leadership development – Page 12 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

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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The Dirt on Leadership

Posted June 11, 2020June 11, 2020
by admin

Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. – Brian Tracy

In her column, Ask Marilyn, Marilyn vos Savant gave an interesting perspective on contentment. One reader wrote in about a unique experiment she had conducted after being dissatisfied that her neighbor’s yard looked better than her own. She did what few have done and walked next door to look back at her own grass. When she stood in her neighbor’s yard, the grass in her own yard now looked greener than theirs so she asked, “Why does this occur?”

Marilyn replied, “The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence because you’re not close enough to see the dirt.” Most of the time, things look better for others simply because we can’t see their dirt.

I remember my days as a young leader looking up to some of those larger than life people who influenced me. On one occasion, I remember meeting one such person and came away quite demoralized. I had looked up to this person, but up close there was a lot of dirt. Words like haughty, aloof, and arrogant come to mind when I recall the encounter.

That experience was more than three decades ago and since then I’ve come to set more realistic expectations. I do this not as a defense mechanism so as not to ever be disappointed again but as a way of embracing my humanity as a leader and recognizing it in others. Any of us can have a bad day and none of us want to be defined by one bad encounter. Do you?

It’s easy to see the successes in others and get caught up in the trap of comparing ourselves – our success, our following, our accomplishments up against those more successful. And when we do, we see greener grass elsewhere.

Seeing the greener grass on the other side is nothing new. We all have those moments when we think it’s time to go graze there. Here are a couple of thoughts to consider when your mind drifts in that direction.

Don’t envy other people’s dirt

Lyrics to an old Garth Brooks song say, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.” In leadership, you see what you think is the greener grass – a career move, a promotion, a better opportunity, etc., and you are tempted to jump the fence. And then in some providential way you come to discover that what you thought was a great move would have been a disaster had you taken it.

Focus on being the best leader you can be right where you are. You can only make things greener if you stay and work it. Click To Tweet

Tend to your own dirt

Back in my high school days, I worked in a garden center. In the winter months when business was slow, we prepared for spring. We would build greenhouses and we would pot thousands of roses.

But before we could begin the potting process we would have to prepare the soil. This would include all of the necessary ingredients including fertilizers – even manure, mixed together. It was smelly, dirty, and hard work. Not to mention the constant cuts from the thorns even while wearing gloves.

In leadership, just as in potting roses, you have to tend your soil, and sometimes the work is dirty and unpleasant. But the reward is worth it. Click To Tweet

So before you are envious of the green grass you think you see elsewhere, stop and consider that there’s a lot of dirt you don’t see. And regardless of how bad you think you have it, your responsibility is to bloom where you are planted.

Ultimately, yes, one day the time will be right, the new calling will be a good fit, and moving on will be the right thing to do. But it’s almost never a good move when done out of jealousy or frustration. In many of those cases, it’s just exchanging one pile of dirt and manure for another.

Final Thoughts

Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” And this is true in leadership. Create the change – create the greener grass, right where you are. And don’t forget that with all the green grass comes a good bit of dirt.

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Embrace The Interruptions

Posted May 28, 2020May 28, 2020
by admin

The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life–the life God is sending one day by day. – C.S. Lewis

I have a small collection of autographed baseballs. Aside from being a fan of baseball, I’m not exactly sure how I got started on the collection. But several autographed baseballs from Hall of Famers are set atop one of my office bookshelves.

The most prized baseball I have was given to me by my father. It was a birthday present. Growing up a St. Louis Cardinal fan, the autograph ball is from none other than Stan “The Man” Musial.

Musial broke into the Major Leagues at the age of 20. His 22-year stint with the Cardinals, the only team he played for, earned him a spot in Cooperstown. Musial ended his career with a .331 batting average, 3,630 hits, 475 home runs, and 1,951 runs batted in.

Unfortunately, I never got to see Stan Musial play. His days in the game preceded my birth, but as a Cardinals fan, his legacy is still sacred.

Musial was off to a fast start in his career. In 1943 he won the first of seven batting titles. His career was on a fast track–until it wasn’t.

Like many of his teammates in that era, duty called and in 1945, Musial joined the Navy. While that season was lost. He rejoined the Cardinals in 1946 and went on to play a stellar career.

Life, like Musial’s and countless thousands of others, is filled with curveballs that are thrown our way. Things that we didn’t see coming. Interruptions, if you will.

The past few months may seem like one colossal interruption that you’d soon rather forget. I get it. Yet, here we are.

As a leader, how you handle interruptions is important. Consider this the next time you are faced with interruptions.

Interruptions give you time to regroup

It’s easy to see interruptions as a nuisance and get frustrated. But it’s how you react during this time that will cause it to be beneficial or a waste of time. As a leader, it’s up to you to make it happen.

Interruptions give you time to rethink

What you learn and the lessons you apply during times of interruption can be invaluable going forward. It’s exactly what many have had to do during this pandemic. Learning how to pivot and make adjustments have caused many to get out of ruts and old ways of doing things that they may not have been comfortable doing prior. Click To Tweet Not all interruptions are setbacks if you use them to your advantage.

Interruptions give you a chance to re-emerge stronger

While your interruptions may have been seen as delay and loss, maybe now you can see it as a part of a greater plan to position you to be stronger than before. How you use your time of interruption can be beneficial only as you change your attitude towards it. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

What have you learned during these past few months? How have you learned to pivot and what other lessons have you learned? Permit me to encourage you to embrace the interruptions that come your way. What you can learn and how you re-engage will make all the difference.

For Musial, his interruption was a call to duty. When his service ended, he returned as strong as ever and finished a Hall of Fame career. Your interruption is not the end, it’s just a pause. Embrace it and learn from it.

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Taming The Squirrels in Leadership

Posted May 17, 2020May 17, 2020
by admin

Leadership has less to do with position than it does disposition. – John Maxwell

In this space last week, I shared with you my great disdain for squirrels. In case you missed it, I am an avid birder and my backyard is somewhat of a bird sanctuary. That being said, my yard is also a haven for those pesky and unwelcomed squirrels who come and wreak their havoc and leave.

Over the years in leadership, I have discovered that there are plenty of squirrely characters that can be found. And unlike the squirrels in my yard who are not capable of being tamed, your approach to the various squirrely characters that you come across in leadership is another story.

What are the characteristics of the squirrely types of people in leadership? For the sake of context, let’s recap the main points from part one:

First, they are self-serving. They are only in it (any place of work, business, etc.) for themselves. They make decisions based only on what’s good for them. Their motives are not hard to figure out.

Second, they stick together and sow discord. Negative people tend to attract negative people in the same way as positive people. If left unchecked, negative people will ruin morale.

Third, they are indecisive – until they’re not. These squirrely types lack direction, vision, and a sense of purpose. That being said, they drive everyone else crazy.

Finally, they destroy to get what they want. In short, they are not team players. They are only in it for themselves and they don’t care about the consequences of their actions.

So, how do we tame these squirrely people in our organizations? Here are a few thoughts.

Train them early and often

Leadership development is the key to success for those squirrely members of your team. Having the skill sets to do a job are not necessarily the same as the skill sets needed to be a productive team member. Click To Tweet So long as you are content with the squirrely team member simply because she can do her job with a high degree of proficiency but is otherwise a toxic person to be around, then you have some serious leadership gaps to fill.

Don’t look the other way when it comes to squirrely behavior simply because someone can do the job. People who can do the job are a dime a dozen. If they aren’t compatible with other team members, they can be replaced. It’s on you as the leader to train and help them reach their leadership potential.

Hold them accountable

So, you have a squirrely person on your team, now what? As you train and work with this person, hold them accountable for their growth and development. Work with them on a growth plan both personally and professionally. Help them see the connection between the two – how they compliment each other. As they begin to grow and develop in their leadership skills they will gain new confidence and increase their value to your organization.

When people in your organization have a clear picture of the value that others bring to the table, it creates trust and momentum. Click To Tweet When your people trust each other and can create together, it’s magical. But each team member has to be valued, trusted, and held accountable.

Give them margins to fail and succeed

Let’s face it – we may not all be squirrelly, but we all have our quirks and pet peeves. I do. But, as we work with those squirrely people in our organizations, let’s put their value in perspective.

Not all squirrelly people need to be written off. They just need to be given opportunities. And sometimes, like us, they fail, stumble, and get it wrong. But isn’t this every successful leader’s journey?

Everyone on your team - the squirrelly and the quirky, can add value and help move the ball forward. They just need to be given a chance - some grace. Click To Tweet Will all of them pan out and remain with you? Perhaps not.

But as you train and raise up leaders and hold people accountable, the odds are in their favor if you work hard.

Final Thoughts

It’s been said that leadership is a journey, not a destination. See the journey for what it is – full of opportunities to grow and develop as leaders who make a difference in their world. Embrace the misfits and the squirrely people along the way. There’s room for the willing, the accountable, and the teachable.

Additional reading resources:

We Wait Too Long To Train Our Leaders by Jack Zinger

Link: https://hbr.org/2012/12/why-do-we-wait-so-long-to-trai

Are You Leading By Example? by Doug Dickerson

Link: https://www.dougdickerson.net/2020/04/08/are-you-leading-by-example/

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Putting Your Leadership in Perspective

Posted May 4, 2020
by admin

Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life. – Joni Eareckson Tada

Winston Churchill planned his funeral before he died. His wishes called for a bugler, positioned high in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral to play taps after the benediction. The taps were meant to represent that his physical life was over. But then came the most dramatic turn: as soon as the taps were finished, another bugler, placed on the other side of the great dome, played notes of reveille – it’s time to get up. It’s time to get up. It’s time to get up in the morning

That Churchill would choose both taps and reveille to be played at his funeral is a reminder to us about the importance of our perspective. So often we tend to dwell on only the negative. Perhaps Churchill chose Reveille to remind those who mourned that it was now their time to step up.

We’ve all been learning how to make adjustments during this pandemic. The old ways of doing things seem like a faded memory. Pivot seems to be the new buzzword as businesses acclimate to teleconferencing, zoom meetings, and social distancing.

As a leader during this time, it’s important that you take time to reflect on what all of these changes mean to you and how you navigate going forward. Here are a few perspectives to consider going forward.

What lessons from the past apply to the present?

You’ve heard the old adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. And there’s an element of truth to that, I suppose. But more importantly, when the pandemic is over, what foundational principles of leadership will help you navigate your new paths? What truths and principles of leadership will always be true and stand the test of time and pandemic? These are the ones you will stand on. Click To Tweet

What practices of the past will be obsolete?

You’ve heard the expression “new normal” and that is what we are living in. While bedrock leadership principles will stand the test of time, not all practices will. In a new normal will come new ways of doing things. Click To TweetYour perspective as a leader will be measured by how you differentiate between the two. The path forward today may look nothing like it did six months ago. As a leader, you have to put it in perspective for your people.

Will your vision be recast or rebuilt?

As a leader, you must assess what your vision going forward looks like. For many, it will mean picking up where you left off by putting your hand to the plow and grinding it out. For others, it will need to be recast based upon new circumstances. Either way, it won’t look the same. You may be one of the many who’ve had to lay off employees or closed entirely and so now your journey begins anew. Be it recast or rebuilt, your perspective as a leader determines what the future is going to look like.

Will you lead with confidence or with fear?

In the end, your perspective as a leader matters like never before. It gives you clarity of mind in the midst of turmoil and gives your people a sense of much-needed hope and confidence. How you communicate as a leader is in part based upon your perspective. It’s during this time you need to engage in purposeful reflection and sound judgment.

Final Thoughts

Your perspective as a leader will be challenged in ways like never before during this time. Take time to reflect, pray, rest, and engage. Be careful to stay grounded and connected to the realities of what is happening while charting your new normal with hope and courage.

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Are You Leading By Example?

Posted April 8, 2020
by admin

I don’t know any other way to lead but by example. – Don Shula

When General George C. Marshall took command of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., he found the post in a generally run-down condition. Rather than issue orders for specific improvements, he simply got out his own paintbrushes, lawn equipment, etc., and went to work on his personal quarters.

The other officers and men, first on his block, and then throughout the post, did the same thing, and Ft. Benning was brightened up.

Leadership by example is a timeless principle. Actions like this speak volumes and words are not necessary.

While our current circumstances we find ourselves in today obviously do not mirror those found in the story, we need leadership by example as we’ve never needed it before.

To be sure, leading in a time of a worldwide pandemic is not something any of us have experience in. It’s all-new territory.

But the foundational principles of leadership are applicable to any situation and is why it’s incumbent upon leaders the world over to step up and be the leader others are looking for.

What exactly does leadership in a global pandemic look like? When the people you lead look to you, what hope and assurances are you offering to them?

Recently, I was reading back through Leadershift by John Maxwell. In the book he makes this noteworthy observation: “What is happening around you determines whether you hold fast or move forward.” This is especially true today.

Whether or not you move forward depends on how you act today. It’s why your leadership is so important to you and the people you lead.

I believe in times like this that there are a few foundational leadership principles that you need to be standing on. Here are just a few worth noting.

Lead with focus and perspective

In uncertain times, we need leaders with a steady hand and proper perspective. We don’t need endless knee-jerk reactions to everything we see and hear. This only breeds more fear and stress. In uncertain times we need leaders who know how to weather the storm which allows others to gain much-needed confidence. Calm focus and perspective is a sign of stable leadership. Be an example of it.

Lead with the right attitude

Attitudes are contagious and the attitude of the leader tends to be the attitude throughout the organization. If you want to keep morale strong and hope alive, be a leader with a strong attitude. Click To TweetThe impact of your strong attitude will prepare you for the long haul. No one knows how long this pandemic will last but a strong attitude is essential to beat it. Be the leader who brings hope to your people. Begin with the right attitude.

Lead with empathy and compassion

Before this pandemic is over, most of us will be touched directly or indirectly by COVID-19. You will know people who have it – be it a family member, friend, colleague, and unfortunately, maybe even someone reading this. Your empathy and compassion as a leader are needed now more than ever. As a leader others are looking to, now is the time to step up and care for those in your care. Your leadership will be defined by the empathy you show and the compassion you mobilize. Click To TweetLet’s be all about bringing hope and healing to those around us.

Lead with the end in mind

When this pandemic is over, many people will be walking back into their places of business and familiar surroundings. But it will not be the same. Just as many have had to learn how to adjust to new ways of doing things while working remotely, new adjustments will be made upon the return. A wise leader doesn’t just think about the here and now, but also knows how to think long for the good of his people. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

In these uncertain times, people need the assurance of proven leadership. The people in your sphere of influence need you. Be the leader they can look to who is steady under pressure. Be an influencer of hope. Above all else, keep the faith. We will get through this together.

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Harnessing the Power of Common Ground

Posted March 22, 2020March 22, 2020
by admin

No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it. – H. E. Luccock

I read a story about a family in New York who intended to raise cattle, so they bought a ranch out West. When their friends visited and inquired about the ranch’s name, the would-be rancher replied, “I wanted to name it the Bar-J. My wife favored Suzy-Q. One of the sons wanted the Flying-J while the other liked the Lazy-Y. So we’re calling it the Bar-J-SuzyQ-Flying-W-Lazy Y.

“But where are all your cattle?” the friends asked. The would-be rancher replied, “None survived the branding.”

While the story does have a humorous component to it, the sad reality is that this scenario plays out on a regular basis all the time. It doesn’t happen on a ranch. It happens in businesses and organizations where its people have failed to find common ground.

In his book, The Leader’s Greatest Return, leadership expert John Maxwell states, “You need to find common ground with potential leaders, which is less about ability and more a function of attitude.” He’s right.

But why is common ground so hard to find and maintain? Here are a few reasons that quickly come to mind.

Individual agendas – We want it done our way and we are not willing to bend
Unchecked ego’s – We think it’s all about us
We have unhealthy relationships – We view each other as competitors rather than colleagues. Internally there’s an us vs. them mindset that’s killing the culture.

Finding common ground is but a beginning to building deeper and healthier relationships within your organization. It’s where trust, loyalty, and respect are established. With it, the sky’s the limit. Without it, you’ll always be scratching your head trying to figure out why you’re stuck and not making progress.

So how do you find common ground? It’s not as complicated as you might think. Here are a few suggestions.

Ask more, talk less (this is where the buy-in happens)

One way to harness the power of common ground is to ask questions. Seek out feedback from all sectors of your organization. The more you ask, the more you will know. That much is a given.

But by asking questions you are also inviting more buy-in and participation from your people. Finding common ground is a discovery that begins simply by talking less and asking more.

Seek first to understand (then be understood)

The difference between a smart leader and a not-so-smart leader is that the smart one wants to understand others before being understood. Click To Tweet As a leader, when you invest the time to get to know your people – what makes them tick, understand on a deeper level what they do, how they do it, and why – then it opens up a whole new level of understanding for you as a leader.

Also in this is your ability to understand their needs on a more personal level. It’s not just about knowing their requests or their frustrations, but why it matters and is so important to them. When you seek to understand, you are laying a strong foundation of common ground.

Prepare the path (to a brighter future)

It’s not an uncommon desire on the part of a lot of people to want the path cleared for them. But when you prepare your people for the path then they can tackle any obstacle that arises on it. This is done when you and your team have found common ground.

When your people, at every level, are empowered, trusted, given the ability to make decisions in real-time, it’s a game-changer. Click To TweetThis can only happen and be successful when you’ve dealt with individual agendas, unchecked ego’s, and have built healthy relationships. It’s a must if you want your team to share common ground.

Final Thoughts

Harnessing the power of common ground can transform your organization when you approach it with a humble attitude and right mindset. Your people will learn the value of being on a team with a purpose. As a leader, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that it’s not about you.

Common ground is a game-changer. Find it. Protect it. Live it.

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The New Normal: The Impact of COVID-19 in Your Daily Leadership

Posted March 15, 2020
by admin

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

For the foreseeable future, we are now living in a new normal. The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has the world on edge as the virus spreads and death tolls climb. Be it directly or indirectly, everyone has been impacted by it.

Your leadership in this new normal is important. Whether your occupational field is in healthcare, government, retail, financial services, education, religious, corporate, etc. the signals you send as a leader make a difference.

I’m reminded of Churchill’s leadership during World War II. England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation, he asked them to picture in their minds a parade that he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner’s caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, ‘And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?’ And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, ‘We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.'”

Just as Churchill had to rally the people around a common cause, so too is COVID-19 a challenge all of us face. It’s no respecter of persons. We are all in this together as it were -with our faces to the coal.

What’s needed to lead in the new normal? Here’s a start.

Lead in the new normal with a steady hand

In this new normal, we need leaders with a steady hand. We need leaders with eyes wide open and clear thinking. We need leaders in the new normal who exude confidence and calm.

Leadership Tip: In this new normal you people want steady leadership.

Lead in the new normal with courage

A new normal like ours will require courage to not just lead with a steady hand but speak the truth with authority. It will require courage, boldness, and at times, restraint. Courageous leadership in times of adversity will calm fears and inspire hope. Click To Tweet

Leadership Tip: In this new normal, your people are looking for courageous leadership.

Lead in the new normal with facts

As we see so often in times like this, there’s information overload that’s accessible 24/7. Justifiably so, people want information. As you lead in this new normal, be responsible and communicate with your people factually. When people look to your leadership in these times, be the voice of reason and facts.

Leadership Tip: In this new normal, your people want facts more than hype.

Lead in the new normal with patience

It’s been said that in times of adversity, leaders aren’t made, they are revealed. Your past experiences, both good and bad, have prepared you for moments like this. It’s time for you to step up in your leadership. But in doing so, exercise patience and understanding with those around you. People may be traveling the same road as you, but they may not have all been on it for as long. Let others both learn from and be reassured by your leadership and experience. Click To Tweet

Leadership Tip: In this new normal your people need your patience as you navigate through uncertain times.

Lead in the new normal with compassion

Now more than ever, we need leaders who will step up and model compassion. So many people have been impacted by COVID-19 and many are in a bad place. Leverage your leadership to rally around those in need. This can be our finest hour if we step up with compassionate hearts. Click To Tweet

Leadership Tip: In this new normal, your people need to see compassion in action. We must look out for one another.

Final Thoughts

Even though we are living in a new normal in uncertain times, I believe we will come through it strong. Your leadership in this new normal is essential. When it’s all over, let it be said that you rose to the occasion and led with clarity and confidence. This is your finest hour.

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How Your Attitude Helps Shape Your Company Culture

Posted February 9, 2020
by admin

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. – Viktor E. Frankl

I read a story about a young man named John who received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to “clean up” the bird’s vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder.

John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly it was totally quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he’d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s outstretched arms and said “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.”

John was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, “May I ask what the turkey did?”

Like John, you may be surrounded by people with bad attitudes and you are desperate about what to do.

Did you know that according to an article in Inc., science says that your bad attitude can cost you $3,600 a year? The link was made between cynicism and income and how cynical people make less money.

How about you? Are you allowing a bad attitude and cynicism to generate negative consequences in your life?

The attitude you have contributes to the overall company culture where you work. The same goes for your colleagues. Based upon your attitude and the attitude of those around you, is this concerning? Click To Tweet

Your attitude is important. Here are a few reasons why.

People are watching

Wherever you are within your organizational structure you carry within you a certain amount of influence. This translates into your leadership capacity. So how you handle stress, adversity, challenges, the unexpected, etc. all contribute to an attitude that’s on display. Your attitude by default and whether you like it or not is shaping the culture around you because other people see it.

People are listening

One of the most important things you learn as a leader is how to choose your words carefully. It’s not always easy especially when that special someone at the office has got on your last nerve. I get it. But the way you contribute with your words ought to be a reflection of how you want to add value as a leader. Are your words lifting? Helpful? Encouraging? Know this - your attitude as reflected in your words matters because people are listening. Are you helping your culture or hurting it? Click To Tweet

People are reacting

As a leader in your organization, not only are people watching and listening to your attitude, but they are reacting to it. If your attitude alone was the attitude thermostat that the rest of your organization was set to, what kind of workplace would it be? You may not think that your attitude alone makes that much difference. But what if your attitude was taken and multiplied by 30 employees, 50 employees, or 100, would it matter then? Would you stay and work in that environment?

Final Thoughts

“The greatest day in your life and mine”, says John Maxwell, “is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.” How about you? It’s time for an attitude check to help shape your company culture in a positive way.

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Celebrating Black History Month

Posted February 3, 2020February 3, 2020
by admin

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. – Booker T. Washington

In celebration of Black History Month, here are twenty inspirational quotes to think about. In the spirit of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear,” let’s recommit ourselves to being messengers of love in a world that so desperately needs it.

“ The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” – Kobe Bryant

“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself- the invisible, inevitable battles inside us all- that’s where it’s at.” – Jesse Owens

“Just don’t give up what you’re trying to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” – Ella Fitzgerald

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – President Barack Obama

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” – Harriet Tubman

“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.” – Colin Powell

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” – Mae Jemison

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver

“Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.” – Maya Angelou

“When I dare to be powerful -to use my strength in service to my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde

“Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher.” – Oprah

“The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.” – Mary McLeod Bethune

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe

“Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” – Shondra Rhimes

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” – Wilma Rudolph

“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!” – Madam CJ Walker

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