Blog - Page 34 of 60 - Wheeler Coaching Systems

Mar

2020

Face Your Fears and Become Successful

I was reading The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by leadership expert John Maxwell. While describing factors that keep us from growing, he referenced an article he encountered listing five fears that prevent people from becoming successful.

Fear of Failure
Fear of Trading Security for the Unknown
Fear of Being Overextended Financially
Fear of What Others Will Say or Think
Fear that Success Will Alienate Peers

Ouch! As I read this list and paused to reflect on my dreams each of these resonated with me. I don’t know where you are in your growth journey. I hope you are on the road as I am. I am going to suggest one practice for each of these fears and how we can fight against it.

Fear of Failure

Remember that failure is never final and more importantly neither success nor failure define who we are. If either of them defines us, we are on a slippery slope to a life with little peace. Allow 24 hours to celebrate a success or learn from a failure then keep growing.

Fear of Trading Security for the Unknown

This fear is rooted in the lie that I have everything under control. Since I have a wife and three boys, I continue to understand that nothing is certain and life continually brings unknowns. I choose to believe someone greater than me is in control which provides courage as I step into the unknown.

Fear of Being Overextended Financially

When I think about this fear I immediately recognize although I have been overextended financially since we have had children, everything continues to work out. Seeking wise counsel, living by a budget, working diligently, and not expecting to “get rich quick” are practices that help me when thinking about the financial portion of pursuing my dream.

Fear of What Others Will Say or Think

When I lose perspective on my purpose this becomes more of a concern. On the other hand, when I am sure of what I am pursuing and that it aligns with my purpose in life others opinions matter less. There will always be a critic and I need to be diligent in surrounding myself with those who are both cheerleaders for the cause and also willing to speak truth when I need to hear it.

Fear that Success Will Alienate Peers

Jealousy is at the root of any alienation we feel from peers. As others see you pursuing your dream, their jealousy of you taking that risk can create a relational gap. Have someone in your inner circle who will be a cheerleader and encourager for you in your journey. Maybe that is a spouse, good friend, relative, mentor, or a coach. The alienation may come, but seek out those who will encourage you on this journey.

Five fears, five suggestions. What fear(s) do you struggle with the most? What practice do you need to implement to help you daily press on and fight through to achieve your dream? Increase your faith and the fear will diminish. You have what it takes to accomplish your vision. Take it one step at a time. Want to gather a group of people for me to help you grow utilizing this resource? Contact me and we can discuss how I can come alongside you and others to help you grow as a leader to your full potential. Lead Well.

Mar

2020

Hardest Part of the Day

The gentle or sometimes loud music plays and wakes me from my slumber. The sun will not rise for an hour or more at this point. Then it starts. . . .

The thoughts. What will they be?

Will they inspire me with anticipation for what could be in front of me today?

Or will worry and anxiety creep in and suck the life out of me?

I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet!

I don’t know if you are like me, but that first few minutes before I even shuffle my feet toward the bathroom are critical. Even though I get up early I would not say I am naturally a morning person. In part I get up early so I don’t have to talk to anyone because I am quite grumpy.

What do we do to win the battle of the mind in the morning? Can I share a few thoughts with you and maybe you will find them helpful?

FIRST WORDS

When I wake up and finally get from the horizontal position to my feet on the floor one of two thoughts come into my mind. Thank you for a new day (in all transparency rarely is that a joy-filled thanks, but usually a choice) or how many hours until I get to lay back down. The second happens more often when I am not taking care of myself to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

MORNING ROUTINE

After I have shuffled to the bathroom and taken care of a little personal hygiene I head downstairs. This is when I intentionally get my mind and body right. I make breakfast and sit at the kitchen table. While letting my oatmeal cool (I know some of you just cringed at the thought of oatmeal) I start reading. While I read, I tune in to what jumps out at me from what I am reading.

Next to me is my journal and that is where I write down what jumped out at me, why and how to apply it. As a person of faith this is where I write down my thoughts, frustrations, and prayers since sometimes they are all the same. If I have mind garbage from the night before then I process it in this journal.

MOVE

I have sought to fill my mind with truth by this point and then I get in motion . . . physical motion. I head to the gym or do some sort of exercise which serves as an early morning stress reliever. After returning, I move into action whether heading to a meeting, writing, making calls or whatever productive business building activity I have pre-planned for that day.

This is my way of dealing with my hardest part of the day, but what about you? Maybe morning is easy for you. What do you do when you feel the mind battle raging? What helps you continue to lead yourself well and move in the direction of your goals? Do you need someone to come alongside you to help you think into leading yourself more effectively so you can improve your leadership of others? Contact me for a complimentary coaching session. In the meantime, share with me what helps you and lead well.

Feb

2020

Learning From a Leader in the Senior Housing Industry

I was sitting across the table from a woman who feels called to serve the elderly. I don’t have time to go into her story, but Jan Pegues who is Executive Director for 5 Star Residences in Noblesville, Indiana had an experience early in her life that gave her a passion to provide care to elderly in a manner that provides dignity and respect to them.

While we sat in her office, I learned her three keys to leadership. This is what she said:

Maybe you are familiar with the Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. This is the foundation of Mrs. Peques treatment others. She consciously strives to treat her employees like adults and not talk down to them. For example, if staff approaches her after listening she will respectfully redirect them to their direct supervisor in order to maintain a healthy culture of respect and communication.

Jan also increases respect among those she leads by creating an atmosphere where feedback and initiative are welcome. First, when constructing a plan, she will ask for her teams input in order to open the conversation and receive various perspectives. Also, when her staff encounters problems she encourages them to bring solutions to discuss. Both practices create an atmosphere of mutual professional respect.

Fairness

Any leader understands this concept is a challenge because the leader wants to avoid creating any perception of showing favoritism. Jan’s goal is to be consistent in not showing favoritism, so we explored this idea a little deeper.

When we discussed this further, she clarified that she works with people differently, but treats them the same. A new employee will have the same expectations as a senior employee, but the newer or less experienced leader will receive more of her time. This time is spent coaching the leader and equipping him or her to lead effectively.

Work Ethic

Jan is a woman who exemplifies this principle by leading among the people she serves and modeling the work ethic she expects. As a leader she believes you must be in the “trenches” with your team and willing to do what you ask of them. This example helps create a culture of respect in her organization.

This principle applies in all industries because the ability to exemplify what we expect of others is critical. Imagine a sport coach who asks his or her players to do sprints. They will because that is what is expected of them, but if the coach runs with them the effort increases dramatically. Why does this happen? Because of the example. Whether at work or at home what we do demonstrates what we expect.

What about you? When you are leading how are you performing in these three areas? What is one way you can grow your leadership in any of these areas? Share your thoughts below. Lead Well.

Feb

2020

What One Trait Did These Three President’s Have in Common?

Not too long ago I read an excellent book by Doris Kearns Goodwin called Leadership In Turbulent Times. This book chronicles the lives and leadership of four presidents during various tumultuous times during United States history.

Each president had a difficult stages in life. They did not easily attain the position of president, but through various personal tragedies and losses they grew from adversity. Three of these presidents had experiences that led them to the same conclusion.

Abraham Lincoln

Many of us have heard the many failures Lincoln faced on his path to ultimately becoming President of the United States. I could share the lessons learned from those failures, but I will leave that to others. What Kearns pointed out from Lincoln’s leadership was an example of his humility.

Kearns describes how Lincoln assembled a team of “independent, strong-minded men, all of whom were more experienced in public life, better educated, and more celebrated than he. . . . he placed his three chief rivals” to key leadership roles. To be the President of the United States and acknowledge you are not the smartest person takes humility and a quiet confidence in oneself.

Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt was the one man of the four Kearns discusses who led men in the heat of battle. During his time of service, he understood he must not always be the one leading even if it means he may look foolish to others.

Kearns states that Roosevelt had “the self-awareness to soberly analyze his own strengths and compensate for his weaknesses.” He demonstrated by turning down a leadership opportunity to give someone else the job because their experience would be able to lead the team to victory. This humility of putting the team over his personal ego would serve him well as he continued to lead during his life.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

A man who had experienced great success had his world shaken when he was diagnosed with Polio. After many years of struggling with polio, Roosevelt envisioned creating a community for healing and connection among those suffering from this disease. That vision became Warm Springs.

During his time running Warm Springs Kearns

states he not only brought healing and hope to others who suffered from Polio, but he himself experienced what she quoted Perkins as saying was a “spiritual transformation.” Through being in a shared community where they shared with one another the struggles of this disease and learning and listening to others Roosevelt removed the elitist air that surrounded him. This experience grew humility as a leadership strength into FDR’s character.

Each man had a different path, but all three came to a point where they either explicitly or implicitly learned the importance of humility for effective leadership.

What about you? In what ways do you need to recognize the need for others and have the humility to accept help in your leadership? Do you surround yourself with others smarter than you to provide healthy conflict? What is one step you can take today to lead with humility? Share your thoughts so we can become more aware of areas we may need to grow. Lead Well.

Feb

2020

A Four-Letter Leadership Word

Love is necessary for effective transformational leadership. Stick with me a minute. I know this sounds like a soft skill that could have nothing to do with leadership. Think about this though. Who is one of the best leaders you have had?

Was the individual harsh and overbearing?

Was the person kind?

Was the person a mixture of both?

Both are necessary and provide “tough love.” Accountability and standards are necessary in combination with discernment on when to provide the room to grow and forgive. Take a moment with me and look at these four ways to demonstrate “love” in leadership.

Learning

“Learning . . . seeing the world simultaneously as it is and what it can be, understanding what you see, and acting on your understanding.”

Warren Bennis

A leader who is a learner will seek to understand those he or she leads. One way is to understand their communication style and adjust how we deliver our message in a manner they can hear. If you want to invest in learning your communication style then go here.

More often than I want to admit, I overreact and jump to conclusions before understanding a situation. As leaders we demonstrate love and build improved connection when we slow down to learn about the situation. Instead of assuming the worst, I need to take time to understand all sides and then make a conclusion. This exemplifies what Bennis stated above.

Optimism

“Avoid entertaining the concept of the worst, for whatever you take into your mind can grow there.”

Norman Vincent Peale

I naturally tend to see the challenges of a situation, therefore I understand optimism is a choice. Leaders must accurately assess the situation, but then see the possibilities. When we have that picture we paint a picture for those we lead to help them see how they can positively contribute to achieving the vision.

As Peale suggests we want to focus on the possibility instead of the worst because where our focus goes our mind stays. When our minds stay more focused on the challenge than the solution, we get results in line with that focus. As leaders we have a challenge to help others see the possibilities even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Value

Tasks need to be accomplished in order to meet a goal, and people are the ones who perform them. Effective leaders help those they lead understand their value by first helping them see their personal role in the bigger picture. Another great way to help them understand their value is by identifying their strengths.

After identifying those strengths, position them for success by having them working in their strengths often. When this occurs not only are they more personally effective, but they are utilizing their most valuable assets for the organization’s overall benefit.

Encouragement

Blanchard and Zgarmi developed a process of leading called “Situational Leadership.” I suggest this model provides practical application to the idea of encouraging those we lead. According to the model individuals need varying degrees of support and direction. As leaders who care about those we lead we will come alongside others to encourage, equip, and eventually let them perform on their own. When we are leading with the appropriate amount of encouragement, we increase their confidence and performance.

As you look at these four areas which area can you strengthen this week? As leadership expert John Maxwell says “leaders develop daily not in a day.” What is one way you will develop today? Lead well.

Feb

2020

Leadership Lessons from Super Bowl Winners

This was the weekend many around America sat around the television and watched football. Whether they like the sport, watched a game all season, or even care about the results they watch the Super Bowl. Maybe they want to see the commercials and eat junk food with friends, and this is a great way to do it.

This Super Sunday I went to my bookshelf and the leadership lessons from five Super Bowl winning coaches over the past five decades. (The books are listed at the end of this post if you are curious.) While I revisited my notes, three guiding leadership concepts were consistent among each of these coaches that can help all leaders.

Clear Philosophy

The late Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers called it his “standard of performance” and Pete Carroll describes it as his “win forever” philosophy. Each of the other coaches may not have a formal structure, but they all were crystal clear of what they expected of themselves and those they led.

“You won’t be a successful leader if you don’t have a clear of what you believe, where you’re headed, and what you are willing to go to the mat for.” Don Shula

As the leader we must be crystal clear on what we expect. The hardest person to lead is ourselves therefore we must know what we expect of ourselves? Are we clear on that? As our values and vision are clear we can more clearly articulate them to those we lead.

Culture

“The culture you create permeates everything you touch.”

Tony Dungy

Leadership and culture. This is kind of a chicken and egg question. The leader influences culture, but the culture can eat the leader for lunch. Both Bill Walsh and Tony Dungy spoke to this idea of culture. As the leader of a team each knew the culture they created would impact every result and their players had both on and off the field.

When the philosophy and expectations are clear this establishes the groundwork for creating a specific culture. When these are unclear a potentially chaotic or toxic culture may be created. As leaders we either intentionally create a culture or it develops naturally out of how we lead.

“The culture precedes positive results . . . Champions behave like champions before their champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.”

Bill Walsh

Be A Teacher

Former Super Bowl champion coach of the New York Giants Bill Parcells said “be a teacher, not a drill sergeant,” but what does it mean? The same as all five of these coaches have said . . . teach. The legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden saw himself as a teacher above all else. As leaders we may see where we want to go and what we want done clearly. We may even see how to do it, but we must slow down, come alongside those we lead, and teach them.

“Be a teacher, not a drill sergeant.”

Bill Parcells

Ken Blanchard in his book Everyone’s A Coach with Don Shula provides some practical steps on how to be a teacher as a leader.

Tell people what you want them to do.
Show them what good performance looks like.
Let them do it.
Observe their performance.
Praise progress and/or redirect.

These are easy to read, but in order to implement them we must slow down, connect with those we lead and patiently walk the path with them. Eventually we end up multiplying our leadership and instead of developing followers we multiply leaders.

Winning a Super Bowl is not easy nor is leading any organization or team to top performance. As you look at these three areas, how can you improve in your leadership? Do you need a thinking partner to help you think into any of these areas? Contact me to explore a complimentary thinking partner session to help you raise your leadership level and improve your results. Lead Well.

Ken Blanchard & Don Shula Everyone’s A Coach

Bill Walsh The Score Takes Care of Itself

Pete Carroll Win Forever

Bill Parcells Finding a Way to Win

Tony Dungy The Mentor Leader

*Each of the above are affiliate links.