What the Wright’s Teach Us About Leadership

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You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet – Theodore Hesburgh

In A Savior for all Seasons, William Barker shares a story of a bishop from the East Coast who paid a visit to a small, midwestern religious college around the beginning of the twentieth century. He stayed at the home of the college president, who also served as the college’s professor of physics and chemistry.

After dinner, the bishop mentioned that he thought just about everything in nature had been discovered and that all inventions had been conceived.

The college president politely disagreed and said he felt there would be many more discoveries. When the bishop challenged the president to name just one such invention, the president replied he was certain that within fifty years, men would fly.

“Nonsense!” replied the bishop. “Only angels are intended to fly.” 

The bishop’s name was Milton. Milton Wright. And he had two boys at home- Orville and Wilbur- who would prove to have greater vision than their father. 

Emerson said, “People only see what they are prepared to see.” And this will always be one of your challenges in leadership. The progress you make as a leader is connected to your ability to overcome negative influences and voices around you and from within. Here are a few lessons from the Wright’s that can guide you on your leadership journey.

You will never move beyond the limitations you create in your mind

As long as Milton Wright had the mindset that all inventions and creations had been made, his potential was limited to that. He was not prepared to see beyond it. And as such, his ability to see into the future was restricted.

Be careful in your leadership not to make steel traps in your mindset that will prevent you from seeing all of the unlimited possibilities before you. As Thomas Edison said, “Hell there are no rules here, we are trying to accomplish something.” Don’t allow a negative mindset to get in the way of progress.

If you want to fly, you will have to leave some people behind

The restrictive thinking of Milton Wright didn’t prevent his sons from doing what he only thought angels should do. They made history despite him. And this is the mindset of all successful leaders. It’s a law of leadership that you must learn. Not everyone will or should take the journey with you. It Click To Tweet

Andy Stanley said, “Vision is a mental picture of what could be, fueled by a passion that it should be.” And this is the driving force behind leaders of accomplishment. Success will come to you on your terms when you spread your wings, apply yourself, and possess a willingness to leave some people behind who don’t share your dreams and vision for a brighter future. 

The future belongs to those who dare to dream

Things always seem impossible until someone does it. I would like to think that Milton Wright looked back on what he said on that trip and had a change of heart after what his sons accomplished. 

Orville Wright said, “If birds can glide for long periods of time, then…why can’t I?”. And that is precisely the mindset that caused him and his brother to make aviation history. And history is full of similar stories of individuals who dared to ask the questions, who dared to take the risks, and who dared to dream of a better tomorrow and found a way to make it happen.

Final Thoughts

If there’s ever been a time for strong leaders who have a dream and vision to rise it’s now. Be willing to dream and see what others don’t. Be willing to leave the skeptics behind you, and dare to dream and act for a better tomorrow. 

Are you ready to fly?

 

©2021 Doug Dickerson

 

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Winning Attitudes to Move Your Team Forward

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Leaders must encourage their organizations to dance to forms of music yet to be heard. – Warren Bennis

Nothing will make or break the momentum of your organization faster than the collective sum of the attitudes within it. Pause for a moment and inventory the attitudes of those around you (beginning with yourself) and ask if the prevailing attitudes are positive or negative.

Each person within your organization has a lens through which they see themselves, their work, and its leadership. And that lens says much about the ability of the team to move forward.

It reminds of the story of noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.” The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.” But the third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.” Each worker had a lens-everyone does.

Building a strong team and culture within your organization hinges upon many factors but none so powerful than attitude. Our actions tend to reflect our attitudes. Our words do the same. So the conversations that take place in the hallway, the whispers in the break room, the secret emotions that no one is aware of all come together each day to form either a powerful bond of momentum or something far more sinister.

If you could select the attitudes of the people in your organization, ones that would propel you to be your best, achieve more, and be stronger as a team, what would they look like? Here are four that I believe would be worthy of consideration. It’s as we embrace a “we” mentality and attitude we can move our teams forward.

We go the extra mile

With this attitude your success is multiplied. With this attitude you will see your colleagues not as adversaries but as valued teammates with talents, gifts, and abilities that may look different than yours, but used for the same goals.

With this attitude you will go the extra mile in doing whatever you can to ensure your mutually shared success. We go the extra mile for each other and with each other for the good of the team not just our individual agendas.

We have each other’s backs

With this attitude your commitment is compounded. Your culture is your people. How that is framed and played out will vary from company to company, but your people make up and determine its culture. When your people possess and take to heart this attitude it will transform your culture.

Think how different your organization would be if the people in it had each other’s backs instead of stabbing it? How different would your culture be if your people stopped talking behind one another’s backs and started talking to each other? Teams that move forward are healthy ones that treat each other with respect.

We hold each other accountable

With this attitude integrity is solidified. The only way going the extra mile with each other and having each other’s backs works is with accountability. For too long in many organizations a culture of back stabbing, back biting, rivalries, and pettiness has been tolerated with too few held to account. The by-product is low morale, high turnover, bullying, and a toxic culture.

The attitudes that work and will move your organization forward are ones by which you hold each other to a higher standard and you hold each other accountable. When team members are accountable to one another the team moves forward with trust.

We value our people

With this attitude relationships take priority. It’s a simple rule of leadership- people are your priority and relationships matter. The health of your organization is determined by the breadth and depth of your relationships. If you want strong and healthy attitudes build strong and healthy relationships. If you want to stop the back stabbing on your team try back patting instead. Rather than words that tear people down, use words that build them up. It’s not complicated.

When your organization understands the basic rule of creating momentum and moving forward it will be intentional about placing value on relationships.

Righting the ship with healthy attitudes can be a slow and painful process within your organization. In the end there may be those who for whatever reason won’t take the journey with you. Let them go. But never give up in embracing the healthy attitudes that can be yours. Too much is at stake to turn back now.

 

© 2016 Doug Dickerson

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Leadership Minute: Positive Habits

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Without question, positive thinking will do more for you, will make you feel better, do better, let you have more fun, and be liked by more people that negative thinking ever will. – John Patrick Hickey

Positive thinking is the result of positive habits. It’s about programming your mind in such a way as to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. The habits you form are the result of choices you make. Why is it important? As a leader you have influence that shapes opinions, beliefs, and outcomes. How you use your influence is important. Your dominant thoughts tend to be your most vocal ones. What is the message you are communicating with your words? What outcomes can you expect as a result? Not every situation will be desirable but the leader with the right reaction, words, and influence can turn it around. If the direction of your organization was determined by your ability to think and articulate positive words and actions would it be acceptable to you? If you want a positive life develop positive habits.

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