Leadership

We do not have to be right. We must get to the right place. 

Think about it. As leaders, we should be striving to get to the right place, not just to be right. There is a right place or solution in all situations, one that serves the organization’s best interests, supports long-term success, and benefits the team. How often do we find ourselves fighting to be right? We often want to be “The” author of the solution. Our being right is not what matters. Finding the right answer is the key to getting to the right.

People

 

The world is comprised of three types of people…

 

1. Those who make things happen.
2. Those who watch and/or follow what happens.
3. Those who ask what happened.

 

Hopefully we are not always #3!  However, in certain aspects of our life, we likely are the ones who ask, “what happened?”. It is hard to be #1 or #2 regarding every area of our lives, much less to be #1 all the time.  To me the key is which one of these are we regarding things that really matter?  For instance, family, marriage, faith, parenting, or whatever may be of absolute importance to us. What are we in those roles?  It is okay to be #3 about entertainment, sports, fashion, or even current events.  It is not okay to be #3 regarding things of significance. 

 

When it comes to the things that really matter, we all should strive to be one of those who make things happen!

Consistency

 

When asked what I consider to be key characteristics of great leadership I always include consistency. It is essential that followers perceive their leaders to be consistent, stable, and dependable. Inconsistency breeds confusion and can distort the direction of teams. Consistency is a great attribute. It is a trait of great leaders, a characteristic of good parents and a virtue of loyal friends. Being consistent means, you can be depended upon. It means you have a foundation of unchanging beliefs.  Consistency implies stability. It does not have to mean that you are boring or lack spontaneity. It means that when facing a common set of circumstances, you generally respond the same way every time.  It is especially important as a leader.  If people never know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything. You don’t want your followers to stop expecting anything.

 

Be consistent. Consistency builds loyal followers, strong companies, and stable families.

Leadership

Many of you know that leadership is one of my favorite discussion topics.  Here is another interesting quote regarding the challenge of leadership.

He who thinks he leads but has no followers is only taking a walk.

That statement places leadership in a little different perspective to me.  Leadership is not leadership without followers.  What is a leader without followers?  Well, they likely are not a leader at all.  In our different leadership roles, we should think about “Being a person that others will want to follow.”   We are not leaders in all the roles in our lives, we are followers in some and leaders in others.  The key is that when we are in our leadership roles to not forget the viewpoint of the follower.  I don’t know about you, but I would like to think that I am here for more than just a walk!

Vision

My son grew up playing in-line roller hockey.  When he was young, and I was helping coach his team, it was hard to get kids to understand that by the time they got to the puck it will have moved.  The key is to skate to where the puck is going to be!

Have Vision.  Anticipate!  Vision is a key to leadership.  Good leaders can see and anticipate where the puck is headed.  Having vision means seeing the big picture, anticipating the future, planning ahead.  Vision is not easy; consider some of these failures to anticipate the future….

 “Groups with Guitars are on their way out.”

                    Decca Records, turning down the Beatles, 1962

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”

                    Ken Olson, President Digital Corporation 1977

“I don’t need bodyguards.”

                    Jimmy Hoffa – One month before his disappearance

We may not miss out on foresight of such magnitude as these examples, but we need to try and see around the corner.  On a daily basis try to anticipate problems, foresee the implication of choices, and think ahead about the impact of changes in the world around you. 

 Have vision…Skate to where the puck is going to be.

How do you define success?

Success is defined by each of us in different ways.  It should be a very personal definition, not shaped by others' opinions, the media or society.  It should include components of faith, family and helping those around us.  Success should be viewed as a journey and not a specific destination. It likely changes over time and with age It does not have to include financial or materialistic goals, although it may.  Success is simply a recipe for contentment.  What is your definition of success?  Below are a few good keys in my mind...

• Be comfortable with who you are
• Leave the world a better place
• Be a positive influence
• Tell the truth
• Get mad but don't be stupid
• Be a giver not a taker
• Seek God
• Be kind
• Have and accept grace
• Be humble

There is no key to happiness, but the door is always open…

We live in a fast paced world, especially in this country.  To go along with that pace we tend to be a bit impatient.  We expect quick service, easy answers, and immediate solutions.  We believe, happiness should be constant and easy.  We look for a pill or a doctor to fix our woes.  We seek diets or lifestyles that will improve our health and state of mind.  We grab onto fads and trends to make us feel good about ourselves.   It seems to be all about finding the easy answer, the key to happiness.

There is no “key” to happiness.  There is no one thing that will make you happy and keep you happy.  Life is comprised of challenges and struggles.  I do not believe that we were meant to be happy all the time, but we can be happier by choice.  We can be more positive by choice.  We can live a better life by choice.  It takes a little determination and hard work.  It is not a quick fix.  There are certain things that can help us be happy in life; faith, family and health. However, each of those have challenges as well.  Happiness is a process, a door to walk thru again and again every day. Happiness is a choice to make.

Stop looking for a key to happiness and walk thru the door, by choice, each and every day! 

Trust

Once there was an Army sergeant and a private who were doing survival training in the Rocky Mountains.  As they made their way through the woods, suddenly they encountered a really big, really angry, grizzly bear.  The bear was focused on attacking them!  Quickly the sergeant sat down, ripped off his heavy hiking boots, removed some running shoes from his backpack and put them on, as he was hurriedly lacing them up, the private stood there watching.  "Excuse me, sir," he said.  "Do you really think you're going to be able to out run that bear?"  "Well, private, I don't have to out run the bear," replied the sergeant."  "I only have to out run you."

If there had ever been any trust in that relationship it was gone in an instant!  Trust is critical in relationships.  Employee and employer relationships require it.  Husband and wife relationships are built on it.  Parent and child relationships strive for it.  Trust is a foundational element of successful relationships.

Trust is earned through patient investment and long association in a relationship. However, it can be destroyed in an instant.  We destroy trust in all sorts of ways...

·         By not doing what we said we would do

·         By not saying what's really on our minds

·         By asking for input when it's obvious we've already made up our minds

·         By making up an answer rather than admitting that we don't know

·         By allowing our actions to be inconsistent with our words

Don’t destroy the trust you have established, it is difficult to re-build; strive to develop trust that you may not have yet attained, it is key in relationships.  Trust is what other people invest in you, based on your integrity.  Trust is their absolute confidence that you are truthful and reliable. 

Leadership is a Process

The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet must talk 

the language of the visionary and the idealist.
--Eric Hoffer        

I do not know Eric Hoffer, but in this quote he has nailed one of the key challenges of leadership.  Good leaders must be able to relate to all types of people and personalities.  Good leaders are capable of thinking and communicating in styles other than their natural personalities.  I consider myself a very practical and pragmatic leader.  That makes it my challenge to relate to visionaries and non-detail people.  In order to be a good leader I must be able to understand people who think and see the world differently than I do.  Great leaders adapt their style.  Static leaders become non-leaders.  What are you doing to adjust your leadership style to situations and personalities?

Integrity

The MMM has on more than one occasion focused on the importance of integrity.  Reputations and relationships rise and fall based on integrity or the lack of it.  I have tried to live a life where integrity is not only important to me, but is also clearly visible to others.  I think it is one of the greatest keys to leadership, not to mention one of the finest qualities we can pass on to our children.

In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities:
integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have
the first, the other two will kill you.
--Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet sums it up nicely, but I would not limit it to people I hire.  I look for integrity in people that I develop relationships with in all aspects of my life.  So many great qualities are found where there is a solid base of integrity.

Happiness

There is no key to happiness.  The door is always open.

We live in a fast paced world, especially here in The United States.  To go along with that pace we tend to be a bit impatient.  We expect quick service, easy answers, and immediate solutions.  Happiness, we believe, should be constant and easy.  We look for a pill or a therapist to fix our woes.  We look for diets or lifestyles that will improve our health and state of mind.  We look for fads and trends to make us feel good about ourselves.   It seems to be all about finding the easy answer, the key to happiness.

There is no “key” to happiness.  There is no one thing that will make you happy and keep you that way.  Life is comprised of challenges and struggles.  I do not even believe that we were meant to be happy all the time, however we can be happier by choice.  We can be more positive by choice.  We can live a better life by choice.  It takes a little determination and hard work, not a quick fix.  Certain things can help us be happy, faith, family and health among those things, however those have challenges too.  Happiness is a process, a door to walk thru again and again every day, a choice to make.

Stop looking for a key to happiness and walk thru the door, by choice, each and every day! 

Three Kinds of People

Most people have heard the old saying about the world being comprised of three types of people…

• Those who make things happen.
• Those who watch and/or follow what happens.
• Those who ask what happened.

Hopefully we are not always #3!  But, in certain aspects of our life, we likely are the one who asks “what happened?”  It’s just hard to always be #1 regarding every aspect of our lives.  To me the key is which one of the above are we regarding what really matters?  When it comes to family, marriage, faith, parenting, or whatever may be of absolute importance to us, what are we then?  It is okay to be #3 about entertainment or fashion maybe even current events.  It is not okay to be #3 on things of significance.  When it comes to the things that really matter we need to strive to be one of those who make things happen!

Make something happen this week!

Integrity

The MMM has on more than one occasion focused on the leadership quality of integrity.  Reputations and relationships rise and fall based on integrity or the lack of it.  I try to live a life where integrity is not only important to me, but is also clearly visible to others.  I think it is one of the greatest keys to leadership, not to mention one of the finest qualities we can pass on as parents.

In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities:
integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have
the first, the other two will kill you.
--Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet sums it up nicely but I would not limit it to employees.  I look for integrity in people that I develop relationships with in all aspects of my life.  So many great qualities are found where there is a solid base of integrity.