LEADERS

Oct

2021

Leaders Are Readers

Ok, I am a little biased because for all my life I have enjoyed reading. Now I must admit as technology has advanced and life has gotten busier I struggle to sit and read. This may be my desire to always be productive or internet-influenced ADD.

I have seen it said that 33% of High School graduates never read another book and 42% of college graduates. I am not certain of the validity of this and quite frankly am not overly concerned. What I want to do is take a minute to suggest the value of continuing to read as leaders at work, home, and in our communities.

Improves Communication

Every day we communicate with others. Now more than ever this communication is in written form such as e-mails, text messages, or some other form of messaging. As we spend time reading books, professional documents to help us grow, and other sources of literature we expand our vocabulary.

When I was a strength and conditioning coach, I would read industry journals. I had no clue what a lot of the technical research meant at first, but over time I learned. Increasing my vocabulary helped me be able to communicate with others in the industry in a more educated manner. This same principle has held true in any area I don’t understand. I read, learn, and improve my ability to communicate effectively with others.

Expands Knowledge

This one does not need a lot of explanation. I heard leadership expert John Maxwell say he was told when he was younger if he spent an hour a day reading any single topic that in five years he would be an expert. This proved true ten-fold for John. He has been recognized as the world’s top expert on leadership by INC magazine and other sources.

The pace of change is so fast we need to continually be learning to stay relevant in our industry. The best way for this to occur is by spending time reading. As an aside I would suggest we can also learn by attending events in our industry and learning from other experts. If you want to be that expert and leader in your industry, then read.

Provides Mentoring

When I was younger, I spent most of my time reading fiction but as I became an adult that shifted. My bookshelves are full of books on topics such as leadership, personal development, communication, and biographies. The last one is an example of how books can mentor us. I may never get a chance to sit across from John Wooden, C.S. Lewis, or any number of other authors and leaders who are dead or alive, but I can learn from them.

Throughout the years by reading biographies, I have learned from people’s pains and successes. Also, through reading books written by or about these leaders I have had the opportunity to be mentored and gain wisdom I would have never received had I not created the time to read.

I hope this encourages you to find a way to read or at least listen to books more. I can’t end without providing you a resource I have found valuable to help me read more in less time. If you go here you will be able to see the latest book summary available. If you want to receive notifications right to your e-mail inbox sign up for a free leadership e-book here and receive the weekly update of the summaries available and other leadership tips. Keep reading, learning, and growing and lead well.

Sep

2021

Leaders Let Go

Are you a control freak? Do you like to make sure everything is done perfectly? Do you quickly take work from someone else because “it’s faster if I do it”? If you are honest with yourself, would you say you try to have your hands in everything? If you answered yes to any of these, you may either be an unknown control freak or a recovering one like me.*

As I was thinking about my battle to let go in many areas of life a few ideas came to mind which I hope you find valuable.

Recognition

The first step to dealing with a problem is recognizing it. This may require getting feedback from others who will tell you the truth.** The biggest sign I see both in myself and in clients I work with in helping them develop their leadership is the temptation to do everything.

I understand it is quicker to do it yourself, but let’s think about this on a personal level. Imagine you take an hour to train your children how to do the dishes even though it only would take you fifteen minutes to do yourself. How much time will you ultimately save by them doing the dishes over the next number of years?

The same applies professionally. Leaders frequently express concern about the time it may take to equip another employee. First, recognize you may have a control issue of wanting the task done exactly how you do it. After you have accepted the potential of that, then think about equipping another person which will build leaders for your team/organization while freeing your time for responsibilities more aligned with your role.

Know Your Real Job

In his book Procrastinate on Purpose author Rory Vaden interviewed successful entrepreneur Troy Peple about managing time. During the interview Peple stated:

“My job isn’t to do; my job is to make sure it gets done.”

Vaden described how Peple had become so good at delegating that people worried if he was doing the work. As the leader you see the job and organization from a much higher level. When examining what you do there are some essential questions we will cover in the next section. One helps determine if this is really your job to do.

As an aside, this is not a statement of being above a job, but a question of if you do this daily is it the best use of your time. Good leaders are willing to do any job.

Each of us may not have the same ability to delegate as Peple, but what we can learn from this statement is understanding his real responsibility was not to do all the work. I would guess he had learned to tame his control freak as he saw the value of letting go. Let’s explore how you determine what you do need to keep on your plate and control.

Three Key Questions

When I do masterminds helping professionals apply the principles in John Maxwell’s book Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 we discuss priorities. In this section John challenges us to answer three critical questions. These questions will help us prioritize and determine what our primary job is as the leader.

What is required of me? – Among all the responsibilities you have, what must you do. Peple would say casting vision is his number one job. Depending on your organization this and maybe a few other items are what are required.
What gives me the greatest return? – If the task is not giving you a great return on your time maybe it would be better to let go of control and give it to someone else or not do it.
What gives me the greatest reward? – Not all of us can operate in this area depending on the stage of our team/organization. We can get clarity on what we enjoy doing the most and this can give us clarity on why we are trying to control it. If we enjoy it, we may not want to let go of it, but does it serve the overall vision?

The Role’s Requirement

In this final section, allow me to get nerdy for a brief minute. There are three skills leadership require: technical, human, and conceptual. All three are required but depending on your role more of one may be required than the other. Knowing which of these is required helps determine if you are controlling areas you should not be.

Let me illustrate, the skilled worker who becomes a manager may try to teach his team to do everything exactly like he or she used to. In this new role more time needs to be dedicated to building people and looking at the bigger picture. Micromanaging the how of what your people do may frustrate them and not tame the control freak within.

So where do you need to let go of control? Need an outside thinking partner to help you discern where you may not be leading as well as you could. Contact me and let’s set up a time to think into your results. We all fight this battle and we all can improve. Lead Well.

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*As an aside years ago I read a book called The Control Freak by Les Parrott which not only helps with dealing with control freaks around you, but also the one within. A small recommendation if you want to dive deeper in this topic.

** If you want tips on getting or giving feedback you can go here for the first part of a short three-part video series.

Jul

2021

Red, White and Blue Leadership

As we celebrate the freedom our forefathers fought to provide over two hundred years ago, I reflected on the significance of the colors on our flag. Three colors. Each with a meaning.

Not long ago I learned marketing experts employ psychological reasons in choosing colors. Not only did I research the significance of each color on the flag, but also the marketing significance. As I explore the meaning behind each color permit me to reflect on leadership qualities they also teach us.

Red

The significance of this color is valor and bravery. From a marketing perspective this color denotes excitement, passion, danger, energy and action. Our founding fathers saw the danger in the fight they were pursuing to be freed from the tyranny of the British. In spite of the obvious danger a burning passion fueled by valor and bravery pushed them forward.

As a leader you have a passion for what you lead whether at work, home, or in the community. Some days you may feel like you are alone in that pursuit. In the beginning you often felt alone before you formed a team. In these dark moments, leaders tap into their passion to move ahead bravely even in light of the possibility of complete failure.

White

This color represents purity and innocence. Marketers use this color to denote peace, calm, hope, and comfort. I imagine what drove the founders of this nation to fight for freedom was not a lust for power, but a pure and innocent desire to live a life that no longer experienced oppression. Through the blood they shed we as a country experience a country founded on peace, hope, and purity.

Leaders must check their motives often to guard against the temptations of power and control. These powerful tempters can lead us astray and distract the team we lead. Take a moment and consider the motives behind the agenda you are pursuing. Is it for personal gain or for the good of everyone? When we put others first, we often have pure and innocent intentions.

Blue

I have frequently heard leadership expert John Maxwell say anything worthwhile is uphill. This color represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Marketers use it to convey trust and reliability. As the founding fathers gained their freedom they must have recognized this uphill climb and included blue as a reminder to be vigilant to protect the freedom they fought for.

Watching is one thing, but we also must continue to move forward toward the goal amidst continual challenges. Our nation continues to watch, persevere, and fight for what is right to be a beacon of trust and reliability. This is true for leaders at work, home, and in our communities. We must persevere to fight for what is right and true and continually press on toward the goal we are compelled and given to pursue. The climb is hard but continue to daily take the next step.

Those who continue to fight for our freedom. Thank you. Those who are fighting your own battles in what you lead I hope this encourages you to continue to be brave, pure, and persevere. You have what it takes to lead what you have been entrusted with. Lead Well.