Personal Growth – Page 8 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Stop Assuming, Start Connecting

Posted November 7, 2021November 7, 2021
by admin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We assume everyone shares our perspective

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

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

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

We assume everything is dependant on us

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

Final Thoughts

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

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Influencing What’s Possible

Posted September 27, 2021September 27, 2021
by admin

When we succeed in changing someone’s mind, we shouldn’t only ask whether we’re proud of what we’ve achieved. We should also ask whether we’re proud of how we’ve achieved it. – Adam Grant, Think Again

I read a story not long that explained the process of mining silver from the ground. It is commonly mixed with a number of other elements. In order to get pure silver that can be used for commercial purposes, it must be refined.

Silver has an extraordinarily high melting point. It must be heated to nearly 2,200 degrees in order to be refined to complete purity. Only when it has been through that process does the silver become useful for its intended function. Beautiful service pieces, high-tech equipment, and collectible coins all become possible once the silver has been refined. Without that process, it is largely worthless.

As a leader, you have the privilege of influencing what’s possible in the lives of those you lead and in the life of your organization. Just as silver goes through a refining process, so too do you as a leader have the opportunity to develop and influence those around you. It’s a tremendous responsibility.

So how might you use your influence in leadership? How do you know if you are doing it right? Here are a few questions to consider when contemplating the power of your influence.

Are my motives pure?

If your motives aren’t pure then your leadership isn’t either. Click To Tweet Your motives and influence as a leader not only should be pure but known to the people that you lead. Transparency is essential to your leadership and if you are looking out for the best interest of your people and your organization then your people should never have to question why you do what you do.

Am I secretly playing politics all while claiming to help?

It is the responsibility of the leader to be out front, cast vision, and lead the organization. Sometimes the lines can be blurred when you confuse the role of your leadership which looks out for everyone with playing politics which only looks out a few. One style will build your people and your organization while the other will tear it apart.

Am I pitting people against one another or bringing them together?

The answer to this question will determine the effectiveness of your leadership. It always has and it always will. The consequences of your motives and whether you play politics – unintended or not, have ramifications that come back to haunt you. Be honest with yourself when answering this question. If you are dividing your people rather than bringing them together, your people will eventually part ways with you.

Am I truly committed to seeing people grow and reach their full potential or am I holding them back?

When you are genuinely committed to the growth and development of your people you will in no way seek to hold them back or stand in their way. Click To Tweet You want to see people take their God-given talent and run with it. You want to influence what’s possible by unleashing all the possibilities in them.

Final Thoughts

Albert Schweitzer was right when he said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” Your influence as a leader is only as credible as your example as a leader. If you want to have a positive influence as a leader, you must be honest with yourself and with your people.

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Three Ways To Know If You Are a Directionally Challenged Leader

Posted September 17, 2021September 17, 2021
by admin

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. – Lao Tzu

The voice of my daughter on the other end of the phone was one of panic. “I’m leaving the outlet mall and I’m lost,” she said emphatically. That she may have found herself lost was not a surprise. So I took her through a series of questions about her surroundings and what may or may not have been familiar landmarks to help me help her navigate her way home.

Even before GPS and the ability we now have to navigate, I have always been good with directions. If I’ve been someplace once, generally speaking, I will never need directions again to go back, even if it’s been a long time between trips.

Once when I was about five years old, my family was visiting relatives up in Evanston, Illinois. One day we left the house and went several blocks up the street to watch the 4th of July parade.

Remembering that I had left something at the house, I ditched my cousins and the rest of the group and headed back to the house. By the time they realized I was no longer with them, it was too late.

To their amazement, not only did I remember which house was theirs but I made my way back to them. Thankfully for my family, I developed my sense of direction at an early age.

For many, being directionally challenged is not fun. Being lost isn’t either. It can generate a lot of anxiety and concerns – especially for the parents of a wandering five-year-old.

In an article by Glassdoor, they listed the seven types of companies that you should never work for. Coming in at number seven was “The directionless ship”. The red flags, they say, are “no clear plan for the future, employees don’t know long-term goals, senior leadership fails to adequately communicate”.

The people in your organization need a leader at the helm that is not directionally challenged. They want and deserve a leader with the ability to instill confidence in their ability to give direction. How is that working for you? How is it working in your organization? Here are a few ways to know if you are directionally challenged.

You are directionally challenged when you fail to chart the course

Before a pilot of an airplane takes flight, he will file a flight plan prior to departure. It will include the plane’s planned flight path. They will also file a manifest of the names of the passengers on board.

In your leadership, you have to have a plan and know the people taking the journey with you. If you have no clear flight plan or have no sense of direction or path of where you are going, everyone will be lost. The responsibility for the plane rests with the pilot. The responsibility for the organization rests with the leader. With no plan, you have no purpose. Your people won’t hang around long under these conditions. They want and need purpose and direction and will go somewhere else to get it.

You are directionally challenged when you fail to communicate

The people in your organization will be more inclined to take the journey with you when the communication is clear and consistent. Just as you want good directions on your GPS or when driving the interstate, sign markers are important.

When you fail to communicate with your people it’s as if the organizational GPS has been turned off. When this happens, people are left to wonder and speculate and morale will eventually tank. Engagement by your people is proportional to your effectiveness in communicating with them. As a leader, you have no business complaining about the lack of engagement from your people if you are lacking in your communication. It’s just that simple. Click To Tweet

You are directionally challenged when you fail to lead yourself

The hardest person you will ever lead is yourself. On a recent Craig Groeschel podcast, he asked the question that every leader ought to ask themselves daily, “What are you doing today that will strengthen your leadership tomorrow?”. And this is a core question we must answer.

Your ability as a leader to give direction is predicated on your own leadership development and the sense of direction and purpose you possess.

Final Thoughts

If you are directionally challenged as a leader it’s not too late to right the ship. Chart the course, communicate effectively, and lead yourself well. It will put you on the right path.

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Find The Leader

Posted September 6, 2021September 6, 2021
by admin

If you want to know the temperature of your organization, you should put a thermometer in the leader’s mouth – Rick Warren

Many years back when I was doing my chaplain residency in a hospital here in South Carolina, I learned an important leadership lesson that has stuck with me ever since.

The skill being taught was this – find the leader.

The exercise would prove to be an invaluable one not only in my chaplaincy experiences but in many others outside it.

In my chaplaincy work, when called to a room where a patient had died, often I would be asked to help clear the room. Clearing the room is a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, you have to be respectful of the grief and emotions that are being processed and on the other helping the nursing staff do their job.

In a room packed with people, upon entry into it, the goal would be to find and identify the leader of the room within the first minute. This person would be your ally in offering your services to the family while facilitating the needs of the hospital staff. The goal? To respectfully do this in a timely manner and to help transition the people in the room to a home. Finding the leader was essential for everyone involved.

The secret to pulling it all off successfully was made within the first minute. Get it right, and things more often than not would go smooth. Get it wrong, and it could end up being a very stressful experience.

Think about your workplace. If you were to walk into your break room, conference room, or in your area of work, who would stand out as the leader? Could you identify that person within a minute of your arrival into it?

The reality for the majority of you reading this is not about needing to find that person within one minute of walking into the room. But the underlying principle is this – people tend to gravitate to leaders.

For many, the leader in the room won’t be the flashiest or the most outspoken. But their qualities will be undeniable. The more important thing, of course, is not to find that leader but to be that leader.

In the book, Developing The Leader Within You 2.0, John Maxwell shares a heartfelt story about a prayer he wrote more than a decade ago before turning 60. It resonated with me as my 60th is on the horizon in a few months. Maxwell states, “I wrote the prayer for myself, even though it reveals some of my personal struggles. And I share it with you now in the hope that it helps you.”

I can find no better way to tell you how to find the leader or be the leader than to share his prayer with you:

Lord, as I grow older, I would like to be known as…

Available–rather than a hard worker.

Compassionate–more than competent.

Content-not driven.

Generous-nstead of rich

Gentle-over being powerful.

Listener-more than a great communicator.

Loving-versus quick or bright.

Reliable-not famous.

Sacrificial-nstead of successful.

Self-controlled–rather than exciting.

Thoughtful-more than gifted.

I want to be a foot washer!

Final Thoughts

In a world that longs for genuine and selfless leaders, finding the leader can often be hard. But if leaders are going to change the world, leaders need to set an example. Click To Tweet

Finding the leader may be a challenge. Being the leader begins by looking in the mirror with honest reflection. Before anything else, it’s an inside job. That’s where you will find and develop the leader.

My new book is now available on Amazon for download onto your Kindle!

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Who’s In Your Impact Zone?

Posted August 23, 2021August 23, 2021
by admin

You can impress people from a distance, but you can only impact up close. – Howard G. Hendricks

I will never forget the night of April 8, 1974. I was glued to the TV set in our den at home anxiously waiting to see if history would be made. And sure enough – it was! The Atlanta Braves were hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hank Aaron took a 4th inning pitch from Al Downing and hit home run #715 to surpass the record previously held by Babe Ruth.

As a kid growing up playing Little League, Hank Aaron was my idol. He was baseball royalty, and that night will forever be etched in my memory.

Fast forward to the early 1990s and I’m in Fulton County Stadium watching the warm-ups prior to a Braves game. I am on the far end of the first base dugout with a baseball in hand hoping for an autograph to add to my collection.

I was about to give up when I looked down toward the other end of the dugout where a crowd had swelled and cheers could be heard. Who could it be?

I began making my way toward the crowd to see what the excitement was all about. From the back of the crowd, I got my first glimpse – and there he was, my baseball idol in the flesh – Hank Aaron.

With a freshly purchased baseball in hand, I pressed my way through the crowd to the railing and eagerly handed him my baseball. I stood in awe as I watched him autograph it. I even took a picture of him signing it just for posterity.

To go from being a little boy idolizing Hank Aaron to having a moment of interaction with him signing a baseball for me, was the most unforgettable experience.

As a leader, you may never know or realize the impact that you have on other people. My leadership mentor, John Maxwell, said, “Leadership is influence,” and it’s true. You may never know the impact you have on others which is why it’s so important to be mindful of it.

In my early years after college, I worked with a few bad leaders who taught me some leadership lessons I’ve carried with me to this day – like how not to treat people. My careful attention to that leadership lesson was borne out of a bad leadership example and it caused me to pledge to never be like that.

But beyond the good or bad examples that you will observe, think of the impact and opportunity you have to be an example to those around you.

Ask yourself the question – who’s in your impact zone? As the opening quote by Howard G. Hendricks says, “You can impress people from a distance, but you can only impact up close.” And this is your leadership challenge. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Who is going to be most impacted by my leadership?
Will the impact of my leadership make them better leaders and better people?
Am I more concerned about impressing people from a distance or impacting them up close?

I’d like to challenge you today to pause for a moment and consider those questions and what you want your leadership legacy to look like.

Final Thoughts

I will never forget those two or three minutes of interaction with my baseball hero Hank Aaron. He was friendly and gracious. In those brief moments, he had no idea how special those moments were to me. But I knew. And in those brief moments, he confirmed everything I thought of him as a boy.

Shannon Alder said, “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.” This is a powerful quote to ponder and a challenge for all leaders.

I don’t know who is in your impact zone, but let me leave you with this thought – don’t take it for granted. Do your best to be worthy of the privilege to lead.

My new book releases on August 30th! Click here to pre-order my new book!

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Owning Your Leadership Growth

Posted August 15, 2021
by admin

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person I should try to change is me. – John Maxwell

I am old enough to remember as a kid riding in the car with my dad or mom and stopping at the “filling station” to get gas. We’d pull up and drive over the cord that would ring the bell and the attendant would come out and ask, “regular or unleaded?” When given the preference and how much to put in, the attendant would walk to the back of the car, pull back the license plate, twist off the cap, and pump the gas.

While the gas was being pumped, the attendant would clean the windshield and check the air pressure in the tires, check the oil, and when everything was done, we’d be on our way.

Over time, that began to change. I’ll never forget when the “filling stations” gradually transitioned over to self-service. Gone were the days when someone else did for us that which we were capable of doing ourselves.

Those early days of the full-service gas station experience are from a distant time and era and you’d be hard-pressed to find one today.

In the opposite fashion, I remember the early days of my leadership development. I was cutting my teeth on books by Warren Bennis, Zig Ziglar, and others who made such an impact in my early leadership development. Then in the early 1990s, I read my first book by John Maxwell, and my leadership journey was forever transformed.

But back in those days, we didn’t have the luxury of the internet and the access we have to such great content and through the mediums we have today with websites, podcasts, streaming services, etc. The growth we experienced we owned with great intentionality.

I am profoundly grateful for where we are today and the access we have to leaders from all over the world who lend their voices to help others grow. It truly is a remarkable time in terms of the opportunity one now has to grow in their leadership.

As I reflect on these things I am reminded that for all the access we have to such great content, it all comes down to the fact that you and I are responsible for our own growth. We have to want it and we have to own it. Access and opportunity alone are not enough. So how do we take ownership of our leadership growth? Here are three tips for consideration.

Make a plan

If you want to grow as a leader you will need to make a growth plan. If you are not intentional about it, it’s not going to happen. Write out the goals and objectives that you want to attain. You can start with short-range goals – goals that are six months to a year out. Develop medium-range goals – goals you want to achieve in three to five years. Then you can develop long-range goals – where you want to be in five or more years. It all begins with a plan.

Work the plan

The plan is of no value to you unless you work it. Growth is an inside job and before you can lead others you first have to lead yourself. Just as it takes time for seeds to grow and produce fruit, so too is your leadership growth. The seeds of leadership within you grow as you nourish them - it’s in the daily disciplines that growth happens. Click To Tweet

Always have the mindset of a student

I’ve been reading leadership books for almost four decades now. That doesn’t make me an “expert” nor does it give me an excuse to “phone it in” just because I’ve been around the block a few times. Owning your leadership growth means that there is always more to learn and always something to learn from someone else. Never stop learning. Never stop being curious. Never stop asking questions.

Final Thoughts

Growth is an inside job so invite others in to share the journey with you. But at the end of the day whether you grow, or not, is all on you. You have to own your leadership growth. Make a plan, work the plan, and never stop learning.

My new book releases on August 30th. Click here to pre-order your copy today!

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

Posted August 2, 2021
by admin

Be Prepared – Boy Scout Motto

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

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

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

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

Click here to order Scouting Out of Uniform

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

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

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

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

Be Prepared – You have new opportunities before you

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts

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

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

The new book releases on AUgust 30th!

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

Posted July 26, 2021July 27, 2021
by admin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts

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

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

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Hitting Your Target Takes Practice

Posted June 28, 2021
by admin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Know what you’re aiming for

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

If you want to get better, you have to practice

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

Small bites are better than big ones

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

Don’t shy away from big targets

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

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

Final Thoughts

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

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Embracing Courageous Leadership (Part 3) – Developing a Courageous Leadership Mindset

Posted March 14, 2021March 14, 2021
by admin

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. – E.E. Cummings

I read a story about Leonidas, the King of Sparta. He was preparing to take a stand with his Greek troops against the Persian army in 480 B.C. when a Persian envoy arrived. The man urged on Leonidas of the futility of resisting the advance of the huge Persian army. “Our archers are so numerous”, said the envoy, “that the flight of their arrows darkens the sun.”

“So much the better,” replied Leonidas, “for we shall fight them in the shade.” Leonidas made his stand and died with 300 of his men. Needless to say, his courage was misplaced.

In this series, I’ve made the case for embracing courageous leadership. We’ve looked at what it is not, what it is, and now, developing a courageous leadership mindset. With it the possibilities of your leadership are unlimited. Without a proper understanding of it, you could go down like Leonidas. In short, we need to get it right.

In her acclaimed book, Mindset, Carol S. Dweck writes, “When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world (the world of fixed traits) success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other (the world of changing qualities) it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.” And this is where the first steps of developing a courageous leadership mindset begin.

Developing a courageous leadership mindset is a growth process that begins in your comfort zone and stretches you into something new. The process and journey must be embraced to go there. Here are a few ways how.

Acknowledge where you are in this moment

As you begin to develop a courageous leadership mindset, you must first acknowledge where you are on the journey. Everyone has a starting point and for each of one, the view is different.

As a young leader, I remember making the transition from what I studied and prepared for and putting it into practice in the marketplace. It was intimidating at times. But I was out to prove that I was smart and talented. But I also lacked a certain amount of courage to find my own voice because I was part of a culture of fixed traits. It was stifling.

Embrace a different mindset

If you are ever going to get out of your comfort zone and develop a courageous leadership mindset, you will have to begin to make some shifts. In our world of fixed traits and familiar ways of doing things as leaders, there must come a time in which you take responsibility for your growth, not look back, and burn the ships.

Your courageous leadership mindset is first and foremost an inside job. From there, it impacts every decision you make as a leader. Click To Tweet With a courageous leadership mindset, you are taking responsibility for your growth and development and the outcomes you desire.

Become a courageous leader

The point I want to emphasize here is that your growth and path to developing a courageous leadership mindset is a process. It takes time. As you move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset things for you as a leader will begin to look different.

Becoming a courageous leader will be subtle at first but before too long your attitude will be different and how you look at things will change. The people who intimidated you before will no longer have that power over you. Courage will begin to take root.

Final Thoughts

Growth is liberating and having a courageous leadership mindset is powerful. Combine these two and your potential is unlimited. Believe in yourself. Embrace the mindset. Trust the process.

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