Leadership Lessons – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Checking Your Bags

Posted April 14, 2023April 15, 2023
by admin

We all have baggage. The question is: What baggage can you deal with? – Jaime Pressly

I recently took my first trip out of the country since Covid. As a person who loves to travel it was great to once again get the proverbial passport stamp and experience a different culture.

Belize is already hot as it’s summer there. But the trip was great, the water was beautiful, and snorkeling with the stingrays and sharks at Cay Caulker was a thrill.

When it comes to air travel, of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I’ve traveled the world, and prefer to travel as lightly as possible. But there comes that time you have to decide whether to check a bag, carry-on only, or both. One way or another, you have to decide what you’re going to do about your bags.

In leadership, as in life, you have to decide what you’re going to do with your baggage. We all have some and how we deal with it makes all the difference.

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned as a traveler and as a leader about carrying baggage. See if you can relate to any of the following.

Only pack the essentials

When traveling, it’s wise to only pack what you need. Keep it to the essentials. The lighter your load the farther and faster you can move. I’ve seen people pack for a week-long trip and you would have thought they were going to be gone for a month.

Leadership Tip: In leadership, excess baggage such as a poor attitude, grudges against a colleague, poor morale, etc. can weigh you and your organization down. In travel, excess baggage will cost you. It will cost you in your leadership as well. To move forward, you will have to have some items in your bags so you’d better be smart about it.

You don’t have to carry other people’s bags

You are not responsible for other people’s baggage. When maneuvering through an airport, you typically have all you can do to keep up with your own bags, much less anyone else’s. And, you never leave your bag unattended.

Leadership Tip: In leadership, you will deal with a variety of people with differing levels of baggage – some good, some not. It’s essential as a leader that you recognize that there will be some people who will try to bring their negative baggage with them into your culture. And once it gets in, it’s hard to get it out. Just as you go through screening at the airport, you have to screen and weed out negative influences and toxic people from within your organization.

Don’t weigh yourself down

We’ve come a long way over the years when it comes to moving about with luggage when traveling. You no longer have to bear the burden of heavy bags and moving about with them – think spinners.

Leadership Tip: In leadership, you want to utilize every tool at your disposal and surround yourself with people who can help move things along. You don’t have to be weighed down by outdated methods and procedures. You can lighten the load for yourself and others by checking your bags carefully and packing in such a way that everyone can benefit.

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Leadership Lessons From Mr. Bates

Posted October 17, 2022January 13, 2023
by admin

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5

In the hit television series Downton Abbey – and in the subsequent movie, there is a character by the name of John Bates. He is the valet to Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham.

When Mr. Bates arrives he is not exactly welcomed by all the staff. He’s given the cold shoulder and it proves to be quite challenging at times. The staff does not believe that he is up for the challenges of the job as he has to use a cane due to injuries suffered in the Boer War. These challenges include having to climb stairs, carry luggage, serve trays of food, etc. In addition to all this, the butler – Thomas Carson has hoped to be promoted to valet himself and is offended to lose the job to “Long John Silver”.

To make matters worse, the staff severely mistreat him and looked for opportunities to embarrass him. They were known to kick his cane out from under him causing him to fall, or encouraging him to carry a tray that he can’t carry – causing him to drop it. The staff did all that they could to make his life miserable. Despite these setbacks, Mr. Bates refuses to criticize them or defend himself.

Quite some time goes by before the rest of the staff learn that Bates is an old friend and served Lord Grantham in the war and is where he received his leg injury.

While these antics take place in a television drama, is it too far removed from the dynamics of organizations where the culture is marked by jealousies, rivalries, and turf wars? Does it sound like a place that you are familiar with?

There are a few leadership lessons to be learned from Mr. Bates’ character and I’d like to explore a few of them with you.

You can be confident in the face of adversity

For Mr. Bates, the adversity was relentless and at times cruel. But he didn’t allow the way he was treated to be an excuse for not doing his job or doing his best.

Facing adversity is the price you pay for being a leader and humility is your leadership superpower. Humility is about having the courage to show up and be your best when everyone around you is being their worst. Click To Tweet When the adversity you face comes from those who ought to be in your corner it can sting, but you can be confident that you will ultimately outlast it.

You can set an example or make excuses

Mr. Bates’ leg injury came about while serving in the Boer War. While he didn’t let it stop him from performing his duties, it did make it harder. Those around him tried to exploit his condition and did all they could it make his challenges worse.

In your leadership, you will face obstacles, challenges, and even those who will overtly work against you. And it’s in these moments that your leadership metal will be tested. And in these moments you have choices to make. You can be an example or make excuses. You can serve with distinction or be distracted. You can walk in humility or stoop down to their level. As far as it depends on you – be an example of servant leadership.

You can pull rank or pull your weight

A good amount of time went by before the rest of the staff learned that Mr. Bates was indeed an old friend of the Earl of Grantham. It was a knowledge that, if Mr. Bates had shared, could very well have spared him much of the adversity that he endured. But that was not the path he chose in the beginning. Perhaps he wanted to make it known that he was the right person for the job not because of a connection but because of his qualification.

In leadership and especially in times of adversity, it will be tempting to pull rank and “put people in their place”. It’s a quick fix that is beneficial in the moment, but what about how it serves you in the long run?

The longer you hang around in leadership the more you will learn that you take on more responsibilities and lay aside your rights. Click To Tweet It’s not about taking the path of least resistance, it’s about taking the path of responsible leadership.

Final Thoughts

Life in leadership will always be filled with challenges. Seek to be a leader that is confident in the face of adversity, one that seeks to set an example, and one that pulls your own weight. The world needs this kind of leadership now more than ever.

Note to the Downton Abbey enthusiasts and critics- the leadership lessons that I pull here from Mr. Bates’s character are not meant to either embellish his character or gloss over any character flaw.

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Focus On Choices, Not Conditions

Posted August 22, 2022August 22, 2022
by admin

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. – Nelson Mandela

“When I was a young boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song,” tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. “He urged me to work hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teacher’s college. On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’ “Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘If you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’

“I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance, and it took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book-whatever we choose- we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.”

The lesson from Pavorotti is timeless. In life as in leadership, we must be focused and choose our one chair wisely.

The most common problem that many of us have when things go wrong is that we tend to focus on the wrong thing. By nature, we tend to look at the conditions around us. And the more we focus on the conditions around us – the problems and the circumstances, we lose focus on what matters most in those moments – choices.

When we are focused on the conditions around us, we tend to be reactionary. When we focus on choices, we tend to think in terms of values. Click To Tweet It’s when you respond to conditions on the ground through the lens of your values that you demonstrate your leadership skill.

In your leadership, you will regularly face the decision to focus on choices or conditions. John Maxwell put it this way, “Those who focus on the external expect conditions to determine whether they keep their commitments. Because conditions are so transitory, their commitment level changes like the wind.”

In contrast, Maxwell adds, “People who base their actions on the internal usually focus on the choices. Each choice is a crossroad, one that will either confirm or compromise their commitments.” And he identifies three ways to recognize when you come to that crossroad.

A personal decision is required

When you come to your crossroad, you will have to make a personal decision as a leader. Every leader does. And at this moment you must choose to make it based on commitments or conditions.

Know this: Conditions change but commitments remain. Your leadership will ultimately be defined by the choices you make.

The decision will likely cost you something

Every crossroad and every decision carries with it a cost. You will pay a price for your commitments and you will pay a price for your comforts. One is about your short-term benefit, the other is the long game. Click To Tweet

Know this: Each choice you make is a reflection of the maturity of your leadership.

Others will likely be influenced by it

There’s no question that every choice you make will influence others. As a leader, there’s no way around it. With this in mind, think in terms of not what is best for you but how your choice will impact those around you. Every choice has a consequence and every choice is an opportunity to add value to those around you.

Know this: Each choice you make is a reflection of your influence and ultimately your legacy.

Final Thoughts

Choices or conditions. Every day you will be confronted with them. Where’s your focus? Are you consumed with the problem or are you leading with choices that provide solutions? This is not a new thing to leadership, but if you’re new to leadership, you will need to get this figured out. Choose wisely.

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What’s In a Name?

Posted July 28, 2022
by admin

To add value to others, one must first value others. – John C. Maxwell

During her second month in nursing school, the professor gave the students a quiz. The last question stumped most people in the class. It read, “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

All the students had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired, and in her 50’s, but how would any of them know her name? Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward their grade.

“Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your career, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.”

The students never forgot that lesson. They also learned that her name was Dorothy.

As a leader, your interactions with people matter. And how you treat people is a reflection of your character. The value that you place in others says more about your leadership than any title or position you have. And while you may think it makes you look important to name-drop and take selfies with certain people to impress people you will never meet, I believe it’s a greater reflection of your leadership to know the name of the person who empties the trash out of your office.

Value is given where value is placed. If the person in the lowliest position in your estimation is not worthy of your time, smile, or greeting, then perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate the way in which you look at people.

Here are a few simple reminders for all of us on this journey of life together. It will make you a better person and a better leader to remember them.

Everyone’s fighting a battle

Someone once said (various attributions), “Be kind, everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” You never know how your one word of kindness can make a difference in someone’s day. You don’t know the hurts, the fears, the concerns that people around you carry. With this in mind, just be kind. Click To Tweet

Be merciful

Mother Teresa said, “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.” And this is our mission – to make other people’s interaction with us the highlight of their day. It’s not as hard as you might think.

Be in the moment with others

Marcandangel said, “Don’t be lazy and make judgments about people. Be kind. Ask about their stories. Listen. Be humble. Be open. Be teachable. Be a good neighbor.” Being your best self begins by seeing the best in others.

Walk slowly through the crowd

This is a leadership principle taught by John Maxwell that’s so powerful. We can be so busy and in a hurry to get on to the next thing on our agenda that we walk right past our real work- people. Tasks are important, but not as important as the people you lead. Click To Tweet

Know their name

Dale Carnegie said, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person, is the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” And this is why, I believe, the professor wanted to make sure that the students knew the name of the lady who cleaned the school. And it’s why it should also matter to you.

Final Thoughts

Be a person of value and add value where you can. See the value in those around you and always do your best to be kind and merciful. The world needs it now more than ever.

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No Small Roles

Posted May 2, 2022May 2, 2022
by admin

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. -St. Augustine

“There are no small roles, only small actors.” This famous line was spoken by Konstantin Stanislavski, “the father of modern acting”, who required actors who performed in his theatre productions to engage their roles with equal commitment, whether they were lead actors with large roles or supporting actors with few lines or no lines at all.

While seen as a sign of accomplishment to land a leading role in acting, one can’t overlook the smaller or supporting roles that can make a movie a success.

A list compiled at StudoBinder.com lists the Academy Award winners for best-supporting actors. Included on the notable list are Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood), Christian Bale (The Fighter), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), George Clooney (Syriana), Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive), Jack Nicholson ( Terms of Endearment), and Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts), just to name a few.

When you look at the list of award winners for supporting actors, no one would look upon their respective acting careers in a lesser light due to winning best supporting actor. They are all distinguished in their own right for their contributions not only to those respective films but to the lead roles they’ve starred in since.

Embracing the mindset of no small roles is critical to the success of any business or organization that looks to make a difference. Nowhere is this more needed than in its approach to leadership. Inside many organizations is an unspoken competition to see who can get the leading roles, be the star of the show, and do whatever it takes to have the spotlight shine on them.

What’s needed is a casting call – a casting call for supporting leaders whose only motivation is what’s best for the team.

But how do you find such leaders with this mindset? Is it even possible? How do you build a culture where everyone embraces their respective roles for the good of the team? Here are a few ways to begin.

Cast the vision often and the importance of every role

A no small role mindset begins when everyone understands the significance of their role and why their contribution matters. When you make this a priority it builds a sense of pride that everyone is contributing to a cause and purpose that matters and without them, it wouldn’t happen.

Cast the expectations

Just as Stanislavsk demanded the best of every actor, regardless of the role, so too must you make expectations clear within your organization. A clear vision followed by clear expectations puts everyone on the same page and the possibility of success more attainable. Click To TweetThis can only work when egos are set aside and only what’s best for the team is embraced.

Play your best role

Not everyone will have the lead role, but everyone has a role to play. Attitudes matter, communication matters, trust matters, and commitment matters. These are the roles that when played with conviction will set your team apart from the rest.

Final Thoughts

Understanding that there are no small roles is essential in leadership. Every role is important and every role matters. As does every person. It’s when everyone knows it and gives it their all that teams can reach their full potential.

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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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Stop Assuming, Start Connecting

Posted November 7, 2021November 7, 2021
by admin

You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. – Dale Carnegie

In the book Leadershift, John Maxwell shares a story about being invited to a game by Pat Summit, the late head coach of the Lady Vols basketball team at the University of Tennessee.

He recounts how he was able to go into the locker room at halftime which served as a major “aha” moment for him. In the locker room, Summit and a few coaches gathered to talk about what took place in the first half of the game. The players gathered around a whiteboard in a semicircle to answer three questions written on it: What did we do right in the first half? What did we do wrong? What do we need to change? When the girls had answered all three questions, Summit and her coaches would then go over and talk about their responses, and then she would send them back out to warm up for the second half of the game.

Curious about this, Maxwell asked Pat Summit about this technique. She replied, “Too many lead by assumptions. They assume they know where their people are. That halftime exercise lets me find my players so I can lead them. That can only be done by asking questions and listening to their answers.”

In her remarkable career at Tennessee, Pat Summit won eight national championships. Her leadership on and off the court left an indelible impression upon many and she is greatly missed today.

Her insights into connecting with her players still have relevance today. Look at most any survey on employee-employer relations and you will consistently at the top of any list are complaints like not listening, favoritism, micromanaging, not showing appreciation, overbearing, and the lists go on.

It’s been said that assumptions are the termites of relationships. I believe this to be true in leadership. But as leaders why do we do it? What are some of the mistaken assumptions we make that hurt our leadership? Here are a few for your consideration.

We assume everyone shares our perspective

While you may wish it were true, not everyone in your sphere of influence shares your perspective and sees things your way. When you assume that they do, it can create misunderstandings that you caused but the shift in blame usually falls elsewhere. At the end of the day, if you want a culture of shared values, mission, and purpose, then you have to quit assuming it exists and connect with your people to create it. Click To Tweet A key to effective leadership is found when you purposefully connect with your people and respect everyone’s voice.

We assume everyone else will eventually come around to seeing things our way

In as much as we mistakenly believe that everyone shares our perspective, we can also assume that over time, everyone will eventually fall in line and see things our way. Let’s be honest – wearing your people down is not a good leadership strategy. However, when you listen to your people, as Pat Summit listened to her players, then you can connect and build relationships with your people which in turn elevates morale and creates wins for the team.

We assume everything is dependant on us

“It’s not about you,” is the opening sentence of the acclaimed book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It pointedly encapsulates everything you need to know about living a life that matters and also your life in leadership. The assumption that everything is dependant on us or it all goes down the tubes is a misnomer. Perhaps we need to rediscover a renewed sense of humility in our leadership which makes the whole idea of connecting with others more meaningful when we understand that we truly need each other. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

Connecting with others and building relationship is one of the greatest privileges in leadership. We should never take it for granted and always remember that what we can accomplish together is greater than what we can do on our own. In order to do so, we need to stop assuming and start connecting.

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

Posted August 2, 2021
by admin

Be Prepared – Boy Scout Motto

Growing up I was a Boy Scout. Troop 300. In fact, I believe my mother held on to my uniform long after I was grown and gone from home. Those formative years being in Scouts was a great time to learn many adventurous things.

The character lessons learned in Scouts – things like being faithful, respectful, frugal, and kind are timeless.

My friend and author John Patrick Hickey wrote a remarkable book entitled, Scouting Out of Uniform: How the Boy Scout Oath & Law can lead You to a Successful Life. It’s a great book, even if you are not a Scout or ever have been.

In it, he writes, “ Positive people see the world and life around them for exactly what it is. They know troubles and difficulties are all around us. They face the same challenges of work, home, and life like anyone else does. Here’s the difference, positive people do not allow the difficulties of life to get them down and refuse to accept defeat.”

Click here to order Scouting Out of Uniform

When it comes to being stuck in your leadership as I have written about in this series – those times when we feel like we are in a fog, when we feel like we are in a rut, when we feel like we’ve lost momentum, and when we feel like we are not making any progress – we have a choice to make.

Before unpacking principle # 4, let’s review the principles thus far:

Principle # 1 – Be Present. Here we learned that when you are stuck is not a time to panic. It’s normal. Chances are, you’ve been stuck before and will be again at some point.
Principle # 2 – Be Patient. Being stuck will not last forever but what you learn during these times will be invaluable to your leadership going forward.
Principle # 3 – Be Practical. You will hit your stride again so you need to be realistic about where you are and what you can do in this season.

No one likes to be stuck. I get it. When stuck, you feel like you are being left behind, but it can be a great time of learning and growth if you manage it properly once the fog begins to lift and you re-emerge from the ruts you were in. And this is where the next principle applies.

Be Prepared – You have new opportunities before you

When you begin to emerge from being stuck, hopefully, you have come away with some fresh insights and things that you learned during that time. The point being, every experience that you go through – good or otherwise, is preparing you for something greater on the other side.

The lessons you learn when stuck will make you a better leader, but now you can use that knowledge to benefit others in their time of struggle.

The key to successfully emerging to the other side of being stuck is to be prepared for what’s next. The mistake many leaders make when stuck is in spending all their energy trying to get unstuck rather than just being in the moment and learning from it. In doing so, you might discover a few things about why you were stuck, to begin with like:

Your priorities were out of sync
You tried to do it all yourself
You were trying too hard to be a people pleaser rather than a leader
You forgot that you need to take care of yourself – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually

Emerging a better leader is not always a guarantee. Being prepared and utilizing your time wisely when you are stuck is essential. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

Being stuck is just a season you are in now. Discover the principles of being present, being patient, being practical, and being prepared. You’ve got this!

Click here to pre-order my new book: Employee Engagement- Creating Space for Engaged Employees and a Healthy Culture

The new book releases on AUgust 30th!

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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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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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