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What do you look for when you are hiring a new member of the organization, skill? experience? personality? education?
Yes, a good candidate more likely than not, will have all of those attributes. So, what is the deciding factor? Can this new person be trusted and depended upon? Trusted to… -> Show up, being present in the productive moments of each day. -> Be vigilant, paying attention to the details that matter. -> Focus on each small step leading to the bigger goal. -> Work to the benefit of all involved, making the organization a better place. It looks like the best candidate would have the same qualities you would look for in a potential spouse. Yes, wise leaders with an eye to grow the organization for the benefit of all the stakeholders, surround themselves with the people who possess the same attributes as a man should seek in a wife. Sol says… “'She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. ~ Proverbs 31:12 Doesn’t that sound like the kind of person you want working with you? Make it a great day and keep being awesome.
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Is your organization one built on trust, where everyone performs in a culture of valuing each other and each other’s role in achieving the universal objectives without personal competition or envy?
Getting ahead on merit is commendable and should be a major influence in one’s career. However, seeking to get ahead by an attempt to gain the leader’s eye through the process of maligning another is not a good strategy and demonstrates untrustworthiness. This happened when an above average performing manager maligned an exceptionally high performing manager to me. Apparently, he hadn’t read or understood the meaning when Sol says… “Don’t slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.” ~ Proverbs 30:10 Resolving the issue demanded a deep dive into the motivations of the gossiper as well as a review of all that he could be doing better, placing a spotlight on himself for scrutiny rather than the glory he was seeking. Selfish ambition is like a cancer in a team. Treat it and remove it if necessary for the good of the whole body. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Have you heard the aphorism, “Action speaks louder than words?”
Earlier in the week we learned that you can’t do a good deal with a bad person. The best way to identify trustworthy people is to compare their words to their actions. The great Zig Ziglar, when teaching his Sunday school class would often say, “There is no such thing as a Sunday Christian. You can’t be one thing on Sunday and something different the rest of the week.” A leader’s daily actions reveal the kind of person who is out front and the decisions they make. Can they be trusted or are they as the saying goes, “They’re an empty suit?” Sol says… “As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.” ~ Proverbs 27:19 What degree of integrity and trustworthiness do your actions reveal? Take inventory, then make it a great day and keep being awesome. Have you ever worked with or been around a “know-it-all?”
I believe we all have at one time or another. As a leader of an organization within a corporation, I often inherited know-it-alls who were completely set in their ways, be they good ways or not so good ways. They may be part of your organization or company, or they may even be customers. As leaders, you will come across two types of people in your career. -> Those who seek to know more, become more, and contribute more, and -> Those who already know more than anyone about anything and often, everything. Sol says… “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” ~ Proverbs 26:12 When building and leading your respective organizations, be sure to look for those… -> hungry to learn, -> who fit your organization’s culture, especially when that culture emphasizes lifelong learning, -> who have similar purpose as that of your organization, rather than someone with experience and appears to know-it-all. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. A chapter in Stephen R. Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People titled, “Seek First to Understand, then to Be Understood,” is dedicated to the principles of empathic communication.
The first century teacher, James taught, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” Two high performance teachers over 1,900 years apart, teaching the same thing. Do you think there just might be a message there? The best leaders recognize that the outcomes they seek are the results of effective communication which understands the… -> Purpose for the communication. -> Timing of the message. -> Audience for whom the message is intended. Sol says… “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” ~ Proverbs 25:11 Begin today to keep your communication effective. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Yesterday, we demonstrated the foolishness of thinking you can make a good deal with a bad person.
How did that bad person get into your circle of influence in the first place? Jim Rohn often reminded his audiences that “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” As a leader, surrounding yourself with the kind of people who are ethical, moral, and full of integrity reduces the chances of someone driven to make a deal good for them and bad for you from being introduced to you in the first place. Unless… Unless that bad person who was focused on a one-way deal was introduced to you by someone in your circle of five, indicating that someone in your inner group is not as reputable as you thought, indicating you have some weeding to do. Sol says… “Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company.“ ~ Proverbs 24:1 Remembering what your momma told you about a bad piece of fruit destroying the whole basket, focus on surrounding yourself with people who meet the criteria for a good partner, business or personal, that bring you trust and peace. When you do, you will make it a great day and keep being awesome. Zig Ziglar said, “You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.”
How do you know whether the person with whom you are dealing is a good person? Good leaders look for good people with whom to associate and spend time in order to become a better person for their families, their companies, and themselves. The key to knowing if an associate is a good person is whether or not they work with you to develop a mutually beneficial know, like, and trust relationship. Think about your closest friend. How did that person become your closest friend? The answer is simple! -> You spent time with them. -> While spending that time, you learned about how they think, act, live. -> Once you learned to like them, trust was developed and built. Learning if someone is a good person is determined through time spent with them, observing them, listening to them, and seeing how they treat others, as those activities reveal what is in their hearts and what they value. Sol says… “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” ~ Proverbs 23:7 As a leader, think about what you demonstrate is in your heart by the way you think, act, and treat others. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Have you ever been involved in an operation where a significant challenge, requiring detailed planning was in front of you?
Did you handle it alone? I hope not. While leading a significant business operation in Dallas, TX, we were awarded the privilege to be the sole social expressions supplier to a retail chain of over 200 drug stores with locations in North Texas and Oklahoma. The challenge our teams faced was to remove the competitor’s displays and products and install ours with as little disruption to store activities as possible and do so within eight weeks. Yes, that is an average of 30 plus or minus stores per week across a land mass of hundreds of miles. Our first question was, “How the heck are we going to do that?” As the leader, I was responsible for successfully completing the project, even though I was not involved store changeovers. My first step in preparing and submitting the plan to the internal support organizations was to gain counsel from the experts who regularly conducted changeovers. Because of their counsel in the planning process, we were able to offset any doubts that the project was too aggressive to be done as requested. Sol says… ”Plans are established by seeking advice.” ~ Proverbs 20:18 Because of the insights and planning provided, the project was completed two weeks early, endearing us to our customer. Keep seeking wise counsel and you will make it a great day and keep being awesome. Who do you know who has all the answers?
Good leaders know that no one person has all the answers but with enough wise insights for direction from wise teachers, you can learn the principles to apply to all your questions. This brings to memory a bright and energetic manager who reported to me. While he wanted to move up in leadership positions, he only sought answers to his immediate questions rather than direction to learn principle-based solutions. Even though I had answers for his specific question, I sent him on a path for locating and determining the best use of the appropriate information to provide the best solution to the issue confronting him. My motivation was to provide the opportunity for him to learn the principles leading to long lasting solutions rather than cookie cutter activities. Unfortunately, rather than a desire for learning the principles of leadership that would enhance his career, he sought answers only to short term issues that might or might not be applicable in the future, resulting in a stalled career. Sol says… “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days” ~ Proverbs 19:20 You see, it is not about now. As a leader, seek wise counsel that provides the time-tested principles to enhance your learning and development. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. |
AuthorBrian Kennedy is an encourager who shepherds small business owners and entrepreneurs along the path of business success to preeminence by embracing time tested principles and executing the associated fundamentals daily. Archives
August 2023
Leadership
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