Presidents’ Day

As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, I find myself thinking about the role of the President as a leader. The President of the United States is not only the official head of our nation and commander-in-chief of our military, but is also often called the leader of the free world. These titles carry immense responsibility and power, but a title alone does not make someone a great leader.

True leadership is not merely about holding an esteemed position or title. It is about vision, integrity, and the ability to inspire, influence and guide others. History has shown us that while some presidents, regardless of political affiliation, have exemplified remarkable leadership, others have struggled to move beyond their title. Leadership is not defined by status but by action, character, and the impact one has on others.

Remember that great leaders exist both within and beyond positions of power. Leadership is not about the title. It’s about the ability to lead with wisdom, purpose and clarity.

Happy Presidents’ Day!

Communicating

 

If you follow the MMM you know I have written a lot on listening. Focused and intentional listening is powerful. But let’s look at the other aspect of communication. That is the role of the communicator. Communication is a two-way street between the communicator and the listener. The real burden is on the communicator. They are the ones delivering a message. They are the ones trying to make a point. It is their job to successfully convey their intended message. All the great listening in the world cannot overcome a poorly delivered concept or idea.

The next time you feel the urge to say, “Would you just listen to what I am saying?”, consider pausing and reviewing your delivery as the communicator. The burden is on the sender of the message. 

Have a blessed week.

Presidents' Day

 

As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, I found myself thinking about the role of the President as a leader.  The President of the United States is the official leader of our country and the ultimate leader of our military.  He is also referred to as the leader of the free world.  Those roles are true and fitting.  By his elected position, responsibilities and power that come with the position, he is a leader by title.  However, holding a position in title does not make one a great leader of people.  Regardless of your political affiliation, I think that most will agree that we have had presidents from both parties who were in fact great leaders.  Furthermore, we have had even more who were leaders in title and never mastered the art of truly leading people. 

 

Happy Presidents’ Day. Enjoy the quote below…

  

“Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.”

-       George Washington

Fill in the Blank!

I am a good ______________.

What comes to mind when you consider how to complete the above sentence?  Are your first thoughts about your career?  Maybe, they are about a hobby or a sport.  I believe that we are all basically good.  It is important for us to remind ourselves of that, and to remind ourselves to strive to be good in the different roles in our life.  What if you had to complete the sentence and it could not be about your profession, a sport or hobby?  Think introspectively about yourself as a person.  What about things like friend, listener, and advocate?   Or what about family roles like parent, daughter or sibling?  What does it mean to you to be good in these roles?  What about just using the word person?

Think about it.  Fill in the blank about yourself and strive to live out that statement!

Sixteen Years of the MMM!

The Monday Morning Minute was born sixteen years ago this week.  It began as an encouraging internal communication at Fleetwood Retail Corp. Since then it has grown into a widely distributed blog with the goal of starting your week with a challenging or encouraging thought.  People need a jump start on Monday morning to get back into work mode.  We all need a reminder about our leadership roles as we begin each week.  More importantly, we must continuously learn and grow.

 Some of you have been along for the ride from the very beginning, others have joined more recently.  Many of you I know, some of you I do not.  Whatever the case, I hope you get a little something from my shared thoughts each Monday morning. 

Why do we wait?

Why do we wait until people grow old, or even die, before acknowledging and praising them?  Why do we let those who have positively impacted our lives walk around without knowing what they mean to us?  What don’t we tell people when they play a role in making us who we are?  We may not all get that chance, and we should not wait.  Obituaries are a great place for tributes, but they come too late.  No time is better than the present to share with others how they have impacted your life. 

Thank people who have given you good advice.  Praise those who teach you life lessons.  Tell people you appreciate their honesty and integrity.   Let friends and family know what makes them special to you.  Share your appreciation with people who listen and mentor you.  Verbalize your love for others.  Don’t wait another day…let people know the impact that they have had on your life. 

We are all Leaders…

We are all leaders.  We lead by our actions and reactions.  We lead with the tone of our voice and our level of caring.  We lead by our attitude, our patience and our listening skills.  Don’t think you are not a leader.  No title is required to lead.  You lead at home, in your neighborhood, in the PTO and at the youth sports fields.  The questions is... Is your leadership intentional, positive, encouraging and challenging?

Do you embrace your leadership role?  Are you intentional in how you lead?  Do you recognize your ability to influence others, both positively and negatively?  Are you growing as a leader?

The fact that we are all leaders is a given, we have the ability to influence others.  What you do with that influence is what defines you as a leader…

Praise

Never underestimate the power of praise.  I have wrote before about making sure that praise is given in public.  More importantly, make sure that praise is given period.  It is a huge motivator for people.  For many it can be more powerful than money or advancement.  There is just something warm and positive about being recognized for a job well done.  For managers it may even make sense to combine both praise and constructive feedback in the same conversation.  It can lessen the impact of the negative and help provide motivation for improvement.  This is not just about your role at work.  It applies to home life and as well as any volunteers roles you may have.  You do not want to be known only as a negative critic.  The bottom line is that praise should be a daily part of a good leader’s routine.  Consider this quote…

“I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort, under a spirit of approval than a spirit of criticism.”

-       Charles Schwab

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving week!  It is the time we designate each year to give thanks, to be grateful for all that we have.  Shouldn’t we be doing that all the time?  I had a conversation just last week with some friends about the things we take for granted, food and shelter, hot running water, a coat to wear when it cools down.  If you are reading this, you are likely blessed well beyond most people on this planet.  Be thankful for that!  Be thankful for that all year long!

These days there seems to be a lot written about gratitude, and the role that it plays in a positive outlook and happiness.  Expressing your thanks can really improve your overall sense of well-being.  Studies show that grateful people are more agreeable, more open, and less neurotic.  There are many ways to remind ourselves of our blessings and encourage gratitude.  I know people who maintain a gratitude journal.  Another friend recently reached a milestone birthday and created a list equal to his age of things he is thankful for.  Don’t take your blessings for granted, Willie Nelson doesn’t.

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."

-       Willie Nelson

Be intentional about your gratitude.  You will feel better, I promise. 

Leadership

We are all leaders.  In some role, somewhere, each of us is a leader.  It may be at home with our family and/or kids.  Possibly it is in a community or volunteer role.  Perhaps it is at our church or in our neighborhood.  It is certainly at work where leadership roles can be both formal by title, and informal by influence.  For many people, it is in most, if not all of these roles all at one time.   We are all leaders.  No matter the nature or significance of the leadership role it comes with responsibility.  Leaders have the opportunity to change, impact and influence people and the world around them.  Young children learn from the leadership of their parents; corporate managers learn from their CEO’s and there hundreds of examples in between.   The fact is, leadership opportunities surround us daily.  Do not take your leadership opportunity lightly.  It is the opportunity to literally change the outcome of the world around you. 

I will take the next few weeks and spend some time on the topic of leadership which is the fundamental purpose of the MMM.

Who am I?

Ten years ago this week I lost my father here on earth.  This MMM is a repeat of the one originally issued 07.02.07.  I will repeat it annually near the anniversary of my father’s passing as long as I write the MMM. This year it just so happens that yesterday was Father’s Day.  If you have not done so already, spend time with your father, hug him, call him, listen to his stories, tell him you love him, and call him again.  If you are a dad, be a good one, understand the importance of your role, love greatly and be present for your kids and family.  

Who am I?

I lost my dad way too early,

Who am I to doubt it was part of God’s plan?

His mother lived to age 98, why couldn’t he?

Who am I to question God’s timing?

He loved my mom and all of us so dearly,

Who am I to ask God why we don’t have him anymore?

He was married for 50 years, had nine grandchildren and a great grandchild,

Who am I to not thank God for the time we did have?

He had wood to carve, golf to play and trips to take,

Who am I to ask God why not?

He was kind, loved and respected,

Who am I to ask God why him?

For his disease there were no more options,

Who am I to ask God why no cure?

There were things I had not done or said,

Who am I to ask God for more time with him?

I never heard a bad word spoken towards him,

Who am I to ask God why not someone else?

He deserved so much more,

Who am I to question that God knows what he truly deserved?

I lost my dad far too soon,

Who am I to question God’s plan?

Barry D. Blanton

In loving memory of Don Blanton

January 6, 1935 – June 23, 2007