Leadership

Jul

2023

Founding Fathers Four Pillars of Leadership

Over two hundred years ago a small group of men were credited as the leaders of our nation and created the foundation of freedom we are able to experience today. These men demonstrated four pillars of leadership which I will cover in just a moment and essential for leaders at any level.

In their excellent book CEO Excellence McKinsey & Company senior partners Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra explain six essentials elements for a CEO. I would suggest these six major mindsets can be broken down into four simple pillars that hold the roof of influence: leadership at its core.

6 CEO Mindsets	4 Pillars
Set the Direction	Leadership
Engage the Board, Connect with Stakeholders	Communication
Manage Personal Effectiveness	Self-Leadership
Mobilize through Leaders, Align the Organization	Teamwork

These four pillars and six mindsets can be seen in our founding fathers in the following ways.

Teamwork

We’ve heard of the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 where people were throwing tea off of ships in opposition to the British taxation without representation. This bold move was what became the beginning of the American Revolution.¹ How does something like this happen? By a group of 30 to 130 men working together to disguise themselves and dumping 342 chests of tea into the water. A small group of people mobilized and aligned for a common purpose created the event that began a revolution.

Within your organization, a small group of people may be willing to be mobilized and aligned to accomplish something that could trigger great momentum. Identify those people and put them together to start something great for everyone.

Communication

April 18, 1775 Dr. Joseph Warren asked Paul Revere to ride into Lexington, Massachusetts to warn key leaders of the American Revolution of the possibility of their arrest by the British.² On a secret mission, Revere rode and eventually arrived at his destination to inform these leaders of what could happen.

Revere modeled the importance of communication as a leader. First, he learned about the situation and then he went into action to spread the message. When working with organizations and teams one of the most significant challenges is effective communication. Revere’s communication led to a chain reaction of communicating to key stakeholders that helped the Sons of Liberty prepare for battle. As leaders, we must communicate in a timely and effective manner to mobilize our team.

Self-Leadership

The most difficult person to lead is us. One of the self-leadership challenges they mention in CEO Excellence is perspective. At the beginning of this war, I imagine many of those enlisted were excited to fight for the cause, but as they saw the cost they had to remain steadfast in their mental fortitude.

As a leader you have a vision of where you want to go, but at times you may wonder if this is the right direction or not. Evaluate, adjust, tweak the plan, but it takes courage and a willingness to get out of our comfort zone to hold the vision. These men believed in their vision for freedom and were willing to continue to fight, are you?

Leadership

George Washington. A quiet farmer with a family joined the military and when the Continental Army was formed to combat the British he became commander. During the following eight years of fighting the British alongside his men, he only spent ten days at his home.³ Washington understood a key principle of effective leadership: example.

By being out with his troops suffering alongside them, he could set the direction and adjust in a timely manner. As leaders, we need to know what the front line is doing. We must sometimes experience it with them so our decisions are more informed. If you think you aren’t getting good information from your team, take time to be among the “troops” and learn for yourself. Not only will it inform your decisions, but it will increase your influence.

As you look at these four pillars, which do you need to develop more? Need help developing in these four pillars? Check out my new online self-guided course you can invest in to grow yourself as a leader. If you want to get multiple for your team, then contact me and put 4 Pillars in the subject line to learn about a group discount. In the meantime, Lead Well!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/the-real-story/
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/george-washington

Jun

2023

Momentum: The Leader’s Job

I recently returned from El Salvador with my youngest son on a trip to an orphanage that I take each son on when they turn twelve. I remember with my oldest son on one particular day it rained really hard and one of the trucks at the facility got stuck in the mud. They tried to get it out, but ended up digging the wheels deeper.

All the males on the trip gathered around the back of the truck and helped push and push. Slowly as mud flew and covered all of us, we got a little traction . . . then it stopped. We started again and after multiple attempts we got a little movement, traction, and the truck was off.

Isn’t this how momentum with anything we lead works? The struggle is a slog at first, and getting traction is extremely difficult. Just as getting the truck out of the mud would not have even started without someone stepping up to initiate, the same is true with creating initiative with what you lead.

Momentum Starts with the Leader

“Momentum begins within the individual leader. It starts with vision, passion, and enthusiasm.”

John C. Maxwell

No one was going to get the truck out of the mud unless someone initiated. Let’s unpack this idea John suggests by diving deeper into the three areas he says a leader needs to create momentum.

Vision

“Without vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

You may not be a fan of the Bible and that is ok, but I think we can agree this statement is true. We have all experienced being a part of something without a clear vision or purpose and at some point asking: “do I want to be a part of this?”

Vision is what starts the traction. The car stuck in the mud sees they are just a few feet from the road where they can get traction and go to their ultimate destination. This is vision. The leader must establish the vision or vision confusion will arise as the strong influencers promote their vision. Multiple visions hinder momentum. Just as a rock can’t be pushed uphill from three different directions nor can your vision gain traction unless the leader clearly states it.

Passion

I have a firepit in my backyard. Most of the time I don’t cheat and put one of those quick firestarting bricks in. I pile paper, small twigs, slightly bigger sticks, and then a couple of logs. The fire starts with a small spark, but if I do not provide oxygen and attention, it dies in smoldering smoke.

Consistent . . . steady . . . fuel.

This is passion. Leaders carry the vision and, therefore will be the most enthusiastic about the vision. To keep momentum going as a leader, you must inspire passion in others. Tell the stories of success. Help people see how in small or big ways you are accomplishing the vision.

But be careful. Just as too much fuel on the fire can burn you, similarly, too much passion at the wrong time can actually suffocate your team. Be passionate but be aware that few, if any will be as passionate about the vision as you.

Enthusiasm

The Oxford dictionary defines enthusiasm as:

“intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.”

John Maxwell highlighted this as the third aspect of momentum inside the leader. If the vision you are pursuing comes across as a grind then it will be even more of a grind for those you lead. Anything worthwhile is going to be difficult, but to create and sustain momentum, the leader must find enjoyment in that uphill climb.

Michael Jordan is one of the best, if not the best, basketball players of all time. What made him that? He was fiercely competitive and found enjoyment in the work required to be the best. He had a vision to win championships but knew it would not be easy. He played in critical games while sick and exhausted because of his enthusiasm for the game and fierce drive to win.

Leader, if you are not enthusiastic, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself what will bring back your enthusiasm for what you are pursuing. If you can’t find that answer, maybe you need to either get a new vision or find someone on your team who can be that champion for you to keep the momentum going.

Leadership is not easy, and the hardest person to lead is ourselves. As you look at these three areas, which one do you need to focus on in the next week? Take a minute, reflect, and let me know how you will create momentum with your team. Need help thinking into your leadership in this area? Contact me for a no cost to you powerful coaching experience. In the meantime, keep climbing your hill and lead well!

Jun

2023

Momentum: The Deceiver

They were behind the car pushing, and once it got going, others jumped in, and instead of straining and struggling, some just had a hand on, barely contributing. That is the power of momentum. . . . and also the deception.

As leaders, we may think things are going well and leading very effectively, but the reality is we may be benefitting from the deception of momentum.

In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership*, leadership expert John C. Maxwell describes the law of momentum as a leader’s best friend. He highlights seven truths about it, and in this post, I will highlight how three of these truths demonstrate momentum can be deceptive.

Momentum Exaggerates

I have had the opportunity to be around many sports teams. Players don’t notice their minor injuries when a team succeeds and think they are indestructible. When momentum is not going their way, and they are losing, those minor injuries blow up into being out for weeks.

We think we are conquering the world when sales are high and cash flow is good. Use that momentum to keep people working at a pace that will continue those results. Beware of the deception, though; when we have momentum, if we lose sight of doing the work that got us there “suddenly” the momentum may stop. If we stop taking steps as we push the car . . . the car stops moving.

Momentum Makes Leaders Look Better

You can spot this one easily if you have been around sports. The coach with talented players they inherited from a previous coach who created a great culture may still have success in year one because of the momentum of the prior coach. Year two may drop a little if they lose key players. By year three, that coach’s culture has become more ingrained, and if the coach keeps the momentum going, they look good; if not, people see how effective a leader the coach is.

When you are a new leader, beware of the deception of a previous leader’s success. Are your initiatives gaining traction, or have you been riding the previous leader’s success? When the momentum slows, you must demonstrate your leadership ability by pushing the car uphill and getting it moving WITH your team.

Momentum Mutes Poor Performance

A new person joins the organization and seems to be closing every deal, and you think they are a star player. Little do you realize they are good with the people that others have already cultivated the relationship to the point they were ready to buy. Nor do you realize there is such brand awareness and positive press that everyone wants what you provide. This is momentum every leader wants.

Here is the deception. When the momentum slows, that new person’s skills that are lacking may become more apparent. The reality they were not cultivating new relationships becomes obvious. When momentum was high, their poor performance was hidden. As the leader, pay attention to where your people are and need to grow so momentum can continue. Get the individual with just a few fingers on the car to contribute more.

Take a moment and look at your organization or team. Are any of these deceptions getting you trapped? What can you do to prevent the deception and continue the momentum? Want to dive deeper into these 21 Laws? Contact me to discuss bringing this to your organization or team. Lead Well.

*Concepts are adapted from the book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by Dr. John C. Maxwell.

Jun

2023

Momentum: A Leader’s Friend

Remember riding your bike? Did you ride somewhere with lots of hills? Going uphill was difficult, but downhill was exhilarating. Downhill is all about momentum.

Momentum is an interesting concept that has been around since ancient times. It’s a powerful force that can help us make progress in our lives and achieve our goals. In physics, momentum is defined as “the quantity of motion of a body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.” In everyday life, we can define it as the impetus or energy that we need to keep going and remain focused on our goals.

Riding downhill required little momentum, but uphill was a lot easier once we got moving. When it comes to accomplishing something, momentum is key. It’s the driving force behind any successful endeavor. We can build on our successes and move forward quickly and efficiently by having momentum. Without it, we spin our wheels, feel stuck, and unmotivated.

Here are a few thoughts on how to create momentum in our leadership.

Shrink the Goal

When riding uphill, which by the way is what leadership usually feels like, you get the first turn of the pedals and then go pedal by pedal. Similarly, one way to create and maintain momentum is to break down our goals into smaller, achievable tasks. Riding or climbing a hill is taken one step/pedal stroke at a time. Small tasks create simple steps to gain success and build on them as we go. It also helps us stay motivated and on track because we see our progress.

Set Deadlines

I recently completed a project I started at the beginning of the year. I remembered my deadline to keep my momentum, especially during monotonous work. Deadlines help us stay focused and on task as we constantly work towards a specific goal. It also helps us avoid procrastination, which can be a major obstacle to achieving success.

Be Patient

Riding downhill is easy, but we don’t want our vision going downhill, therefore, our climbs are uphill. When riding my bike as a kid up the neighborhood hill in 12^th gear, I would have to pedal real hard initially, patiently pedal in the middle, and push through at the end. I didn’t realize until now that I was learning the patience required to gain momentum. Momentum is not created overnight. It takes time and effort to build and maintain, but once it’s in motion, it can be a powerful tool for achieving success.

Overall, momentum is an essential element of success. We need the energy and focus to keep going and achieve our goals. We can create and maintain momentum in our lives by breaking down our goals into smaller tasks, setting deadlines, and staying motivated. With momentum on our side, the climb is still challenging but easier.

Need help thinking about how to create momentum with your organization or team? Contact me for a discovery meeting to determine ways I can help you increase your momentum and that of your team. Lead Well!

May

2023

Memorial Day Leadership

Memorial Day is a day in America on a superficial level that signifies the beginning of summer. People have cookouts, open their pools, and celebrate the beginning of this season. The reality is that this holiday is so much more.

Memorial Day originated as a day of remembrance for those who died in the Civil War. After the war, General John Logan, the leader of an organization for Union veterans, declared that “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.” This declaration was the first official recognition of Memorial Day.

As I think of this day and those that serve and have served our country three words come to mind that we can all apply in our leadership at work and home.

Courage

I can’t help but think of the courage of those who have fought in many wars so we may experience the freedom we have. For example, the freedom of speech that enables me to write this post would be impossible without the courage of many who fought for freedom during the Revolutionary War. Many men and women have dared to raise their hands and volunteer to fight for our country because of a greater cause.

As leaders, when we have a vision for a greater cause, we need courage. We will have battles to fight for our vision, which requires daily courage.

Sacrifice

Multiple people have sacrificed for the freedom we experience. Spouses have sacrificed by raising children alone or having many sleepless nights concerned about their beloved. Families have sacrificed through the challenge of wondering how their child is and if they will get a knock at the door. Individual service members have sacrificed their time, talents, and sometimes their lives for the cause they have fought for.

Leaders and those around them sacrifice as well. When a leader has a vision, it requires them to give up certain experiences to go up. Each leader has to determine what sacrifices they are willing to make to accomplish their goals.

Commitment

When a soldier begins his or her journey their commitment is tested. Training alone will test their mental and physical fortitude. Without passionate commitment, these soldiers do not last.

Leaders must have the ability to persevere through the obstacles to accomplish their vision. This comes from commitment.

As you look at these three areas, which do you need to grow in? Thank you to those of you who have served our country. I realize this does not honor you enough so please forgive me. Thank you for your courage, sacrifice, commitment, and leadership. Lead well.

May

2023

Motivating Your Team

For many years I have been around leaders whose primary question outside of the technical aspects of their work was how to motivate their team. Motivation is part of effectively leading change.

Two primary types of motivation exist.

Intrinsic

This is motivation, where the individual has an internal drive to do the work. This motivation rarely requires prodding from the leader because individuals derive satisfaction from work. To effectively motivate people intrinsically, find out why they do the work.

Extrinsic

This motivation comes from a reward the individual receives. It could be money, recognition, a promotion, or something else. At times it comes from the desire to avoid punishment. Often leaders who use this type of motivation resort to fear.

Of these two types of motivation, intrinsic is preferred. The challenge is this takes time. This requires understanding a few things about the people you lead.

Personality

Every individual is different, yet we are predictably different. In my program, The Four Pillars of Leadership, I briefly discuss the four personality styles; therefore, I won’t cover them here. What I will mention is we need to understand what an individual’s genetic personality is as well as their background.

I have worked with individuals who, by a behavioral assessment, would be predicted to communicate in one way. However, in reality, they behave very differently either because of their upbringing or the environment they are functioning in. The more we understand these nuances, the more effectively we can lead team members.

Passion

Every person has a button to push. That button gets them fired up. Each person is different, though. Some people are competitive. Some are excited about relationships. Some want to be part of a team working toward a greater purpose. Some want to have fun. As leaders, our job is to understand what excites our people. Why do they come to work? When we have clarity on that, we can align the organization’s why with their why and will improve performance.

Preferences

The Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator results I use with clients provide insight into an individual’s preferred work environment and how they like others to communicate with them. We can modify accordingly when we understand what individuals prefer in their work environment, their communication approach, and even a leader’s style. If the team members’ preferences do not align with the organization’s or team’s culture, then the leader needs to adjust accordingly.

The greatest performance comes from intrinsically motivated individuals. Influential leaders will take the time to understand their people and adjust their communication style, leadership approach, and even goal setting. These adjustments will help leaders connect interpersonally and align the whys to enhance motivation.

If you want to understand the communication style of those on your team, you can GO HERE to invest in a Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator for individuals on your team. Keep taking time to understand your teammates so you can connect and motivate them well. Lead Well.