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Just TRUST Me….
Imagine telling someone: “I’m going to be taking you on a long, dangerous, and difficult trip. There will be times you are likely to be very uncomfortable, and there may be terrible storms. I’m not going to tell you where we are going, why we are going, when we are going, or how we will get there. Just TRUST ME. “
How do you think that would make anyone feel?
In organizations, when a leader is implementing organizational change – when a boss is making major decisions that will affect employees – it doesn’t work to say “just trust me.”
Like frightened children, people will come up with all kinds of reasons to resist and refuse why they do not want to come along on the trip – even if it’s a good one!
Most of us, do not want to take trips into the unknown and without a destination.
It shows an enormous amount of disrespect, sometimes even dishonesty. And, maybe even delusional!
In business today, trust has to be earned. In leadership today, trust has to be gained.
Trust is being congruent: Match your words with your actions what you say you will do you do. Being trusted is being dependable.
Trust is embracing transparency. When it comes to trust, the more you reveal the more you can see. When trust is transparent it can be embraced.
Trust is honoring promises. Keep what you promised – and if you can go the extra mile and honor and deliver more than you promised.
Trust is a two-way street. To make someone trustworthy, you need to trust them first. The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.
Trust is risk.Trust lies between faith and probability. To risk is to put yourself out of your comfort zone.Take the risk and have the faith in trust to pull you through.
Trust is a relationship. Trust begins with the self in relationship with another. Trust others as you would wish to be trusted.
Trust is the glue when it comes to organizational change. it is a foundational element that holds us together.
Trust your people so they can engage and be part of the change.
Trust your people so they can enroll and add value to the change.
Trust your people so they can embrace and understand and respect the change.
Lead from within: Any leader who says “just trust me” and expects loyalty is going to get a group of employees who resent the journey instead of enjoying the adventure. Trust grasps another human being in their innermost core of loyalty.
4 Team-Building Steps
Legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski told an audience of business executives how he builds winning teams. Here, from a panel discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles Monday, are a few of his pointers.
- Leadership isn’t singular. No one leads alone, Krzyzewski says. When he was building the team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics, he relied on Lebron James, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant as the team’s “internal leaders.” They had tremendous sway on the rest of the team. “If they said it, it’s pretty much going to go,” he says.
- Soaring egos need a higher purpose. Talented players often have outsized egos. It’s not Krzyzewski’s style to break them down, but he has to keep ego from blocking improvement. To get them working as a team, Krzyzewski first meets with each player individually, lays out what he expects from him and instills in each a common purpose. Fellow panelist Pete Carroll, head football coach at the University of Southern California, said it best: No matter how huge the ego is, a star player needs to feel he is part of something bigger than himself. “You have to look every one of them in the eye, respect that they’re unique and figure out where they’re coming from,” Carroll said. “You have to give of yourself to figure them out.”
- Great players learn best from each other. When Krzyzewski met with Lebron James before training for the Olympics began, James told him that he wanted to learn the secret of Jason Kidd’s excellent passing, and how Kobe Bryant, whom he considered the best player in the sport, prepared off court. James forged close relationships with both men and has become a better player because of it, Krzyzewski says. The trick for the coach, he said, is to create an environment in which the players learn from each other without having to expose vulnerabilities. “The guys who are really good in our sport don’t want to show weakness,” he said.
- Love them after they leave you. College players, like rising young executives, will move on. Fulfill your commitment to them by maintaining your ties, Krzyzewski advises. His players have gone on to play in the NBA, to coach at influential colleges or to new endeavors. “We maintain a relationship of being a friend and part of their family for the rest of their lives,” he says. It’s a form of networking that he finds particularly rewarding. He suggests looking for ways to make it easy for former protégés to ask for help without losing face.
212 degrees: The power of a little extra
Sometimes, success is simply a matter of making one small adjustment. For example, at 211 degrees, water is hot. But at 212 degrees it boils. This makes all the difference.
Sam Parker and Mac Anderson expanded on this simple metaphor in their short book, 212°: the Extra Degree. They wrote,
Raising the temperature of water by one extra degree means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine—a beautiful, uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed every endeavor—consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task we undertake…. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences.
Think about it:
The margin of victory in the Men’s 800-meter Race in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games was only 0.71 seconds—less than one second!
The average margin of victory in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 (combined) over the last ten years has been 1.54 seconds. And the prize money for second place was less than half that of first place.
The average margin of victory for the last 25 years in all major PGA golf tournaments combined was less than three strokes.
The point is that it doesn’t take that much extra effort to win first place. What could you do if you were willing to push just a little bit more and break ahead of the pack?
Here’s how you can harness the 212° principle in your goal-setting:
. Choose one goal. Select the one that matters the most to you this year.
. Identify what’s at stake. Why is accomplishing this goal important—to you?
. Write down 2-3 key actions. These are the ones that could propel you into the winner’s circle.
. Now execute! Stop planning. Stop stalling. Just get out there and do it.
I am reminded of a quote by Thomas Edison (also cited in Parker and Anderson’s book): “Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
How close are you right now?
You might want to show the video above to your team and then go through the exercise I’ve outlined together. It could make all the difference in accomplishing your most important goal for this year.
4 Steps to Know the Next Step
Leaders often find themselves in places where they aren’t sure what do to do next. What is the next step that needs to be taken. Strong leaders will have a pull in a certain direction because they “feel” that is the right thing to do, but have little experience and information. I have found that process evolves around 4 steps…
1. Confusion- Not overwhelming emotionally, but nonetheless we find ourselves here often. Many times it’s because we haven’t invested the necessary time to be quiet, tune out the noise of other distractors, and give laser-like focus to the issue. This takes TIME and a PLACE.
2. Conversation- If we are willing to not settle with walking in our own wisdom, we will have many conversations with others who have more wisdom and/or experience. Talking through the options with others and listening with humility is a tall order. The truth is that the more desperate we are, the more humble we become.
3. Conviction- Is the issue VALUES related? Search your convictions if it is. Values and “Truth North” items should always be listened to closely. If a decision doesn’t align with your values, you become duplicitous (divided). Stay true to your convictions, or soon your leadership will only be about outcomes and money.
4. Construction- This is when you stop waiting and start building! You construct the very vision in your heart. You put each block in place, with wisdom, values and experience by your side to guide. You flow in the strength gained by overcoming past failures. Suddenly the vision becomes a reality in ways you never thought imaginable! It will be completed in a way you cannot take credit for! Can you think of another step you have had to take to discover the “next step?”
How to Launch Your Leadership Momentum
I was reading a great article yesterday on BusinessInsider.com entitled 7 Life-Changing Lessons You Can Learn From Mark Twain. All of the 7 points offered up practical wisdom that you and I can apply to our lives and businesses today… but… point 4 really jumped out.
It said: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
– Mark Twain
The writer of the post went on to say…Going after your dreams can feel like an overwhelming task, but that’s because you’re trying to visualize something in your head that cannot be visualized.
Mark Twain is right on in breaking things into small pieces. It works because you can hold an image in your head of what the end result looks like. Instead of thinking “I need to start an online business,” a better thought would be “I need to start a blog.”
Have you been there?
A desire to do something but overwhelmed by the size, scope or next steps to take? It’s easy to come up with an idea. It’s much harder to figure out how to make that idea become a reality.
Most people let the enormity of it paralyze them into inaction, simply because they don’t know where to start. But as the Mark Twain said, “the secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
Whatever it is… don’t let the size of it stop you. Divide it into bite sized chunks and just get started. You CAN do it… you just need to begin.
If want to run a mile but the mere thought of it scares you to death… break it down and think about running a block. You can run a block right? It’s only a few feet. Run that block and then… run one more. Eventually you’ll get to the mile and it won’t be nearly as overwhelming as you thought.
Same goes for business too.
Question: What about you? Is getting started tough for you? Do you have any tip or things you’ve learned to help you take the big thing and make it more manageable?
How to turn Passion into Purpose
Passion.
It’s something that you hear a lot about these days as one of the keys to success, if not personal fulfillment. Where we run into problems, though, is when we create this expectation that passion can sustain our drive over the long run.
To illustrate what I mean by this, let me share with you how I view my role in parenting.
When I talk to others about being a Dad to my two boys, it’s clear that this is a role I love doing. And yet, I doubt anyone would say that this is something that I’m passionate about every waking minute. As I’m sure other parents can relate to, there are days where I would love to have a moment’s peace; a break from trying to figure out who did what to who and why. But even in those moments, I still enjoy being a parent because I love it.
And while it’s easy to assume that this love of parenting is merely an extension of my love for my children, the truth is the reason why I love this role – a job that for many of us will be the hardest one we take on in our lives – is because of the sense of purpose it gives to my life. That’s why even in those moments where being a parent presents those personal challenges, my drive to succeed in being a good parent never wavers because I value the purpose it brings to my life.
And that’s what we need to understand about our organizations and the work we do; that if we think the key to being happy with our jobs, with our work is to be passionate about it, we’re setting ourselves up for a nasty fall. For while passion might stir our emotions and get us seeing our jobs as the best ever, it doesn’t have the power to sustain us through those less pleasant moments; to make us want to stick it through and become the model of success that we want to be.
So, how do we take our passion and help it evolve into a meaningful and lasting purpose? Here are three steps on how to do just that:
1. Remember, passion wins the sprint race, not the marathon
It’s rare that we find ourselves instantaneously in love with an idea, concept, or new occupation and this is where finding what we’re passionate about is key. Our passion is what allows us to open those doors we otherwise wouldn’t touch and test new ideas or challenge our preconceived notions.
It’s rare that we find ourselves instantaneously in love with an idea, concept, or new occupation and this is where finding what we’re passionate about is key. Our passion is what allows us to open those doors we otherwise wouldn’t touch and test new ideas or challenge our preconceived notions.
However, while our passion can help us in opening the door, it’s difficult to sustain it over the long run, and especially when we run into some major obstacles. While it’s great to be passionate about what we want to do, about this new idea we have for our organization, what we really need to succeed is to love the work we do because it fulfills our sense of purpose. This way, those hurdles that block our way won’t stop us from pushing ahead when those feelings of passion begin to waver.
2. Don’t just focus on how to achieve goals, but also on why those goals matter
While it’s a good practice to set out short-term goals to help determine your progress and effectiveness, it’s equally important that we have a clear understanding of what it is we want to accomplish through these efforts. This is a critical point to distinguishing the short-term, frenetic energy we often associate with our passions, from that steeled and unwavering determination we see in those who have a clear sense of what the purpose is behind what they do.
While it’s a good practice to set out short-term goals to help determine your progress and effectiveness, it’s equally important that we have a clear understanding of what it is we want to accomplish through these efforts. This is a critical point to distinguishing the short-term, frenetic energy we often associate with our passions, from that steeled and unwavering determination we see in those who have a clear sense of what the purpose is behind what they do.
By shifting our focus from simply achieving a series of goals, to understanding how those goals will help us to fulfill our sense of purpose derived from our passions, it’s easier for us to remember that the challenges we face along the way should only change our approach, and not our destination.
3. Build a ‘steering’ committee to help you stay on track
Let’s face it – no one achieves success by going at it on their own. While we tend to associate the accomplishments of athletes and inventors like Thomas Edison to a single individual, the reality is that their accomplishments were the result of having a supportive network of people helping them to not only succeed, but to keep them on track toward what it is they want to accomplish.
Let’s face it – no one achieves success by going at it on their own. While we tend to associate the accomplishments of athletes and inventors like Thomas Edison to a single individual, the reality is that their accomplishments were the result of having a supportive network of people helping them to not only succeed, but to keep them on track toward what it is they want to accomplish.
As such, once you know what it is you’re passionate about, you need to find people who can help you channel that passion into a focused, unwavering stream. Creating a network of support for this idea you’re passionate about from the start will make it easier to take the idea off the white board and getting to work on making it a reality. Your support network will also be able to provide you with the reassurance you’ll inevitably need when things grind to a halt by reminding you that this is what you were meant to do, not simply because it sparks some strong emotions within you, but because it answers that internal need we all have to know that what we do matters.
In our drive to find success in our professional and personal lives, it’s only natural that we look to where our passion lies to help us find some direction. However, while we might rely on our passions to light the way, it’s important that we not forget that our passion can only provide us with the kick start we need to get going. It’s only when we make the effort to develop our passions into a sense of purpose that we can create something that is truly enduring and meaningful, and subsequently attain that feeling of success we all aim to reach.
Managing the "Big Rocks"
“I don’t believe in ‘time management’ because you can’t manage time….it’s always going regardless if you try to ‘manage’ it. You CAN manage priorities and your energy.”
– John Maxwell
There is a story about a seminar leader who placed a large jar on a table. By the side of the jar he placed a bucket of gravel, a bucket of sand, a bucket of water, and three big rocks. He then challenged his participants to find a way to fit everything on the table into the jar.
After numerous attempts, it became clear that the only way to successfully fit everything in was to start with the big rocks first. The gravel filled the gaps between the big rocks, the sand filled the gaps in the gravel, and the water filled the gaps in the sand.
When it comes to managing our priorities, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in the daily gravel, ground down by the sand, and swept away by the water. What can be tricky is finding ways to put first things first – to prioritize the “big rocks” – those things in our life that matter most.
There are essentially 4 types of “big rock” – i.e., 4 priorities that we can choose to focus on in any given moment, allowing the ever-present minutiae of life to fill in the gaps as we go.
Big Rock One – Activities
Sometimes, the most important thing about a day is an activity or set of activities. If you’re an athlete, you may prioritize exercise; if you’re a salesperson, you may prioritize making calls. In either case, you are prioritizing the activity over the desired end result.
Sometimes, the most important thing about a day is an activity or set of activities. If you’re an athlete, you may prioritize exercise; if you’re a salesperson, you may prioritize making calls. In either case, you are prioritizing the activity over the desired end result.
Big Rock Two – Goals
One of the most potent things you can prioritize are your goals. What’s the difference making something a goal and making it a priority? Goals are rarely within our direct control – our priorities always are.
One of the most potent things you can prioritize are your goals. What’s the difference making something a goal and making it a priority? Goals are rarely within our direct control – our priorities always are.
Big Rock Three – Intentions
Sometimes, the most useful thing for us to prioritize is neither an activity nor a goal, but a way of being. These intentions carry on in the background as we engage in activities and pursue our goals. Some useful intentions include “staying present”, “enjoying whatever it is that I am doing”, and “listening and speaking from my heart”.
Sometimes, the most useful thing for us to prioritize is neither an activity nor a goal, but a way of being. These intentions carry on in the background as we engage in activities and pursue our goals. Some useful intentions include “staying present”, “enjoying whatever it is that I am doing”, and “listening and speaking from my heart”.
Big Rock Four – People
As oxygen is to the body, attention is to the spirit. When we make a person our priority, we are committing to give them greatest yet simplest gift we posses – the gift of our full, undivided attention.
As oxygen is to the body, attention is to the spirit. When we make a person our priority, we are committing to give them greatest yet simplest gift we posses – the gift of our full, undivided attention.
1. Do it first
One of the simplest ways to prioritize something is to begin with it – to put it right at the top of the agenda and stick with it until it’s done. This approach works particularly well with activities and “mini-goals” – i.e. goals that can be completed within the course of a few minutes to a few hours.
One of the simplest ways to prioritize something is to begin with it – to put it right at the top of the agenda and stick with it until it’s done. This approach works particularly well with activities and “mini-goals” – i.e. goals that can be completed within the course of a few minutes to a few hours.
2. Do it now
I have yet to meet the person who isn’t blown off course during the course of a day. In fact, no matter how many post-it note reminders you stick on your computer, fridge, and dashboard, I guarantee you’ll forget about your chosen priorities again and again. The solution? When you remember, shift your focus and do it now! This approach is particularly useful when you are prioritizing intentions, and people.
I have yet to meet the person who isn’t blown off course during the course of a day. In fact, no matter how many post-it note reminders you stick on your computer, fridge, and dashboard, I guarantee you’ll forget about your chosen priorities again and again. The solution? When you remember, shift your focus and do it now! This approach is particularly useful when you are prioritizing intentions, and people.
3. Do it often
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you prioritize a goal? By coming back to it again, and again, and again. This approach is equally useful with activities, goals, intentions, and people.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you prioritize a goal? By coming back to it again, and again, and again. This approach is equally useful with activities, goals, intentions, and people.
Four Keys to Leadership and Personal Fulfillment
For years, I’ve sifted through the existing literature on discovering, uncovering, or creating your life mission, trying things out in my life and wondering why I wasn’t as fulfilled as I believed possible. However, along the way, I’ve made four critical distinctions that have led me to explore deeper levels of meaning, purpose, and satisfaction.
1. Identify your Gifts
Many people already know what their gifts are – those things in your life that come naturally to you, without any undue personal effort or struggle. However, in a society which places a premium on hard work, it’s easy to overlook and underestimate the value of what you were “born with”. A good way of identifying your gifts is to think of those skills, abilities, or personality traits you exhibit which are so much a part of that you can’t remember learning them and can’t imagine not having them. If you’re still not sure, grit your teeth, ask those people closest to you, and if you’re like most of us, prepare to be embarrassed!
Many people already know what their gifts are – those things in your life that come naturally to you, without any undue personal effort or struggle. However, in a society which places a premium on hard work, it’s easy to overlook and underestimate the value of what you were “born with”. A good way of identifying your gifts is to think of those skills, abilities, or personality traits you exhibit which are so much a part of that you can’t remember learning them and can’t imagine not having them. If you’re still not sure, grit your teeth, ask those people closest to you, and if you’re like most of us, prepare to be embarrassed!
2. Clarify your Calling
In the old days, it was the most natural thing in the world to hear someone talk about being “called to the priesthood” or “called to be a doctor”. (As with reincarnation, where no-one ever seems to recall a past life where they were “third guy on the left in ancient Egypt”, people never seem to talk about being “called to be a garbage collector”, but I’m sure it happens!) Your calling is what you are continually drawn to, no matter how impractical or impossible it seems to “make a living at it”. In the same way as you choose your work, your calling chooses you, and for many people it is difficult to remember a time when they did not want to do something related to their calling, even if they never have (yet!).
In the old days, it was the most natural thing in the world to hear someone talk about being “called to the priesthood” or “called to be a doctor”. (As with reincarnation, where no-one ever seems to recall a past life where they were “third guy on the left in ancient Egypt”, people never seem to talk about being “called to be a garbage collector”, but I’m sure it happens!) Your calling is what you are continually drawn to, no matter how impractical or impossible it seems to “make a living at it”. In the same way as you choose your work, your calling chooses you, and for many people it is difficult to remember a time when they did not want to do something related to their calling, even if they never have (yet!).
3. Create your Mission
There is a great deal of contention about whether your mission in life is something you create or something you discover. As you’ve probably guessed, I weigh in on the side of creation. In it’s simplest form, you create your mission by deciding how you want to use your gifts in the service of your calling. Do you need to have a mission? Absolutely not, but if you don’t, you are probably missing out on some of the joy, energy, and fulfillment that comes with clarity of purpose and surrender to a higher goal.
There is a great deal of contention about whether your mission in life is something you create or something you discover. As you’ve probably guessed, I weigh in on the side of creation. In it’s simplest form, you create your mission by deciding how you want to use your gifts in the service of your calling. Do you need to have a mission? Absolutely not, but if you don’t, you are probably missing out on some of the joy, energy, and fulfillment that comes with clarity of purpose and surrender to a higher goal.
4. Choose your Work
If you’re lucky, your work, i.e. what you do for a living, is merely an extension of your mission and you spend each day joyfully using your gifts in the service of your calling. On the off-chance this doesn’t describe you :-), you now have a clear set of criteria for choosing meaningful work.
If you’re lucky, your work, i.e. what you do for a living, is merely an extension of your mission and you spend each day joyfully using your gifts in the service of your calling. On the off-chance this doesn’t describe you :-), you now have a clear set of criteria for choosing meaningful work.
Today’s Experiment (appox. time – 10 minutes to the rest of your life!):
1. Take a few moments to identify your gifts and clarify your calling. If you’re not sure, simply set the intention to become aware of your gifts and calling and prepare to be amazed as life conveniently drops daily hints and reminders into your life.
1. Take a few moments to identify your gifts and clarify your calling. If you’re not sure, simply set the intention to become aware of your gifts and calling and prepare to be amazed as life conveniently drops daily hints and reminders into your life.
2. Draft a mission statement – remember, you do this by deciding how you want to use your gifts in the service of your calling – in short, you make it up! Don’t worry about “getting it right” – in the first instance, you can’t (!), and in the second instance, this is something you’ll be re-visiting and re-writing for years to come.
(If you already have a mission statement, think about re-evaluating it in the light of what you now know about your gifts and your calling).
(If you already have a mission statement, think about re-evaluating it in the light of what you now know about your gifts and your calling).
3. Just for fun, make a list of jobs or other types of work or activity that would enable/allow you to fulfill your mission, utilize your gifts, and/or enjoy your calling.
The Yoda Principle
Life goals. Bucket lists. “One day I’ll…”
We all have dreams and goals. The biggest difference between people who achieve them and people who don’t is the act of actually DOING. Do you have goals and things you want to achieve? Professional aspirations? Personal bucket list items? Let me ask this – what’s stopping you from starting on them?
I don’t tend to get motivational on this blog, but today I’m serving up a little motivation, Yoda style.
Luke whined “All right. I’ll give it a try.” Yoda gave Luke an attitude adjustment “No. Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try.”
What would Yoda say to you if you talked to him about your goals and your progress toward them? That’s what I thought. I’m here to be your Yoda. (for a few minutes anyway).
Here are some great first steps you can take right now to help you move toward achieving your goals.
“Ready are you?” – Yoda
You can’t get “there” if you don’t know where “there” is. Sit down and actually articulate what it is you’re trying to achieve. Define success.
Some people say I’m lucky (I actually think I am) but there’s more to it than luck. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” I tend to make sure I’m prepared to achieve my goals.
Have you defined your goal? Are you ready to seize the opportunity when it knocks? No? Then go write your goal down. Now. I’m not kidding. Write it down.
Believe
Luke: “I don’t believe it!”
Yoda: “That is why you fail.”
Do you believe in yourself? What about belief in God’s direction in your life? Do you believe you have the ability to achieve the goal or build the skills that will enable you to achieve it?
You have to believe. You must be relentless in pursuing those goals. The minute you lose confidence, you’re done. That lack of confidence will show through in all you do and a vicious circle of failure will begin.
Do you have reminders around you that help you remember you can achieve and succeed? Find those reminders. Start believing in yourself, those close to you and providential purpose. It’s a good bet to make.
“There is no try. Do.” – Yoda
I could spew forth a ton of quotes about taking that first step on your journey blah blah blah. I won’t. I’ll just say if you have big goals, they can be daunting. But you have to start somewhere.
Every interim step on the path to the broader goal is a goal in and of itself. I tackle every one with a mindset of “do.” Do not procrastinate. Do not be overwhelmed. Break your goal up into smaller steps and “do.”
Look – I know you have goals. The question is whether you’re actively pursuing them and ready to achieve them. Heed Yoda’s advice:
– “Ready are you?”
– Believe
– “Do”
– Believe
– “Do”
Make Your Leadership Come Alive
I love seeing teams focused on the mission, committed to the big picture and loving what they are doing. When the “team” is flowing, not just “working.” There’s PASSION and MOVEMENT. That’s when leadership is fun and life-giving.
But I’ve been on the other end, when I was sick of being leader, tempted to leverage authority rather than influence, and was ready to punch someone if they complained about another petty issue.
Good leaders understand that influence is power and that how they handle power will affect their impact and results. The more you understand influence, the better you are able to maximize it for the benefit of those you lead—which in turn benefits you as well.
Jeremie Kubicek is the author of the newly released book, Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It. He is the CEO of GiANT Impact, a leader development company whose focus is to awaken leaders by raising their capacity to lead. Understanding influence is what makes leadership come alive, and here are five ways that Jeremie says that you can amplify your leadership abilities:
- Aim high. If your team thinks that the goal of your organization is to make money so that you can buy a second home, they will not do their best work. People want to work for larger visions than bank accounts—especially your bank account. Instead, aim high and aspire to make the world a better place to energize everyone.
- Be for others. People want to know you have their best interests at heart, too. The problem is that many leaders are primarily for themselves. Or, at least that is what they show. Employees ask themselves if you are for them or only for yourself. Once they think that you’re only looking out for No. 1, they will label you and changing that label is difficult.
- Lead yourself. The starting point of effective leadership is to lead yourself; it is called self-awareness. To lead yourself you must know yourself—your tendencies, capacity constraints, strengths and weaknesses. When people see that you can lead yourself, then they will trust that you have the ability to lead them.
- Be intentional. Accidental leadership is not a good strategy. Being intentional means that you have a plan to achieve the organization’s goals. In particular, being intentional with relationships takes time, so think about how you want key employees to grow. Think about what you want the team to be focused on at the next meeting. Make intentionality a part of your culture.
- Look at the big picture. When we teach ourselves to think big, we enable ourselves to gain perspective. Then we can look at the big picture and make decisions that benefit the entire team. If we only look at one issue at a time, then we miss the benefit of seeing things from a different perspective. When we think bigger, we benefit ourselves and others.
According to Kubicek, leadership typically dies over time when a leader becomes more and more self-absorbed and focused solely on his or her own personal agenda. These five points are ways to counter death and begin giving your leadership new life. When leadership comes alive, so does the organization and the team.
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Chad Pfeifer 