leadership – Page 20 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Lessons From Fred Rogers

Posted June 30, 2019
by admin

Life is deep and simple, and what our society gives us is shallow and complicated – Fred Rogers

It’s been 16 years since the passing of the beloved Fred Rogers, the host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”. His life was an inspiration to millions and the life lessons and values he passed on will not be forgotten by those of us who were privileged enough to watch him growing up.

His communication style was simple, straight forward, and sound. He told it like it was and inspired us to a higher standard.

There are many notable Fred Rogers quotes worth sharing, but the following are some of my favorites along with leadership applications.

There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.

To my previous point – his communication style was simple, straight forward, and sound. Being kind is a timeless leadership principle. What makes you a leader worth knowing, following, or emulating has nothing to do with your title, position, or who you know. It all comes down to this one thing- are you kind? Click To Tweet How you treat others says all that’s needed about what kind of leader you are. Be kind!

There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.

Just as life is not free from pain, neither is leadership. It has its painful moments. But the secret to your growth and development as a leader is not how to make all of your problems go away as pleasing as that might sound. It’s about learning how to wrestle. It’s about what you learn in the struggle that makes you a better person and leader. Don’t shy away from your problems, learn from them.

There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

As a leader, every encounter you have with the people you meet is an opportunity to add value to them. Think about the everyday encounters you have with others and ask yourself this simple question, “Did I add value today?”. Remember, with every encounter you are leaving a part of yourself. Make it count.

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

This is a great leadership principle. In today’s world, it’s so easy to be cynical and skeptical as we see how things have deteriorated on so many fronts. Regardless of how bad things may seem, don’t give up on the goodness of the human spirit. It’s still alive. Look for the helpers! Click To Tweet

Often out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak

This is one of the hardest leadership principles to learn. It’s during the dark times that we tend to drift mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and begin to doubt ourselves. And we wonder, “Is it time to throw in the towel and quit?”. Your winning streak is on the other side of the slump you may currently find yourself in. Don’t give up.

Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given

As it is with the principle of being kind, so too is the principle of making goodness attractive. You will never be less of a leader because you are kind or because you’ve made goodness attractive. If anything, you will make it more appealing. How are you making goodness attractive?

There’s a world of difference between insisting on someone’s doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.

This is a timeless leadership principle that can save aspiring leaders much grief and frustration. You can attempt to lead by decree that’s attached to your title or you can lead from the heart and through relationships. The one path is hard and unfulfilling. The other is transformative and rewarding. Make it your practice to establish the kind of atmosphere that fosters growth and builds your culture.

Times have changed since the days of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”. But the lessons in values and in leadership are as applicable as ever. And as societies and cultures change, we too as leaders must be a step ahead to interpret and give context. While the neighborhood may have changed, the lessons live on for a new generation of leaders.

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Sacred Cows and Breaking Rules

Posted June 19, 2019June 19, 2019
by admin

Hell, there ain’t no rules. We’re trying to accomplish something here. – Thomas Edison

As a photography enthusiast, I have evolved over the years with the evolution of the camera. I remember the days of the Polaroid camera, the Kodak Instamatic, and still have very fond memories of my first 35mm camera- a Canon AE1 program. I was euphoric over the advent of the digital camera – my first was a Sony 3.2 megapixel Canon Cybershot that set me back a whopping $300+ dollars at the time.

Times have certainly changed with photography over the years. The quality is better as is the cost. It’s a great time to be an avid photographer. Innovation a great thing.

I am appreciative for the photography skills I learned back in the day. It made me a better photographer. But think of what I would be missing out on if I had not adapted over the years. What if I held onto an Instamatic mindset in this digital age?

Oddly enough, history is filled with organizations and leaders who have done just this.

In a blog post entitled 50 examples of corporations that failed to innovate, Katrina Aaslaid profiles 50 companies that “failed to innovate, and some ended up in failed businesses. Some are the biggest companies in the world.” Included on the list are Kodak, Blockbuster, MySpace, Nokia, Sears, Polaroid, AOL, and Hummer, just to name a few.

Be it major companies, mom and pop retail shops, businesses large and small, and leaders in general, etc. one thing is clear – those who do not innovate and adapt to change will be on future lists like the one mentioned here.

Two of the largest obstacles to change and innovation come in the form of our traditions or sacred cows, and our rulebook. Both rob us of a future that could be ours.

So when is it appropriate to let go of the sacred cows and break the rules? Here are a few clues.

When your rules are no longer relevant

In his acclaimed book, It’s Not About the Coffee, Howard Behar advocates replacing the rulebook with a playbook. It’s a game-changing idea if embraced. Think about it – rulebooks are rigid, confining, predictable, and restrictive. A playbook, on the other hand, serves the opposite purpose. It’s liberating, creative, and has unlimited potential.

Think about your current “rulebook” those written or unwritten, spoken or unspoken ways of doing things. How are they working for you? So long as you are boxed in with dated thinking, old and tired solutions, with the same predictable outcomes, how can you honestly expect anything to change? Click To Tweet Perhaps it’s time to bid farewell to the rulebook and embrace the playbook and unleash your best and brightest to take you to a new level. Otherwise, the view will always remain the same.

When sacred cows are worshipped on the altars of progress

It’s a sad day when progress and innovation are put on indefinite hold because we are too afraid to let go of our institutionalized sacred cows. It’s the proverbial “we’ve never done it this way before” approach or the holding onto mission or vision statements that are no longer relevant to the times in which we live.

Please know, I am not advocating disrespecting the past as it relates to the hard work, values, and sacrifices that made organizations great. What better way to honor the life and legacy of a good organization than to build upon it and make it better?

While your values must be bedrock and clear, the way you innovate and adapt to change will determine your future. What’s the point of holding onto the sacred cows of the past if they are not serving you well today? Would you rather have an organizational future based on innovation and change or an organizational funeral based on traditions and sacred cows that you were afraid to abandon? Click To Tweet

We know that change and innovation do not come easy. Righting the ship is hard work. But you must decide – preside over change and innovation with a bright future or preside over the status quo and decline.

For the sake of your future, maybe it’s time to break the rules and leave the sacred cows behind.

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When Saying No is a Good Option

Posted June 9, 2019June 9, 2019
by admin

Silence isn’t always agreement. Sometimes people no longer argue because they no longer care. – Joyce Rachelle

I came across some humorous ways to say no not long ago. Whether you are a person who struggles with saying no or one who relishes the opportunity, I think you’ll enjoy these.

‘I think I’ll go find a lake of piranhas to jump in instead”.

“Has hell frozen over? Then, sure”.

“There are worse things to agree to, I just can’t think of any at the moment”.

“I believe there is someone a lot stupider who would enjoy doing that instead”.

“Let’s not. And stick with that story”.

“I had rather remove my own gallbladder with an oyster fork”.

Saying no. It’s one of those paradoxical terms in our leadership vocabulary. If you are like me, you don’t like telling people no. I use to pride myself in saying yes even when deep down I wanted or needed to say no.

Over the years, I have made much progress in learning how to say no. It’s as liberating as it is refreshing. There have been times when I’ve even surprised myself at how effortlessly it rolls off my tongue – No! But it wasn’t always the case.

What about you, do you struggle in this area of your leadership? Do you find it hard to say no without harboring feelings of guilt or worrying that you will disappoint someone?

As leaders, we bend toward the upbeat and positive and being there for people, etc., etc. I get it. But sometimes saying no is the best course of action. So let me help you try and make sense of when it’s a good time to say no without the guilt that comes with it.

No is a good option when the timing is wrong

Timing has a lot to do with saying no. It may be that what you’ve been asked to do is a great idea, but the time frame is wrong. Along the way, in your leadership, you will have to learn how to say no to good ideas. It comes with the territory. Click To Tweet A yes answer may be an option later, but if the timing is wrong, then it’s wrong. Sometimes saying no to something good today can pave the way to saying yes to something greater tomorrow.

No is a good option if the motivations are wrong

There will be times when people will try to get you to commit to something, and not only is the timing wrong, but their motives are wrong. When someone is trying to take advantage of you or is in some way trying to draw you into their drama or negativity just say no!

No is a good option if your values are in question

In leadership, there are simply no shortcuts when it comes to your ethics, integrity, and values. If any decision you are weighing ever puts those things in doubt then the answer is always no. Roy Disney was right when he said, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier”. Saying no is easy when faced with the prospect of compromising your values. Click To Tweet

No is a good option in order to protect your boundaries

At the end of the day, no one is going to protect your boundaries better than you. Finding your work-life balance is on you. You can’t complain about the imbalances in these areas of your life if you don’t know how to say no. Learning how to say no protects your family time, personal time, and professional time. Know when to say no without apology. Click To Tweet

No is a good option simply because you can’t do everything

Regardless of how good you are at what you do, you’re not that great. Neither am I. You are not all things to all people. There are just times when no is in order because you have limitations. Don’t be afraid to embrace your “inner no” voice and own it. You’ll be glad you did.

I’m not advocating saying no just to be contrary or to exhibit a bad attitude or to be less than a team player. I am advocating the reality that at times saying no can be the best course of action for you and it may just be the very thing someone needs to hear.

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Thriving Leadership in a Calloused World

Posted June 3, 2019
by admin

If you live in a graveyard too long you stop crying when someone dies. – Anon.

In addition to Mt. Rushmore, one of Gutzon Borglum’s great works as a sculptor is the head of Lincoln in the Capitol at Washington. He cut it from a large, square block of stone in his studio. One day, when the face of Lincoln was just becoming recognizable out of the stone, a young girl was visiting the studio with her parents. She looked at the half-done face of Lincoln, her eyes registering wonder and astonishment. She stared at the piece for a moment then ran to the sculptor. “Is that Abraham Lincoln?” she asked. “Yes.” “Well,” said the little girl, “how in the world did you know he was inside there?”

The question posed by that young girl is an appropriate one for the likes of sculptor Gutzon Borglum. His work is rightfully critiqued by the product he produces.

What about you? How would an outsider look upon your leadership and what observations would they make? What inward image do you project? The truth is: what’s on the inside will come out. It always does.

I’m at the age where it could be very easy to be cynical or calloused in my thinking. And quite honestly, some days it’s a challenge. Hang around in leadership long enough and you can get to the place where you have seen it all, heard it all, and there’s just not much that shocks you anymore. Can you relate?

Studies have shown that those in their first year in a new job are among the happiest in the organization. Contrast that with more tenured employees and you will find vastly different attitudes and opinions.

So how do you retain a healthy perspective as a leader and not become so calloused that you are no longer effective? It’s a challenge we all struggle with. Here are a few tips for your consideration.

Watch your attitude

Your attitude will make you or break you. It always has and it always will. You can come to a place over time that you feel no one is listening, no one wants to improve or change, and that there’s just no reason to be optimistic. Can you relate? This way of thinking can cause your attitude to sour and your leadership to be ineffective.

If you are going to thrive as a leader you must watch your attitude and remember that you are not responsible for other people’s attitudes and actions. You are only accountable for one. Yours. Guard your attitude at all costs. Click To Tweet

Be intentional about your inner circle

In as much as a bad attitude can be disastrous for you as a leader, so too can an inner circle filled with the wrong people. I absolutely believe that you need diversity in your circle. You need people who will inspire you, challenge you, question you, and bring out the best in you. It’s the sign of a smart and thriving leader. We all need people around us – younger and older – who see the world differently from us. But you don’t need the wrong people.

As a leader, you don’t need people with bad attitudes who bring drama; who are unwilling to change, are afraid to take risks, who protect the status quo, and who are afraid to speak the truth.If you want to thrive as a leader then you must be intentional and selective about your inner circle. Click To Tweet

Hold yourself accountable

We live in a world where cynicism and divisions run deep. As leaders, it can be easy to get sucked into all the negativity that surrounds us on a daily basis. We need trusted friends and advisors around us who can hold us accountable for wrong attitudes, actions, words, and behaviors. Click To Tweet The truth is, we all have blind spots and we need the help. I know I do.

Leadership is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash. So on your journey, keep your attitude strong, be intentional about your inner circle, and hold yourself accountable. You will be a better leader for it and your influence as a leader will be worth emulating.

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Have You Stayed Too Long?

Posted May 20, 2019May 23, 2019
by admin

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. – Og Mandino

A manager and a sales representative stood looking at a map on which colored pins indicated the company representative in each area. “I’m not going fire you Wilson,” the manager said, “but I’m loosening your pin just to emphasize the insecurity of your situation.”

Longevity in the workplace. It’s more of a challenge now than at any other time. I was thinking about this recently after having a conversation with a friend of mine who’s enjoyed a very successful career in the same profession he started out in. “I’m thinking about retiring in another year or two,” he said. “Then what?”, I inquired. “We’ll see,” he said, “but thirty years in the same job is enough.” Is it?

The dynamics of longevity in the workplace is changing. And for each generation, it looks different.

Writing for thebalancecareers, Alison Doyle provides some great insight into longevity in the workplace. Dean states, “ Fuzzy definitions aside, the average person changes jobs an average of 12 times during his or her career.”

What about you? What’s been your story?

Doyle continues, “Many workers spend five years or less in every job, so they devote more time and energy transitioning from one job to another. In January 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the median employee tenure was 4.3 years for men, and 4.0 years for women.”

With such high turnovers in the workplace, how do you know when it’s time to go or whether to stay? What factors drive the decision?

Can you still be effective in your chosen profession after being in the same job for 10, 20, 30 years? Absolutely! How do you know if you’ve been there too long? Here are a few warning signs to help you know if it’s time to go or if it’s simply time to recharge your batteries.

When your ideas are no longer relevant

One of the signs that maybe you’ve been around too long is that your ideas are no longer relevant or fresh. When the way you did things 20 years ago seems fine by you and you’re just stuck in the past, then it might be time to step aside or step up with some fresh thinking. Click To Tweet If you have no fresh ideas then it begs the question of whether your leadership is still relevant to the people you lead.

When change is not welcomed

Every smart leader knows how to adapt to change and welcomes it. To be sure, not every change will guarantee success, but it’s a guarantee that by never changing you will stay where you are. How open and receptive are you to new ideas? Do you seek out and welcome fresh ideas and new ways of doing things? So long as you have a mindset of “this is the way we’ve always done things,” then your leadership is stagnant and so is the health of your organization. Click To Tweet

When you stop growing

As a leader, your personal growth and development is your key to longevity. So long as you are learning, growing, and retain a growth mindset then you are can be just as relevant as you were the first day you walked in on the job. But when you stop growing and developing as a leader it becomes a sign that your influence is not as constructive as it once was.

When you protect tradition at the price of progress

This warning sign is the most difficult to own up to and can be the hardest to overcome. Your years of sacrifice and giving hasn’t come without cost. When you have given of yourself in unselfish ways it can be hard to admit that you may now be at a place where you are a guardian of the past and not a leader for the future. Some soul searching is in order. What tradition from the past are you holding onto at the expense of your future?

None of these warning signs have to be fatal. Your most useful and productive days can still be in front of you. But you must be honest with yourself and the people you lead to know just how long is too long.

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How To Defeat A Culture Of Apathy

Posted May 12, 2019
by admin

A lot of you cared, just not enough. – Jay Asher

Data from Gallup has confirmed what many have known for some time – employee engagement in the workplace is suffering. When only 32% are engaged in their work then we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Simply wishing things were different is not enough.

The Conference Board reports that 53% of Americans are unhappy at work. Think for a moment too about the economic impact of disengaged employees on your bottom line. If more than half the people in your organization are not happy, how do you think that affects your future?

An article in shiftboard revealed that disengaged employees are costing you money and affecting your profits. They say, “Each disengaged employee costs you 34% of their salary because of lost productivity, missed shifts, chronic tardiness, and disrupting others by spreading negativity throughout the company”. If not bad enough, the article goes on to say that “actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $483 billion to $605 billion in lost productivity.”

How much can you afford to lose to disengaged employees? What is an acceptable figure that you are willing to tolerate?

While every organization faces its own cultural challenges as it relates to employee engagement, there is usually one common denominator that can be found in most- apathy.

Apathy, in its simplest definition, is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. It sets in when your people believe they have no voice, and when they believe that things are not going to get better. Then they get angry.

When any of these characteristics are in play within your organization then you must move quickly to identify it and turn it around. Time is money and your productivity is at stake. Here are a few ways to defeat a culture of apathy.

Promote ownership

As a leader, you must do everything within your power to promote the mission and vision of the organization. It must be out there and repeated often. Never take for granted that because you’ve shared it once they will remember it forever. But, over time, the buy-in will happen as trust is built. However, if you want to fast track employee engagement, then give your people ownership. When people take ownership they will be less apathetic, they will be more invested, and will deliver their best work.

When people work to fulfill your vision it can be a struggle, when they work to fulfill theirs it can be life-changing. Click To Tweet

Promote community

A smart leader understands that there’s no substitute for a community of people within your organization who are known to each as colleagues and not combatants. Apathy becomes an issue when people see each other as combatants – not caring what the other group is doing- when in reality it all matters. A diversity of ideas and opinions is one of your greatest assets. In community, all ideas are welcome. In a community, relationships are coveted over competition and turf wars. In a community, people are held accountable for negative attitudes that would give rise to apathy. Click To Tweet

Good leaders are not just aware of the need for community but insist upon it because they know their existence depends upon it.

Promote culture

This is an important piece of the puzzle that leaders need to understand. Community is how you get along with one another. It’s the practice of good manners, cordiality, and civility. But your culture is your why. It’s what gives meaning and purpose to what you do.

Your organizational culture is weakened or is breaking down when you hear things like, “I don’t why I bother speaking up, no one listens to me,” or “What difference does it make if I’m late, no one will notice,” or “Why should I care if no one else does,”. How many times have you heard these type of statements? How many times have you used them?

A failure in community creates conflict. A failure in leadership creates apathy. Your organizational community is relationship driven. Your organizational culture is leadership driven.A failure in community creates conflict. A failure in leadership creates apathy. Your organizational community is relationship driven. Your organizational culture is leadership driven. Click To Tweet

As a leader, you need to understand that apathy is the greatest threat to your organization. With apathy there is no ownership, there is no community, and your culture is harmed.

Make it your practice to know the signs of apathy and be intentional in addressing it. It will make a world of difference to your organization.

Check out the link at the top of the page for information on my employee engagement workshop.

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The Pressures of Leadership

Posted May 5, 2019May 5, 2019
by admin

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. – 2 Corinthians 4: 8 (NLT)

I read a story about King Henry III of Bavaria, who in the eleventh century, grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made an application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. “Your Majesty,” said Prior Richard, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king.”

“I understand,” said Henry. “The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you.”

“Then I will tell you what to do,” said Prior Richard. “Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you.” When King Henry died, a statement was written: “The King learned to rule by being obedient.”

Hang around in leadership long enough and there will come a time when you may feel like King Henry of Bavaria – just plain tired of all the pressures of being a leader and ready to walk away from it all.

Let’s be real, there are times when, as John Maxwell has said that “leadership sucks”. It’s when the glamour has worn off, the lights have faded, others have all gone home, that the weight and responsibility of leadership weigh heavy on you.

The pressures and stress in leaders also have a ripple effect. In research that I came across, it suggested that when leaders are adept at managing stress, only about 10% of their employees harbor such negative opinions. The study also found that when employees see their leaders as unable to manage stress, they report lesser ambitions to advance in their organization.

As a leader, you need to be aware not only of the impact that pressure and stress have on you but also on the people you lead. It’s far more reaching than you realize. Click To Tweet

There’s just no way to address the myriad of issues surrounding the pressures and stress of leadership in this post. It’s way more involved than time or space allows. But for now, allow me to share what I call my “4 K Everyday” tips to help you as a leader.

Know your limits

It doesn’t matter how good a leader you are, you have limits. You have knowledge limits, time limits, boundary limits, physical limits, emotional limits, etc. Know them. Don’t expect other people to know them much less guard them for you. Sometimes the pressures and stress you endure as leaders are self-inflicted. When you know your limits you will be less inclined to try and exceed them. Click To Tweet

Know your priorities

This simple, yet powerful tip can save you a world of stress. Rather than being the “jack of all trades and the master of none”, why not prioritize what’s on your plate. You don’t have to do it all. Nor should you. It’s when you learn to delegate and empower your people that you can relieve a lot of stress. When you manage your time you marginalize your stress and reduce it. Make this a daily practice of your leadership.

Know your people

Much of the stress and pressure in leadership is culture driven. Simply put – leaders set the tone. You can’t expect your people to have buy-in when you are disengaged. If your people are marginalized or have one foot out the door, what do you think is happening to your stress levels? By knowing your people you are discovering their passions, their talents, their hopes, and their dreams. By knowing your people you also know what is troubling them and what their concerns are. What’s out in the open serves you much better than what’s kept in the dark. Get to know your people! Click To Tweet

Know your values

At the end of the day, it’s your values – your faith, family, etc., that will sustain you. As a leader, you are not immune to stress and pressures. But you don’t have to be the victim of it either. When your values are clear it makes everything else about your leadership much more manageable and delightful.

Leadership is a privilege and a responsibility. The “4 K Everyday” tips can set you on a good path when you put them into practice.

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Four Attributes of Calm Leaders

Posted April 29, 2019
by admin

I’ve always had a duck personality. Calm above water, feet going crazy below. – K. Flay

A man in the supermarket was pushing a cart which contained, among other things, a screaming baby. As the man proceeded along the aisles, he kept repeating softly, “Keep calm, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t yell, George.”

A lady watching with admiration said to the man, “You are certainly to be commended for your patience in trying to quiet little George.”

“Lady,” he declared, “I’m George.”

As a leader, I’m sure you’ve had your moments when you felt like the man in the supermarket pushing the cart.

As a leader, you might be able to identify with Tom Welling who said, “I have so much chaos in my life, it’s become normal.” Can you relate?

Being a leader does not exempt you from chaos, stress, pressures, and the such. If anything, it might add to it.

But as a leader, your style and approach at such times are important. Others are looking to you to see how you react which in many ways determines how they will react.

Your leadership when times are tough will either cause people to lose hope and succumb to despair or it will instill hope and confidence. Click To Tweet In these times, your people need an example of the calming effect that your leadership can have. Here are four ways that happen.

Calm leaders see the big picture

Calm leaders are not rocked by every disruption that comes along. Short-sightedness tends to fuel the insecurities in people. A calm leader can exude confidence because they see the big picture and it’s with that understanding they can lead with a steady hand.

Calm leaders understand timing

One of the hardest things to learn as a leader is timing. We are people of action. Waiting is not necessarily a finer quality. But calm leaders have an intuition for timing. They know when it’s time to wait and when it’s time to act. The calming effect of timing within your organization and with your people can make a world of difference. Calm leaders can help avert a multitude of troubles just by understanding how timing impacts most every decision they make. Click To Tweet

Calm leaders challenge norms

Calm leaders tend to challenge norms and stretch others to grow in ways they are not often comfortable with. Call it what you will – human nature, gut reactions, etc., but many people react to things happening to them or around them in ways that only make matters worse. But a calm leader is processing. A calm leader brings peace to the storm, level-headed thinking, and challenges the norms that define the way things have always been done.

Calm leaders bring stability

Calm leaders bring a level of maturity and stability that is often lacking during turbulent times. Calm leaders know that their actions, attitudes, reactions, and thinking go a long way in determining successful outcomes.

Calm leaders are not passive leaders, nor are they passionless. Calm leaders are simply those who know how to harness the power of their intuition, experience, maturity, and wisdom to be a more effective leader. Click To Tweet

Strive to be a leader who, when everything around them seems to be in chaos, brings a calming presence to the situation. We could sure use more calm leaders.

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Hope For Discouraged Leaders

Posted April 22, 2019
by admin

If you are alive and breathing, you can still become everything God has created you to be. – Joel Osteen

In 1858 the Illinois legislature- using an obscure statute- sent Stephen A. Douglas to the U.S. Senate instead of Abraham Lincoln, although Lincoln had won the popular vote. When a sympathetic friend asked Lincoln how he felt, he said, “Like the boy who stubbed his toe: I am too big to cry and too badly hurt to laugh.”

If you hang around in leadership long enough you will know what discouragement feels like. I’m not trying to depress you but simply stating the obvious. Behind the glittering image and friendly smiles are leaders who face incredible pressures and shoulder responsibilities that can be daunting. Unfortunately, many leaders feel trapped with no one to talk with or vent to due to the “glittering image” that they feel compelled to present to the public.

Let’s be honest. Times of discouragement will come. How you react to it will make all the difference going forward. As a leader, you are not immune from troubles, in fact, you may have more. So how do you keep a proper perspective and come through it on the other side a better leader? Here are three reminders that you need to consider.

You are not alone

Life happens to all of us. It’s not always pretty. As a leader, you know this to be true. Disappointments come – you didn’t land that new client, a colleague betrayed you, sales are sluggish – you get the picture.

Here is what you need to know: your disappointment today is preparing you for great opportunities tomorrow. But there’s a catch. It all hinges on your attitude. While bad things can happen to good people; good people turn bad things into great opportunities. Click To Tweet

At a young age, Walt Disney easily could have been discouraged and given up. He was fired by the editor of a newspaper for “lacking ideas”. He could have taken his rejection and thrown in the towel. But if anything he used that experience to motivate him to greater things – and the rest, as they say, is history.

When times of disappoint and discouragement come, remember this truth – you are not alone.

You are stronger than you think

One truth I’ve learned over the years is this: you can be defined by life’s moments or you can define life’s moments. So how do you define life’s moments? You do so by choosing faith over fear, forgiveness over resentment, and by embracing God’s view of your life over man’s view. You don’t always have control over what comes your way but you can choose your path going forward. Click To Tweet

Thomas Edison experienced one of those defining moments in his career. His lab caught fire and was destroyed. All of his work went up in flames. To add insult to injury, his building was under-insured. It was a devastating and defining moment. How would he respond?

“There is great value in disaster,” said Edison, “all our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Edison did not choose the fire, but he did choose to define the moment.

Here is the truth to remember: We don’t like adversity and disappointments because we mistakenly believe that we can’t handle it. But I submit that you are stronger than you think and you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. Are you ready to define your moment?

You are not defined by your past you are prepared by it

Every experience that you go through is preparation for what’s next. Along the way, you have gained valuable experience. Some of it has come easy while at other times you wish you could have a do-over. It’s all part of the learning curve. I’ve been there countless times and I dare say you have as well.

But if you want to move forward as a leader you have to learn to let go of the past – especially the bad and cut yourself some slack. What’s important is that you have learned your lessons, have peace in your heart and are stronger as a result.

Discouragement sets in when you see yourself through the lens of failure rather than through the lens of grace. Click To Tweet

Here is the truth you need to remember: you are not the sum of your fears or your mistakes. Your past is your boot camp and it has prepared you for such a time as this.

Times of discouragement will come. But the good news is- it will pass. Stay strong and be encouraged. You are not alone, you are strong, and you are prepared!

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Why Do The Good Ones Leave?

Posted April 7, 2019
by admin

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

How is the organizational culture where you work? How is morale? Depending on the day when asked, the answers can run the gambit of responses and emotions.

A document was discovered in the ruins of a London office building. It was dated 1852. Here are a few of the notices that were posted for a group of employees: 1) This firm has reduced the hours of work, and clerical staff will only have to be present between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays, 2) Now that the hours of business have been drastically reduced, the partaking of food is allowed between 11:30 and noon, but work will not on any account cease, 3) No talking is allowed during business hours, and 4) The craving for tobacco, wine, or spirits is a human weakness, and as such is forbidden to all members of the clerical staff.

Can you imagine the morale at a place like that?

It’s been said that people don’t quit organizations, they quit leaders. It’s a sad but true commentary on the lack of leadership skills that are so desperately needed in the workplace.

There are consequences to poor leadership and where it’s not present, people will leave to find it. Inevitably it’s the good employees who leave. Left behind is a weakened and demoralized team forced to pick up the pieces.

But why do the good ones leave? What is the tipping point in which a good employee will cash in the chips and bolt? The specifics vary, of course, but typically the good ones leave for these reasons.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no backbone

This type of leader plays to the crowd and will say whatever he or she thinks you want to hear. The good ones had rather hear the uncomfortable truth than the pleasant sounds of an appeaser. The good ones want a leader who is not afraid to make difficult decisions.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no vision

The good ones long for and thrive in an environment where the leader has a vision for the future, can articulate it, and sets a course of action that will take them there. The good ones understand that without a clear vision for the future there is no future to be had by staying.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no skin in the game

It will be hard to command the respect of your people if you have no skin in the game as it relates to your organization and its mission. You can’t expect a buy-in from your people if you have not fully invested yourself. The good ones seek to be with leaders who are as passionately invested as they are. Click To Tweet

The good ones leave because of leaders who place limits on their potential

The good ones will thrive in a culture of excellence where their hard work and talents are put to best use. The good ones will not sit idly by while the leader plays politics or favorites and be denied the opportunity to advance professionally.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no accountability

The good ones fundamentally understand that accountability and transparency are the cornerstones of success. When a leader no longer feels the need to be transparent or be accountable for his or her actions, then the good ones will not stay. Trust is like glue for the leader, is there is none, people won’t stick.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no boundaries

Ultimately, the leader is responsible for the culture of the organization. If proper boundaries are not being observed and inappropriate behaviors are being tolerated- such as bullying, then the good ones will not stay in that environment.

The good ones leave because of leaders with no integrity

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the integrity of the leader. The good ones want their leader to be a person of integrity and one they can trust. If integrity is lacking in the leader then integrity will be lacking in the culture. Click To Tweet The good ones will leave to avoid the connection.

Many personal factors contribute to the reasons why the good ones tend to leave and move on. I’ve discovered that it’s not always for the money or a promotion. The good ones understand the wisdom of the words of John Maxwell who said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” That’s why the good ones leave- to be with good leaders.

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