PersonalGrowth – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

What Brings Your Team Back on Monday?

Posted February 5, 2024February 5, 2024
by admin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Being a leader with a servant’s heart

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

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

Being a leader with an open mind

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

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

Being a leader with a clear vision

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

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

Final Thoughts

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

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

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For The Sake of Authenticity

Posted December 5, 2023
by admin

authentic: not false or imitation; true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character; made or done the same way as an original – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The Merriam-Webster dictionary company has named the word “authentic” as the 2023 word of the year.

In explaining its selection of the word “authentic” Merriam-Webster stated it was “the term for something we’re thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more than ever.” Additionally, they said, “A high-volume lookup most years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity, culture, identity, and social media.”

The selection of the word “authentic” is somewhat telling in an age when so much of what is taking place around us seems to be far removed from it. Mirriam-Webster cited AI, celebrity, culture, identity, and social media as factors. And why not? With a culture consumed with these things, authenticity is replaced by the fake and the trickle-down effect is widespread. Before long, it becomes increasingly challenging to distinguish between the two.

Psychologist Adam Grant states, “Authenticity is not about being unfiltered. It’s about staying true to your principles.” I agree with his assessment. And it’s why as leaders we must set the standard for authenticity. If authenticity is not found in us as leaders, then how can we rightfully complain about what the void is replaced with?

In a study about authenticity in the workplace, a study published in Jobsage found that most people believed that their companies were authentic. But when pressed, more than 3 in 5 said that they were “currently hiding at least one thing about their identity from their employer”.

Key takeaways from the study revealed:

Most often, employees hide political views (37%) and information about their families (36%)
Over half say not being authentic at work impacts their mental health
More than 3 in 5 say that after being authentic they were treated differently at work, most often being treated unkindly or ignored

As leaders, I hope that on all fronts we are modeling what healthy authenticity looks like. Here are a few ways in which we can make it happen.

Define your core values

You can only live out what you believe when you know what you believe. What are your non-negotiables? Your core values are first and foremost an inside job. When your values are clear to you, then you can live them out, but not until then.

Keep it real

Being authentic is a discipline. It’s about being your most real self – not being over the top or over-compensating, but naturally comfortable in your own skin. Authenticity is being “true to one’s own personality”. Authenticity is not about trying to be many things to many people but being the same person to all people. Click To Tweet

Practice honesty and transparency

This is where the rubber meets the road. Your authentic self is revealed more by these two things than anything else. It will make you vulnerable, but isn’t that the essence of authenticity? Being honest and transparent is not for the benefit of those around you – although it matters. It has everything to do with being true to yourself.

Be courageous

There’s nothing more wonderful than embracing your unique authentic self. Be true to it, value it, hold tightly to it, but always remain humble and willing to grow. It doesn’t take much courage to be like everyone else, but to stay true to your values, you must be courageous.

Final Thoughts

Writing in Life, the Truth, and Being Free, Steve Maraboli writes, “There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a person being themselves. Imagine going through your day being unapologetically you.” And isn’t that the goal of authenticity?

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Unselfishness is Not Seasonal

Posted November 27, 2023
by admin

Instead of trying to be great, be part of something greater than yourself. – John Maxwell

I came across an interesting study on the principle of the Golden Rule conducted by Bernard Rimland, director of the Institute of Child Behavior Research.

Rimland found that “The happiest people are those who help others.” Each person involved in the study was asked to list ten people they knew best and label them as happy or not happy. Then they were to go through the list again and label each one as selfish or unselfish.

In categorizing the results, Rimland found that all of the people labeled happy were also labeled unselfish. He wrote that those “whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves happiness are far less likely to be happy than those whose efforts are devoted to making others happy.”

As we embark upon the holiday season, we no doubt see all the feel-good stories of people giving back. It’s heart-warming to see such a spirit of generosity and goodwill on display. For all of the bad and evil we see in the world on a daily basis, it restores faith in humanity to see the love and generous expressions of unselfishness that abound during this season.

But unselfishness is not seasonal.

Now is a great time for a refresher on just what it means to be an unselfish leader and how by your example you can foster a giving attitude year-round.

Reflect back for a moment on the outcome of the survey in the above story. It should not come as a surprise to anyone to learn that the happiest people are also the most giving and unselfish. The connection couldn’t be more obvious. As you reflect upon these things, here are a few thoughts for your consideration.

Unselfishness is an attitude

The point here is simple – unselfishness is an inside job before it’s anything else. A “random act of kindness” can come from a selfish person, which is why it’s random. But an unselfish lifestyle can never come from a selfish person. Click To Tweet

When you develop an attitude of giving not only do you become a happier person, but you in turn are able to sow more seeds of generosity.

Unselfishness is a lifestyle

One of the greatest joys of leading is serving causes greater than oneself. At the end of the day, unselfishness becomes a lifestyle, not an event, and is certainly not seasonal. When this occurs, it becomes a part of your DNA.

When you live and lead in such a way that it becomes a lifestyle, it simply becomes second nature to you. And often your acts of generosity are out of the spotlight which is secondary to you anyhow. But when you develop a lifestyle of unselfishness you model servant leadership for your people.

Unselfishness becomes your legacy

A life lived and devoted to selfless acts of kindness and serving others ultimately will become your greatest legacy. It’s not about the power you acquired or the money you made, but the way in which you made the world a better place.

When unselfishness becomes your lifestyle and legacy your life now takes on a whole new meaning. And I trust that during this season your eyes will be opened to this becoming your legacy in the future.

Final Thoughts

William Arthur Ward said, “Lose yourself in generous service and every day can be a most unusual day, a triumphant day, an abundantly rewarding day!”. And I trust that during this season, this is exactly what you come to know and experience.

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