2018 Doug Dickerson

Coming in January 2019 – A brand new four-session workshop I facilitate with the purpose of bringing your team together, having intentional conversations in order to clarify values and get your team members off the sidelines. Watch for more details in the coming weeks!

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Why Your Employees Stand On The Sidelines

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I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. – Jerome K. Jerome

According to Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace, only 33% of full-time employees in the U.S. are engaged at work. The majority of employees are indifferent.

Chances are you know one of these persons. They show up at work. They do their job. Then they go home. They don’t go above and beyond what’s required of them to improve the company or advance its goals.

We’ve known for some time that engagement in the workplace is a challenge. It’s been written about extensively.

Sideline employees make up what Gallup identifies as the “actively disengaged” – those who do not enjoy going to work and are sucking the morale out of your organization. They’re unhappy and everyone knows it.

Why employees opt for the sidelines will vary from organization to organization. Understanding why is crucial. While this is not an attempt to identify all of those reasons, perhaps these observations will help.

Indifferent leaders produce indifferent employees

Leaders set the tone for the organization. If the leadership is indifferent towards its team members – not engaged with them, listening to them, empowering and equipping them, then it’s going to be a stretch to think the team members will be enthusiastic about coming off the sidelines. If you want your employees to have skin in the game they first need to see your investment.

The mission isn’t clear

If your team members can’t identify the mission of the organization then don’t expect them to commit to uncertainty. Click To Tweet. Team members will come off the sidelines when they know the mission when the vision is clear, and when they know what impact their contribution will make. Don’t expect your team members to stick their necks out for what you as a leader haven’t made clear.

The risk isn’t worth the reward

Leaders move employees off the sidelines by not only sharing the mission and vision but painting a picture of what victory looks like. Engaged employees had rather risk defeat by being in the game and contributing than watching others celebrate a victory they had nothing to do with. Click To Tweet It could be that some on the sidelines are there because there’s no incentive to be in the game.

Poor company culture

According to YouEarnedlt, 49% of employees say culture influences their employee experience more than the physical environment or the technology to do their job. Company culture is a two-edged sword that cuts both ways for sideline employees. They are on the sidelines because of their perception of a poor company culture but are too indifferent to step up to change it. The culture of your organization sets the tone for the productivity of your people. As a leader, you must accept responsibility for this. Click To Tweet

Moving your people from the sidelines to an all in commitment requires strong leadership. The foundational principles are relationships, communication, engagement, and culture. It’s time to get your players in the game!

 

©2018 Doug Dickerson

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Why Indecisive Leaders Hurt Morale

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Indecision may or may not be my problem – Jimmy Buffett

A story is told of former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, “Do you want square toes or round toes?” Unable to decide, Reagan didn’t answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days.

Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn’t decide, so the shoemaker replied, “Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready.” When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! “This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you,” the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. “I learned right then and there,” Reagan said later, “if you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will.”

Indecisive leadership is a crippling character trait for leaders. When your organization needs clear direction and decisive action, a waffling leader can cause more harm than good. Click To Tweet

With so much at stake, why do leaders waffle and struggle with decision making? Three primary reasons come to mind.

They lack clarity

Leaders who struggle with decision making may lack the necessary clarity needed to make the necessary decision. Rather than making the wrong decision, they make no decision at all.

They lack confidence

In some situations, leaders withhold decision making because they are not confident enough in their own instincts. Rather than take a risk and make a decision, they play it safe and everyone is left dangling.

They lack consensus

In some cases, leaders withhold decision making because they don’t have a consensus on the best path forward. Rather than offend a few with a decision, the leader demoralizes everyone by not making one.

So what is a leader to do? How can a leader overcome this agonizing dilemma? Here are a few ideas.

Trust your instincts

A confident leader will trust his or her instincts in times of decision. Deep down you have a strong intuition that guides you. Trust it.

Welcome input

Decisive leaders are informed leaders. Those most affected by your decisions should be the first at the table of discussion. As it’s been said, “the person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom”. Welcome input, but make your decisions on principle, not politics.

Clarify your values

The worst thing you can do as a leader is to make a decision for the sake of making one. Roy Disney was right when he said, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier”. When making a decision make sure it aligns with your values. If not, don’t do it. Click To Tweet

Check your motives

First and foremost in your decision making should be what’s best for your organization and people. If you are making decisions to gain popularity or to gain favor with some to the detriment of others you are sowing the seeds of low morale. You must have the best interest of the team at heart and not just a few.

Leadership is about making hard decisions. Indecisive leaders make it harder--on themselves and those they lead. Click To Tweet Your path forward begins by acknowledging what your indecisive tendencies are doing to your leadership and how it’s impacting the morale of those you lead.

 

©2018 Doug Dickerson

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Leadership In A Word: Yesterday

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Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, Now it looks as though they’re here to stay oh I believe in yesterday – John Lennon

A word about yesterday

In his book, No Limits, John Maxwell presents a most thought-provoking question that is worth some consideration. He asks: “When was the last time you said goodbye to something that was special that no longer works today?”. It is a truly intriguing question.

Perhaps in our more nostalgic moments, we look back with some degree of fondness and recall a particular time in our leadership journey that was important to us. Maybe it was a particular success or big win that propelled you to where you are today.

But if we are not careful, we can get stuck in a place, time, and mindset that no longer serves us or the people around us very well. We become stagnant and are looking backward to the “good old days” rather to the future. Sound familiar?

Maxwell continues by asking, “Are you willing to let go of some things you love? If not, you’re going to have a hard time being creative and becoming any better than you are today”. Now, that truly is thought-provoking indeed.

Obviously, reading this caused me to think about my own practices, routines, and my mindset. Have I been guilty of this? Am I guilty of this? In what ways is this mindset hurting me?

My reflections led me to these conclusions. Perhaps you will relate. Perhaps you could add to the list. But here are just a few of my observations.

Yesterday’s creativity will not sustain me

Creativity is the life-blood in leadership. The creativity I had thirty years ago when I was first starting my leadership journey may have served me well then, but it has no bearing on the creativity I need to succeed today. The landscape today is much different.

Leadership Checkup: Are you availing yourself of every opportunity to grow and learn new things?

Yesterday’s structure will not carry me

Leadership and management styles have drastically changed over the past few decades. The flow charts of top-down, bottom-up have mostly been replaced by more lateral lines with collaboration as the approach of choice by many.

Richard Branson observed: “People often remark to me that it’s great how Virgin thinks outside the box. They are genuinely surprised when I tell them, “Actually we don’t! We just never let the box get built in the first place.’”

Leadership Checkup: Are you relying on yesterday’s structures to guide you today or are you finding new approaches to new problems?

Yesterday’s attitude will not equip me

The attitude, faith, and mindset I needed all those years ago may have been sufficient at the time, but no longer. Not because I have arrived, but because my goals, dreams, and aspirations of today demand it. Going to a higher level of achievement requires an exchange. And it will be required in your leadership as well. The exchange will be to give up some things from the past that you loved in order to have the growth and success you desire today.

Leadership Checkup: What attitudes and mindsets of the past do you need to let go? Are you still surrounded with people whose mindsets are holding you back?

Quotes about yesterday

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, I was a different person then”. – Lewis Carroll

“What worked yesterday doesn’t always work today”. – Elizabeth Gilbert

“…But this one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”. – Philippians 4:13

“You can’t have a better tomorrow if you’re thinking about yesterday”. – Charles Kettering

“Yesterday was not your defining moment. The calendar moved forward; why not you?”. – Steve Maraboli

A final word

We gain wisdom, understanding, and perspective from our past, for better or for worse, our past shapes us. While it’s certainly appropriate to reflect on the good things in our past, we must live in the moment and be forward in our thinking. It’s also time to let go of the past with all of its mistakes and failures and seize the moment that a new day brings. The challenge in leadership is to never stop growing, learning, adapting, and applying all that we can.

©2018 Doug Dickerson

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Leadership In A Word: Listening

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One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say. – Bryant H. McGill

A word about listening

Listening. Yes, I know, it’s a leadership topic that’s been tackled by the best of them for a very long time. But read up on any of the current writings about employee engagement, bad bosses, what causes people to leave their jobs, etc., and usually in the mix somewhere is the issue of listening – or the lack thereof.

At its core, listening is one of the most basic soft skills in leadership. If offered, it would be a 101 leadership course in college. Unfortunately, it’s not.

I asked an aspiring manager in a prominent retail chain some time ago what was the most frustrating thing she dealt with as it related to her direct reports. Without hesitation, she conveyed that they just don’t listen. How many of you can relate to her plight?

As leaders, intuitively we know that listening is a priority. Yet, our lives are structured in such a way that listening is an afterthought. Simply put, we are just too busy. Unfortunately, many leaders make the mistake of believing it’s more important that they are heard, therefore, failing at one of the most important things that they can do – listen.

Here are three reminders on why listening is a key ingredient to your leadership. I hope that it is helpful to you.

Listening empowers your people

If you want your people to feel empowered then listen to them. So long as they feel that they have a voice and it’s being respected and heard then you will win them over. When your people are empowered they will go to great lengths to serve you and your organization. Listening creates buy-in. It’s a momentum builder. If you want to empower you people listen to your people. Click To Tweet

Listening keeps you grounded

This is the trap that far too many leaders fall into. It’s when you stop listening that you lose touch with what’s going on around you. When you stop listening to all voices and only a few voices, then how can you truly benefit? Soon, the only voices you hear are the ones telling you only what you want to hear. When this happens, your leadership is diminished. Keep the doors to your leadership open with your ears and with an open mind. Often time the best ideas and input flow into your office, not out of it. Click To Tweet

Listening keeps you connected

Much like staying grounded, listening keeps you connected to your people. You never want to be so far removed from your people that you don’t hear their heartbeat. To listen to your people is to know your people. When you stop listening to your people, you stop knowing your people. Don’t be so far removed from their heartbeat that they no longer hear yours. Because if you do, then you are only presiding over your own demise as a leader. Stay close, stay connected, and keep listening.

Listening quotes

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemmingway

“There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak”. – Simon Sinek

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply”. – Stephen R. Covey

“If the person you are talking to does not appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear”. – Winnie the Pooh

“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking”. – Bernard M. Baruch

A final word

The only way listening becomes a strong leadership skill is when we become intentional about it. Remove distractions. Show respect. Put your cell phone away. Look your people in the eye and let them talk. These are just basic courtesies that we need to return to. But we have to look past the basic “how-to’s” and get to a deeper understanding of the greater benefits and how listening impacts us as leaders.

What do you say?

©2018 Doug Dickerson

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Leadership In a Word: Reading

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Read to refill the wells of inspiration. – Harold Ockenga

A word about reading

Reading is imperative for every good leader. It’s how you learn, it’s how you grow. In short, it makes you a more rounded and better leader. So why aren’t more adults reading?

Marissa Levin, writing in Inc. reports that “Americans read fewer and fewer books each year”. She cites a survey by the National Endowment of the Arts which said only 43% of adults read any type of literature not required for work or school- a percentage that is a three-decade low.

What about you? What are your reading habits? In her article, Levin revealed the reading habits of the likes of Warren Buffet- 500 pages a day, Mark Cuban who reads 3 hours a day, and Bill Gates who reads 50 books a year. These are impressive numbers.

I realize that there are those who advocate for reading as many books as you can throughout the course of a  year. It’s an admirable goal. And I must confess, I am a helpless book junkie an avid reader. But in recent years, I have become more selective as a reader. My goal is not so much about the quantity of the books I read, but the quality. I choose to be more intentional about the return on my investment in the books I select. (You can find my books on Amazon)

Some years ago, I came across these reading strategies by J. Oswald Sanders for making your reading worthwhile and profitable. I’d like to pass his advice on to you.

  • What you intend to quickly forget, spend little time reading. The habit of reading and forgetting only builds the habit of forgetting other important matters.
  • Use the same discrimination in choosing books as in choosing friends.
  • Read with pencil and notebook in hand. Unless your memory is unusually retentive, much gained from reading is lost in a day. Develop a system of note-taking. It will greatly help the memory.
  • Have a “commonplace book,” as they are called-a book to record what is striking, interesting, and worthy of second thought. In that way, you will build a treasure trove of material for future use.
  • Verify historical scientific and other data.
  • Pass no word until its meaning is known. Keep a dictionary at hand.
  • Vary your reading to keep your mind out of a rut. Variety is as refreshing to the mind as it is to the body.
  • Correlate your reading-history with poetry, biography with a historical novel. For example, when reading the history of the American Civil War, take up a biography of Lincoln or Grant and poetry by Whitman.

Thanks to technology, our access to books are greater than ever. But when only 43% of adults are reading anything beyond what is required for work or school the challenge is as great as ever. Leaders must be ahead of the curve in order to succeed.

Reading quotes

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book too long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you will go.” – Dr. Seuss

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” – Oscar Wilde

“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” – Francis Bacon

“I cannot live without books.” – Thomas Jefferson

A final word

As a leader, develop a routine for reading. Take the advice of Sanders and add some variety to your collection. The depth of your knowledge and your growth as a leader is the byproduct of the books you read.

©2018 Doug Dickerson

*Note: Leadership In A Word is my writing theme for 2018. Each week the focus will be on a word that impacts you as a leader. My style is new but my message and commitment to delivering fresh leadership insight to you are the same. It’s my sincere desire to help you grow as a leader and to partner with you in reaching your full potential.

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Leadership In a Word: Scars

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Turn your scars into stars – Robert H. Schuller

A word about scars

In The Odyssey, there is a scene that takes place near the end of the story. Odysseus returns home after many years of wandering. He is in disguise as an old man. At first, nobody recognizes him, not even his wife and child. One night before bed, Odysseus’ aged nurse bathes him. At first, she thinks he is just a stranger, but while bathing him, she recognizes a scar on his leg. She remembers the scar from infancy. Until she saw the scar she did not recognize him.

Hang around in leadership long enough and you will come to know about scars. It’s not something you hear a lot about when starting out in your professional life although you should. We tend to start out wide-eyed and ready to take the world by storm.

But along the way, all the things that you weren’t taught in your MBA classes and elsewhere introduce you to the realities of leadership. Life happens. People disappoint. You experience a few failures. Loneliness sets in. You second guess yourself. Your blinders come off as you’ve been properly introduced to the real world. Can you relate?

But in as much as we can accumulate scars through the school of hard knocks in leadership, not all are the by-product of negative experiences. Often time scars are from tenacity – staying in the fight, not giving up, and persevering in the face of adversity. Great leaders are known for this.

Think for a moment about your own leadership journey. While scars can be painful, you’d probably not be where you are today without them.  

Yet over the years, I’ve seen scars do leaders in – the pain was too much. Here I’d like to offer a word of hope and these reminders.

Scars are a sign of healing

I read something very interesting about scars. It stated, “A scar is a mark left on the skin after a wound or injury has healed. Scars are a natural part of the healing process”. And this is where many in life and leadership miss the process. A scar is not an open or active wound- it’s a healed one.

Sometimes in life and in leadership, we thwart the healing process regarding the battles we’ve gone through. When we hold onto our hurts with unforgiveness, bitterness, or anger, the wound can never heal.

You can be a leader with scars and move on or you can be a leader holding onto wounds.

Scars are a sign of your passion

When you’ve found your passion – your one thing – it will motivate you to stay in the fight when others walk away. It will cause you to refocus your energies. It will keep you up late at night and cause you to rise early. Because of it, you will learn to give up the good to chase after the great.

Years ago in high school, I worked at a garden center. The winter months were brutal. But it was during this time we built the greenhouses and spent those cold days potting roses. Thousands of roses. Our cold and bloodied hands bore the scars of the hard work that went into a prosperous and beautiful spring. Scars were part of the price we paid to enjoy that beauty.

Your scars in leadership prove your passion. They are signs of your willingness to go above and beyond to reach your goals.

As a leader, see your scars for what they are – proof that you have skin in the game and that you will fight for what you believe in.

Scars are a sign of your strength

Whether it’s in your everyday life or more specifically in your leadership role, no one likes the situations that bring scars. They hurt. We feel the sting of disappointment, failures, betrayals, and what about that difficult boss you have to deal with?

Over time, these life experiences don’t just cut us but they can scar us. The question then is about our response. Are we going to let it define us or prepare us? Are we going to get bitter or better? We have a choice to make.

I can look back at some of my most painful scars and see it now from a different perspective that only time allows. While the experience was painful at the time, I can now see where it prepared me and made me a stronger leader as a result.

You haven’t come this far in your journey because you are weak, you are here because you are strong. You have the scars to prove it.

Scar quotes

“God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars”. – Elbert Hubbard

“Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember. To me, they are proof of the fact that there is healing”.- Linda Hogan

“Scars are not signs of weakness, they are signs of survival and endurance”. – Rodney A. Winters

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” “. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

A final word

Most every leader I know has scars. What about you? Leadership will present you with challenges you didn’t anticipate. You will acquire some scars along the way. But your scars are reminders that you have healed, they are reminders of your passion, and a testament to your strength.

 

©2018 Doug Dickerson

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Leadership In a Word: Complacency

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Complacency happens almost without notice. Check and renew your heart daily. – Jim George

A word about complacency

By definition, complacency is ‘showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements”. Not very flattering is it?

Yet one of the chief enemies of leaders can be wrapped up in this one word. It’s been said that success breeds complacency. While I do believe that a certain amount of dissatisfaction with one’s talents and abilities can be healthy, complacency can devastate your leadership.  

Consider the great pianist Paderewski. He achieved a great deal of success in America. In spite of that, he is quoted as saying, “There have been a few moments when I have known complete satisfaction, but only a few. I have rarely been free from the disturbing realization that my playing might have been better”. In other words, he was keenly aware that there was always room for improvement.

As a leader, it’s important to avoid certain dangers as it relates to complacency Here are a few of them.

The danger of pride and arrogance.

This is how the smugness of uncritical satisfaction or complacency manifests itself. A leader full of pride or arrogance mistakenly thinks it’s all about them. So long as this attitude continues to manifest itself in the actions and words of the leader, the more that leader will become isolated.

There’s no room for pride or arrogance in a leader. It’s one thing to show pride in one’s work that fosters an attitude of excellence, but another thing entirely to lead from a position of self-serving pride and arrogance.

The danger of not having a personal growth plan

This type of leader exhibits a lack of depth or wisdom to think long. As leaders, we never stop growing and we never stop learning. Not having a plan in place whereby you are continuously learning and being challenged can be fatal to your leadership.

Consider your own growth plan for just a moment. Is it well thought out and intentional or is random and sporadic? Your personal growth and development is an investment in your future and in the people you lead. If you are not growing as a leader then how can you expect it from the people you lead?

The danger of believing that past achievements will guarantee future success

Your successes and achievements are milestones on your leadership journey. What you achieved yesterday is not necessarily a predictor of your success tomorrow. It’s when you become complacent that you believe that one automatically guarantees the next.

What complacent attitudes are you holding onto that are holding you back? Smart leaders are continuously striving to excel, learn, grow, and are looking for new and improved ways to do it. Be thankful for past wins, but don’t live there.

The danger of believing your best days are behind you

While it’s important to believe your past successes will not guarantee your future success, it’s equally important -if not more so, to understand that your best days are not behind you, they are before you. A complacent mindset will lull you into believing the former. Don’t believe it.

My encouragement to you as a leader is to shake off any complacent attitude about your life and leadership. Don’t allow yourself to be surrounded by negative influences that would hold you back. Complacency – not matter it’s form, voice, or identity is not something you have to associate with or be defined by.

Complacency quotes

“The dream is over only when you become complacent” – Lorin-Morgan Richards

“He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress” – Helen Keller

“I will not allow yesterday’s success to lull me into today’s complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure” – Og Mandino

“Change before you have to” – Jack Welch

A final word

One of the sad consequences of complacency is that it keeps you from fulfilling a God-inspired purpose for your life. It tarnishes your past and robs you of your future. Don’t allow complacency to hold you back you as a leader. You have too much to gain and far too much to lose as a result.

©2018 Doug Dickerson

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