Success Principles – Page 17 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Leadership Minute: The Power of 10

Posted June 30, 2014
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What are the implications of this decision 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now? – Suzy Welch

Every day you make important decisions; it’s part of what you do as a leader. But have you ever stopped to consider the future implications of those decisions? Welch’s question is an interesting one and I wonder if our approach to decision making would be much different if we embraced her approach. We tend to make decisions based upon real-time factors based on the need of the moment. What would be different about your decision making if you took a more long term approach instead? Would you be as quick to make your decisions if you were more concerned about the implications 10 months or even 10 years out? Decision making skills are an important leadership trait. Before making another important decision perhaps you should take 10 and think it over. It could change your perspective.

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On Becoming Better at Failing

Posted June 28, 2014
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1 Comment on On Becoming Better at Failing

Am I failing different each time? – David Kelley

In his book, “The Power of Optimism”, Alan Loy McGinnis wrote of the great fire Thomas Edison experienced at his lab. Edison’s manufacturing facilities were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year old inventor said, “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”

Edison’s attitude in the face of his disaster serves as a reminder and as encouragement to those who have ever experienced a setback or failure. As a leader the question is not whether you will have failures, but when you do, how will you respond? As you grow as a leader the types of failures and the way you fail will grow with you. Are you getting better? Here’s how you can tell.

You fail better when you are not afraid to take risks

Taking risks is part of your growth as a leader. Without risks you are in a rut and the view will never change. It’s as you dare to venture out and try new things that you can maximize your potential and reach new goals. Failures will come when you take risks but anything worth having will require it.

You fail better when your dreams are big

This is where you put your risks into action. Failure in pursuit of a big dream is much better feeling than the feeling of complacency where you are. You have big dreams for a reason. And big dreams require action. And along the way of fulfilling those dreams you will experience setbacks. Failure is a part of your growth and through every difficulty along the way you are one step closer to seeing your dream fulfilled.

You fail better when you do your very best

Big dreams and goals require more out of you than what you gave a year ago or five years ago. It’s the payoff of your growth and the reward of your hard work. A failure at this stage in your life is still many steps ahead of where you were in the past. Each step, each setback, and every failure is the result of putting your best foot forward even if you stumble.

You fail better when you fail with others

Your path to success as a leader will be easier to navigate when you have others to share it with. Smart leaders understand the power of teamwork and the rewards of collaborative effort. You can enhance and accelerate your work, dreams, goals and aspirations when others are involved. Setbacks and failures hurt less when shared by others and your recovery will be quicker. There’s nothing like sharing a few failures with your team and there’s nothing like the celebration at the end when together you achieve your goals.

You fail better when you don’t give up

Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” When failures come your way don’t give up. Failing successfully happens when you get up, dust yourself off, reassess, and get moving. You wouldn’t be where you are today if deep down you didn’t already know this. But perhaps you just need the reminder so here it is; don’t give up!

You fail better when you show others how

There is no failure or setback that you go through that is in vain if you react the right way, learn from it, and care enough to help others. Your life lessons – all of the bumps and bruises along the way can serve as invaluable teaching moments. The way you fail today is not the way you failed five years ago and it will not be the way you will fail five years from now.

The way you fail is important. As you come through your failures you are learning, applying new lessons, being more creative, and making wiser decisions. What you learn you should share. Show others that failure is not fatal, that there is triumph in adversity, and most of all it is worth it if you don’t give up.

What do you say?

I welcome your feedback:

1. Does failure look different to you now as compared to five or ten years ago?

2. What additional advice would you give to aspiring leaders who have experienced failure or a setback?

3. What life lessons have you learned though failure?

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Leadership Minute: What Does It All Mean?

There is a profound difference between information and meaning. – Warren G. Bennis

We live in a world of abundant information and instant communication. It’s at our fingertips 24/7 when we need it. Your ability to create, collate, and dispense information does not make you a great communicator. Leaders need to learn this. The measure of your success is not in how much information you can present but whether it has meaning or value to those receiving it. So the next time you are preparing to deliver information you should be less concerned with quantity and more concerned with the quality. Put yourself in the shoes of the recipients. How does it help? What does it mean? What does it change? What does it improve? Why me? Why now? When you focus on giving meaning and purpose you will not waste your time or theirs with things that are meaningless. Make sense?

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Leadership Minute: Wisdom for the Ages

Posted June 25, 2014
by admin

Your success as a leader is not the product of wishful thinking. Your journey comes through preparation and planning. If you want to know what kind of leader you will be five years from now then look no further that your friends. It’s not whether they can take the journey with you; but do you want to take the journey with them. Choose your friends wisely. When you plan your life on purpose you get intentional results. What is the difference maker? Faith. No plan is problem-free. You can plan for the future but you can’t predict it. Things happen. In Through adversity will come courage and character. In success will come gratitude and humility. The thread that connects the two will be your faith. Hold on to it tight and never let it go.

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Leadership Minute: Smoke Screens

Posted June 24, 2014
by admin

The Wright brothers flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility. – Charles Kettering

Many of the smoke screens that you will face in life are diversions that would attempt to throw you off course. Before every great breakthrough is a great struggle. Hanging in the balance between these great struggles is your breakout moment- the realization of your dream. It could a new career path, an invention, a promotion, a new relationship, the writing of a book, etc. But first you must clear the air of the smoke screen. For the Wright brothers it was an unrelenting persistence to take flight. And if they had listened to their critics they would have been grounded. You must fly through the smoke screens of doubters and the prophesiers of the impossible. You’ve worked too hard, sacrificed too much, and dreamed too long to be denied now. This is your time and this is your moment. Don’t give up! Are you ready to fly?

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Leadership Minute: Positively You

Posted June 23, 2014
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A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can’t do. I always look at the positive side of what I can do. – Chuck Norris

Knowing what you can’t do can be liberating knowledge if you possess the right attitude. Rather than waste a lot of time and energy being upset about it why not turn your attention instead to what you are good at? It’s when you embrace the positive side of what you can do that you can appreciate and respect those around you who can do what you can’t. Intuitively we know that not everyone’s talents, gifts, and skills are the same. It’s when you embrace it that good things begin to happen. You can help those who don’t possess your skills and they can help you. You don’t have to be the best at everything; you just need to do your best with your things. Stay focused on the positive and everything else will take care of itself.

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‘Us’ vs. ‘Them’ and the 5 Questions You Need to Answer

Posted June 22, 2014
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You can observe a lot by just watching. – Yogi Berra

The story is told of a golfer who had been playing so bad that he went to see a psychiatrist who told him to relax by playing a round of golf without the ball. “Do everything you normally would do, but use an imaginary ball,” advised the psychiatrist.

The round went well and as he approached the 18^th hole, he met another golfer playing the same way. They decided to play the last hole together and bet $10 on the outcome. The first golfer swung at his imaginary ball and announced that it had gone 280 yards right down the middle of the fairway. The second golfer matched his drive. The first man took out his 5-iron and after swinging at his imaginary ball, exclaimed, “Look at that shot! It went right over the pin and the reverse spin brought it right back into the hole. I win!” “No you don’t,” said the second golfer, “you hit my ball.”

Your perceptions go a long way in determining what and how you think. But can you always trust those perceptions? Sadly, and much too often, in many organizations there is the proverbial “us vs. them” mentality that exists. And too often we are more concerned about being heard than understood. So here are five questions that I believe are fitting for leaders to ask and answer. They can set you on a course of better communication and understanding that will make you a more effective leader and create a better work environment.

What do I see?

What you see taking place in your organization is a perspective unique to you as the leader. Of course you will have a better understanding and answer the more you are out among your people. What do you see taking place? Do you see your people with all the tools they need to be their best? Do you see collaboration and camaraderie? What are the strengths of the organization and what are the weaknesses? Who are your heavy-lifters and who are your slackers?

What do I know?

Next is the formation of your perceptions based upon what you see. It may or may not be an accurate assessment based in part on the amount of time you spend with your people. If this is not something you do on a regular basis it may not be very accurate. But based upon what you do see – what do you know? Are you where you need to be? Are you getting the most from your people where they are? What do you know now that you wish you had known six months ago? What do you need to change?

What do my people see?

The first two questions are about your perceptions. Your perceptions are needed and important but the puzzle is still incomplete. Now, put yourself in the shoes of your people. Look at things from where they sit and work – now what do you see? This is about their perceptions. How do they see your leadership? Do they see you as an obstacle to progress or a facilitator of it? Do they see a fine-tuned operation or one that is mired down somewhere? If you want to be a more effective leader then you need to see what they see.

What do my people know (that I should)?

Throughout your organization are talented and highly skilled sales people, PA’s, marketing professionals, accountants, executives, volunteers, and the list goes on. What they know is a treasure trove of valuable information. But that information is of no worth to you if you do not tap into it. Your people are the most valuable asset you have as a leader. Get to know them and what they know. You can make better decisions that affect your organization when you listen to the people on the ground who have the most at stake by your decision. Listen to them and give value to their input.

How can we come together?

It’s time to put an end to the “Us vs. Them” mentality and the walls and isolation it creates. You best build and grow your organization when you build and grow it together. What you have to do is figure out the best and most practical way for you and your people to come together, get to know one another, build relationships, share information, and work together for a brighter future. Good leaders will do this. It’s time to ask, answer, and listen. Are you game?

1. What additional steps would you suggest to overcome the “Us vs. Them” mentality?

2. What other things should leaders look for from the perspective of their people?

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Leadership Minute: Are You Having Fun?

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. – Dale Carnegie

How important is it to you to have fun at what you do? As leaders we tend to be task oriented and focused on getting the job done. We tend to be restless at times and are ready to tackle new projects once one is completed. Clearly we understand the importance of our work and take pride in it. But can you attach the label of ‘fun’ to what you do? While you may not be able to label your work as ‘fun’ you should have a sense of enjoyment and fun executing it. Life is hard, work is hard, and leadership is hard. But your level of success will only increase if you can find and take pleasure in what you do. A personal leadership inventory would look like this: is my work rewarding and fulfilling, and do I enjoy it? Fun is not your primary concern but it sure helps. Are you having fun?

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Leadership Minute: What Do You Expect?

Posted June 19, 2014
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If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you will never change the outcome. – Michael Jordan

People will place certain expectation on you as a leader. It comes with the territory and is not uncommon. But what expectations you choose to accept is one of the most important choices you will make. While well-meaning people may place expectations on you their expectations may not always rise to your standards. Negative expectations only make matters worse. Where you are today and where you plan to be in the future is a combination of hard work, goals, vision, perseverance, and adherence to a high level of expectations. Tune out the negative, don’t settle for good enough, and be careful who you listen to. The expectations you set for yourself, not the ones set for you by others, will be your greatest asset.

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Leadership Minute: The Value of Respect

Posted June 18, 2014
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I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity. – Julius Erving

In keeping with establishing leadership priorities, be careful not to fall into the trap of prizing popularity over respect. Many had rather enjoy short term popularity than pay the price for respect that is earned over a greater span of time. But popularity, like beauty, can be fleeting. You are never more than one unpopular decision away from the tables being turned and learning that being popular is not all it’s cracked up to be. Choose to be popular more than respected and you will be respected little. Choose to be respected more than being popular and in due time you will enjoy both. It’s all a matter of priority. The greatest compliment you can earn as a leader is the respect of your people. The bonus? People tend to like whom they respect.

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