From whom do you seek information to help you perform better?
The people to whom you listen and whose behavior you model can make or break you in your leadership journey. When thinking about the economy, do you listen to economic “experts” tell you how economic indicators will affect you, so you should do certain things, or do you listen to economic experts who teach you how to read and interpret the indicators in order to respond with positive actions that are right for you? Zig Ziglar often said, “I read the Bible and the newspaper each morning so I know what both sides are up to,” as he encouraged us to think about the people to whom we listen. Sol says… “Stay away from a foolish person; you will gain no knowledge from his speech.” ~ Proverbs 14:7 Good leaders invest time in learning about those who may influence them before spending time with them. Make it a great day and keep being awesome.
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How do you feel when someone says, “Great job!” or “I know you will handle this well,” or even, “Your insights are important to me,”?
Those words coming from someone you look up to as your leader have the power to make you feel pretty darn good, maybe even important. Mary Kay Ash often shared her philosophy of how to treat others by saying, “Each person you meet has an invisible sign hanging around their neck saying, 'Please make me feel important.'" How do you make those you lead to feel important? -> Exhorting others to strong performance by showing them your confidence in them leads to their own self-confidence. -> Showing gratitude for good performance, good ideas, good leadership habits build up those you lead who will then build others up. -> Performing acts of leadership that are consistent with your words of leadership, build trust among those you lead and create an achievement zone. Sol says… “From the fruit of his mouth, a person will enjoy good things.” ~ Proverbs 13:2 Strengthen your leadership today by engaging in language that encourages others to perform at the highest levels and show gratitude publicly when they do. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Have you ever been to a meeting where one of the attendees contributed less often than others yet was known as “the guy who doesn’t say much, but when he does, pay attention?”
King Solomon was known to have said, “'For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” and then goes on to say, “a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.” Effective leaders understand those principles as well as knowing that the words they speak have meaning to all who hear them, and that meaning must be: -> Clear to be readily understood by each receiver, -> Concise to leave little doubt about the -> Call to Action that each receiver is to execute in a timely manner, and -> Consistent in pattern and tone with other messages. Sol says… “the one who controls his lips is prudent.” ~ Proverbs 10:19 Choose your words and when to speak them with care, knowing that your words have meaning. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. As a leader, do you seek to be liked or respected?
Too many in leadership positions mistake their popularity among the members of the organization as a sign of good leadership. If that is you, know now that while popularity among those you lead may be a benefit of good leadership, it is not the best sign of being a good leader. One of the greatest leaders in sports history, the great Bill Russell, who led his Boston Celtics teams to 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons often shared his philosophy that he “would rather be respected than liked.” While he sought respect, he was also liked by those who understood his motives and desires to win through hard work and commitment rather than cheating, whining, or making excuses or blaming others. Those on his team knew that if he called them out for any reason, he was not acting superior to them, only fulfilling his commitment to excellence. Sol says… “Rebuke the wise, and he will love you.” ~ Proverbs 9:8 When those you lead know where you stand, they will respect and admire you, enjoying the benefits of the results you seek as a leader. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Wisdom.
What is it about wisdom that makes it so important that we search for it in those we seek out as leaders and in ourselves as leaders? Wisdom is something you can’t always define yet you know it when you see it, and that is generally in the process of decision making. Decision-making includes. -> listening to gain an understanding of the question, reminding me of Stephen R. Covey’s statement, “Seek first to understand before being understood,” -> an optimism that not only projects a positive willingness to face and solve a problem, but also encourages others that the problem will be solved with a positive outcome, -> experiences which feed the desire to achieve the best outcome, -> the intelligence to see all the possibilities, -> and emotional intelligence to encourage everyone involved that a rational, rather than an emotional response is forthcoming. Sol says… “Doesn’t wisdom call out? Doesn’t understanding make her voice heard?” ~ Proverbs 8:1 Listen for wisdom beckoning to you in each of the seven areas of your life to be the effective leader you were created to be. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Do you remain open to leadership lessons from both conventional and unconventional sources?
How about ants? Yes, ants can be a pest while simultaneously providing lessons in leadership. What? Sure, just watch them. -> Ants are self-motivated and industrious like entrepreneurs. -> Ants don’t have a boss yet are highly productive. Maybe working from home isn’t such a bad idea. -> Ants live and work in communities even though they don’t have a leader. -> Ants work hard and are diligent in achieving their work and goals. -> Ants invest effort now to benefit from the fruits of their labor in season. Sol says… “Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise.” ~ Proverbs 6:6 Remember, your lessons in leadership can come from unexpected sources when you remain open to learning something from just about anything. Make it a great day and keep being awesome. Whether you are in a position of leadership or a member of the product or service generation team, what is important to you?
Zig Ziglar said, “The only thing worse than training an employee and having them leave, is to not train them, and have them stay.” Do you lead an organization that fosters the learning and development of your people? While it is unfortunate that many refer to network marketing companies’ failure to foster the development of recruits, the sad thing is that many “traditional” businesses fail to invest in that training. Good leaders understand the responsibility to train and develop employees is theirs and that investing in them professionally and emotionally is important to organizational success. When I worked for an international corporation, I was amazed at the depth of the hiring process and the amount of training and development that went into me as a new hire, a philosophy practiced by every area of the company. The practice of investing in their people, and fostering a philosophy of caring about their success led to a strong “can do” culture in which people felt comfortable performing at their peak levels. The result? High performance and low turnover among highly productive employees. Sol says… “Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!” ~ Proverbs 3:3 Make it a great day and keep being awesome. In his training sessions, Jim Rohn often asked, “When should you start building the house? Answer: As soon as you have it finished.”
How can you start if you’ve finished? The same way you put a jigsaw puzzle together, using the vision on the box as a guide. The same is true about becoming a leader in business. Before you start the trip, you have to know where you are going and what it looks like, which is typically why you want to go in the first place. Having been a basketball player, I look at running a business the way coaches prepare their teams for games. -> They envision the victory long before they begin practicing for that game. -> They share the vision of the victory with the team so they too can see it, feel it, and enjoy it. -> They prepare by developing a game plan to guide the team to the vision, and help them keep focused on the prize. -> They coach and encourage their players through the highs and lows of the game, keeping the desired outcome the purpose. Business leaders, like basketball coaches, spend a great deal of their time learning from the best in the business and seek out mentors to facilitate their growth for the benefit of making timely and wise decisions, and learning and understanding the wisest practices of the profession. Be sure to follow your mentor’s advice and when Sol says to… “call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,“ ~ Proverbs 2:3 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
March 2024
Leadership
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Brian Kennedy
123 Longleaf Drive Mooresville, NC 28117 214.906.8517 |