leadership development – Page 9 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Getting Unstuck: Four Principles to Change Your Leadership – Part 3: Be Practical

Posted July 26, 2021July 27, 2021
by admin

Don’t try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night. – Philip K. Dick

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really been a New Year’s Resolution type person. I seldom ever make them. And no, it’s not because I don’t think that resolution or goals are not important, but because it seems that it’s the only time of the year when we ever talk about them. Why?

I will, however, tip my hat to some of the funnier resolutions I came across for your reading entertainment. Consider these:

> To become as fat as I was the very first time that I ever thought I was fat.

> To make as many people believe I’m normal before blindsiding them with my actual personality

> I’ve decided to leave my past behind me, so if I owe you money…I’m sorry..but I’ve moved on.

> My pants are starting to fit a little tight so I think it’s time I got serious about my New Year’s resolution to buy bigger pants.

Our resolutions, notwithstanding our most sincere intents, may not always be practical. But we forge ahead with them year after year in hopes something might stick.

But what do you do when you feel stuck? In this series on being stuck, we’ve taken a look at what to do when you are stuck. And here’s what we have established so far – as a leader there will be times when you are stuck. Perhaps you’ve reached a plateau, your creativity is not as sharp as it had been. You feel like you are in a slump. You feel like you are in a fog trying to find your way out.

So far we have talked about being present in the moment – not rushing the process when everything inside of us is screaming to get out of the rut as quickly as we can. We’ve been reminded that sometimes it’s OK to just be present in the moment and reflect and learn in this season the lessons we need to learn. We also talked about being patient. As much as we don’t like being stuck we have to remember that it won’t last forever.

There is a path forward and you will find it. So what’s next in the process? Let’s take a look at the next principle to change our leadership when we are stuck.

Be practical – You will hit your stride again so don’t rush it

If today you find yourself in a place where you feel stuck, let me once again tell you- be patient. This will not last forever. That being said, you also need to be practical with where you are in the moment and as you begin to find your path forward. Cut yourself some slack. Your momentum will come back and the fog will lift. But it may be a gradual emergence.

What your leadership and perspective look like on the other side of being stuck will likely look different from when you began – and rightfully so. Ruts and being stuck have a way of changing us.

In your season of being stuck, you need to learn to be practical. You need to understand your new limitations and expectations and operate within them. The lessons you learn while being stuck can help you be stronger on the other side. Embrace where you are and what you can do while stuck. Practicality is in order here.

Final Thoughts

No one likes being stuck. But it doesn’t have to be wasted time or something that’s chalked up as a bad experience. Be present. Be patient. Be practical. You will be a better leader for it.

My new book releases on August 30th and is now available for pre-order. Click here to order my new book.

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Getting Unstuck: Four Principles to Change Your Leadership: Part Two- Be Patient

Posted July 19, 2021
by admin

Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears – Barbara Johnson

A story is told of two frogs that fell into a tub of cream. One looked at the high sides of the tub which were too difficult to crawl over and said, “It is hopeless.” So he resigned himself to death, relaxed, and sank to the bottom. The other one was determined to keep swimming as long as he could. “Something might happen,” he said. He kept kicking and churning, and finally, he found himself on a solid platform of butter and jumped to safety.

Like the two frogs, there are times as leaders when we find ourselves stuck and looking for a way out without sinking.

In part one of this series Getting Unstuck, I wrote about the need to be present in those times of being stuck. It goes against the grain in terms of what we want to do because we want to get unstuck as quickly as possible to move on to the next thing. But sometimes we need to embrace the moment and use it wisely to see why we are stuck and what we can learn from it going forward.

Right now in your leadership, you may feel you are stuck. In this fog, you feel like you’ve lost your edge and creative juices. You may not be able to put your finger on it, but you know something doesn’t feel right. If you’ve been there you know what I’m talking about. So let’s explore the second principle for getting unstuck and see what we can learn and apply that will help.

Be Patient – This won’t last forever

If by chance you are wired like I am, patience is not one of your finer qualities. I wish it were not true, but it is. I hate sitting in traffic, I hate waiting in line- especially for ice cream. I hate meetings that crawl along and are going nowhere – all the while sitting there thinking of all the things I could be doing. I’m not alone, am I?

That all being said, there’s one thing I’ve learned after several decades in leadership: being stuck is not permanent. Be patient. This won’t last forever.

When we are stuck, we tend to magnify the situation and feel like we will never find our way out of our funk. It’s why being present in the moment that I wrote about in part one is so important. We want to get unstuck as quickly as we can and get moving. But being present in our stuck moments can be a valuable time of growth and that takes patience.

When we are present in the moment and exercise patience, we eventually begin to see not only what’s at work around us, but more importantly, what’s going on within us. First and foremost, leadership is an inside job. And when we are stuck, we must take the time for self-reflection. Click To Tweet

What’s got you stuck today? Is it a lack of clarity that you need or an attitude that’s gone awry? Have you cut yourself off from people you need to listen to and those who can hold you accountable? It can be any number of factors, but know this- it’s in your patience and being in the moment that will eventually move you forward.

Final Thoughts

Being stuck is no fun. What’s worse is squandering the moment and not learning from it. Allow yourself to be present at the moment and be patient. You will come through this if you keep your heart and attitude right.

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Getting Unstuck: Four Principles To Change Your Leadership Part One: Be Present

Posted July 12, 2021
by admin

If you’re going through something, just know that you’re gonna come out on the other side. You’re going through it-you’re not stuck there forever. – Tina Knowles

In the early days of the Alaska Highway, I read somewhere that tractor-trailer trucks would make deep ruts in the gravel as they carried construction equipment to boomtowns up north.

Someone posted this sign at the beginning of the road: “Choose Your Rut Carefully, You’ll Be In It For The Next 200 Miles.” Talk about your ominous warning!

It’s not an uncommon experience at times as a leader to find yourself in a place where you feel stuck. Being in that season as a leader can be awkward. You know that you’re there but you’re not quite sure why and what’s worse, you’re not quite sure what to do about it.

R. Narayana Murthy said, “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.” And this is an important part of understanding why you are stuck and how to turn it around.

So what does being stuck look like? For each leader it’s different. Perhaps you’ve reached a plateau and you feel you have gone as far as you can in your current position. For another, it might have the characteristics of discouragement or frustrations. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed with no relief in sight with no direction on how to move forward. Does any of this sound familiar?

Being stuck at times as a leader is nothing new. How you get unstuck will make all the difference. In this first installment of this series, let’s consider this first principle.

Be present in the moment

Being stuck at times in leadership is normal. And chances are, you’ve been stuck before. One of the worst things you can do is panic. It only makes matters worse. In times when you feel like you are stuck, why not embrace the moment, appreciate the new pace you now find yourself in, and use the time to reflect on where you are and what brought you to this point.

Years ago, I was snorkeling in the Bahamas. I had been out in the water much longer than I realized and my body was tired. I got caught in the wake of a passing boat and I was just too tired to continue. I began to panic. In doing so, I would go underwater, come up for air, and sink back down again, until a friend spotted me and realized what was happening. He wrapped his arms around me and told me not to panic and safely brought me to a place where I could stand on my own.

And this is why being stuck for so many leaders is dangerous. Not because you’re stuck but because you panic and you feel the need to do something about it.

Here’s a thought for you – maybe you are right where you are meant to be. Maybe you feel stuck because God is trying to get your attention and speak to you and this is the only way it’s going to happen. Instead of trying to get out of it, why not see what you can learn from it.

Margaret Storm Jameson, the English author, once wrote how when our minds turn toward the future, we spend an inordinate amount of time longing for it or dreading it. “The only way to live,” she said, “is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle.”

Right now you may feel stuck. You may feel frustrated and tempted to panic and possibly make matters worse. Why not embrace the unrepeatable miracle you have by being present in the moment?

Final Thoughts

Jim Elliot said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” And this is the challenge and the first step to getting unstuck in your leadership – be all there. You may be in a season where you feel stuck but before you move past it, be present long enough to learn from it.

Be sure to listen to Doug on The Cardinal Point Leadership Podcast

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Hitting Your Target Takes Practice

Posted June 28, 2021
by admin

Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. – Arthur Schopenhauer

Imagine what the game of bowling would be like if you couldn’t see the pins you were trying to hit. In 1933, Bill Knox did just that- and bowled a perfect game.

In Philadelphia’s Olney Alley’s, Bill had a screen placed just above the foul line to obscure his view of the lane. His purpose was to demonstrate the technique of spot bowling, which involves throwing the ball at a selected floor mark on the near end of the lane. Like many bowlers, Bill knew that you can do better if you aim at a mark close to you that’s in line with the pins. He proved his point with a perfect 300 game of 12 strikes in a row.

It’s quite impressive what Bill Knox did all those years ago to prove a point about spot bowling. And it points us today to understand important personal growth and leadership principles that we need to be reminded of once in a while.

Henry David Thoreau said, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals,” and this is one of the secrets to success. We tend to focus more on achieving our goals than we do on who we are becoming as a result of it.

Speaking of targets – what personal or professional goals are you currently working toward? One thing I’ve learned over the years is this – hitting your targets takes practice. Here are a few rules of thumb – simple reminders if you will, for hitting your targets and growing as a leader.

Know what you’re aiming for

Your goals and targets need to be clear. If not, how else will you know if or when you’ve reached them? This is especially true for you as a leader within your organization. If your goals and mission are not clear to you, then how can you expect your people to follow you? Your goals and objectives have to be clear otherwise you’ll never hit your target.

If you want to get better, you have to practice

Your goals for personal growth and leadership will never be achieved simply because you want to achieve them. They will only be achieved when you take action! Your goals without action will only lead to disappointment and unfulfilled potential. A simple rule for success is that you must have skin in the game. If not, you are just daydreaming.

Small bites are better than big ones

A natural tendency is to take big bites when tackling a big dream. I get it. What I’ve found over the years is that when I tackle that big goal or project it becomes more readily attainable when I break it down into smaller bites. As you do this, you will also be developing your skills along the way and you will consistently improve as you move forward.

Don’t shy away from big targets

Many times over the years I’ve seen people settle for smaller dreams than what was in their heart simply because they were afraid. I understand. But another thing I’ve learned along the way is this: bigger targets are easier to hit than smaller ones.

Writing in The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson says, “God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.” Can I encourage you today to be bold with your dreams, your goals, and your targets? I’d like to challenge you to aim for something bigger than yourself. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

We all have goals and dreams that inspire us. Make sure you know what you’re aiming for, put in the practice, tackle it one small bite at a time, and dream big!

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How Curiosity Advances Your Leadership

Posted June 21, 2021
by admin

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. – Walt Disney

I read once about a sign in an English company that read: We’ve been established for over one hundred years and have been pleasing or displeasing our customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coal rationing, government control, and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed, and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next.

There are many definitive traits of successful leaders worth emulating such as trust, empathy, intuition, listening, etc., but one of the ones that I would put high on the list is curiosity.

Curiosity is one of the most important leadership traits you can develop simply because the possibilities of possessing it are endless. Click To TweetI’ve heard it said that curiosity is the spark behind the spark of every great idea. The future belongs to the curious. And this is why curiosity is a game-changer in leadership.

Imagine if you will how curiosity could benefit your leadership and the life of your organization if you ignited that curious spark? Imagine how things would look if everyone else in your organization did the same? Let’s take a look at how curiosity could advance your leadership.

Curiosity breaks the mold of status quo thinking

Status quo thinking is a mental rut that can be hard to break free from. It can be a crowded place and getting out of it can be challenging. When you develop a curious mindset, it will free you from the confines of the status quo. It will open up new approaches and solutions and can be just the spark you need to move forward.

Curiosity takes you from a ‘can we’ attitude to a ‘what if’ footing

Status quo thinking is safe and predictable and sticks with the known. Curiosity advances your leadership by taking you out of that mindset by unlocking the power of uninhibited thinking. It takes questioning from a ‘can we’ posture to the possibilities of ‘what if’. When you embrace a ‘what if’ mindset you now release a new level of momentum that doesn’t wait for permission.

Curiosity is the creative engine that drives your leadership

Curiosity will advance your leadership in ways that nothing else will. When you or the people within your organization remain curious and dare to ask those ‘what if’ questions there is no limit to where you can go. Curiosity is a passion that will take you places where others only wish they could go. It will cause you to ask more questions than most and not stop until you have answers.

Les Brown once said, “Curiosity about life in all of its aspects. I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” And he’s right. Curiosity will advance your leadership unlike anything else.

Final Thoughts:

In a lot of ways, curiosity and passion might be seen as interchangeable. I believe as Elizabeth Gilbert said, that “if you let go of passion and follow your curiosity, your curiosity might just lead you to your passion.” And this is why it’s so important. Never lose your sense of curiosity. It’s the secret ingredient to your leadership.

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Four Ways Pride Hurts Your Leadership

Posted June 1, 2021
by admin

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. – St. Augustine

Ronald Reagan once told the story about a speech he delivered to a very large crowd in Mexico City. After he was finished he sat down to scattered and unenthusiastic applause. Reagan said he felt embarrassed, and even more so when the next man who spoke, a representative of the Mexican government who was speaking in Spanish, was being interrupted virtually every other line with enthusiastic applause.

Reagan said to hide his embarrassment, he started clapping before anyone else and longer than anyone else until the US Ambassador leaned over and said to him, “ I wouldn’t do that if I were you; he’s interpreting your speech.”

That embarrassing moment for Reagan is a lesson that we can all learn from as leaders.

John Maxwell said, “There are two kinds of pride both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” And this is the trap as leaders we must avoid.

If not careful, we can fall into the trap of writing our own headlines, believing our own headlines, and finding ourselves detached from reality in our leadership. So how do we keep that from happening? What are the traps that we need to avoid? Let’s begin with these four.

The trap of an unbridled ego

Pride hurts your leadership when you have an unbridled ego. An unbridled ego will cause a host of issues for you personally and for those around you. It will make working with you or for you unbearable. So long as you think everything revolves around you, because of you, and for you, then the capacity of everyone around is held hostage to your ego.

A leadership 101 principle states, very simply, “it’s not about you”. For the sake of your own personal growth and development, and for the benefit of those around you, check your ego at the door.

The trap of false humility

As the pendulum swings back in the opposite direction away from pride, it often lands with false humility. There are times, as Maxwell’s quote points out when ‘good pride’ is in order. But when you are purposefully fishing for a compliment to draw attention to yourself, or by downplaying things, it can have the opposite effect.

As a leader, you can be proud of your accomplishment without being full of pride or conceit. You can graciously accept the praise from another person without clothing yourself with false humility. Simply be gracious and give credit where it’s due.

The trap of complacency

Complacency is one of the most dangerous traps to be on guard against as a leader. String along a series of wins and accomplishments, and before long you can begin to take for granted that success and winds will always come this easy.

Each season of leadership that you find yourself in will require more from you than the previous one. Click To Tweet If you want to grow as a leader and reach your fullest potential you will have to fight the urge to settle, the lure of contentment, and the temptation to believe that the sacrifices of today are enough for the accomplishments of tomorrow.

The trap of going-it-alone

One of the dangers of pride in leadership is the belief that you can go it alone. We’ve been created and designed for community and relationships and when surrounded with like-minded people we can accomplish more than we ever could by ourselves. Pride says, “I don’t need anyone”, and is one of the most debilitating qualities in leadership.

Final Thoughts

Working on our pride as leaders begins by acknowledging it and allowing ourselves to be held accountable for it. Don’t allow pride to put a lid on your leadership.

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How Change Impacts Your Leadership (Part Two)

Posted May 17, 2021May 17, 2021
by admin

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. – Andy Warhol

Change is a necessary and constant companion in life. Often we don’t like it, we are slow to embrace it, and sometimes we despise it. But change is a consistent disruptor in life. Like it or not, change happens.

In leadership, how well you adapt to change can be a game-changer. Consider the story of the toy company Lego. Founded in 1932 by a Danish carpenter, Lego began small with wooden toys and simple plastic building sticks.

For generations of kids growing up, like myself, building with Legos was a favorite pastime. No one would have ever thought that the popular toy would go away. But it almost did. In 2003, Lego almost went bankrupt as a result of over innovating.

To stay competitive it streamlined its business model by changing the way it managed innovation. By taking the time to see where and why it went wrong, Lego adapted to change and it remains a popular toy today.

Critical to any leader is knowing when change needs to happen and is willing to implement it. But why the resistance? Why do so many leaders self-destruct because of an unwillingness to embrace it?

In part one of this series, I identified the first three obstacles on how change impacts your leadership: comfort zones, habits, and attitude. All of these in some way or another affect the way we respond to change.

It’s time to take a look at the final three obstacles to change that impact your leadership.

Negative perceptions

Being a change agent is not easy. People are creatures of habit and once settled in routines and ways of doing things seldom want to see it change. One reason why change is so hard is the negative perceptions that surround it. And usually, this is created by opponents of change out of fear or lack of clarity surrounding it.

If you want to successfully navigate the waters of change you have to get out in front of it, anticipate the negative perceptions to it, and make the case for it. Click To Tweet It’s been said that perception is reality, but a negative perception of change can be a death-knell if not handled properly.

You can overcome negative perceptions of change but only as you skillfully make the case for it, and communicate the consequences of what happens if you don’t.

Guarded traditions

When time-honored traditions collide with the headwinds of change is when tensions are at their peak. to change is at its peak. One camp wants to move forward and innovate while the other wants to hold onto the traditional ways of doing things. Managing change while respecting the past can be done, but it takes a keen leader to make it happen.

But if traditions are guarded at the expense of progress you stifle the growth that could be yours. While change is inevitable, positive outcomes from it aren’t if you have people working against it. Get the buy-in first.

External forces

There will be times in your leadership when change is brought about by circumstances you have no control over. Covid is a case in point. Many businesses were forced to pivot and make changes in record time just to survive. Regretfully, many didn’t. While you can try to plan and anticipate any and every potential obstacle that can come your way; you’re not going to get it right one hundred percent of the time. The unexpected happens. We like to believe that the force is with us. The truth is, sometimes it’s not.

Final Thoughts

Leading change is one of the greatest challenges you’ll face in your leadership. But also one of the most rewarding when done right.

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How Change Impacts Your Leadership (Part One)

Posted May 9, 2021May 12, 2021
by admin

Change before you have to. – Jack Welch

How well do you embrace change? Is it in your nature to be an early adapter to change or are you one of the last to get on the change wagon?

It’s been said that the only constant in life is change. And while that much is true, some find it more difficult to embrace than others. To be sure, not all change is bad, and not every change is worth embracing. Somewhere in between is the tension that is real for many.

One of the most infamous changes in business history occurred back in 1985. Pundits referred to it as the “marketing blunder of the century”, and the backlash was more like a customer rebellion.

The formula for Coke had not been tampered with for 99-years. But in 1985, they changed it, and “new Coke” was released. Coke customers were not impressed. The new formula was a bust. Customers stock-piled the original Coke in their basements, the customer service hotline which normally received 400 calls a day was now receiving more than 1,500. The message Coke customers delivered was simple – the old formula has worked for

Coke Ad from 1985.
Credit: Google Images

99 years, why change it?

It took just 79 days for Coke to reverse their “marketing blunder” and revert to their original formula. It was a painful lesson at the time for Coke, and one from which every leader today can learn from.

Leading at the speed of change can be challenging. How you manage it, lead it, and how you compel others to change is important. But first and foremost, it’s an inside job. If you are not willing to change, then you may be the obstacle to progress your organization needs.

In this two-part series, I will explore six obstacles to change that hold leaders back. In this post, let’s take a look at the first three.

Comfort zones

One of the chief reasons why we resist change as individuals and in our organizational structures is that we get settled in comfort zones. It’s an autopilot mindset that we are way too comfortable with. It’s the proverbial ‘new Coke’ formula mindset – it’s been the same and has worked for 99-years, why change it?

In our comfort zones, we tend to protect the status quo and become guardians of the past. If you are a leader stuck in your comfort zone you are a leader who needs to embrace change.

Habits

Most of us are creatures of habit. And just like our comfort zones, we tend to stick close to the familiar. At times, embracing change may require relinquishing old habits for the sake of growth. But old habits can be blindspots. So long as you don’t see how your habits stand in the way of progress we will never be compelled to change.

Your leadership in many ways is an extension of the habits you’ve developed over time. Ask yourself if those habits that served you well in years gone by are still useful today? What habits need to change for the sake of change?

Attitude

Oftentimes, it’s not change itself that’s problematic, it’s our attitude towards change that’s the issue. The reason in part, I believe, is that we go straight to negative thoughts about change. We think it’s going to be something bad. We fear the unknown so we hunker down determined to preserve the way things are. We like the formula just the way it is.

If you want to be a change agent within your organization, you have to model the attitude you hope to see in others. Change is challenging enough as it is without your negative attitude to deal with.

Final Thoughts

In Part 2, I will close out How Change Impacts Your Leadership. Until then, I challenge you to look at areas of your leadership where you tend to resist change and how different things would look if you didn’t.

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Developing Leadership Grit (Part 4) Tenacity or Tension

Posted April 26, 2021April 26, 2021
by admin

Grit – noun

Firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck

Dictionary.com

Tenacious people don’t rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. And when conditions become difficult, they keep working. – John Maxwell

Pablo Casals was considered the greatest cellist to ever live. When he was 95 years old he was asked why he continued to practice 6 hours a day. He replied, “Because I think I’m making progress.”

Be it an accomplished cellist like Casals or any other person who mastered his or her craft, it requires a higher standard of grit to go there.

Baseball great Ted Williams was known as a “natural hitter”. Once when he was asked about this natural ability, he responded, “There is no such thing as a natural-born hitter. I became a good hitter because I paid the price of constant practice, constant practice.” And herein lies the difference between those excel in their craft and those who remain stagnant and get left behind. It’s tenacity. It’s grit.

One way this grit can be explained comes from the ten thousand hour rule from Malcolm Gladwell. He spelled it out in his book Outliers. The jest of the rule is this: it takes ten thousand hours of intense practice to achieve mastery of complex skills and materials.

While some have attempted to debunk Gladwell’s ten thousand hour rule, the underlying application is that the secret to success in any endeavor is an unparalleled degree of tenacity to achieve it. Grit is the common denominator.

In this fourth and final installment of developing leadership grit, allow me to recap the leadership grit principles presented thus far:

Leadership Grit Principle # 1 – Give up or Grow – Your leadership will have moments of testing. And ultimately it will be your indomitable spirit and grit that will get you through the tests of leadership that you will face.

Leadership Grit Principle # 2 – Resilience or Retreat – Through grit, we develop and grow as leaders. When we join forces with others, we share the load. Your journey is not meant to be traveled alone.

Leadership Grit Principle # 3 – Ingenuity or Insignificance – Grit survives and thrives with ingenuity. We must play the long game and be open to change and new ways of doing things.

And now, the final principle in this series.

Leadership Grit Principe # 4 – Tenacity or Tension

In the end, you will either set your course as a leader with tenacity or you will live in the tension of unrealized potential.

Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” And this is often the source of tension and frustration with many leaders. They start strong but they don’t finish. The task is left undone. The dream never materializes. And this happened not because they lacked intelligence, talent, or necessary skills. It happened because they lacked grit.

Developing grit goes hand in hand with finding your passion. People who are passionate about their work and life’s calling tend to be grittier. They know the cost and are more willing to pay the price for their success. Let’s face it – it’s hard to be tenacious about things we don’t care about.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, grit is the difference-maker between those who thrive and those who get by. Grit will take you further than intelligence alone. Grit is a game-changing secret weapon that will take your leadership to a new level.

It’s time to get gritty.

Resource:

To learn more about the power of grit, I would encourage you to order and read this book by Angela Duckworth.

Click here to order your copy on Amazon

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Developing Leadership Grit (Part 3) Ingenuity or Insignificance

Posted April 19, 2021
by admin

Grit – noun

Firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck

Dictionary.com

Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another. – Angela Duckworth

As with many innovations, the originator of 3M’s sticky yellow Post-its didn’t know what he had at first. Researcher Spence Silver was curious about what would happen if he mixed an unusual amount of monomer into a polymer-based adhesive he was working on. The result was an adhesive that would “tack” one piece of paper to another and even restick, without leaving any residue on the second piece of paper.

The company had no use for the adhesive until 3M chemist Arthur Fry began having problems in the choir loft. The slips of paper he used to mark pages in his hymnal often fluttered to the floor, leaving him frantically searching for his place. Then he remembered Silver’s adhesive. Fry’s better bookmark soon metamorphosed into the handy Post-its that have become fixtures in offices and homes around the world.

Today, 3M is valued at more than $100 billion dollars and I’m sure Post-its is one of the main reasons why.

Throughout this series Leadership Grit, we’ve looked at how grit separates lasting leaders from those who are like shooting stars- brightly on the scene for a while before they burn out. Grit is the difference-maker.

Before diving into the new leadership grit principle, let’s recap what’s been presented to this point:

Leadership Grit Principle # 1 – Give Up or Grow Up

Leadership Grit Principle # 2 – Resilience or Retreat

As you develop your leadership grit you will be faced with those choices. Developing grit is a process and is something you develop over time. So let’s take a look at our next principle.

Leadership Grit Principle # 3 – Ingenuity or Insignificance

The Post-it note was developed in part by an act of ingenuity. It had been tinkered around with inside the company in the beginning, but it was the ingenuity of one of its researchers – in attempting to solve a problem, that put the idea for the Post-it over the top as a successful marketable product.

Post-it notes were not the only invention that was stumbled into by accident. Did you know that penicillin, the slinky, corn flakes, Teflon, and popsicles are among numerous inventions that were created by accident?

As it pertains to the role of grit in your leadership or in any other venture, ingenuity or creativity is essential. Being able to look at things in a new way or light is crucial to your success. Click To Tweet

Angela Duckworth is perhaps the leading voice on the topic of grit. In her acclaimed book, Grit – The Power of Passion and Perseverance, she states, “ When you keep searching for ways to change your situation for the better, you stand a chance of finding them. When you stop searching, assuming they can’t be found, you guarantee they won.”

You are never more than one moment of creativity away from an idea or solution that can completely change your course for the better. But those moments will never come for you if you give up. Grit in leadership is digging deep and sticking with it even when others have long since given up.

A best practice for developing grit is to play the long game. Be open to searching for new or different solutions to the challenges you face. Harness the power of a shared grit mindset that pulls together the best and brightest around you. It’s important that as a leader you have a grit mentality, but it shouldn’t operate in a vacuum.

Grit survives and thrives with ingenuity. Without it, it can lead to insignificance. As Duckworth says, “Without effort, your skill is nothing more than what you could have done, but didn’t”. Grit will require effort, but it will always be worth the effort.

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