New Year – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Not More Life As Usual

Posted January 1, 2024January 1, 2024
by admin

Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start. – Nido Qubein

Some years back, I read an account of the U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) and how it came to be set at 4 ft., 8 and one-half inches.

Why was it set at such an odd number? The reason? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates.

But why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.

They in turn were locked into that guage because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on gauge of 4 feet, 8 and one-half inches.

Why were the wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the road.

So who built the old rutted roads? The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. Roman war chariots first made the ruts. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses.

The account of the railroad system is emblematic of the way many people go about accepting and living their lives.

Many people find themselves living their lives according to the “standard gauge” that others have placed upon them. Breaking free from this entrapment of low expectations is nothing more than a pipe dream filled with “one of these days” thinking that slowly turns into faded memories of what could have been.

As you read this, reflect briefly on why you do what you do. Think of the patterns and routines in your life. Are you in the driver’s seat as it pertains to your goals, dreams, and aspirations? What gets you up early in the morning and keeps you up late at night? What are you pursuing in life that you are passionate about? And, are you moving in the direction of those passions?

I know that “standard gauge” thinking – accepting things because “it’s always been this way”- is the greatest obstacle standing in the way of where your heart, passion, and talents could otherwise take you. It’s what kills your dreams and causes you to:

Embrace the status quo
Believe that success is out of your reach
Believe that you are trapped where you are
Believe that others are more deserving of success than you

Zig Ziglar said, “If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.” And this is my challenge for you:

Don’t allow the “standard gauge” of others to define who God has created you to be and to become.
Don’t allow your negative self-talk to defeat you
Don’t be afraid to take risks, fail, and try again!

My prayer for you in 2024 is that you will:

Deepen your perspective of who you are and why you were created (your spiritual life which grounds you)
Align yourself with like-minded people who share your values (this is your tribe who you share life with)

Welcome to 2024! May it be your best yet!

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Merry Christmas

Posted December 21, 2017
by dougdickerson

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I would also like to thank you for following my blog throughout the year and for your readership. It’s my great pleasure to bring you my leadership insights each week.

I trust that 2017 was a really good year for you and that 2018 will be your best ever! I look forward to bringing fresh content to you in the new year and all of us growing together.

So from my family to yours – Merry Christmas! I will see you back here the first of January.

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From Resolution to Lifestyle: This is Your Year

Posted December 29, 2016
by dougdickerson

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. – Ecclesiastes 3:1

During WWII General Douglas McArthur asked an engineer how long it would take to build a bridge across a certain river. “About three days.” The engineer was told to go ahead and draw up the plans. Three days later McArthur asked for the plans. The engineer seemed surprised. “Oh, the bridge is ready. You can cross it now. If you want plans, you’ll have to wait a little longer, we haven’t finished those yet.”

A new year tends to bring up a nostalgic notion in many people. They make resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, go to the gym, diet, etc., – which on the surface sounds good but seldom lasts more than a few months. Sound familiar?

According to a survey about 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolution but only about 8 percent have success in keeping those resolutions. So where do you fit into this time-honored tradition of resolutions?

Instead of “New Year’s Resolutions” I prefer and embrace the notion of a lifestyle. While resolutions usually carry a certain intent, a lifestyle has a certain permanence to it.

I’d like to challenge you to think about the leadership lifestyle that you would like to develop, nurture, and commit yourself to living. Unlike a resolution ie. lose ten pounds and when done check it off; your leadership lifestyle is always under construction.

Here are three questions to ask yourself as a leader to help you think about what a leadership lifestyle means to you. On a sheet of paper answer these questions as you sketch out a blueprint for a leadership lifestyle and your intentional plan for growth.

What are my strengths?

Every leader I know has strengths. They have certain skill sets that come naturally to them or they have developed over time that serve them well. What are yours? It may be that you are a great people person or you are in your element in front of other people? It could be that you are a visionary and see the big picture before anyone else and you can help others see it.

Your strength is someone else’s weakness and your strength is going to compliment that person. Your strength is not meant to be hoarded but shared. Be humble and willing to add value to those in your circle of influence because when you do everyone benefits.

What are my weaknesses?

Every leader I know has weaknesses. We all do. For some the thought of speaking in front of a crowd is enough to make them lose their lunch. You may struggle with insecurities and self-doubts about your abilities and it holds you back from attaining all that you are capable of achieving. You may be too outspoken and a little rough around the edges and some people may not know to respond to you.

While we all struggle with weaknesses, we do not have to let them define us or prevent us from living a leadership lifestyle that makes a difference. It simply means that we are human and we are all trying to figure it out together.

Who can help me?

Every leader I know needs help. I know I do. And as leaders, we were never meant to go-it-alone. We need each other. And in my weaknesses, I can learn from your strengths, and from my strengths, you can perhaps learn a few things to help you along in an area of weakness. The idea is simple- find someone who can help you.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” And this is the leadership lifestyle I am committed to- growing in my strengths, growing through my weaknesses, and helping all I can along the way. Will you join me?

Check out my speaking services tab at the top of the page. I am booking 2017 leadership workshops now.

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Four Attitudes for an Extraordinary New Year

Posted January 1, 2016
by admin

attitude

And now we welcome the New Year. Full of things that have never been. – Rainer Maria Rilke

Welcome to 2016! As we kick off the New Year we are once again reminded of resolutions made, resolutions kept, and resolutions that fell by the wayside. What about you? Did you make any resolutions?

In a post on Static Brain (http://bit.ly/1bI3WMg) the Top 10 resolutions of 2015 were to lose weight, get organized, spend less-save more, enjoy life to the fullest, stay fit and healthy, learn something new, quit smoking, help others in their dreams, fall in love, and spend more time with family. Sound familiar?

As leaders it’s important to keep our goals fresh and review our priorities. It’s how we stay focused and achieve our goals. As we enter 2016 allow me to share four simple attitudes with you that serve as reminders for our growth and how you can make 2016 extraordinary.

The attitude of a learner

Your year will be extraordinary as a leader as you embrace the attitude of a learner. It’s when you think you know it all that you stop growing and become stagnant. Your personal growth and development hinges on an attitude of learning, not on an attitude of coasting off past experiences.

For the leader, school is always in session and the opportunities are limitless. Devote yourself to learning all you can, reading all you can (http://bit.ly/1R08GCO), and growing all you can as a leader in 2016.

The attitude of a winner

Your success in 2016 begins with your own thinking. It begins when you take responsibility for your attitude. When you embrace the attitude of a winner then good things will begin to happen for you. Of course, it takes more than a good attitude to succeed such as your work ethic, but if your attitude stinks you won’t go far.

As a leader this will always be one of the greatest challenges you will face. Negative people and attitudes are not hard to find, so you will have to work extra hard to rise above all the negative voices. That being said, do it- and do it at all costs. Your extraordinary year depends on it.

The attitude of a giver

Think for a moment what the impact would be if every leader you know, starting with you, took to heart the attitude of being a giver? The world around you would look a lot different wouldn’t it? Significance as a leader begins with the attitude of giving. It becomes extraordinary when you influence others to do the same.

John Maxwell says, “If we want to achieve significance then we need to become intentional about getting beyond ourselves and putting other people first.” Extraordinary leadership begins when you get the focus off of yourself and put it on others.

The attitude of a listener

What will set you apart as an extraordinary leader is being one who listens. I know for some it runs counter to what they like to do, but leaders who excel are those who know when it’s time to speak and when it’s time to listen.

Larry King said, “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.” What a great philosophy. Learning and listening are synonymous to each other. What we have to say and offer as leaders is only as valuable as what we take in by listening.

Make it your purpose in 2016 to live an extraordinary life as a leader. It all begins with your attitude. Happy New Year!

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Courage to Finish Strong

Posted December 21, 2013
by admin

A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Paul Harvey shared the story of Ray Blankenship. One summer morning Blankenship was preparing breakfast when he gazed out the window, and saw a girl being swept away in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. He knew that further downstream, the ditch disappeared into a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert.

Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. The he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. He was able to grab the child’s arm as they tumbled end over end. Despite the rushing waters and the great challenge it presented, Blankenship managed to pull the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock.

Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award was fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can’t swim.

Courage is an essential trait in leadership. It’s needed on many levels and can make the difference between average leaders and great ones. How you lead, the decisions you make and the respect you earn, in part, is based upon the level of courage you have and how you represent yourself to those around you.

As we knock on the door of 2014 now might be a good time to reflect in order to gain some perspective going forward. The courage you need to lead tomorrow is gained through the wisdom of hindsight. Having the courage to look back will help you as you go forward. Here are four ways to do it.

Courage to celebrate the victories.

Every success you’ve have along the way, large or small, should be celebrated. When you take the time to recognize the hard work and sacrifices your organization has made and the people who helped make it happen it’s a morale builder. Don’t neglect the victories you’ve had. They are the signposts of hard work, sacrifice, determination and commitment. Move forward determined to relive them often. You create a winners mindset when you celebrate like winners.

Courage to learn from your defeats.

You don’t want to get bogged down here, but you do need to learn from your defeats. Learn what you did wrong, what could have been done differently, and what to do better next time. Defeats can serve a purpose if you will face them with the right attitude and with a determination not to repeat them. Did you have some defeats in 2013? Me too. But I’m not going to sulk in defeat, and neither should you. Get up. Dust yourself off. Get moving.

Courage to take new risks.

As you close out the year you do so with the advantage of looking back at your successes and failures in context. Now armed with lessons learned you can chart out a path for the New Year with greater clarity and purpose. What you may need is a fresh infusion of courage to take new risks, branch out of comfort zones that have turned into self-made barriers, and dare to go to new heights. It doesn’t take courage to be mediocre, but it does if you are going to take some risks. Just like Ray Blankenship had to take the plunge into the water to save the girl, you too, may need to take the plunge in 2014 if you are going to accomplish great things.

Courage to start anew.

“Courage is being scared to death…and saddling up anyway,” said John Wayne. 2014 is your year to saddle up, face your fears, step out with courage, and dare to become and to achieve your goals. You have a clean slate. Be courageous. Dare to dream and take a risk. This is your moment of courage.

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