leadership – Page 2 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Who Are You Cheering For?

Posted May 29, 2024May 29, 2024
by admin

We rise by lifting others. – Robert Ingersoll

I read a story by Jeffrey Zaslow some time ago as he recalled his father coaching a team of eight-year-olds in baseball. “He had a few excellent players and some who just couldn’t get the hang of the game. Dad’s team didn’t win once all season. But in the last inning of the last game, his team was only down by a run. There was a boy who had never been able to hit or catch the ball. With two outs, it was his turn to bat. He surprised the world and got a single.”

The next batter, Zaslow explained, was the team slugger. He continues, “Finally, Dad’s team might win a game. The slugger connected, and as the boy who hit the single ran to second base, he saw the ball approaching him. Not certain of baseball’s rules, he caught it. Final out! Dad’s team lost.”

“Quickly, my father told his team to cheer. The boy beamed. It never occurred to him that he lost the game. All he knew was that he had hit the ball and caught it for the first time. His parents later thanked my dad. Their child never even got in a game before that season. We never told the boy exactly what happened. We didn’t want to ruin it for him. And ‘til this day, I’m proud of what my father did that afternoon.”

The story is an inspiring example of what it means to cheer for others and support those around you even when it would be all too easy to do otherwise.

In far too many workplaces, we see cultures of unhealthy competition instead of healthy collaboration. Getting ahead seems to be more important to some than getting along.

However, it will come as no surprise that productivity and workplace culture significantly improve with recognition and seeing each other as colleagues, not as competitors.

In a Nectar State of the Workplace survey, respondents weighed in by affirming the following:

83.6% of employees surveyed said that recognition drives their motivation to succeed at work
77.9% of employees surveyed said they would be more productive if their employer recognized them more frequently
81.9 % of employees said that recognition for contributions improves employee engagement

These statistics should not surprise any leader who sees, recognizes, and values the value of his or her team members. Good leaders understand this and make it a practice.

Let me ask you, who are you cheering for? Can you celebrate the successes and wins of those around you even when not experiencing one yourself?

As a leader, your ability to cheer on those around you happens when these three things happen.

You can cheer others when you set aside your ego

The leadership lesson here is simple – it’s not about you. You will be a more secure leader when you acknowledge and embrace this fundamental premise of leadership. When you can check your ego at the door, you win and are now positioned to cheer those around you with no hidden agenda or motive.

You can cheer others when you value the team over yourself

Your team will succeed when they see what they do as something greater than themselves. While roles, responsibilities, and contributions will vary, the team wins when each person values the team over self.

You can cheer others when you don’t care who gets the credit

Lao Tzu said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” And this is the beauty of your role as a leader- to shine the light on others as the wins are celebrated.

Who are you cheering for today?

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Fly-by Leadership

Posted May 16, 2024
by admin

Seagull managers fly in, make a lot of noise, dump on everyone, and then fly away. – Ken Blanchard

Living in coastal South Carolina and thoroughly enjoying time at the beach, I have come to get acquainted with seagulls.

I have had a love-hate relationship with seagulls over the years. I have been fascinated by watching them at the beach whether in flight or walking along in the sand in search of food. I have been annoyed by their dive-bombing in attempts to partake in my snacks at the beach or interrupting my outdoor dining at local seafood restaurants. It just comes with the territory when you live along the coast.

Seagulls are interesting birds. In my research, I have learned that they can detect food from as far as three miles away, can fly as fast as 28 mph, and can fly long distances and glide over open ocean for hours in search of food.

In the quote above, Ken Blanchard humorously sums up what it is like to be around seagulls. Seagulls tend to fly in, make a lot of noise, dump on things, and then fly away. From experience, I can tell you that this is not too far-fetched.

Marshall Goldsmith observed, “One of the most important actions, things a leader can do, is to lead by example. If you want everyone else to be passionate, committed, dedicated, and motivated, you go first!”. As a leader, you have to be out front leading the way in the things that matter most to you and those you lead.

I would like to share my leadership takeaways from Blanchard’s quote and the actual approach you should take as a leader.

Fly-in vs. being present and approachable

As a leader, you can fly in and fly out and be all over the place. Or, you can take a more deliberative approach and be a leader who is present among his/her people and is recognized as a stabilizing influence. This is not to be confused with micromanaging. Instead, you are a steady and reliable leader who leads with passion and influence.

Leadership Tip: Don’t flit and fly. Be present.

Make a lot of noise vs. being humble and listening

If you have ever worked with a leader who flies in and flies out and makes a lot of noise, you know how unsettling that can be at times. In your leadership, strive to lead with humility, and be in touch with your people. Take time to listen and be engaged with them and build relationships.

Leadership Tip: Don’t be a loudmouth and bark orders. Be approachable and a good listener.

Dump on everyone vs. adding value to everyone

When your presence is a disruption because of your words and actions, you need to rethink your leadership. If all you are doing is dumping on people, barking orders, and flying away, you are only making things unbearable for your people. That style of leadership sinks morale along with the ship. Consequently, your best and brightest will soon be leading an exodus. If instead, your presence adds value, meaning, and purpose to your people, you will see your leadership style transform from that of a seagull to that of an eagle – soaring to new heights.

Final Thoughts

Your leadership development is a work in progress. Leading and lifting others begins when you develop the right leadership mindset and attitude that is attractive and uplifting, not disruptive and ugly.

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Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities

Posted May 6, 2024May 11, 2024
by admin

Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal. – E. Joseph Cossman

I read a story about a young man who aimed to be a star journalist. However, he lived in a small town with little hope of attaining that goal.

One day the dam upstream broke and the town was flooded. Seizing the opportunity, the aspiring journalist got in a rowboat and headed out to find a story. A short time later, he discovered a woman sitting on her rooftop. He tied up the boat and told her what he was after. They watched as various items floated past the house. The woman would say, “Now there’s a story,” or “No, that’s not a story,” as each item floated past them.

Finally, a hat floats by and then does a 180-degree turn, goes back upstream a ways, and does another 180-degree turn. This continues for a while. Excited, the young man exclaims, “Now, that’s a story!” The woman turns to the young man and says, “Oh no, that’s not a story, that’s my husband. He said he was going to mow the lawn come hell or high water!”.

In life, as in leadership, we often face obstacles disguised as opportunities. But if we take our goals for too long we can be distracted and soon we only see obstacles. As leaders, we must be intentional about this challenge.

Consider what happened to Thomas Edison in December 1914. Thomas Edison experienced such a defining moment. His lab caught fire and everything was destroyed. He lost almost $1 million of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, when walking around the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said, “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”

How can an aspiring young journalist, or an inventor like Edison, find the opportunity in chaos and obstacles? There are a few clues worth discovering and applying in your leadership.

One person’s flood is another person’s break

When the dam broke and the town flooded, it was an opportunity for the aspiring journalist to find his big story – to get his big break. He had the ambition to get in the boat and look for it.

When the dams break around you, what you choose to see and how you respond will make all the difference between it being an obstacle and an opportunity. Click To Tweet

One person’s fire is another person’s reset

When Edison’s lab was destroyed by fire when he was 67, throwing it in the towel and calling it quits would have been easy. I am sure many would not have blamed him. But he chose to start anew. Within thirty days after the fire, Edison delivered the first phonograph.

For Edison, the fire was his reset. Many of his great works came after the fire. When you face obstacles and challenges, it allows you the opportunity to hit the reset button and move in a new and better direction.

Final Thoughts

Here is a challenge for you that comes from John Maxwell. He asks, “The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed, or did you fail because you stopped trying?” Much is riding on your answer. You will face obstacles, but whether you turn them into opportunities is what you have to decide.

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Embrace The Discomfort of Leadership

Posted April 29, 2024
by admin

The more you practice embracing discomfort, the more confidence you’ll gain in your ability to accept new challenges. – Amy Morin

Many years ago while in junior high school, I played football. The drills in practice that the coaches put us through were designed to help get us in shape but, also to learn the right way to play the game.

During practice, one coach, in particular, often told us, “Boys, if you’re going to do it wrong, do it wrong to the best of your ability.” This was his way of letting us know that he expected our best at all times. We did our best and that particular year we won our league championship.

When it comes to life and leadership, we tend to be creatures of comfort. We adapt to certain routines, patterns, and ways of doing things. Some are good, some are not, but it’s what we know and do, and change doesn’t always come easy. When we are set in our ways, we tend to choose the path of least resistance over the discomfort of change.

In his book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, bestselling author and psychologist, Adam Grant has some fascinating insights about being creatures of discomfort. He argues that “the best way to accelerate growth is to embrace, seek, and amplify discomfort.” And in leadership, this is where we often fall short. We try everything we can to run from discomfort. And when we do, we are depriving ourselves of greater learning opportunities.

Grant identifies three forms of courage to embrace. Allow me to share these with you and how they apply to you as a leader.

The first form of courage: Being brave enough to embrace discomfort and throw your learning style out the window.

Grant states, “The way you like to learn is what makes you comfortable, but it isn’t necessarily how you learn best. Sometimes you even learn better in the mode that makes you the most uncomfortable, because you have to work harder at it.”

Embracing the discomfort of a new learning style can be challenging. We would just as soon stick with what we know and do, even if it’s not as effective. Why? We are comfortable.

Leadership Application: When you are unwilling to embrace being uncomfortable and learn new things, you run the risk of being comfortable and stagnant. You might be surprised to learn that the leaders ahead of you are very uncomfortable at times.

The second form of courage: Being brave enough to use your knowledge as you acquire it.

Grant states, “You can’t become truly comfortable with a skill until you’ve practiced it enough to master it. But practicing it before you master it is uncomfortable, so you often avoid it.”

If you start today and embrace the discomfort and mistakes along the way, you will make progress. But if you wait until you are “ready” there will be little progress.

Leadership Application: Don’t wait to step up and lead when you think you’re “ready”. Embrace the discomfort of using new skills and knowledge to make an impact now. If you wait until the discomfort of being “ready” passes, you may never have the opportunity again.

The third form of courage: Not just embracing and seeking discomfort, but amplifying it by being brave enough to make more mistakes.

Grant shares insights into how we learn new languages and why kids tend to absorb foreign languages faster than adults. He states, “They’re largely immune to the fear of embarrassment and the discomfort of making mistakes. They’re not scared of feeling stupid or being judged.” And this is the secret to living with the discomfort – being brave enough to embrace more mistakes.

Leadership Application: In leadership, we tend to do the opposite. We want to avoid making mistakes at all costs. We are afraid of being judged or ridiculed. But the more we embrace mistakes, the closer we are to arriving at new levels of leadership that our comfort zones deny us.

Are you ready to embrace the discomfort of leadership?

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Lessons From The Fog

Posted April 17, 2024
by admin

You cannot lead others until you first lead yourself. You can lead yourself at your best only if you invest in yourself first. – John Maxwell

A few months back I was on my way to do a photoshoot. This particular one was a beach location which I always enjoy.

On this day, however, a fog had set in. What made it somewhat unusual was that a dense fog of that magnitude would likely occur in the early morning. However, this was a mid-afternoon shoot which caught me off guard.

Visibility on the beach was significantly diminished but the sunlight that peeked in through the clouds made for some fascinating shots. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the beach that day. The combination of the fog and piercing light gave me a new and much different perspective than I had ever experienced. It was truly memorable.

My approach that day to the photoshoot could have been one defined by frustrations over elements beyond my control. In photography, that is a common occurrence. One second you are ready for a shot and 30 seconds later the lighting changes or some other issue happens that momentarily alters your ability to take the photograph.

In photography, you can wait it out and make the necessary adjustments. I easily could have allowed the fog to cause me to throw in the towel and cancel the appointment, instead, I seized the opportunity to take some amazing photographs that I otherwise would not have been able to capture.

Life works this way too. Seldom does everything go according to plan all the time. Life happens. And when it does, you can either adjust and make the best of it, or you can be overcome by it.

There will be seasons when you find yourself in a fog as a leader. Call it a funk. Call it what you will, but you know what I’m talking about. You may be reading this now and saying “That’s me!”.

I must confess that I have been in a fog for several months. One of my strengths as a leader over the past few decades has been as a writer. Whether on my website’s blog, in my books, or contributing to magazines and other business publications, writing has been my go-to medium for communicating in the thought leadership space.

To that end, writing has always been a natural talent for me. Words have always flowed freely and any complaints from editors have centered around too many words, not too few. But for the past few months, I have found myself in a fog where my struggle was not figuring out what to do about too many words, but what to do about none.

If you are in a fog right now let me share a few lessons I’ve learned.

Don’t panic

From a meteorological perspective, fog occurs when the cool air mixes with the warm air over the water, the moist air cools until its humidity reaches 100%, and fog forms. In other words, it’s a natural weather phenomenon.

In leadership, it’s not uncommon to find yourself in a fog. It happens. But when it does, that’s not the time to panic, it’s a time to see your surroundings from a different perspective and draw on your leadership instincts to get through it. Trust the process. The fog won’t last forever, but it will give you time to learn new things about your surroundings and yourself.

Learn from it

Before the photoshoot, I was confident about my camera setting. I had done this before. But the fog changed everything. When you find yourself in a fog, you will draw from a different or seldom-used skill set to navigate your way. Embrace it and refine it.

From a leadership perspective, we don’t like being in a fog. We tend to panic and feel like things are slipping away from us. But it’s the time you spend in the fog that you learn a lot about yourself and what you are capable of. Don’t despise the fog, learn from it and be a better leader for it.

Be patient

Here’s what I know – the fog doesn’t last forever. And while we don’t like being in one, the lesson here is simple – be patient. The fog will lift. You will come through it.

The Roman poet Horace said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” And this is the end game of emerging from the fog, to elicit talents and skills you haven’t used in a while. This will make you a better person and a better leader.

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Are You Locked In By Your Own Thinking?

Posted March 18, 2024
by admin

The principle mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers. – Arthur Koestler

In his book Houdini, author Harold Kellock shares a story about Houdini on one of his European tours when Houdini found himself locked in his own thinking.

After he had been searched and manacled in a Scottish town jail, the turnkey shut him in a cell and walked away. Houdini quickly freed himself from his shackles and then tackled the cell lock. But despite all his efforts, the lock would not open. Finally, ever more desperate but completely exhausted, he leaned against the door- and it swung open so unexpectedly that he nearly fell headlong into the corridor. The turnkey had not locked it.

Houdini was not locked in a cell by a key but by a belief.

Your belief systems directly influence every part of your life. The larger question is: what does your belief system look like? Let’s explore a few ways this happens in your life.

Wrong beliefs and assumptions lead to wrong actions

Houdini assumed the door was locked. Because his assumption was wrong, his actions were wrong. Wrong assumptions caused him to waste a lot of time and energy trying to accomplish something that was not even necessary. It will do the same for you.

Decisions you make as a leader must be grounded in facts and reality. The worst thing you can do as a leader is to make decisions based on bad information. Click To Tweet When this happens, you waste valuable time. Your people lose confidence in your leadership.

Wrong actions lead to wrong conclusions

Because Houdini believed the door was locked, he worked tirelessly to open it. Imagine his reaction when he leaned on the door and it opened, realizing that he had been needlessly working to solve a problem that did not exist. I can only imagine his frustration when the cell door opened that was not even locked.

When your thinking is wrong then wrong actions will follow. This leads you and your team to make faulty conclusions. This only compounds already strained morale.

Understand the power of right-thinking leadership

You do not want to be locked in by negative thinking as a leader. Right-thinking leaders seek solutions, explore options, empower their team, and share the credit. Right-thinking leaders have a mindset shift that’s not fixed but one that is growing, expanding, and overcoming its challenges because they refuse to be trapped by limited belief systems.

Your growth as a leader is determined by the choices you make. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped by beliefs that hold you back and limit your leadership capacity. Embrace right-thinking leadership with a passion to grow and your possibilities will be unlimited.

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Your Life In Leadership

Posted February 29, 2024
by admin

Life is too short to be little. – Benjamin Disraeli

The late Fred Rogers, at his induction into the Television Hall of Fame, gave a speech that I believe typifies what leadership is all about. Rogers said, “Fame is a four-letter word: like tape or zoom or face or pain or love, what ultimately matters is what we do with it”. And he’s right.

Rogers’s perspective on what is important may seem like a throwback in time, but the message is timeless. Rogers added, “Who in your life has been a servant to you? Who has helped you love the good that grows within you? No matter who they are, whether here or in imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them right now”.

Italo Magni said, “If you’re talking with your head, you’re going to speak to their heads. If you’re talking with your heart, you’re going to reach their hearts. If you talk with your life, you’re going to reach their lives”. So here is the question: On which level do you, as a leader, want to lead?

Here are a few observations from that quote that I believe are worth taking into consideration for your leadership.

When you lead with your head, you can help.

There is certainly an advantage to leading from a position of knowledge. We need smart and wise leaders. It lends credibility to your leadership to be knowledgeable in your field. But leading with your head can only take you so far in leadership.

Howard Hendricks said, “You can impress people at a distance, but you can impact them only up close.” You can draw a person in with your knowledge, but if you want to keep them there and make a difference, there has to be more to it.

When you lead with your heart, you can make a difference

When you lead on this level, you have taken a major step in expanding your influence as a leader. When you lead with your head you earn respect because of what you know. When you lead with your heart, you earn respect because of who you are. Click To TweetAnd that is the difference maker.

Malcolm Forbes said, “At the heart of any good business is a chief executive with one”. Leading from the heart provides the emotional intelligence that you need to integrate head knowledge into a plan of action that can easily be embraced. Until you connect with the heart you will never get to the life-changing encounters that come from leading with your heart.

When you lead with your life, you can change the world

Leading with your life is the most powerful form of leadership. This level of leadership embodies all that you know and all of your passions and unites them into a life committed to adding value to others.

Final Thoughts

Fred Rogers also said, “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet, how important you can be to the people you may never dream of. This is something of yourself that you leave in every meeting with another person.”

Stop and consider the relationships you have and how your influence is making a difference. When you lead with your life, your influence has no limits. What will be the measure of your leadership?

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Three Questions for Problem Solving

Posted February 13, 2024February 13, 2024
by admin

The reward for being a good problem solver is to be heaped with more and more difficult problems to solve. – Buckminster Fuller

In Reader’s Digest a few years back, Captain Alan Bean wrote about his Apollo 12 mission. Bean stated, “Test pilots have a litmus test for evaluating problems. When something goes wrong, they ask, “Is this thing still flying?” If the answer is yes, then there’s no immediate danger, no need to overreact.”

When Apollo 12 took off, the spacecraft was hit by lightning. The entire console began to glow with orange and red trouble lights. There was the temptation to do something, but the pilots asked themselves, Is this thing still flying in the right direction? The answer was yes; it was headed to the moon. They let the lights glow as they addressed the individual problems and watched orange and red lights blink out, one by one.

That’s something to think about in any pressure situation. If you’re still flying, think first, and then act.

The questions the test pilots ask will serve you well as a leader, The questions are tactical, and with the guidance of a steady leader, they will be an asset to your organization. When things go wrong, and they will, here are three questions to ask before taking action.

Is this thing still flying?

Leadership assessment: Evaluation.

Bean observed that the temptation is to “do something!” Human nature dictates that when something bad happens we are to respond. But at times, our response is disproportionate to the size of the problem. In our knee-jerk reactions, we overreact.

Artist Maya Lin said, “To fly we have to face resistance.” What perceptive leaders understand is that not all resistance is negative. While some may think the obstacles they face will ground them, a smart leader sees obstacles as the very thing that will give them lift.

When you accurately answer the question “Is this thing still flying?” setting the right course becomes easier.

Is this thing still flying in the right direction?

Leadership assessment: Observation.

This is critical to the success of your organization. If you are not on the right course, it doesn’t matter how fast you fly. You’ll get to the wrong destination quicker and the corrections will take longer.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving.” The test of your leadership and that of your organization is not whether you can face times of adversity, but whether you can honestly and accurately evaluate where you are and where you are headed.

Once you and your team have carefully evaluated your direction – making sure that you are on target with your values and vision, then when you are faced with adversities, you can properly address them.

Is the right leadership in place?

Leadership assessment: Competence

Not all test pilots become astronauts. While their skills and abilities are admirable, not all have the right stuff. When it comes to the astronaut corps, only the best are chosen.

While it is a delicate question to ask, it is a legitimate one that needs an answer. It could be that the leader who brought the organization to where it is, may not be the one to take into the future. Better to have the right leader in times of adversity than the wrong leader in times of prosperity. Click To Tweet
How you evaluate problems as a leader will determine your success as a leader. Evaluate properly, observe wisely, and be sure that the right leader is at the helm.

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What Brings Your Team Back on Monday?

Posted February 5, 2024February 5, 2024
by admin

On Monday mornings, I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created jerks. – H. Allen Smith

Writing in The 360° Leader, John Maxwell shares a humorous story about a turkey and a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree, “ sighed the turkey, “but I haven’t got the energy.”

“Well,” reapplied the bull, “why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings? They are packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, he reached the second branch after eating some more dung. Finally, after a fourth night, there he was, proudly perched at the top of the tree. But a hunter promptly spotted the turkey and shot him out of the tree. The moral of the story: BS might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

Monday mornings can either be a day of dread or one filled with expectation for what lies ahead. And yes, you may have to contend with those whose path is full of droppings or who BS their way to the top. But as a leader, what motivation do you want your team to bring to the workplace on Monday? What do you truly believe motivates your team to keep coming back?

Here are a few qualities that will endear you to your team and make them proud to be by your side.

Being a leader with a servant’s heart

A leader with a servant’s heart is consumed with centering the organization around his or her own needs, but in being the facilitator to make those around him successful. The mentality is not “What can you do for me?” but rather, “What can I do for you?”

When you engage your team members with a servant’s heart, you help them see and understand that you are about the big picture, not being the big person. Click To Tweet

Being a leader with an open mind

I’ve said it often that the best ideas don’t always flow from your office, they flow into it. When you lead with an open mind and are open to the ideas and expertise of your team, the potential of your team is unlimited. Martha Stewart put it this way, “Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.” And this is what makes your workplace enjoyable. When leadership is open-minded to new ideas, thinking outside the margins, and vesting trust in the team, great things are within your reach.

What brings your team back on Monday is an environment where ideas are welcomed, where leaders are not insecure, where respect abounds, and where team members see each other not as the competition, but as fellow teammates striving toward mutual goals.

Being a leader with a clear vision

Monday is the least of your worries if your team members do not have their hearts and minds wrapped around the vision and mission of what they are doing and why.

Warren G. Bennis said, “Leadership is the ability to translate vision into reality.” And this is the responsibility of your leadership: to map out a vision that is in clear terms that your team can embrace and where the buy-in is authentic. When your team knows where they are going and why they will buy in and go there with you.

Final Thoughts

What brings your team back on Monday is a leader with a servant’s heart (it’s not about you). What brings your team back on Monday is a leader with an open mind; don’t BS them. What brings your team back is a leader with a vision; share it.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of your team. Would you want to come back on Monday?

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Are You a Leader That Lifts?

Posted January 23, 2024January 23, 2024
by admin

A race, like an individual, lifts itself up by lifting others up. – Booker T. Washington

Chances are you have never heard of Cooper Erickson and Ethan Olds. And you wouldn’t be alone. Cooper and Ethan gained notoriety back in September of 2023 when competing in a track meet.

Cooper, a sophomore at Stevens Point Area High School in Wisconsin was on his way to a third-place finish in the race when he saw the runner in front of him stumble and fall. Instead of running past him to cross the finish line in second place, Cooper ran back and helped the runner, a competitor from another school.

Ethan Olds, a classmate of Cooper was coming up behind Ethan in fourth place. When he saw his teammate stopping to help, he also ran back to help.

When asked about what he did, Cooper said, “When you start to take running very seriously, you build a community, and that community is so wide– it’s just whoever you race, you have respect for because they are giving it their all. And I thought that was more important than necessarily finishing in second place or third place.” (Read the story here)

What the two high school students did at that event serves as a great lesson in leadership. While the boys were only in high school, some might have given them a pass if they had not stopped to help their fellow competitors – they are high school students after all.

The example of Ethan and Cooper is one worth emulating. As John Maxwell said, “Leaders who fail to lift others in the long run, fail to lift themselves.” And this goes to the heart of your leadership. Why is lifting others essential to your leadership? Let’s explore these three ways.

Leaders who lift have set aside their insecurities

This is perhaps one of the most common causes as to why some leaders don’t lift others. So long as you are insecure you will always be looking upon others with a suspicious eye. This posture puts a lid on your leadership, and what’s worse is that by doing so, you hold others back and keep them from reaching their potential.

Leadership Tip: Don’t allow your insecurities and pettiness to hold others back. The people around you need your best, not your baggage.

Leaders who lift give hope

Something special happens when a leader lifts another person. A shift happens that creates a new level of momentum and energy. Perhaps that person has been stuck, feeling despondent, and believes that the struggle is not worth it. Your one selfless act of leadership can be all it takes to turn things around and give hope to that aspiring leader.

Leadership Tip: Daily look for opportunities to be a leader that lifts. Who needs your hand today?

Leaders who lift build the future

When you lift others, you are helping build the next generation of leaders. In the end, it’s not about what you did for yourself, but what did you for someone else. Did you lift, build, encourage, and inspire those around you? A simple act of kindness on your part by lifting someone else is laying the foundation for another’s rise in leadership.

Leadership Tip: Being a leader that lifts is a recognition that we are all in this together. Lift others, be humble, and remember that it’s OK to turn around in your race and pick someone up.

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