You, Too, Are A Leader

I love learning about leadership. That's why I was excited to read a new white paper written by Becky Robinson which contains some of her best entries from her Blog, LeaderTalk.

Here are a couple of statements which caught my eye:

• It doesn't matter who you are or what you do. You don't need to have a position to be a leader.
• Practicing leadership is a mix of science and art. Because leading others is, at the heart of things, about relationships and people, I need to be flexible and make adjustments.
• If we try to hide or ignore our imperfections and past mistakes, we may miss out on the opportunity to allow these things to be used for good in someone else's life.
• When looking at our team, we need to see the possibilities and potential of what we can accomplish together (rather than the negatives or differences in others).
• A leader's role is to introduce others to new worlds, expanding their experiences and providing the tools they need to develop their capacity.
• To be truly effective, leaders provide opportunities that challenge people beyond their current capacity. Challenges help people stretch and grow while giving them confidence.
• The key to have great impact is to invest time in relationships.
• Make small things big: stopping, looking, maintaining eye contact, smiling, affirming, recognizing, listening, sharing, thanking, remembering, inviting, including. They might seem small, but when you add them up, they can have a big impact on your relationship with others.
• Valuing and engaging others makes you famous where it matters.
• A legacy is formed when people continue the actions or traditions that they value most.

I encourage you to download Becky's entire white paper here.

Keep on leading!

S.E.R.V.E.

For the past couple of days I have been in Cincinnati, Ohio for the first Call2All America congress. It has been pretty incredible.

Yesterday, I attended a session on the business track in which Larry Cox shared with us the leadership principles that Chick-Fil-A has utilized to build their organization in a way that honors God. Larry is the director of the WinShape Foundation, a foundation begun by Truett Cathy, Chick-Fil-A's founder, to "help shape winners."

He began by stating that everything in the company revolves around their purpose statement. This is prominently displayed on the plaque below so that anyone can read it as they enter their headquarters.



He then went on to say that they have used the acronym SERVE to describe their leadership culture:

S - See and Shape the future - there are three parts to vision: 1. Planning, 2. Decision Making, 3. Communication

E - Engage and develop others - Improves organization and let's them know they are valued

R - Reinvent continuously - Need to reinvent personally first

V - Value results AND relationships - Master the genius of AND - figure out how to get great results AND great relationships (In other words, have fun while working hard)

E - Embody the values - 1. Know your values, 2. Share your values, 3. Live your values

Truett Cathy has stated that he believes you can change lives by the way you treat people. He has certainly lived that out and his company has as well. It is no wonder they have been so blessed!

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."

Matthew 20:26

What Type of Leader are You?

I was in a meeting yesterday in which leadership styles was discussed. The guy I was meeting is a coach of sort for pastors and he helps them to become the best leaders they can be. He said something that I found interesting. The way he looks at things, he sees that there are three different leadership styles:

1. Anxious leader
– Very reactive – emails and phone calls will dictate their day

2. Ambitious leader
– Always looking for next great program – one "break" away from "success"

3. Aligned leader
– Focuses on what God’s doing – finds where God is working an asks how they can come into alignment with him

He went on to say that the truth is we are in all of these categories at some time or another. The key for us is to try to spend more and more time in the "aligned" category as that is where we are most effective.

When I hear something like this, my natural inclination is to say, "That's nice. I should really try to be an aligned leader more often." However, as I have pondered this, I have realized that moving more of my leadership time into the "aligned" category just won't happen by itself. It will require a decision, effort and then discipline to seek after it (which will ultimately come from seeking after God).

As the urgent matters of life come at us, keeping our commitment to this becomes that much more difficult. So I recommend you do what you need to to regularly remind yourself of this and surround yourself with those who can hold you accountable to doing the things necessary to move you in this direction.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

Leadership

I am a leadership junkie. I love to go to leadership conferences, good ones at least. I love to read books on leadership and I love to hang out with leaders. In short, I love learning more about it because I believe that everything rises and falls on leadership.

So it was with interest that I read an email recently which contained a list of things John Maxwell says we can do to become better leaders. I thought I'd share this list here:

Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."

Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United State Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.

Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.

Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.

Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

Leading By Example

In college, I played basketball for The University of Toledo. When I was a freshman, I was much like a scared kitten. I tried to just stay out of every one's way. I didn't have a clue about much of anything, especially leadership.

UT has a freshman on their team this year who amazes me. Jake Barnett's playing ability is not the thing that impresses me (although he is very good). It is his leadership that I marvel at.

As this article in The Toledo Blade shares, Jake was named by his teammates as a captain of the team. The first time a freshman has held that mantle in school history.

"There was a respect factor there for us as a whole group that we have for Jake," junior forward Justin Anyijong said. "That's why we did that. We don't look at him as a freshman. We look at him as one of our leaders."

Jake is the first one in the gym before practice and the last one to leave. Now I found out that after games, he goes back out on the floor to work on his shooting. Amazing. After practice, I think I was the first one in the locker room!

I was talking with one of the assistant coaches at UT and he told me that from day one, Jake has been a leader. In fact, he said that he came in and organized a Bible study for the team and has changed the entire team atmosphere. That sort of thing from a freshman is unheard of. And, it's very cool!

It's clear that Jake Barnett is not only going to have an impact out on the floor during his career at UT, but also in the lives of many!

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

Leadership

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.” -- Sam Walton

"The great leaders are like the best conductors - they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players." -- Blaine Lee

"The best leaders have a high Consideration Factor. They really care about their people." -- Brian Tracy

"Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice." -- Max DePree

Leadership. I believe that everything rises and falls on leadership.

I ate breakfast yesterday with a friend of mine who was telling me of some incredible leadership blunders where he works. Morale is in the toilet as a result. On the other hand, I know of organizations whose morale could not be higher despite our economy...just because they have solid leadership.

The thing that amazes me when I talk with people about leadership is that, very few people consider themselves leaders. I believe that is not correct. I believe that we ALL are leaders.

I agree that some are given the gift of leadership to lead larger groups of people. But what I mean when I say that we are all leaders is that I believe that leadership is influence, as John Maxwell says. If this is true, then I can make a case that we all are influencing someone. It could be a coworker, a friend, a sibling, a child...anyone.

So the question is, how's your leadership--are you influencing others in a positive or negative way?

Summit Bound

This is one of my absolute favorite times of the year for one reason...Willow Creek Leadership Summit. I am getting ready to leave for this and I can't wait (we will be attending at a satellite location in our community).

It seems that each year, they seem to top the previous year. If you have never attended, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Great stuff!

Influence

My son, Robbie, and I watched the movie Rudy last night. I have seen it a couple of times while it was his first. As I have each time I've watched it, I got extremely choked up near the end of the film as this over-performing, marginal athlete finally achieves his goal. I'm not even close to being a Notre Dame fan but this is a great movie.

The obvious theme to the movie is about perseverance, grit, determination, attitude and overcoming incredible odds. This is all very inspiring stuff, yet during the show, I was saddened by two scenes.

In the first, Rudy is at the bus stop, ready to leave for South Bend to chase his dream after his best friend's funeral. His father stops by to tell him about his grandfather who had a dream to be a dairy farmer during the Great Depression. He explained all of the heartache his grandfather and others suffered. He then said something like, "Chasing your dream does nothing but cause problems for you and everyone around you."

The other scene occurs when Rudy is talking with one of his teammates, also a walk-on player. This player states that he hates playing football here and that the only reason he does is because his dad played here. He, in fact, had scholarship offers from two Big Ten schools but came here because of dad's pressure.

How sad. Both of these fathers missed opportunities to speak love and encouragement into their son's lives, yet they chose to squelch their dreams. The unfortunate thing about this is it goes on every day all around us. Not only in families but everywhere.

We all have tremendous influence over others, whether it be in our office, in the community or at home with our families. We have a choice to make, will that influence be positive or negative? Let's do our best to make sure that we are influencing others in a positive and uplifting way.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Getting the Best From Others

Yesterday I shared with you some insights from John Maxwell on why the great leaders are great leaders. In a nutshell, John said the best leaders give their best to their people and they get the best from their people. Today John shares how the best leaders get the best from those on their team:

The Best Leaders Get the Best from Their People By...

1) LISTENING
The smartest leaders realize the limitations of their wisdom, and they listen to their people in order to capture invaluable insights. However, leaders don't just listen to gain knowledge, they also listen to give their people permission: permission to challenge the process, permission to test assumptions; and permission to take risks. Nothing turns off an up-and-coming leader like the deaf ear of a superior. The best leaders don't simply listen to incoming ideas; they proactively draw them out of their people. They listen actively, not passively.

2) RELATING
Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. To touch a heart, a leader has to be open to disclosing his or her identity by sharing personal stories and owning up to professional weaknesses. Mysterious or aloof leaders may be successful decision-makers, but they won't get the heartfelt loyalty that comes from authentic relationships.

As simple as it sounds, making a person feel known correlates powerfully to their job satisfaction. In fact, Patrick Lencioni lists anonymity as one of the top indicators of a miserable job. Leaders dignify their people by studying their interests, learning about their families, and finding out their hobbies. Conscious of the power of connection, the best leaders refuse to be barricaded inside of an office, and they take responsibility for relating with others on a regular basis.

3) TEACHING
Gifted teachers have a way of making students out of disinterested bystanders. The best leaders have an infectious thirst for knowledge, and they take pride in cultivating knowledge of their craft and awareness of their industry. A leader's teaching ability depends upon ongoing personal growth. As Howard Hendricks said, "If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow."

4) DEVELOPING
The best leaders understand the differences between training people for tasks and developing people to be better leaders.

Training
Focus is on the job
Adds value to specific things
Helpful for a short time
Changes a performance

Developing
Focus is on the person
Adds value to everything
Helpful for a lifetime
Change the performer

The best leaders view their people as appreciable assets and prioritize investing in the talent on their teams.

5) MOTIVATING
After one of my presentations, an audience member approached me who was visibly indignant about my speech. "Why is motivation last on the list?" he demanded. "Well," I replied, "because if you listen, relate, teach, and develop your people, then they will be motivated!"

Sustained motivation comes by creating the right environment for your people and by doing the right things consistently to nurture them. Consider a flower. It cannot grow in the Arctic; it requires a climate conducive to growth. Yet, even in the right environment, the flower must be planted in hospitable soil, exposed to sunlight, watered, and freed of weeds.

REVIEW
The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People by...1. Growing 2. Serving 3. Modeling
The Best Leaders Get the Best From Their People by...1. Listening 2. Relating 3. Teaching 4. Developing 5. Motivating

Why The Best Leaders Are The Best Leaders

One of my favorite authors on leadership is John Maxwell. I recently received something from him that was very good so I thought I’d share it with you:

From 1996 to 2007, manager Joe Torre led the New York Yankees to the playoffs every year - winning an astounding 17 series in the post-season. Over those same 12 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not win a single playoff series. This past season, Torre departed New York to coach the Dodgers. The result? The Dodgers won their first post-season series in 20 years, while the Yankees missed the playoffs altogether. Ask Yankees and Dodgers fans, and they will tell you that Joe Torre's leadership matters. However, they may not be able to tell you exactly why Joe Torre is an excellent leader.

What's true of the fans in New York and Los Angeles is true for many of us. We experience the effects of leadership without understanding the cause. In this article, I hope to make plain why the best leaders are the best leaders. In a nutshell, remarkable leaders give their best to their people, and get the best from their people. Let's look at how this happens.

The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People By...

1) GROWING
People naturally follow leaders they respect as being more advanced than they are. For this reason, personal growth is directly proportional to influence. If you desire to gain followers, then pay the price of getting better.

To give people your best, you have to elevate your leadership capacity. Consider the metaphor of walking up a narrow staircase - you can only go as fast as the person in front of you. When leaders stop growing, they quit climbing and impede the progress of everyone following them. However, when leaders grow, they ascend the stairs and create space for those behind them to climb higher. Personal growth involves challenging yourself, and pushing beyond the realm of comfort. When is the last time you did something for the first time? How long has it been since you felt in over your head?

2) SERVING
"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."~ Albert Einstein

Serving others is an attitude issue. Unfortunately, many leaders operate under a king-of-the-hill mentality. They attempt to pull down anyone above them in order to secure the top spot for themselves. In doing so, they clutch at power, grapple for control of company resources, and strive to dominate others. Seeing relationships as win-lose propositions, they ultimately burn bridges and isolate themselves.

The best leaders take an entirely different approach. Rather than dragging down anyone who threatens their position, they extend a hand to lift the performance of teammates and coworkers. They function with a mindset of abundance as opposed to an attitude of scarcity, and they wield their influence to prop others up rather than to elevate themselves. Over time, they are honored for the contributions they have made to the lives around them.

All leaders serve. Sadly, some serve only themselves. Serving is a motives issue, and the crux of the matter boils down to a simple question: "Who?" Does a politician serve the public or his pocketbook? Does a CEO serve to benefit her shareholders or to support her lifestyle? The best leaders set a tone by serving and prove they are deserving of being out in front.

3) MODELING
Growing leaders have something to share; serving leaders have something to give; modeling leaders have something to show. As V.J. Featherstone said, "Leaders tell, but never teach, until they practice what they preach." The best leaders embody their values. Their passion exudes from every pore and demands respect.

Good stuff huh? Wednesday I will share with you the second half of this article which shows how the best leaders get the best from their people.

Quotes

I am a huge fan of great quotes. I have been collecting them for years and have several file folders filled with them. I'm not sure why, but I do.

I recently received a link to a short movie which shares some quotes from some of the great leaders of the past and I thought it would be appropriate to share since we just elected our next leaders in this country. May each of these new leaders learn from those in the past and share their wisdom as others have!

To watch the movie, click here and then click on the purple box. Enjoy!

A Peacock in the Land of Penguins

Have you ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, like you just don't belong somewhere? You probably have at some point in your life.

If you are a leader, you probably have people on your team or in your home who feel that way right now and it's possible it has to do with your leadership style.

Check out this short video that talks about accepting others for who they are and how by doing this you will be opening up the land of opportunity for them and for you. In fact, it says that the land of opportunity begins with openness to new ideas, a willingness to listen, an eagerness to learn, a desire to grow and the flexibility to change.

I hope you enjoy!

Corn Maze Leadership

Last night, my wife and I went to an event for small group leaders through our church. At the conclusion of dinner we went to a corn maze which was a first for me.

We split up into teams with the men on one team and the women on the other. The men were given a map and the women were not; however, they were given a five minute head start.

Even with the map, we got lost several times. Without a map I can see how you could spend a lot of time in there totally confused.

Well, even without a map, the women soundly beat us (I know that is not a surprise to many of you). But I discovered something interesting. Afterward, we discussed our experiences. The women seemed to bond and grow closer through this experience. Each of them experienced a chance to lead and they each found themselves trusting one another. They said they really felt like they were on the same team.

While we had a lot of laughs, our group did not really experience that. We spent most of our time following the guy with the map. As a result, we didn't bond as a group like the women did and we certainly didn't feel like teammates. Pretty interesting leadership illustration, huh?

As a leader, are you just charging ahead while looking at your map or are you getting everyone involved and building a team?

The Palin Factor

Unless you live in a cave somewhere, you probably know that Republican Presidential nominee John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate. This selection has totally changed the political landscape and has seen McCain make up a lot of ground in the poles and even moved him ahead of Democratic hopeful Barack Obama in many poles. In the case of McCain and Palin, it appears that 1 + 1 = 3.

The reason I bring this up is not to debate politics, but rather to point out a valuable leadership lesson. Whether you love him or whether you hate him, John McCain did something very smart. He selected someone who would complement him, someone who would provide strengths where he is weak.

It takes a leader who is sure of himself/herself to do this...someone who is secure in who they are. I have known many leaders who wanted to surround themselves only with people who agreed with them. This did nothing to help their organizations.

When you can surround yourself with people who don't agree with you all the time and people who are better than you in areas where you are not so strong, it will make you and your organization better. Synergy will take place and everyone wins.

Words To Lead By (And To Live By)

Some of you have probably heard me say that we are all leaders because we influence others daily. I totally believe this.

At my church, we are on a campaign to encourage people to sign up for the Willow Creek Leadership Summit which is what I consider to be the best of the best when it comes to leadership development programs. We know that anyone who attends this will come away deeply impacted and it will help them in their daily lives, no matter what they do for a living. I like to tell others that it is really a summit on how to lead your life.

I recently received this 3 minute video in an email. I wanted to share it because it reveals some incredible leadership principles and, much like the Leadership Summit, it does it in such a way that anyone who views it could benefit. I hope you enjoy! Click here for the video.

Staying on Top

On Friday I discussed the fact that it is hard to stay on top and some of the reasons for that according to John Maxwell.

Today, to conclude, here are some things John says we need to do to stay on top:

HOW TO STAY IN FIRST PLACE

To preserve their first place status, leaders should give extra attention to their passion, practices and people.

Passion
When passion fades, so does a leader's trustworthiness. Gallup conducted a poll in which passion ranked as the leading indicator of credibility within an organization. The results of the survey are hardly surprising. After all, if the leader isn't excited about the purpose of the organization, then why should he or she be trusted? On the flip side, when leaders passionately sacrifice, commit, and invest in their business, they earn the respect of followers and the good faith of constituents.

Passion creates energy. When a leader exudes joy and excitement, he or she magnetically pulls co-workers and customers into a shared vision. Passion is exceptionally strong when linked with a leader's values. When leaders demonstrate principled passion, they are able to appeal to the moral and emotional instincts of those around them.

Practices
Leaders don't rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits. Healthy habits, practiced consistently over time, will always reap dividends. On the contrary, occasional compromises of values eventually snowball into poor decisions with negative consequences. To keep hold on number one, a leader has to make every day a masterpiece.

People
The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people. When finding themselves in first place, leaders recognize they are indebted to the ingenuity and talent of those they lead. To stay in first place, leaders have to hand out credit and shine the spotlight on the contributors all around them.

Bad Boss Blues

This is comical and sad at the same time. Did you hear this? The state of Connecticut wants to make it illegal to be a bad boss. That's right. If you are a boss that bullies, you would be breaking the law.

This is comical for obvious reasons. It is sad because lawmakers even need to consider this. This type of behavior is very prevalent. I can attest to it (you can read more about my experience in my book, Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders).

This is an excerpt from Hartford Business:

The Senate Democrats have reintroduced an “anti-bullying” bill this legislative session – SB 60 – that would make it illegal for bosses to bully their workers.

On the face of the proposal, it makes sense that bosses should not be allowed to abuse their workers, create a hostile and unpleasant work environment or one that causes physical or psychological harm to an employee.

There are bosses who scream and embarrass. There are bosses who e-mail subordinates at 2 a.m., sending angry communications with the letters all in caps and bolded in a scarlet red typeface.

There are bitter bosses who are angry at the world, unhappy with their own lives, and wrongfully take it out on their staff.

They denigrate their subordinates and inform them of all their faults – real or imagined – in front of an office filled with colleagues.

Bullies can ruin a day on the playground. They can ruin a day at work. That never changes. And of course, it shouldn’t be allowed.

Good places to work do not tolerate such behavior by staff or managers. It lowers morale, increases turnover and, consequently, hurts the bottom line.

However, to make bullying illegal in the workplace requires a definition that is not subject to perception.

Before laughing too hard at this, maybe we need to remove the plank from our own eyes (Matthew 7:3-5) and be the leaders God made us to be.

One Bite at a Time

Yesterday I met with three other guys who each have their own business. We meet once per month as what we call a "Mastermind Group." This term comes form Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich and involves like minded people coming together to make each other better.

Yesterday was my day to be on the "hot seat." The hot seat participant is to discuss the issues he is having in his business and to solicit ideas and feedback from the others. It is always very helpful.

During our meeting I presented some information about my Bleedership business/ministry and I received a lot of constructive ideas. On my way back to my office afterward, my head was spinning. I was really in angst about all of these ideas. I felt like I needed to implement them all right now, yet I didn't (and still don't) feel I had the time to do it. This feeling followed me for the rest of the day.

This morning I was thinking about that and how that really applies to me, and to all of us whenever we realize we need to make a change in our lives. We may feel like it is too difficult or will take too much time so we may never do it.

However, I believe God is telling me not to stress about it and to do what I can today and eventually it will be done. True for all of us!

I have heard it said that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Teamwork

Is your team ready to take off and reach new levels of success? If you are the leader, the answer to that question will be "yes" only if you are ready.

This short video will give you some great things to think about along these lines. I hope it blesses you in some way!

Compassion

As you know, I coach my son's 5th and 6th graded basketball team through our local YMCA. This is a travel league, where we play games at other Y's throughout our area. We are not very good and we get beat more than a drum.

Saturday was our last regular season game as our tournament begins tomorrow night. Once again, we were shellacked by a score that was something like 46-5. It seems that in every game we are totally out-classed when it comes to basketball ability and talent (and coaching skills too!). This can be somewhat demoralizing when it continually happens.

At the end of our game, a cool thing happened. The opposing coach came up to me and said, "You tell your team to keep their head up. Tell them we have played together as a team for two years and we are currently playing in three leagues. Tell them they are going to be fine."

A very classy and compassionate thing for him to say.

I passed this on to our team and I think it helped. I know I was encouraged.

He didn't need to say what he said. But he chose to be bigger than his ego. He chose to use the opportunity to build others up by showing compassion and understanding. A terrific example!