Leadership

Sep

2020

Advanced Attraction?

Many years ago I was a strength and conditioning coach. One young man I coached was not particularly athletic, but he knew how to work hard. This young man did something unique going into and during his Senior year. He always signed his name on his schoolwork and wrote “state champion” after it.

What was he doing? Since then I’ve realized he was applying the Law of Attraction. Stay with me a moment. Answer the following questions.

Have you ever wanted something really bad and eventually you received it in some form?

Have you ever worried about something so much and it came to be . . . such as getting sick?

Have you ever had a vision for something in your life and kept thinking about how to make it occur until eventually it did occur?

If you answered yes to any of these then you were unconsciously putting this law into action. Another way to think of this is what we focus on expands. For an illustration of this idea go here.

What does all of this have to do with leadership? The young man I mentioned ended up becoming the first state champion I had the opportunity to work with. He held the vision of what he wanted in his mind and daily reinforced it. As leaders I see two big takeaways from this principle to help us lead ourselves and others more effectively.

Faith

This young man would not have considered writing that on his paper without the faith to believe it would occur. Faith in this situation is the belief we can accomplish something without evidence proving it will occur. Leaders understand this reality. Whatever you are pursuing started first with an idea. After that idea flashed into your mind you had a choice to either believe it and act on it or discard it.

You obviously did not discard the idea, but in faith held the belief and continued to think into how to make this a reality. Over time this law of attraction has brought to you the resources, people, ideas and what you have needed to make it happen. Now I am not suggesting positive thinking alone will help you accomplish your vision because hard work, strategy, skills and things out of our control all play a part as well.

You can skip this brief thought, but as a person of faith I believe these ideas and resources ultimately come from God. Whether that statement resonates with you or not, faith is required to turn an idea into reality.

How we think

As leaders we may get stuck thinking into the how so much we get analysis paralysis. This young man knew he had to train hard and more often than others and he did, but his thinking was the tipping point. Bringing our vision into reality starts in our mind. David Schwartz in his book The Magic of Thinking Big says:

“Big thinkers are specialists in creating positive, forward-looking, optimistic pictures in their own minds and in the minds of others.”

This big thinking brings the ideas into every person’s mind to make them into reality. Surround yourself with other big thinkers who are willing to help you think into how to turn the idea into reality.

Be Careful

This idea can lead us down both a positive or negative path. As we keep first things first in our lives and seek to add value to others over selfish gain the outcome of our focused intentional thinking will be positive. May I challenge you to ask others to question your ideas enough to help you decide if this is one that will add value to others. If the answer is yes, keep focusing and growing that idea to help others.

As a leader where is your focus going? Are you focusing more on problems or solutions? Need someone to help you or your thinking? Contact me for a no-cost thinking partner session. Lead Well!

Sep

2020

Do You Have a Leader’s Mindset?

As I stood in front of one-hundred testosterone filled teenage boys I realized quickly I had to have a plan. There was no way I could just tell them to get to work and expect them to do the right thing. Not because they were not capable, but they simply needed some direction.

These young men needed both a leader and a manager, but in the long run they needed a leader. What is the difference? Aren’t leaders managers and don’t managers function as leaders?

Yes and no and yes.

Now I’m sure I’ve confused you.

Leading or Managing

In general leaders focus on the big picture while a manager focuses on systems, processes and controls. Does a leader care about these, absolutely, but a leader has to see beyond the horizon and look at the team or organization as a whole.

One of my all-time favorite movies is Braveheart. In this movie there must be multiple systems, processes, and controls to make the fantastic fight scenes occur as well as the complexity of the relationships. The person who leads the charge in this area is the director. The

director is managing the systems and processes to make certain everything is executed properly.

On the other hand, someone else examines all the detailed parts so they interact to form a logical, coherent story that entertains and informs the viewer. That is the job of the producer. This individual has a picture in his or her mind of what the movie should look like from beginning to end and functions as the leader.

Which Side Are You On?

Let me explain the difference a little more in detail by providing this simple grid I use when I do some of my leadership trainings based on the teachings of leadership expert John C. Maxwell.

Management	Leadership
Doing things right	Doing the right things
Efficiency	Direction
Control	Enthusiasm
Managed risks	Inspiration and Influence

As you look at this grid which side do you tend to fall on? Allow me to clarify, both are necessary and at times overlap. Do you spend more time on the details and getting everything perfect with tasks? If so, you probably are managing more than leading.

Do you spend more time having conversations with individuals and groups to help build consensus, and get everybody on the same page continuing to move in the right direction? If so, you are spending time leading.

Again, both of these are necessary, but if you are the leader of the team, group, or organization and you are in the details too much then I hate to say it, but you are probably micro-managing instead of leading and empowering your people. If this is you, what is one thing you can let go of and where can you re-focus that energy? On the other hand, if you look at the leadership grid, what is one way you can grow in the areas suggested above? Remember, leadership is a process like many areas of our lives. If you would like me to help you think into this then click here to schedule a no cost thirty-minute thinking partner session. Lead well!

Sep

2020

Planning or Stressing Ahead

I was talking with a small business owner about leadership challenges and during our conversation he brought up a phrase that I had never heard. Admittedly he had just thought of it while we were talking: stressing ahead.

We all have many thoughts going in our minds and multiple tasks we are responsible for. As we look at our week we can unconsciously fall into a mindset of stressing ahead instead of planning ahead.

Stressing Ahead

Leaders see all that needs to be done, but instead of planning ahead we assume a stressed mindset. Here are three signals that you may be stressing on top of or instead of planning.

Reactive

Leaders that are reactive live in the urgent and important arena. This is the area where we constantly react to the most urgent needs. When you hear a leader saying, “I’m constantly putting out fires,” then they are most likely leading reactively. There are seasons of this, but when this is the norm, you create an environment ripe for unnecessary stress.

Anxious

Sunday night comes and we start thinking of the week ahead. The leader who stresses ahead experiences a rising sense of worry and overwhelm. This sense may manifest in multiple anxious behaviors. Our thoughts impact our feelings which impact our behavior. A stressed and anxious leader creates the same in his or her team.

Focused on the Unimportant

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things that are beyond the power of our will.” Epictetus

When we lead ourselves and others by focusing on what we cannot control or which is of little or lesser importance we raise our level of stress. If the issue facing us is minor and we focus on it longer than it deserves then we will turn something minor into a major issue and create a stressful environment. Can you control it? If the answer is no, then move ahead and quit worrying.

Planning Ahead

What can we do to stay out of the stress mode and in the planning mindset? Here are three ideas I hope will help.

Proactive

Leadership expert John Maxwell often says leaders see more before. Leaders who plan ahead see what needs to be done and create the margin to accomplish it. This proactive approach will help the busy leader see the busy task list and prepare both mentally and purposefully.

Strategic

The leader who has a planner’s mindset is strategic in his or her approach. They look at the time ahead of them and prioritize their schedule in a manner that helps them strategically move toward their goals. This strategic thinking prevents them from becoming reactive and allows room for the inevitable interruptions.

Calm and anticipation

Through strategic, proactive planning a leader can limit anxiety. Calm and positive anticipation replaces anxiety as the leader eagerly looks ahead to the plan he or she has set. Yes, work comes that we don’t want to do, but by being proactive and purposefully strategic we manage the unwanted work by completing it when it won’t drain us or delegating it to those who are better at it.

As a leader which do you tend to do: stress or plan ahead? What is one action step you can take today to plan and lead yourself and others more effectively? Need help thinking into that then contact me for a no cost thirty-minute thinking partner session. Lead well.

Sep

2020

Learning From the Leader of Lessonly

I was on a ZOOM meeting with the CEO of Lessonly. Before meeting I read his book Do Better Work which is a quick read with some great leadership and communication concepts to apply.

Max is now the CEO of a thriving organization, but like most busines

s owners he had his bumps along the way. Before starting Lessonly he launched another company which lasted a year and ten months. Out of that failure he learned one of his biggest leadership lessons which he discusses in his book: “share before you are ready.”

New leaders may think they have to have all the answers which leads us to the trap of never sharing ideas. This, Max realized, is not an effective strategy because we limit our ability to learn from others and therefore have a more whole picture.

While talking he shared three ideas that guide his leadership.

Wholeness

In America, Max suggested, we battle a perfectionistic culture where we judge situations, others, and are not honest with ourselves. This perfectionism at times causes us to deny realities about ourselves such as our greed, envy, and controlling tendencies. A healthier way to lead exists though.

When we lead with the idea of wholeness, we are accepting our humanity. Human beings are average, above average, and below average in various aspects of our lives. When we lead from a place of wholeness we have the emotional self-awareness that helps us develop a healthy culture.

Symmetry in Behaviors and Values

Remember learning about symmetry? What something looks like on one side is the same as on the other. Max referenced this idea of symmetry in our behaviors and values. As leaders our behaviors and words must be consistent through modeling the behaviors we desire.

“If you want people doing something you better show up and do the thing.” Max Yoder

I dove deeper on this to understand how he sees this lived out as the CEO of the organization. As we discussed this, Max shared a few key principles to create this symmetry:

Model – When he engages his employees, he models how he would want them to behave whether that is in relating to a customer or one another
Avoid Special Logic – The idea that the rules are different for him and his direct team than for the rest of the organization. When special logic exists consistency will break down and therefore credibility and trust.
Transparency – Willingly and openly share what is relevant to the team. Leaders do not need to be share everything because not everything is relevant, but share what the team needs to know in order to maintain credibility and trust.
Healthy organization – This happens through taking care of the people in the organization. If you want to learn more in detail about how they create a healthy culture, then read about their communication process in chapter five of Max’s book Do Better Work.

Awareness

The third principle leadership principle Max came from reading the book A Failure of Nerve. In this book he learned the idea of emotional triangles which states that with any interaction with others there are the two individuals and oftentimes an issue or another person. (To understand this more in depth go here to read Max’s blog)

As leaders we are not responsible for other people’s issues, but we do need to be aware of their existence. In order to uncover the real issues we must ask clarifying questions to gain a better understanding of the situation. These questions help us clarify the context and therefore be able to connect and lead others more effectively.

After learning Max’s principles, where do you need to grow? What is one step you can take today in becoming a more whole leader? Do you want to lead more effectively in your work and home life? If so and you have not received my free leadership ebook on the topic then go here to get it today. In the meantime, lead well.

Aug

2020

What Will You Tolerate?

I was sending a text message to a friend about something and this person made a profound statement in the message:

“[They] can’t take what I tolerate to fulfill my purpose.”

Wow . . .

After reading that statement a couple times, I thought: what are a few of the things we tolerate in the pursuit of our vision?

Leaders put themselves out in front. At times they may not want to be in front, but are so passionate about the cause they feel compelled to speak out. This has consequences that are both positive and negative. Leaders must decide which consequences they will tolerate. Here are just a few.

No Credit

Now let me be direct here. A good leader or what Jim Collins in his book Good to Great calls a “level five” leader will not be concerned about credit. A level five leader has both great drive and humility. We are all human though and if we know we had a major hand in creating or accomplishing something part of us appreciates at least some recognition.

What is more important though? Receiving credit or the vision moving forward and/or the project’s completion. I’ve heard it said that good leaders are not worried about being right, but doing the right thing. Let me suggest that a strong leader will be unconcerned with or tolerate not receiving credit for accomplishment. This leader sees the cause as more important than his or her personal ego.

Hard Work

For years I have said: “Anything worth having is worth working for.” Leadership expert John Maxwell states it more eloquently saying “everything worth having is uphill.” This uphill climb is hard work. In the beginning you have the vision and may feel you are doing it alone. You could have a team, but possibly feel they are not as passionate as you.

Leaders are so passionate about the calling they will tolerate any amount of hard work and sleepless nights. They may not feel like the work is hard . . . until the battles come and the criticism flies. At this point each leader must fortify their belief in the vision and continue climbing the hill determining what work they tolerate and what they shed to continue moving forward.

Frustration

Many leaders may say “it’s lonely at the top.” I will suggest the loneliness comes from at least two sources:

Our ego centered thinking that as the leader we must know everything to the detriment of building a healthy team.
The criticism that inevitably comes with the choices you make and feeling the weight of carrying those decisions.

This can be alleviated though. Criticism will come and we determine how much we tolerate. On the other hand, if we build a strong team of people with various perspectives, they can help alleviate the burden and provide a healthier perspective.

These are only a few areas a leader tolerates. What do you feel you have to tolerate as a leader? Share below. Do you need to grow the team of advisors in your life or the leaders around you so together you can continue moving toward the vision? If so, schedule a discovery conversation to determine any way I can serve you or your team to keep your vision moving forward. Lead Well.

Aug

2020

Resilient Leadership

I spent many years working with athletes. Some of those athletes were what we would call “tough” while some were “soft.” Reflecting back this toughness we were examining is the same as the resilience every leader needs to continue leading at a high level.

What is resilience?

When I looked up the definition I found “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness or the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape, elasticity”¹ This means that whether we are leading ourselves or others we need to have toughness and elasticity to lead effectively. How can we develop this resilience?

Have a Team

No matter what we do a team is essential. A little league coach is more effective and can handle the difficult players and parents when he or she has an assistant. This teamwork becomes even more important the bigger the vision. Coaching little league is one thing, but leading a multi-million dollar organization requires a much different and larger team in order to be effective and stay in the game.

To do something great you need resilience and a key to that resilience is your team. As leadership expert John Maxwell says in his book The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork:

“One is too small a number to achieve greatness.”

Adaptable Thinking

In his book The New Toughness Training for Sport author and sports psychologist Jim Loehr discusses how undisciplined thinking can “kick our emotional targets far out of range.”² What does this mean for leaders? Effective and resilient leaders must exercise what Loehr calls “tough thinking.”

By tough thinking I do not suggest we stubbornly hold to our ideas. When necessary this is true, but we must also be adaptable and willing to change our plans when necessary. On the other hand, when difficulties come tough thinking helps us stay focused. Loehr puts it this way:

“Tough thinking will keep you from panicking when things get crazy, calm your temper when you make the unthinkable mistake, and prevent you from surrendering when the battle appears lost.”

Resilient leaders adapt, are tough, and have the discernment to know in the situation which is needed.

Growth Minded

I won’t go into the details of defining a growth mindset in this blog, but you can read a little bit about it here. What I want to highlight is resilient leaders demonstrate agility in their thinking. They adapt and adjust as challenges come.

Imagine of a star running back. He sprints straight ahead one direction and quickly adjusts because of an obstacle in the path. This agility is rooted in a mindset that says “there is a way, I/we just have to find it.”

After reading these three aspects, which do you need to focus on to improve your resilience as a leader? Need help thinking into this? Contact me today for a no cost to you thinking partner session. Lead well.

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/resilience retrieved 6/21/20
Loehr, James. The New Toughness Training for Sport. Plume Book. 1994