leadership development – Page 6 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Authenticating Your Leadership

Posted June 20, 2022
by admin

Authenticity is your most precious commodity as a leader. – Marcus Buckingham

The painting was named the Sunset at Montmajour and depicted trees, bushes, and the sky that was later confirmed to be inspired by the landscape at Montmajour hill, near Arles, France, near where the artist Vincent van Gogh lived. The painting had spent years in the attic of a Norwegian private collector.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam had previously rejected the painting’s authenticity in the 1990s partly because it was not signed. Was it truly an original by the renowned painter?

Thanks to new research at the time (2013), and an extensive two-year investigation, it was concluded that the artwork was indeed by the artist Vincent van Gogh. It was called a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” at the unveiling ceremony.

The painting was authenticated by letters, style, and the physical materials used. The investigation into the authenticity of the painting took two years.

The authentication process is one that was done with a great deal of research and care. There could be no doubts or reservations before making such a bold declaration.

This leads me to the question of how we go about authenticating leaders.

Many people desire to be leaders. Many people claim to be leaders. Some are the real deal and, of course, there are pretenders. But how can you be certain? How do you authenticate or validate one’s leadership?

Over time many things will ultimately reveal whether a person is truly a leader – whether that person is just starting or has been around for a long time. So what are those distinguishing characteristics? Here are a few ways to know.

Authentic leaders seek to serve

This is one of the most distinguishing differences that exist in leadership – those who chase after power and position, and those who seek out ways to serve others. A true leader understands that ultimately, it’s not about you.

Jim George put it this way, “Serving others prepares you to lead others.” And this is why it takes so long for so many to authenticate their leadership – they have it all backward. When you prioritize serving others, you are laying the stepping stones to your success as a leader.

Authentic leaders walk with humility

Since authentic leaders know that it’s not about them, they check their ego at the door. Authentic leaders know that the more they are entrusted to lead and influence those around them the more responsibility they assume.

Thomas Merton was correct when he said, “Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.” Let that thought sink in for a moment. Grandstanding and self-promotion come across more times than not as being artificial and fake, but those who walk with humility demonstrate true characteristics of leadership that are appealing and worth emulating.

Authentic leaders are trustworthy

The great thing about authentic and trustworthy leaders is that you don’t have to question their motives. You don’t have to second-guess the validity of the relationship. Their word is their bond.

Authenticity in this area of your leadership is critical to your success as a leader whether you are just starting or have been around a while. You have to build trust and be trustworthy because with it anything is possible, and without it nothing is. Click To Tweet

Authentic leaders growing leaders

Authentic leaders are growing leaders. They are constantly learning, failing, re-evaluating, and re-entering. They are not afraid to make mistakes and fail and appear at times to not have it all together. They are comfortable in their skin because they know that this life and leadership journey is real and at times can get messy.

This tribe of leaders embrace the mess and had rather risk looking foolish than be a phony who never ventures and never learns and never grows. They’d rather be authentic- warts and all.

What sets this authentic leader apart from the rest is their insatiable desire to grow and be the best they can be and leave their mark on the world.

Final Thoughts

Authenticating your leadership is an important aspect of your leadership. And these characteristics listed here are a good place to start but certainly aren’t an exhaustive list. But you can begin by taking an honest assessment of where you are now with this list. Dare to challenge your beliefs and assumptions and dare to be authentic.

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Swimming Upstream: What Salmon Teach Us About Leadership

Posted June 13, 2022
by admin

Only dead fish go with the flow – Andy Hunt

I read an interesting article at Sciencing.com not long ago about fish who swim upstream. The main reason salmon, for example, swim upstream is to ensure the survival of their offspring. Salmon are born in freshwater rivers, spend most of their adult lives in the ocean, and then return to the place they were born to lay their eggs.

As young salmon hatch in their home stream, they learn the smell of it. As they migrate downstream and into the ocean they may even memorize certain scents along the way. Even after being away for many years, when the salmon return to their birthplace as adults, they will use those smells to “test the waters” and find their home stream. Some studies have shown that salmon use the Earth’s magnetic field to guide their migration. This helps them travel long distances and understand where they are going.

Many interesting things stood out to me as I read the story of the migration of the salmon, but namely, it was that salmon swim upstream to ensure the survival of their offspring.

In your leadership, there will be times, more often than not, when for your survival and success you will need to swim upstream. In your organization, you may feel that you are swimming against the current as it relates to values and direction and this has placed you in an awkward situation.

But not all swimming upstream is necessarily a bad thing. At times it’s going to be required of you. Let’s look at four reasons why.

You have to swim upstream to grow

Your growth as a leader is not automatic and to grow you have to be intentional. When swimming downstream with the rest of the crowd it’s easy to just relax and go with the flow. But if you want to grow as a leader you will have to embrace what John Maxwell describes as the law of trade-offs. In other words, you have to give up to grow up.

Eric Hoffer said, “People will cling to an unsatisfactory way of life rather than change to get something better for fear of getting something worse,” and it’s this mindset that you have to break free from. It won’t be easy and you will have to swim upstream to attain it. But your growth as a leader depends upon it.

You have to swim upstream to stay true to your values

When it comes to your values and belief system as a leader, you will have to fight to keep from getting swept up in the downstream current. It’s so much easier to swim downstream and blend in. And by downstream I mean the downward current of negativity, bad attitudes, office politics, and toxic people.

“The first step toward success,” said Mark Caine, “is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment you find yourself in.” And this is precisely what you have to do as a leader. Your values and belief systems are your non-negotiables and to stay true to them, you will have to be relentless and swim upstream. Just as the salmon swim upstream to preserve their offspring, so too will you need to swim upstream to protect your values.

You have to swim upstream to make a lasting impact

Swimming upstream is painful and difficult. As a leader, you have to embrace the pain if you want to grow and make an impact on the lives of those around you.

Neale Donald Walsh said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone,” and this is the push I am encouraging you with – get out of your comfort zone. Swimming downstream requires little of you and consequently produces little from you. Click To Tweet But to swim upstream requires more and therefore, the return is more significant. When you embrace the struggle of swimming upstream you also embrace the reward it generates.

You have to swim upstream to be your best

If you were to pause and look around at those closest to you in your circle- your friends and colleagues, how many would you say are living their best life as they swim downstream? These are unquestionably good people but are in a downstream current with no thought of where it’s taking them.

John Maxwell said, “We become the combined average of the five people we hang around.” Let that sink in for a moment. Think of those five people. Are those five floating along downstream? How many are swimming upstream? Are they taking you downstream with them or are you leading the way up?

Final Thoughts

I believe that your best days as a leader are found when you discover that swimming downstream with everyone else is not the destiny that’s meant for you. It’s discovered when you realize that you want more out of life and leadership than just blending in. And just as the salmon swim upstream to ensure the survival of their offspring, so too, you need to choose to swim upstream to ensure your success as a leader.

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This is Your Time

Posted June 5, 2022
by admin

Prosper ISD Graduation / Homepage

“…And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

I’d like to dedicate this time and space to the Class of 2022. Whether you’ve just graduated from high school or college, your accomplishment is to be commended. Congratulations!

In the Netflix documentary, The Movies That Made Us, in the episode about the movie Back to the Future, screenwriter Bob Gale has this to say as he reflects on making the movie: “Time is the only thing money can’t buy. And it can’t be replaced in any way. Time only goes one way so far, and we never get it back. You never know what the future will bring.”

That time has been on your side and has brought you this far is a blessing. For that, you can be thankful. But the question that lingers that you need to ponder is what will you do with the time – the hours, days, weeks, months, and years that are before you? How will you use this time that is on loan to you?

I’d like to offer up a few suggestions and words of advice for you to consider. And my hope is that you will find a path forward with a purpose that makes wise use of your time.

Serve causes greater than yourself

One of the first lessons leaders has to learn and perhaps the hardest is that it’s not about you.

You live in a world that in many ways is broken, hurting, and divided. Use your time to serve people and causes greater than you so that when your days are over you can look back and say that you may not have changed the world but you helped change your world and you left it better than you found it.

Don’t be afraid to fail

The greatest accomplishments in your life more often than not are realized on the other side of failure. At an early age Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for “lacking ideas,” Albert Einstein had the label “mentally slow” put on his permanent school record, and Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. No one looks at these individuals as failures, but rather they are remembered for their outstanding accomplishments.

Thomas Edison said, “ I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” In life, we come to expect failure. It will be a great teacher for you. The only thing that makes you a failure is after you get knocked down you don’t get back up. In life, learn to fail forward and you will be just fine.

Don’t let anyone define your worth or put a lid on your goals a dreams

Your purpose and destiny in life are just that – yours. And you must not allow anyone – especially your critics, to define your worth and dim the light of your dreams. You have not been placed on this earth by accident and you have a destiny to fulfill.

What God has spoken to you, placed in your heart, and the passion that’s been ignited in you was not a conference call. It was birthed in your heart. Not everyone will understand it, but always remain true to it.

Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly

As you embark on this new journey and season in your life, many will be looking at you. Some with a dose of skepticism and others with optimism. This is your time to step up – but not with arrogance or pride.

This is your opportunity to act justly – be a model to those around you by the way that you serve a broken world. It’s your time to step up and love mercy and show mercy to a world that can be so cruel. And finally, walk humbly (remember, it’s not about you).

Final Thoughts

None of us are promised tomorrow. We only have the time that we have been gifted each day to make a difference and change our world. My prayer for you, the Class of 2022, is that you will serve each day to the best of your God-given abilities and be a force for good.

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The Power of Resistance in Leadership

Posted May 8, 2022May 11, 2022
by admin

Only a mediocre person is always at his best.- W. Somerset Maugham

I came across an interesting story not long ago about how our muscles grow and develop. According to medical research, “muscle size increases when a person continually challenges the muscles to deal with higher levels of resistance or weight. This process is known as hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy occurs when fibers sustain damage or injury. The body repairs damaged fibers by fusing them, which increases the mass and size of the muscles.”

Did you catch that? Muscles build when there is resistance. The process actually includes the tearing of muscle fibers. It sounds like a painful process but it is necessary for the bigger picture; gaining muscle strength and growth.

When it comes to our personal growth and our growth as leaders, we tend to stay away from things (or people) that cause us pain. And often, the very thing that will move us in the direction of more growth and development, is the very thing we try to avoid. Why? Because it’s painful or because we are unwilling to pay the price for that growth. It’s the ultimate catch-22.

In The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, here’s how John Maxwell defines the Law of the Rubber Band, “Growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be.” There are many uses for a rubber band, but it’s of no use or value until it’s stretched.

As a leader, how willing and open are you to being stretched for the sake of growth? What sacrifices are you willing to make to become a better leader tomorrow? Unless you are stretched you will never reach your full leadership potential.

Your physical muscles grow as they are challenged to deal with higher levels of resistance. What does that look like in leadership? Let’s consider these two ways.

You grow in your leadership as you resist your comfort zones

When you begin moving out of your comfort zones – those familiar places where you routinely operate with a great degree of predictability, then you will begin to feel resistance. It’s akin to the feeling you had when the training wheels came off when learning how to ride a bike, or when learning to swim and you took the plunge into the deep end of the pool. All of your training and learning up to that point have prepared you for the next step. In order to grow, you must be willing to move in the direction of the things you’ve resisted the most up to this point. Click To Tweet

In the book Originals – How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant quotes John Kotter who sheds additional light here stating, “Without a sense of urgency, people…won’t make sacrifices. Instead, they cling to the status quo and resist.” Perhaps in your leadership, this is where you find yourself – with no sense of urgency. Here’s what you need to know – without embracing resistance that will develop you as a leader, you will stay right where you are. Without a sense of urgency, you will be at the same place a year from now as you find yourself today. Click To TweetYour personal growth and development will only happen when you are willing and prepared to make the sacrifices to get there.

You grow in your leadership when you embrace the tension of growth

Developing your leadership mettle happens when you embrace the tensions of growth. I’m not talking about the tension that arises due to strained relationships or conflict in the office. The tension that I am referring to is the tension that’s created when you recognize that your comfort zone is no longer serving you well and it’s time to get out of it. It’s the tension that takes place when you move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset and from a negative attitude to a positive attitude. It’s the tension that takes place as John Maxwell says when you are willing to give up security for significance and addition for multiplication.

Ultimately, by embracing the tension of growth you will develop a new set of leadership muscles and fortitude you didn’t have before.

Simon Sinek remarked, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” And passion is the ultimate difference-maker when it comes to how you lead. It emboldens you with confidence and confidence is contagious.

Final Thoughts

Your personal growth and development and that of your leadership occur when you embrace the tension and put resistance to work. As you embrace the tension, you will grow as a leader. This is how you put resistance to good work.

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The Dirt on Leadership

Posted April 24, 2022April 26, 2022
by admin

The test of leadership is, is anyone or anything better because of you? – Mark Sanborn

For several years back in my high school days, I worked in a garden center. It was a fun job and I learned a lot. As a result, I have always had an eye for landscaping and enjoy getting my hands dirty- especially in the spring with the planting of flowers and various projects.

I vividly remember those days in the winter months at the garden center. Business was always slow but we were busy preparing for spring. We would build greenhouses to store the hundreds and hundreds of roses that we would spend countless hours potting.

The mixing of the soil was always fun- especially for the new guys. We would build mounds of soil mix for the potting process. The mix would include soil, fertilizers, manure, and other ingredients in order to pot and produce the best-looking roses you could find. This process required us to get shovels and mix it all together over and over until the consistency and balance were just right.

I often look back on those days and see how one’s growth and development as a leader have similar parallels. Here are a few lessons I learned from my days in the garden center that apply to leadership.

If you want to be a leader, be willing to pick up the shovel
One of the big drawbacks to mixing the fertilizer, of course, was the smell. It wasn’t pleasant. But the job had to be done. But before too long, it was something that we’d get used to over time. The potting process took a couple of months to complete. And while unpleasant in the beginning, after a while no one even talked about it. We just shoveled our way through it one rose at a time.

The Lesson: If you are not willing to humble yourself as a leader and pick up the shovel, then you forfeit the ability to lead. Leadership is not about the entitlements you think you deserve, but about the posture of your heart. As someone said, if serving is beneath you then leading is beyond you.

If you want to be a leader expect to get some cuts and thorns
After the greenhouses were built and the soil prepared, the potting process began. There was nothing really glamorous about it. We’d have stacks of one-gallon buckets and we would fill the bucket to the prescribed limit, prune the rose, and pot it. While the process was monotonous, there were always two things we could always count on – thorns and cuts. Despite the wearing of gloves it always happened and by the end of the day, our hands would be bloody and scarred.

The Lesson: Many aspiring leaders want the rewards of someone else’s labor but are not always willing to pay the price to grasp it for themselves. They want the smell and beauty of the rose that makes them look good, but not the smell of crap on their hands that made it possible. If you want to be a leader, you have to get your hands dirty and put up with a few thorns along the way.

If you want to be a leader, you must grow yourself daily
In the garden center, we worked tirelessly every day in those winter months because we knew spring was coming. We knew the payoff for our efforts was within our reach if we worked hard. The days were long and tiring but worth it in the end. Every part of the process was intentional and calculated and the outcome was profitable.

The Lesson: If you desire to grow as a leader, you must be intentional about your growth and daily do those things that move you in the right direction. Your growth and development as a leader are not accidental. It’s on purpose. And without a plan, you will never grow as a leader.

Final Thoughts
Make the commitments daily to grow in your leadership. Remember that it’s not about you and never has been. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and remember that before you can grow others, you must first grow yourself.

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Why Every Leader Must Value Failure

Posted April 18, 2022
by admin

When achievers fail, they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic. – John Maxwell

In 2014’s Oscar-winning film Birdman, Michael Keaton plays a washed-out actor trying to start his life again after a series of failed roles. But his efforts are haunted by the voice of the Birdman, the superhero role that had made him famous in his youth. The voice in his head tells him a story about his life- a story about failure and missed chances.

It taunts him with memories of what he was and what he could have been, but now isn’t. The continuing question running through the film is simple: Will he listen to that voice of a failure, or will he dare to believe that he can flourish again?

The story of the movie is one that plays out in the mind and imaginations of many leaders today.

You may relate to the character played by Michael Keaton and wonder if you have squandered too many opportunities in the past and doubt if or if you will ever flourish again.

In order to answer those lingering doubts and questions you may have, I believe it all hinges on your reaction to and outlook on failure. In other words, do you see the value in failure? Do you see the growth opportunities that come to you only because you did fail that otherwise, you may have missed out on? I want to explore two specific ways why valuing failure is important to you as a leader.

Value failure for what you learn

Tom Watson, Sr. is the man who founded IBM. Once, many years ago, he had a top junior executive who had spent $12 million of the company’s money on a venture that failed.

The executive put his resignation on Watson’s desk and said, “I’m sure you want my resignation.” Watson roared back, “No, I don’t want your resignation. I’ve just spent $12 million educating you. It’s about time you get to work.”

It’s been said that experience is a great teacher. So is failure. But most of us don’t like experiencing failures. I get it. But when you see failure as part of the stepping stones towards success your outlook will change. Failures and setbacks are part of your journey so the question becomes what will you learn when they happen.

One of the most valuable things you learn from your failures and mistakes is what you learn about yourself. When you know your strengths and weaknesses it helps you move forward in a smarter and more productive manner.

John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts,” and to that end, never despise learning and know that as long as you have a pulse, you have an opportunity to grow and learn.

Value failure for your personal growth

In his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John Maxwell states, “The greatest limitations people experience on their lives are usually the ones they impose upon themselves.” That statement is packed with so much truth and wisdom.

Let me ask you today – what limitations have you placed on your own personal growth and development that as a result is holding you back? What lies have you bought into that make you feel inferior?

Every leader I know has made mistakes and has experienced failure at some point in time. I know that I have made my fair share of mistakes and know what failure feels like. But here’s the truth you need to be reminded of: you experience failures – you are not a failure. You make mistakes – you are not a mistake.

The attitude you embrace and the mindset you establish fundamentally determine how failure will shape your leadership. When you welcome failure as your teacher it will help you grow and get better. But when you turn inward and see yourself as a failure then it will hold you back and defeat you.

Final Thoughts

Failure and learning go hand in hand. As leaders, it comes with the territory and is part of the journey. While we don’t intentionally or purposefully set out to fail we do know that it’s all a part of our humanity that we embrace. Especially as leaders. Welcome it. Learn from it. Grow from it.

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Stay In Your Lane: Why Focused Leadership Matters

Posted April 11, 2022
by admin

Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. – Jack Canfield

I came across an interesting story not long ago about Roger Bannister. He was the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes. That was in May of 1954. The next month, Australian John Landy broke that record by 1.4 seconds.

In August 1954, the two fastest runners in the world met for a historic race at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, Canada. The race was dubbed “The Miracle Mile”, the “Race of the Century” and the “Dream Race”.

As Bannister and Landy turned for the last lap, Landy was ahead and looked certain to win, but as he neared the finish line he lost focus and allowed his mind to wonder about Bannister’s position. Unable to stand the strain, he finally looked back over his shoulder, and as he did his stride faltered and Bannister passed him to break the tape and win the race.

How that race ended is an example of what happens when we lose our focus. As leaders, it’s not how you start the race that matters but how you finish.

Roger Bannister and John Landy sculpture.

To commemorate the historic race, Vancouver sculptor Jack Harmon crafted a bronze sculptor of the two men captured at that moment when Bannister overtook Landy for the win.

Keeping focused as a leader is important. Staying in our lane is essential. I was reminded of this recently while driving on I-95 in Florida and passed a big sign that read, “Stay In Your Lane”. The primary purpose of the sign, of course, was to remind motorists of basic safety rules and that staying in your lane is a thing.

How you navigate the ins and outs of your leadership is important. In many respects, it’s about learning how to stay in your lane. Why is this important? Why should we be mindful of staying in our own lane? Here are a few tips that I think will help.

Staying in your lane keeps you focused

Staying in your lane keeps you focused on your priorities and responsibilities. As a leader, you have certain duties and things that fall under your purview that require your attention. But not everyone’s business is your business. Understanding what needs your expertise and work and what needs your opinion is something you need to learn as a leader. Click To Tweet

When you drift out of your lane, you tend to be in places where you don’t belong and end up meddling in ways that are unhealthy. It can lead to resentment and can cause more damage than good and when the crash happens it will be your fault. Stay in your lane!

Staying in your lane protects boundaries

Staying in your lane protects boundaries that must be respected. Just because you have an opinion on what’s happening two lanes over from you doesn’t mean that you need to swerve over and weigh in on it – unless you’re asked. Nothing will break down morale and hurt the culture in your organization faster than when someone gets out of their lane to barge in on someone else. And consider this: When you leave your lane of responsibility, what’s not getting done in yours that should be?

Healthy workplace cultures operate best when people stay in the lane that is designed for them. When you stay in your lane you will thrive in your lane and when you do no one is getting hurt. Stay in your lane!

Staying in your lane accelerates progress

The logical outflow of staying in your lane means everyone is moving forward at optimum speed. When you stay in your lane, focused on being your best where you are, doing what you do, means everyone else has the time, space, and energy to do the same. When you resist the temptation to change lanes or drift across drawn lines, it gives you and those around you the opportunity to move forward faster.

If your workplace or organization operates more like bumper cars then it could be because too many people are trying to change lanes. And while it’s being done by well-meaning people just wanting to help, it will end up creating more harm than good. The best advice I can give to you as a leader is simply this: stay in your lane!

Final Thoughts

Staying in your lane can be hard. It’s too easy to get distracted and lose focus. It doesn’t mean you walk around with blinders on and are oblivious to what’s going on around you. There may be times when a lane change is necessary to help at the moment, but then you get back in yours. There has to be a degree of flexibility here, but by and large, when you stay in your lane, crashes are avoided and everyone is moving forward together.

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Five Signs Your Leadership Has a Settler’s Mentality

Posted March 28, 2022
by admin

There is no passion to be found in playing small- in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. – Nelson Mandela

About 350 years ago, the story is told, a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a townsite. The next year they elected a town government. In the third year, the town government planned to build a road five miles westward to the wilderness.

In the fourth year, the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?

Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.

This story in some ways embodies what can happen to leaders when they “arrive” at certain levels of success or accomplishment and settle for where they are. And instead of blazing new trails and creating new opportunities, they are content to stop and smell the roses without any thought of moving forward.

You may be in a place in your leadership where you feel that you are in a rut or have grown stagnant. Would you even know that you have or what that looks like? What are some of the signs that you have a settler’s mentality when it comes to your leadership? Here are five for your consideration.

You stand in the way of change

A leader with a settler’s mentality stands in the way of change. He or she not just longs for the ‘good ole days’ but still has that mindset and to some extent prefers it. While one can certainly appreciate the past one must not live or stay there.

John Maxwell once said, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” And so long as you stand in the way of change, you will be like the early settlers in the story above who made a three thousand mile journey across the ocean but lack the vision to move five miles out of town. You can stand in the way of change and be a settler, or change and be a pioneer.

You don’t have a personal growth plan

A leader with a settler’s mentality is in many ways a leader who has grown stagnant. In other words, they’ve stopped growing. Your growth and development as a leader have no endpoint where you’ve arrived and you know it all. If you are not learning and growing as a leader then you are settling.

When you embrace a growth mindset and have a personal growth plan you can break out of that settler’s mentality. It will invigorate you and it will add value to your team. If you’re not growing you are not moving forward. And as a leader, you can’t afford to settle. With growth comes more growth. Don’t settle for where you are, grow to where you want to go. Click To Tweet

Others have moved on without you

Another sure sign that you have a settler’s mentality as a leader is that, well, others have moved on from you. And this is not necessarily because you are not a likable person, but because they’ve outgrown you. They’ve outgrown you not necessarily because they are more talented or gifted, or possess a greater skillset. They’ve moved on because you’ve stopped growing.

Take a look around you. If those closest to you never stay close to you for long, this might be a sign that you’ve settled for too long.

You’re afraid to take risks

Settlers tend to only move when they know it’s safe. If you are a leader whose afraid to take risks then you might have been one of the townspeople opposing the road out of town. Life is full of risks and as a leader, you have to be willing to take them. Click To Tweet

This doesn’t mean that you throw caution to the wind and that you recklessly make decisions, but so long as you never make them, you will always be a settler. Dare to dream, dare to take risks, dare to bet on yourself.

You’ve stopped dreaming

The by-product of a settler’s mentality in your leadership is evidenced in that you’ve stopped dreaming. When was the last time your dreams kept you up at night? Have you lost the passion that you once knew? When you give up on a dream or when it begins to fade, you begin to settle.

When you stop dreaming, something inside you stops growing. A settler’s mentality has no vision of the future beyond their current surroundings.

Are you settling or moving forward?

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Leadership For Such A Time As This

Posted March 13, 2022
by admin

And where were you?- Winston Churchill

A story is told that in the early days of World War II, Winston Churchill called Britain’s coal miners together. A great crisis had arisen. The miners were not getting out enough coal to fuel the factories that produced the planes and ships they so desperately needed.

When Churchill stood to speak he said, “I want to give it to you straight.” For an hour and forty minutes, he outlined the desperate situation confronting Britain.

Then in stirring language he said, “When at last it is all over, we’ll parade these streets again and as you go by, people will call out, “And where were you?” Someone will answer, ‘I marched with the Eighth Army,’ and someone else will say, ‘I was in the skies over Britain,’ Another will reply, ‘I was in the Merchant Maries pushing the ships through the sea up to Archangel,’ Then I shall be standing there and I will call out, ‘Where were you?’ I will hear your answer, ‘We were down in the black pits right up against the face of the coal.”

Then thousands of coal miners arose and with tears streaming down their faces, cheered the Prime Minister, and the coal came out. They had caught a fresh vision of the importance of their work.

We are challenged on every front right now. We see the horrific images coming out of Ukraine, our hearts are broken as we see the human suffering and senseless loss of life.

And just when we begin to see that we have turned the corner with COVID we are now facing an economic strain that we haven’t experienced in decades.

It’s in moments of historic significance we find ourselves living in right now, that we need to hear in the back of our minds the words Churchill invoked as he spoke to the miners when he said, “And where were you?”.

This is one of the most significant questions of our generation that we need to answer. I’m asking all leaders to search their hearts and ponder these questions:

In this time of adversity and trial – Where are you?
When our world cries out for leaders with backbone, clarity, and vision – Where are you?
When the world begs for leaders with integrity and true north – Where are you?
When there is brokenness and despair in the hearts of people around you – Where are you?
With the spiritual climate in decline and the moral vacuum has to be filled – Where are you?
When partisans at every turn try to divide us – Where you are?
When our neighbors are in distress and in need – Where are you?
When those without a voice need a voice to speak on their behalf – Where are you?
When our youth need mentors and a guiding hand – Where are you?

Our world needs leaders to step up and answer these questions and more with courage and conviction. When the world is broken all around us, may people look to you and me as a source of healing and strength. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

The Old Testament speaks of a woman named Esther who became queen. In Esther 4:14 it says, “…and who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” This verse was spoken to her because she found herself in a position to rescue her people from death. In that season of her life, her faith was tested, just like your leadership is being tested today. Esther trusted and believed that God had put her in that position, in that time, to do what needed to be done. Her faith was tested, but God was working in her position.

I believe that this is our moment in time to step up be the leaders the world is looking for – for such a time as this.

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Why People Fire Their Leaders – And How To Stop It

Posted February 21, 2022
by admin

People quit people, not companies – John Maxwell

I remember my first job out of college. I was excited and filled with great enthusiasm. But it played out like A Tale of Two Cities, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. I was surrounded by people I genuinely liked with many friends. With a great team in place, we made great strides in the community we served. But I had “the boss from hell” who made life hell. So, I fired him.

An article in Inc. magazine identified the top 5 characteristics that caused employees to leave their jobs. They are:

Management style — 37 percent
Condescending attitude — 30 percent
Mean or bad temper — 30 percent
Inappropriate behavior — 26 percent
Harassed employees — 24 percent

Speaking of bad boss behavior, here is a sampling of what respondents called unacceptable or deal-breaking behaviors: Your boss takes credit for your work 63%, your boss doesn’t trust or empower you 62%; your boss doesn’t care if you’re overworked 58%, your boss doesn’t advocate for you when it comes to compensation 57%, your boss hires and/or promotes the wrong people 56%, your boss doesn’t provide proper direction on assignments/roles 54%, your boss micromanages and doesn’t allow you “freedom to work” 53%, etc.

When you look at the above examples of why people leave their work or the characteristics of bad bosses, one thing is certain – there is a leadership gap. As it relates to employee engagement, bad bosses, company morale, and corporate culture, how the leadership gap is addressed going forward is critical. A boss without strong leadership skills will drive his or he people away.

I’ve said it in this space before: Building the type of organization that your people would never dream of leaving begins by being the type of leader everyone wants to follow. Let’s explore three basic ways in which you can build that type of culture.

Serve your people

The higher you ascend in your organization the more responsibilities you take on – not more rights. This is where many a boss drops the leadership ball. Think of a pyramid. The old way of thinking is that at the bottom you have many rights and at the top, few responsibilities. Now flip it- when you do, the opposite becomes true. You now have more responsibilities as the leader/boss and fewer rights. Now, start acting like it.

You will build the type of organization people would never dream of leaving when you develop the mindset of servant leadership and by empowering your people at every opportunity. Click To Tweet

Empower your people

Employee engagement is directly tied to empowered employees. The cited survey, along with many others drive this point home. If your people are micromanaged, underappreciated, and not given credit for their ideas and work, is it any wonder they are firing their bosses?

Billy Hornsby said, “ It’s okay to let those you lead outshine you, for if they shine brightly enough, they reflect positively on you”. The boss who makes for a good leader understands that when his or her people are empowered it makes them look good. You will build the type of organization they would never dream of leaving when you empower them to reach their full potential.

Engage your people

Employee engagement is only as meaningful and effective as the leader who engages on this level. The boss who only sees employee engagement as something “they do” may have the work of his employees’ hands, but will never have their hearts. If you want to stop your people from walking out the door, then you must open yours. You must be among your people, know your people, and serve them. Click To Tweet

Building the type of organization people would never dream of leaving begins when you understand that they are the most appreciable asset you have. Simply put, employee engagement begins at the top.

Final Thoughts

There’s no way in this space to take a deep dive into all of the issues that need to be addressed here. But engaged and invested people need to step up and help right the ship. What role will you play in closing the back door and helping build the type of culture no one would ever dream of leaving?

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