14 Leadership Traits

Church Leadership 101

“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”

“Leadership is influence. It is controlling the flow vice going with the flow”

“He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk”

Notes: Whats a church leader? Read page X and 25 in developing.

What Makes people want to follow a leader? Why do people reluctantly comply with one leader while passionately following another to the ends of the earth? What separates leadership theorists from successful leaders who lead effectively in the real world? The answer lies in the character qualities of the individual person. Everyone within our church is a potential leader. Some examples of leaders within our church are the Pastor, Elders, and the Deacons. They provide some of the most direct and personal leadership found anywhere. People expect church leaders to have their best interest in mind, which is why they open up. I have put this class together to give you the information to help recognize, develop, and refine the personal characteristics needed to be a truly effective leader; the kind people want to follow. You must understand that becoming a leader takes time. The law of process says that leadership develops daily, not in a day. No one is a “born leader”. You don’t inherit the ability to lead. You become a leader through hard work, skill, and a stern sense of duty. Part of a leaders ability comes from learning the traits and principles of leadership. For those are the tools that teach how leadership works. But understanding leadership and actually doing it are two different activities. We will study each character quality in this classroom and practice it all week. Here is how we will study the principles and character traits that we are going to discuss in our class. Each week we will read about a different characteristic or principle. As you work, take a look at yourself and ask…How am I doing with this leadership trait? Watch the people in your office or at church to see whether they practice it. Measure your whole company or area of responsibility at church against it, observing, assessing, reflecting. I bet it will be an eye opener… Your leadership should be developed from the inside out, right from the heart. Remember that leaders are effective because of what they are on the inside—in the qualities that make them up as people. In order to get to the highest level of leadership, people have to develop these traits from the inside out. I want to encourage you to live with these traits and principles for a while. Read them….and then give it some time. Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you, and when that happens, you’ll be able to tackle anything in this world. The traits and principles we are going to discuss are the tools needed to become a leader. They should be used to develop your skills in leadership. One good rule of thumb in your studies is to set out to acquire those traits that you might lack. You improve those you already have, and you make the most of those in which you are strong. Work on them. Balance them off, and your well on your way to becoming a church leader. Always remember the hard work and desire of developing into a leader is up to you! Something to think about… Have you ever looked at the church membership roster and compared it that to those who are actually in attendance at a typical Sunday morning service? It’s probably safe to say that the majority of those missing are not in attendance because we are not doing our job of leading them. We are not as involved in their lives as we could be. We must renew the connection with them and hold on to it. Put yourself in their shoes and think of how they might feel or what they might be looking for. In the business world, 99% of employees want to do a good job. How they perform is simply a reflection of the one for whom they work. “Lead the congregation and the church will grow. Lead church leaders and the church will multiply” Books used in this study: The Holy Bible, 21 Indispensable qualities of a Leader (John C. Maxwell), Developing the Leader within you (John C. Maxwell), The 7 habits of highly effective people (Stephen R. Covey) Order of study: 1. Servanthood 11. Competence & Dependability 2. Enthusiasm / Passion 12. Generosity & Unselfishness 3. Focus 13. Security 4. Bearing / Self discipline 14. Discernment / Judgment 5. Knowledge / Teachability 15. Problem Solving / Justice 6. Listening 16. Relationships / Loyalty 7. Communication & Tact 17. Responsibility 8. Character/Integrity 18. Initiative 9. Positive Attitude 19. Courage 10. Charisma 20. Commitment/Endurance 21. Vision Servanthood John 15:15 15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These things I command you, that ye love one another. TO GET AHEAD, PUT OTHERS FIRST. The true leader serves. Serves people. Serves their best interests, and in so doing will not always be popular, may not always impress. But because true leaders are motivated by loving concern rather than a desire for personal glory, they are willing to pay the price. -Eugene B. Habecker, Author You've got to love your people more than, your position. -John C. Maxwell · When you think of servanthood, do you envision it as an activity performed by relatively low-skilled people at the bottom of the positional totem pole? If you do, you have a wrong impression. Servanthood is not about position or skill. It's about attitude. You have undoubtedly met people in service positions who have poor attitudes toward servanthood: the rude worker at the government agency, the waiter who can't be bothered with taking your order, the store clerk who talks on the phone with a friend instead of helping you. Just as you can sense when a worker doesn't want to help people, you can just as easily detect whether a leader has a servant's heart. And the truth is that the best leaders desire to serve others, not themselves. What does it mean to embody the quality of servanthood? A true servant leader: 1. Puts Others Ahead of His Own Agenda The first mark of servanthood is the ability to put others ahead of yourself and your personal desires. It is more than being willing to put your agenda on hold. It means intentionally being aware of your people's needs, available to help them, and able to accept their desires as important. 2. Possesses the Confidence to Serve The real heart of servanthood is security. Show me someone who thinks he is too important to serve, and I'll show you someone who is basically insecure. How we treat others is really a reflection of how we think about ourselves. Philosopher-poet Eric Hoffer captured that thought: The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves; we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. It is not love of self but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict our world. The Law of Empowerment says that only secure leaders give power to others. It's also true that only secure leaders exhibit servanthood. 3. Initiates Service to Others Just about anyone will serve if compelled to do so. And some will serve in a crisis. But you can really see the heart of someone who initiates service to others. Great leaders see the need, seize the opportunity, and serve without expecting anything in return. 4. Is Not Position- Conscious Servant leaders don't focus on rank or position. When Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf stepped into that minefield, rank was the last thing on his mind. He was one person trying to help another. If anything, being the leader gave him a greater sense of obligation to serve. 5. Serves Out of Love Servanthood is not motivated by manipulation or self-promotion. It is fueled by love. In the end, the extent of your influence depends on the depth of your concern for others. That's why it's so important for leaders to be willing to serve. · Where is your heart when it comes to serving others? Do you desire to become a leader for the perks and benefits? Or are you motivated by a desire to help others? If you really want to become the kind of leader that people want to follow, you will have to settle the issue of servanthood. If your attitude is to be served rather than to serve, you may be headed for trouble. If this is an issue in your life, then heed this advice: Stop lording over people, and start listening to them. Stop role-playing for advancement, and start risking for others' benefit. Stop seeking your own way, and start serving others. It is true that those who would be great must be like the least and the servant of all. To improve your servanthood, do the following: ü Perform small acts. When was the last time you performed small acts of kindness for others? Start with those closest to you: your spouse, children, parents. Find ways today to do small things that show others you care. ü Learn to walk slowly through the crowd. One of the greatest lessons I learned as a young leader came from my father. I call it walking slowly through the crowd. The next time you attend a function with a number of clients, colleagues, or employees, make it your goal to connect with others by circulating among them and talking to people. Focus on each person you meet. Learn his name if you don't know it already. Make your agenda getting to know each person's needs, wants, and desires. Then later when you go home, make a note to yourself to do something beneficial for half a dozen of those people. ü Move into action. If an attitude of servanthood is conspicuously absent from your life, the best way to change it is to start serving. Begin serving with your body, and your heart will eventually catch up. Sign up to serve others for six months at your church, a community agency, or a volunteer organization. If your attitude still isn't good at the end of your term, do it again. Keep at it until your heart changes. Unselfishness 1. Leaders don’t pull the best food from a box and leave the rest for their subordinates. They get the best they can for all of the members, all the time. Leaders get their own comforts, pleasures, and recreation after the troops have been provided theirs. Share you subordinates hardships. Then the privileges that go with your position will have been earned. When your people are wet, cold and hungry, you better be too. That’s the price you pay for leadership, what it buys is well worth the cost. Dry clothes, warm bed, and full belly can come later. Give credit where credit is due. Don’t grab the glory for yourself. Recognize hard work and good ideas of your subordinates and be grateful you have them. Albert Schweitzer wisely stated, "I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." If you want to lead on the highest level, be willing to serve on the lowest. "Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing." Organization charts are frozen, anachronistic photos in a work place that ought to be as dynamic as the external environment around you. If people really followed organization charts, companies would collapse. In well-run organizations, titles are also pretty meaningless. At best, they advertise some authority, an official status conferring the ability to give orders and induce obedience. But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is the capacity to influence and inspire. Have you ever noticed that people will personally commit to certain individuals who on paper (or on the organization chart) possess little authority, but instead possess pizzazz, drive, expertise, and genuine caring for teammates and products? On the flip side, non-leaders in management may be formally anointed with all the perks and frills associated with high positions, but they have little influence on others, apart from their ability to extract minimal compliance to minimal standards. The Bible Sez… Matthew 20:27-28: And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 2Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 23:11 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Matthew 25:21: 21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord Mark 9:35: 37Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. Luke 16:14: 13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. John 12:26: 6If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 1st Cor 7:22 22For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. 2 Tim 2:24: 24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Also….read Psalms 86, 116, and 119. Notes: Find a common bond with a family or keep trying to find one. Its an honor to serve God. Someday we will stand before God and give account of your life and what you did or didn’t do on earth. Notes: Rick Warren “Shape” acronym and football stadium analogy Enthusiasm / Passion Bible Verse TAKE THIS LIFE AND LOVE IT When a leader reaches out in passion, he is usually met with an answering passion. -John C. Maxwell Anyone can dabble, but once you've made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it's very hard for people to stop you. -Bill Cosby, Comedian Enthusiasm is more contagious than the measles · Experts spend a lot of time trying to figure out what makes people successful. They often look at people's credentials, intelligence, education, and other factors. But more than anything else, passion makes the difference. David Sarnoff of RCA maintains that "nobody can be successful unless he loves his work." · If you look at the lives of effective leaders, you will find that they often don't fit into a stereotypical mold. For example, more than 50 percent of all CEOs of Fortune 500 companies had C or C- averages in college. Nearly 75 percent of all U.S. presidents were in the bottom half of their school classes. And more than 50 percent of all millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college. What makes it possible for people who might seem ordinary to achieve great things? The answer is passion. Nothing can take the place of passion in a leader's life. Take a look at five truths about passion and what it can do for you as a leader: 1. Passion Is the First Step to Achievement Your desire determines your destiny. Think of great leaders, and you will be struck by their passion: Gandhi for human rights, Winston Churchill for freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. for equality, Bill Gates for technology. Anyone who lives beyond an ordinary life has great desire. It's true in any field: weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire creates little heat. The stronger your fire, the greater the desire-and the greater the potential. 2. Passion Increases Your Willpower It is said that a dispassionate young man approached the Greek philosopher Socrates and casually stated, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." The philosopher took the young man down to the sea, waded in with him, and then dunked him under the water for thirty seconds. When he let the young man up for air, Socrates asked him to repeat what he wanted. "Knowledge, O great one," he sputtered. Socrates put him under the water again, only that time a little longer. After repeated dunkings and responses, the philosopher asked, "What do you want?" The young man finally gasped, "Air. I want air!" "Good," answered Socrates. "Now, when you want knowledge as much as you wanted air, you shall have it." There is no substitute for passion. It is fuel for the will. If you want anything badly enough, you can find the willpower to achieve it. The only way to have that kind of desire is to develop passion. 3. Passion Changes You If you follow your passion- instead of others' perceptions-you can't help becoming a more dedicated, productive person. And that increases your ability to impact others. In the end, your passion will have more influence than your personality. 4. Passion Makes the Impossible Possible Human beings are so made that whenever anything fires the soul, impossibilities vanish. A fire in the heart lifts everything in your life. That's why passionate leaders are so effective. A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion. 5. It’s a fact that the more you know about something, the greater your interest and enthusiasm. Show it. Others will follow your lead. Show knowledge and enthusiasm about a subject, and your people will want the same knowledge. Show your dislikes and gripes about what is going on and you’ll still be leading, but in the wrong direction. Don’t get stale. Take a vacation once in a while, and then come back strong with something new. · Despite the power of passion, many people in our culture seem to believe that passion is something to be suspicious about. Sociologist Tony Campolo has observed, "We are caught up at a particular stage in our national ethos in which we're not only materialistic but worse than that; we're becoming emotionally dead as people. We don't sing, we don't dance, we don't even commit sin with much enthusiasm." · Is passion a characteristic of your life? Do you wake up feeling enthusiastic about your day? Is the first day of the week your favorite, or do you live from weekend to weekend, sleepwalking through your everyday routine? How long has it been since you couldn't sleep because you were too excited by an idea? If passion is not a quality in your life, you're in trouble as a leader. The truth is that you can never lead something you don't care passionately about. You can't start a fire in your organization unless one is first burning in you. To increase your passion, do the following: ü Take your temperature. How passionate are you about your life and work? Does it show? Get an honest assessment by querying several coworkers and your spouse about your level of desire. You won't become passionate until you believe passion can be the difference maker in your life. ü Return to Your first love. Many people allow life and its circumstances to get them off track. Think back to whenv you were just starting out in your career- or even farther,', 1, back to when you were a child. What really turned your" crank? What could you spend hours and hours doing? Try to recapture your old enthusiasm. Then evaluate your life',. and career in light of those old loves. ü Associate with people of passion. It sounds hokey, but birds of a feather really do flock together. If you've lost your fire, get around some firelighters. Passion is contagious. Schedule some time with people who can infect you with it. · General Billy Mitchell, a career army officer, was assigned to an aviation section in 1916. That's where he learned to fly, and it became the passion of his life. Though aircraft played a minor role in World War 1, he could see the military potential of air power. After the war, he began a campaign to convince the military to create an air force. He provided demonstration after demonstration of what airplanes could do, but he met strong resistance. Frustrated, he forced the army to court-martial him in 1925. A year later he resigned. Only after World War II was Mitchell exonerated-and posthumously awarded the. Medal of Honor. He was willing to pay any price to do what he knew was right. How about you? "Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier." The ripple effect of a leader's enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and pessimism. Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their colleagues. I am not talking about stoically accepting organizational stupidity and performance incompetence with a "what, me worry?" smile. I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says "we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best." Spare me the grim litany of the "realist," give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day The Bible Sez… Focus Bible Verse THE SHARPER IT IS, THE SHARPER YOU ARE If you chase two rabbits, both will escape. -Unknown What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things. -Margaret Mead, Anthropologist · What does it take to have the focus required to be a truly effective leader? The keys are priorities and concentration. A leader who knows his priorities but lacks concentration knows what to do but never gets it done. If he has concentration but no priorities, he has excellence without progress. But when he harnesses both, he has the potential to achieve great things. I frequently meet people in leadership positions who seem to major in minor things. That just doesn't make sense. It would be the equivalent of Tony Gwynn spending all his time studying base stealing. Now, Gwynn can steal bases. He, has stolen more than three hundred in his career, but it's not his strength. And dedicating all his time to that instead of hitting would be a waste of his time and talent. How should you focus your time and energy? Use these guidelines to help you: ü Focus 70 Percent on Strengths Effective leaders who reach their potential spend more time focusing on what they do well than on what they do wrong. Leadership expert Peter Drucker notes, "The great mystery isn't that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few things well. The only thing that is universal is incompetence. Strength is always specific! Nobody ever commented, for example, that the great violinist Jascha Heifetz probably couldn't play the trumpet very well." To be successful, focus on your strengths and develop them. That's where you should pour your time, energy, and resources. ü Focus 25 Percent on New Things Growth equals change. If you want to get better, you have to keep changing and improving. That means stepping out into new areas. Gwynn modeled that several years ago after he had a conversation with Ted Williams. The old pro suggested that learning to hit inside pitches would make Gwynn a better player. Gwynn, who preferred outside balls, worked on it, and his average went up significantly. If you dedicate time to new things related to areas of strength, then- you'll grow as a leader. Don't forget: in leadership, if you're through growing, you're through. ü Focus 5 Percent on Areas of Weakness Nobody can entirely avoid working in areas of weakness. The key is to minimize it as much as possible, and leaders can do it by delegating. For example, I delegate detail work to others. A team of people at The INJOY Group handles all logistics of my conferences. That way when I'm there, I stick to the things I do best, such as the actual speaking. · How would you rate yourself in the area of focus? Have you been majoring in minor things? Have you spent so much time shoring up your weaknesses that you've failed to build up your strengths? Do the people with the least potential monopolize your time) If so, you've probably lost focus. To get back on track with your focus, do these things: 1. Work on yourself You are your greatest asset or detriment. Work at your priorities. You will have to fight for them. 2. Work in your strengths. You can reach your potential. Work with your contemporaries. You can't be effective alone. To improve your focus, do the following: · Shift to strengths. Make a list of three or four things you do well in your job. What percentage of your time do you spend doing them? What percentage of your resources is dedicated to these areas of strength? Devise a plan to make changes,allowing you to dedicate 70 percent of your time to your strengths. If you can't, it may be time to reassess your job or career. · Staff your weaknesses. Identify three or four activities necessary for your job that you don't do well. Determine how you can delegate the jobs to others. Will it require hiring staff? Can you partner with a coworker to share responsibilities? Develop a plan. · Create an edge. Now that you've looked at priorities, think about concentration. What would it take for you to go to the next level in your main area of strength? What new tools do you need? Rethink how you do things, and be willing to make sacrifices. Time and money spent to take you to the next level are the best investment you can make. Experienced animal trainers take a stool with them when they step into a cage with a lion. Why a stool? It tames a lion better than anything- except maybe a tranquilizer gun. When the trainer holds the stool with the legs extended toward the lion's face, the animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. And that paralyzes him. Divided focus always works against you. "Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant." Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can't be implemented rapidly and efficiently. Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details, every day. (Think about supreme athletic coaches like Jimmy Johnson, Pat Riley and Tony La Russa). Bad ones, even those who fancy themselves as progressive "visionaries," think they're somehow "above" operational details. Paradoxically, good leaders understand something else: an obsessive routine in carrying out the details begets conformity and complacency, which in turn dulls everyone's mind. That is why even as they pay attention to details, they continually encourage people to challenge the process. They implicitly understand the sentiment of CEO leaders like Quad Graphic's Harry Quadracchi, Oticon's Lars Kolind and the late Bill McGowan of MCI, who all independently asserted that the Job of a leader is not to be the chief organizer, "Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission." Flitting from fad to fad creates team confusion, reduces the leader's credibility, and drains organizational coffers. Blindly following a particular fad generates rigidity in thought and action. Sometimes speed to market is more important than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic directive is more appropriate than participatory discussion. Some situations require the leader to hover closely; others require long, loose leashes. Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them. They understand that management techniques are not magic mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the right times. The Bible Sez… Bearing / Self discipline Bible Verse THE FIRST PERSON YOU LEAD IS YOU The first and best victory is to conquer self -Plato, Philosopher A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself ... He belongs to whatever can make captive of him. -John Foster, Author · Self-discipline. No one achieves and sustains success without it. And no matter how gifted a leader is, his gifts will never reach their maximum potential without the application of self-discipline. It positions a leader to go to the highest level and is a key to leadership that lasts. If you want to become a leader for whom self-discipline is an asset, follow these action points: 1. Develop and Follow Your Priorities Anyone who does what he must only when he is in the mood or when it's convenient isn't going to be successful. Nor will people respect and follow him. Someone once said, "To do important tasks, two things are necessary: a plan and not quite enough time." As a leader, you already have too little time. Now all you need is a plan. If you can determine what's really a priority and release yourself from everything else, it's a lot easier to follow through on what's important. And that's the essence of self-discipline. 2. Make a Disciplined Lifestyle Your Goal Learning about any highly disciplined person, such as Jerry Rice, should make you realize that to be successful, self-discipline can't be a one-time event. It has to become a lifestyle. One of the best ways to do that is to develop systems and routines, especially in areas crucial to your long-term growth and success. For example, because I continually write and speak, I read and file material for future use every day. And since my heart attack in December 1998, I exercise every morning. It's not something I'll do just for a season. I'll do it every day for the rest of my life. 3. Challenge Your Excuses To develo a lifestyle of discipline, one of your first tasks must be to challenge and eliminate any tendency to make excuses. As French classical writer Franqois La Rochefoucauld said, "Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them." If you have several reasons why you can't be selfdisciplined, realize that they are really just a bunch of excusesall of which need to be challenged if you want to go to the next level as a leader. 4. Remove Rewards Until the job Is Done Author Mike Delaney wisely remarked, "Any business or industry that pays equal rewards to its goof-offs and its eager-beavers sooner or later will find itself with more goof-offs than eager beavers." If you lack self-discipline, you may be in -the habit of having dessert before eating your vegetables. A story illustrates the power of withholding rewards. An older couple had been at a campground for a couple of days when a family arrived at the site next to them. As soon as their sport-utility vehicle came to a stop, the couple and their three kids piled out. One child hurriedly unloaded ice chests, backpacks, and other items while the other two quickly put up tents. The site was ready in fifteen minutes. The older couple was amazed. "You folks sure do work great together," the elderly gentleman told the dad admiringly. "You just need a system," replied the dad. "Nobody goes to the bathroom until camp's set up." 5. Stay Focused on Results Anytime you concentrate on the difficulty of the work instead of its results or rewards, you're likely to become discouraged. Dwell on it too long, and you'll develop self-pity instead of self discipline. The next time you're facing a must-do task and you're thinking of doing what's convenient instead of paying the price, change your focus. Count the benefits of doing what's right, and then dive in. · Author H. Jackso n Brown Jr. quipped, "Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways." If you know you have talent, and you’ve seen a lot of motion-but little concrete results-you may lack self-discipline. · Look at last week's schedule. How much of your time did you devote to regular, disciplined activities? Did you do anything to grow and improve yourself professionally? Did you engage in activities promoting good health? Did you dedicate part of your income to savings or investments? If you've been putting off those things, telling yourself that you'll do them later, you may need to work on your self-discipline. To improve your self-discipline, do the following: ü Sort out your priorities. Think about which two or three areas of life are most important to you. Write them down, along with the disciplines that you must develop to keep growing and improving in those areas. Develop a plan to make the disciplines a daily or weekly part of your life. ü List the reasons. Take the time to write out the benefits of practicing the disciplines you've just listed. Then post the benefits someplace where you will see them daily. On the days when you don't want to follow through, reread your list. ü Get rid of excuses. Write down every reason why you might not be able to follow through with your disciplines., Read through them. You need to dismiss them as the excuses they are. Even if a reason seems legitimate, find a solution to overcome it. Don't leave yourself any reasons to quit. Remember, only in the moment of discipline do you have the power to achieve your dreams. Bearing 1. You learn that a uniform is more than a mere “suit of clothes”. You wear a suit, but believe in a uniform. 2. Bearing is how you conduct yourself, in and out of church, at work or at home, verbally and emotionally. 3. Learn control of your voice and gestures. A stern voice and a steady hand are confidence builders in combat. 4. Don’t ever show your concern over a dangerous situation, even if you feel it. 5. Speak plainly and simply. Your more interested in being understood than in showing off your vocabulary. 6. If you ever rant and rave, losing control of your tongue and your emotions, you’ll also lose control of your subordinates. 7. Swearing at subordinates is unfair, they can’t swear back. It’s also stupid, since you admit lack of ability to express displeasure in another way. 8. Don’t lose your temper. 9. Master yourself before you master others. 10. There may be one exception to this rule. The time might come, in battle, when tough talk, a few oaths, and the right amount of anger is all that will put your outfit together. Even Christ had gotten angry when he drove the money changers from the temple. 11. You save your display of temper until it is absolutely needed, otherwise it won’t pay off because you have already shot your bolt. A nursery in Canada displays this sign on its wall: "The best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago ... The second best time is today." Plant the tree of self-discipline in your life today. The Bible Sez… Knowledge / Teachability Bible Verse TO KEEP LEADING, KEEP LEARNING Value your listening and reading time at roughly ten times your talking time. This will assure you that you are on a course of continuous learning and self-improvement. -Gerald McGinnis, President and CEO of Respironics, Inc. It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. -John Wooden, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach · Leaders face the danger of contentment with the status quo. After all, if a leader already possesses influence and has achieved a level of respect, why should he keep growing? The answer is simple: Your growth determines who you are. Who you are determines who you attract. Who you attract determines the success of your organization. If you want to grow your organization, you have to remain teachable. Here are five guidelines to help you cultivate and maintain a teachable attitude: 1. Cure Your Destination Disease Ironically, lack of teachability is often rooted in achievement. Some people mistakenly believe that if they can accomplish a particular goal, they no longer have to grow. It can happen with almost anything: earning a degree, reaching a desired position, receiving a particular award,"or achieving a financial goal. But effective leaders cannot afford to think that way. The day they stop growing is the day they forfeit their potential-and the potential of the organization. Remember the words of Ray Kroc: "As long as you're green, you're growing. As soon as you're ripe, you start to rot." 2. Overcome Your Success Another irony of teachability is that success often hinders it. Effective leaders know that what got them there doesn't keep them there. If you have been successful in the past, beware. And consider this: if what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today. 3. Swear Off Shortcuts My friend Nancy Dornan says, "The longest distance between two points is a shortcut." That's really true. For.everything of value in life, you pay a price. As you desire to grow in a particular area, figure out what it will really take, including the price, and then determine to pay it. 4. Trade In Your Pride Teachability requires us to admit we don't know everything, and that can make us look bad. In addition, if we keep learning, we must also keep making mistakes. But as writer and expert craftsman Elbert Hubbard said, "The greatest mistake one can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." You cannot be prideful and teachable at the same time. Emerson wrote. "For everything you Rain, you lose something." 5. Never Pay Twice for the Same Mistake Teddy Roosevelt asserted, "He who makes no mistakes, makes no progress." That's true. But the leader who keeps making the same mistakes also makes no progress. As a teachable leader, you will make mistakes. Forget them, but always remember what they tautzht you. If you don't, you will pay for them more · When I was a kid growing up in rural Ohio, I saw this sign in a feed store: "If you don't like the crop you are reaping, check the seed you are sowing." Though the sign was an ad for seeds, it contained a wonderful principle. · What kind of crop are you reaping? Do your life and leadership seem to be getting better day after day, month after month, year after year? Or are you constantly fighting just to hold your ground? If you're not where you hoped you would be by this time in your life, your problem may be lack of teachability. When was the last time you did something for the first time? When was the last time you made yourself vulnerable by diving into something for which you weren't the expert? Observe your attitude toward growing and learning during the next several days or weeks to see where you stand. To improve your teachability, do the following: ü Observe bow you react to mistakes. Do you admit your mistakes? Do you apologize when appropriate? Or are you defensive? Observe yourself. And ask a trusted friend's opinion. If you react badly-or you make no mistakes at all you need to work on your teachability. ü Try something new. Go out of your way today to do something different that will stretch you mentally, emotionally, or physically. Challenges change us for the better. If you really want to start growing, make new challenges part of your daily activities. ü Learn in your area of strength. Read six to twelve books a year on leadership or your field of specialization. Continuing to learn in an area where you are already an expert prevents you from becoming jaded and unteachable. Knowledge 1. Know your job. Be able to pass your knowledge on to others. You can’t bluff them, they are experts at spotting a fake. If you don’t know the answer to a question, admit it. Then find out. Most important… Know your subordinates. Learn what caliber of performance to expect from each of them. Put confidence in those you can, give closer supervision to those who need it. § After winning his third world championship, bull rider Tuff Hedeman didn't have a big celebration. He moved on to Denver to start the new season-and the whole process over again. His comment: "The bull won't care what I did last week." Whether you're an untested rookie or a successful veteran, if you want to be a champion tomorrow, be teachable today. "Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it." Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers won't challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things. But real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. The proper response is to obsolete our activities before someone else does. Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs. The most important question in performance evaluation becomes not, "How well did you perform your job since the last time we met?" but, "How much did you change it?" The Bible Sez… Listening Bible Verse TO CONNECT WITH THEIR HEARTS, USE YOUR EARS The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people. -Woodrow Wilson, American President A good leader encourages followers to tell him what he needs to know, not what he wants to hear. -John C. Maxwell A lot of voices are clamoring out there for your attention. As you think about how to spend your listening time, keep in mind that you have two purposes for listening: to connect with people and to learn. For that reason, you should keep your ear open to these people: 1. Your Followers Good leaders, the kind people want to follow, do more than conduct business when they interact with followers. They take the time to get a feel for who each one is as a person. Philip Stanhope, the earl of Chesterfield, believed, "many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request." If you're in the habit of listening only to the facts and not the person who expresses them, change your focus-and really listen. 2. Your Customers A Cherokee saying states, "Listen to the whispers and you won't have to hear the screams." I am amazed by the leaders who are so caught up in their own ideas that they never hear their customers' concerns, complaints, and suggestions. In his book Business @ the Speed of Thought, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said, "Unhappy customers are always a concern. They're also your greatest opportunity." Good leaders always make it a priority to keep in contact with the people they're serving. 3. Your Competitors Sam Markewich announced, "If you don't agree with me, it means you haven't been listening." Though he was no doubt making a joke, the sad truth is that when a leader sees another organization as competition, he focuses his attention on building his own case or championing his cause and forgets to learn from what the other group is doing. Larry King says, "I remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening." As a leader, you don't want to base your actions on what the other guy is doing, but you should still listen and learn what you can to improve yourself. 4. Your Mentors No leader is so advanced or experienced that he can afford to be without a mentor. I've learned so much from leaders who have more experience than I have, people such as Melvin Maxwell (my father), Elmer Towns, Jack Hayford, Fred Smith, and J. Oswald Sanders. If you don't already have a mentor, go out and find one. If you can't get someone to help you in person, begin the process by reading books. That's where I got started. The main thing is to get the process under way. · Are you a good listener? I know when I started in leadership, I wasn't. I was too busy doing my own thing and trying to make things happen. But once I slowed down and paid greater attention to what was going on around me, I found that my activity had sharper focus and accomplished more. · When was the last time you really paid close attention to people and what they have to say? Do more than just grab onto facts. Start listening not only for words, but also for feelings, meanings, and undercurrents. To improve your listening, do the following: 1. Change your schedule. Do you spend time listening to your followers, customers, competitors, and mentors? If you don't have all four groups on your calendar regularly, you're probably not giving them enough attention. Pencil in time for each of them on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. 2. Meet people on their turf. A key to being a good listener is to find common ground with people. The next time you meet with an employee or a customer, discipline yourself to ask four or five questions about him as a person. Get to know who he is, and seek common ground to build your connection with him. 3. Listen between the lines. As you interact with people, you certainly want to pay attention to the factual content of the conversation. But don't ignore the emotional content. Sometimes you can learn more about what's really going on by reading between the lines. Spend time in the coming days and weeks listening with your heart. President Theodore Roosevelt was a man of action, but he was also a good listener, and he appreciated that quality in other people. Once at a gala ball, he grew tired of meeting people who returned his remarks with stiff, mindless pleasantries. So he began to greet people with a smile, saying, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." Most people, so nervous about meeting him, didn't even hear what he said. But one diplomat did. Upon hearing the president's remark, he leaned over and whispered to him, "I'm sure she had it coming to her!" The only way to find out what you're missing is to start listening. The Bible Sez… Communication & Tact Bible Verse WITHOUT IT YOU TRAVEL ALONE. Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter. –Gilbert Amelio, President and CEO of |National Semiconductor Corp. Educators take something simple and make it complicated. Communicators take something complicated and make it simple. –John C. Maxwell All leaders need to possess the ability to communicate. The success of your marriage, job, and personal relationships depend greatly on it. People will not follow you if they don’t know what you want or where you are going. You can be a more effective communicator if you follow four basic truths. 1. Simplify you Message. Communication is not just what you say. It’s also how you say it. Contrary to what some educator’s teach, the key to effective communication is simplicity. Forget about impressing people with big words or complex sentences. If you want to connect with people, keep it simple. (read pg 26 story in 21 indispensable qualities of a leader). 2. See The Person. Effective communicators focus on the people with whom they’re communicating. They know it is impossible to effectively communicate to an audience without knowing something about them. As you communicate with people, whether individuals or groups, ask yourself the questions: Who is my audience? What are their questions? What needs to be accomplished? And how much time do I have? If you want to become a better communicator, become audience oriented. People believe in great communicators because great communicators believe in people. 3. Show the truth. Credibility precedes great communication. There are two ways to convey credibility to your audience. First, believe in what you say. Ordinary people become extraordinary communicators when they are fired up with conviction. Second, live what you say. There is no greater credibility than conviction in action. 4. Seek a Response. As you communicate, never forget that the goal of all communication is action. Every time you speak to people, give them something to feel, something to remember, and something to do. If your successful in doing that, your ability to lead others will go to a new level. Rating your ability to Communicate · How do you rate your ability to communicate with others? Is communication a priority for you? Can you inspire and motivate people? Do you express your vision in such a way that your people are able to understand, internalize, and implement it? When you talk to people one-on-one, are you able to connect with them? How about with groups? If you know in your heart that your vision is great, yet people still do not buy in to it, your problem may be an inability to communicate effectively. To improve your communication, do the following: · Be clear as a bell. Examine a letter, memo, or other item you've recently written. Are your sentences short and direct, or do they meander? Will your readers be able to grasp the words you've chosen, or will they have to scramble for a dictionary? Have (you used the fewest words possible? To a communicator, your best friends are simplicity and clarity. Write your next piece of communication keeping both in mind. · Refocus your attention. During the coming week, pay attention to your focus when you communicate. Is it on you, your material, or your audience? If it's not on people, you need to change it. Think about their needs, questions, and desires. Meet people where they are, and you will be a better communicator. · Live your message. Are there any discrepancies between what you communicate and what you do? Talk to a few trustworthy people and ask them whether you are living your message. Your spouse, a mentor, or a close friend may be able to see things that you are blind to. Receive their comments without defensiveness. Then purpose to make changes in your life to be more consistent. Tact What is tact? Saying the right thing at the right time. Tact embraces courtesy, but goes much further. It’s the GOLDEN RULE; consideration for others, whether they are senior or subordinate. The tactful leader is fair, firm, and friendly. You always respect others property, learn to respect others feelings as well. If someone needs to be yelled at, then do it in private. Don’t make a spectacle of them or yourself by doing it in public. If they do a good job, praise in public. Approach seniors in the manner you would like to be approached were you in their position with their responsibilities. Use tact with subordinates, but don’t coddle them. When you join a new outfit, keep quiet and watch for a while. Don’t noise it around that your old outfit was better just because it happened to do things differently. Make a few mental noted when you find something wrong, When you have your feet on the ground, make those changes that you have authority to make. D A I LY TAKE- AWAY On April 7, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln made a burdensome decision, and he needed to communicate it to his general in the field. On it rested all his hopes and the entire weight of his leadership as president. Using all his considerable skill as a communicator, he wrote the following message: · Lieut. Gen. Grant, Gen. Sheridan says, "If the thing is pressed, I think that Lee will surrender." Let the thing be pressed. A. Lincoln The president didn't allow the importance of a piece of communication to complicate its simplicity. Neither should we. "The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can’t help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." If this were a litmus test, the majority of CEOs would fail. One, they build so many barriers to upward communication that the very idea of someone lower in the hierarchy looking up to the leader for help is ludicrous. Two, the corporate culture they foster often defines asking for help as weakness or failure, so people cover up their gaps, and the organization suffers accordingly. Real leaders make themselves accessible and available. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by underlings, even as they demand high standards. Accordingly, they are more likely to create an environment where problem analysis replaces blame. "Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand." Effective leaders understand the KISS principle, Keep It Simple, Stupid. They articulate vivid, over-arching goals and values, which they use to drive daily behaviors and choices among competing alternatives. Their visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and buzzword-laden. Their decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous. They convey an unwavering firmness and consistency in their actions, aligned with the picture of the future they paint. The result: clarity of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity in organization. The Bible Sez… Character/Integrity Genesis 39:1-10 Never, “for the sake of peace and quiet” deny your own experience or convictions –Dag Hammarskjold, Nobel peace prize winner · How a leader deals with the circumstances of life tells you many things about his character. Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it certainly does reveal it. Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two paths: Character or compromise. Every time he chooses character, he becomes stronger, even if that choice brings negative consequences. “The meaning of earthly existing lies, not as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering, but in the development of the soul”. -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, author and Nobel Peace prize winner · What must every person know about character? 1. Character is more than talk. Anyone can say they have integrity, but action is the real indicator of character. Your character determines who you are. Who you are determines what you see. What you see determines what you do. That’s why you can never separate a leader’s character from his actions. If a leaders actions and intentions are continually working against each other, then look to his character to find out why. 2. Talent is a gift from God, but character is a choice you make. We have no control over a lot of things in life. We don’t get to choose our parents. We don’t select the location or circumstances of our birth or upbringing. We don’t get to pick our talents or our IQ. But we do choose our character. In fact, we create it every time we make choices- to cop out or dig out of a hard situation, to bend the truth or stand under the weight of it, to take the easy money or pay the price. As you live your life and make choices today, you are continuing to create your character. 3. Character brings lasting success with people. True leadership always involves other people. Ancient Chinese Leadership Proverb: “If you think you are leading and no one is following you, then your only taking a walk”. Followers do not trust leaders whose character they know to be flawed, and they will not continue following them. Ask yourself, Would you accept a report or want advice from a person who has been known to lie? All your statements, whether official or unofficial, are considered by your followers to be plain, unadorned fact. Make sure they are. 4. Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character. Have you ever seen highly talented people suddenly fall apart when they have achieved a certain level of success? The key to that phenomenon is character. Steven Berglas, a psychologist at Harvard Medical school and author of The Success Syndrome, says that people who achieve great heights but lack the bedrock character to sustain the through the stress are headed for disaster. He believes they are destined for one or more of the four A’s: Arrogance, painful feelings of aloneness, destructive adventure seeking, or adultery. Each is a terrible price to pay for week character. · So what does this all mean? If you have found yourself being sucked in by one of the four A’s that Berglas identifies, call a time out. Do what you must to step away from some of the stress of your success, and seek professional help. Don’t think that the valley you are in will pass with time, more money, or increased prestige. Unaddressed cracks in character only get deeper and more destructive with time. If you are not struggling in any of these four areas, you should still examine the condition of your character. Ask yourself weather your words and actions match- all the time. When you say you will finish an assignment, do you always follow through? If you tell your children you will be there for there recital or ball game, are you there for it? Can people trust your handshake as they would a legal contract? When you give your word, keep it. There are people depending on you to come through with the goods. As you lead others at home, at work, at church, and in the community recognize that your character is your most important asset. G. Alan Bernard, president of Mid-Park, INC, stated, “The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the gray areas”. How to improve your character ü Search for the cracks. Spend some time looking at the major areas of your life (work, marriage, family, service, etc.) and identify anywhere you might have cut corners, compromised, or let people down. Write down every instance you can recall from the last two months. ü Look for patterns. Examine the responses that you just wrote down. Is there a particular area where you have a weakness, or do you have a type of problem that keeps surfacing? Detectable patterns will help you diagnose character issues. ü Face the music. The beginning of character repair comes when you face you flaws, apologize, and deal with the consequences of your actions. Create a list of people to whom you need to apologize for your actions, then follow through with sincere apologies. ü Rebuild. It’s one thing to face up to your past actions. It’s another to build a new future. Now that you have identified any areas of weakness, create a plan that will prevent you from making the same mistakes again. The Bible Sez… Romans 14:12 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God Character is defined as one’s total personality. Integrity is defined as moral uprightness. The grace’s of God’s people include: Humble………………. 1 Peter 5:5 Loving………………... 1 Thess 4:9 Humility……………… Phil 2:3,4 Meek…………………. Matt 5:5 Merciful……………… Matt5:7 Obedient……………… Rom 16:19 Pure…………………... Matt 5:8 Sincere……………….. 2 Cor 1:12 Zealous……………….. Titus 2:14 Courteous…………….. 1 Pet 3:8 Unity of Mind………… Rom 15:5-7 Hospitable…………….. 1 Pet 4:9 Generous……………… 2 Cor 8:1-7 Peaceable……………… Heb 12:14 Patient………………… James 5:7-8 Content………………... Heb 13:5 Steadfast………………. 1 Cor 15:58 Integrity is manifested in: a) Moral Uprightness…….. Gen 20:3-10 b) Unselfish Service……… Num 16:15 c) Performing Vows……… Jer 35:12-19 d) Rejecting Bribes………. Acts 8:18-23 e) Honest Behavior………. 2 Cor 7:2 Integrity is illustrated in: a) Job’s Life……………… Job 2:3,9,10 b) David’s Kingship……… Ps 7:8 c) Nehemiah’s Service…… Neh 15:14-19 d) Daniel’s Rule………….. Dan 6:1-4 e) Paul’s Ministry………… 2 Cor 4:2 Positive Attitude Bible Verse IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN , YOU CAN The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind. -William James, Psychologist A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him -David Brinkley, Television journalist · If Edison hadn't been such a positive person, he never would have achieved such success as an inventor. If you look at the lives of people in any profession who achieve lasting success, you will find that they almost always possess a positive outlook on life. If you desire to be an effective leader, having a positive attitude is essential. It not only determines your level of contentment as a person, but it also has an impact on how others interact with you. To learn more about what it means to be positive, think on these things: 1. Your Attitude Is a Choice The average person wants to wait for someone else to motivate him. He perceives that his circumstances are responsible for the way he thinks. But which comes first-the attitude or the circumstances? That's really a chicken-or-the-egg kind of question. The truth is that it doesn't matter which came first. No matter what happened to you yesterday, your attitude is your choice today. Psychologist Victor Frankl believed, "The last of our human freedoms is to choose our attitude in any given circumstances." He knew the truth of that statement. Frankl survived imprisonment in a Nazi death camp, and throughout his ordeal, he wouldn't allow his attitude to deteriorate. If he could maintain a good attitude, so can you. 2. Your Attitude Determines Your Actions Family life expert Denis Waitley addresses this issue: "The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success." Your attitude is crucial because it determines how you act. 3. Your People Are a Mirror of Your Attitude I am constantly amazed by people who display a poor attitude, yet expect their people to be upbeat. But the Law of Magnetism really is true: who you are is who you attract. If you took at Edison's fife, you can see that his positive attitude and enthusiasm not only fueled him but also inspired his people to keep pressing on until they succeeded. He purposely tried to pass on that quality to others. He once remarked, "If the only thing we leave our kids is the quality of enthusiasm, we will have given them an estate of incalculable value." 4. Maintaining a Good Attitude Is Easier Than Regaining One In Earth and Altar, Eugene H. Peterson wrote, "Pity is one of the noblest emotions available to human beings; self-pity is possibly the most ignoble ... [It] is an incapacity, a crippling emotional disease that severely distorts our perception of reality a narcotic that leaves its addicts wasted and derelict." If you already have a positive attitude, I want to encourage you to keep it up. On the other hand, if you have a difficult time expecting the best of yourself and others, don't despair. Because you choose your attitude, you can change it. REFLECTING ON IT · English heart surgeon Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserted, "Most unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself." What kind of voices do you hear? When you meet people, do you tell yourself they'll let you down? When you face new experiences, does a voice in your head say you're going to fail? If you're hearing negative messages, you need to learn to give yourself positive mental pep talks. The best way to retrain your attitude is to prevent your mind, from going down any negative forks in the road. To improve your attitude, do the following: ü Feed yourself the right "food. " If you've been starved of anything positive, then you need to start feeding yourself a regular diet of motivational material. Read books that encourage a positive attitude. Listen to motivational tapes. The more negative you are, t he longer it will take to turn your attitude around. But if you consume a steady diet of the right -food," you can become a positive thinker. ü Achieve a goal every day. Some people get into a rut of negativity because they feel they're not making progress. If that describes you, then begin setting achievable daily goals for yourself. A pattern of positive achievement will help you develop a pattern of positive thinking. ü Write it on your wall. We all need reminders to help us keep thinking right. Alex Haley used to keep a picture in his office of a turtle on a fence post to remind him that everybody needed the help of others. As incentive, people put up awards they've won, inspirational posters, or letters they've received. Find something that will work for you and put it on your wall. § When you look at any professional athlete, you see great talent. But the mind is what elevates the best to the highest level. For example, look at Chris Evert. One of the greatest female athletes of all time, she holds 18 grand slam titles and an overall win-loss record of 1,309 and 146. In her seventeen-year career, she never ranked below number four. She commented, "The thing that Separates good players from great ones is mental attitude. It might only make a difference of two or three points in an entire match but how you play those key points often makes the difference between winning and losing. If the mind is strong you can do almost anything you want." Is your mind "conditioned" to win the key points ahead of you? "You don't know what you can get away with until you try." You know the expression, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission." Well, it's true. Good leaders don't wait for official blessing to try things out. They're prudent, not reckless. But they also realize a fact of life in most organizations: if you ask enough people for permission, you'll inevitably come up against someone who believes his job is to say "no." So the moral is, don't ask. Less effective middle managers endorsed the sentiment, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'yes,' I can't do it," whereas the good ones believed, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'no,' I can." There's a world of difference between these two points of view. The Bible Sez… Charisma Bible Verse THE FIRST IMPRESSION CAN SEAL THE DEAL. How can you have Charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you. - Dan Reiland, INJOY 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 under a spirit of criticism. – Charles Schwab, Industrialist · Most people think of Charisma as something mystical, almost undefinable. They think it’s a quality that comes at birth or not at all. But that’s not true. Charisma, plainly stated, is the ability to draw people to you. And like other character traits, it can be developed. · What must every person know about Charisma? To make yourself the kind of person who attracts others, you need to personify these pointers. 1. Love Life. People enjoy leaders who enjoy life. Think of the people who you want to spend time with. How would you describe them? Grumpy? Bitter? Depressed? Of course not. They’re celebrators, not complainers. They’re passionate about life. If you want to attract people, you need to be like the people you enjoy being with. Eighteenth-Century evangelist John Wesley recognized that, saying, “ when you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” 2. Put a “10” on every person’s head. One of the best things you can do for people- which also attracts them to you- is to expect the best of them. It help’s others think more highly of themselves, and at the same time, it also helps you. Benjamin Disraeli understood and practiced this concept, and it was one of the secrets of his Charisma. He once said, ”The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” If you appreciate others, encourage them, and help them reach their potential, they will love you for it. 3. Give people hope. French General Napoleon Bonaparte characterized leaders as “dealers in hope”. Like all great leaders he knew that hope is the greatest of all possessions. If you can be the person who bestows that gift on others, they will be attracted to you, and they will be forever grateful. 4. Share Yourself. People love leaders who share themselves and their life journeys. As you lead people, give of yourself. Share wisdom, resources, and even special occasions. · When it comes to Charisma, the bottom line is othermindedness. Leaders who think about others and their concerns before thinking about themselves exhibit Charisma. Roadblocks of Charisma How would you rate yourself when it comes to Charisma? Are other people naturally attracted to you? Are you well liked? If not, you may possess one of these roadblocks to Charisma. 1. Pride. Nobody wants to follow a leader who thinks he is better than everyone else. 2. Insecurity. If you are uncomfortable with who you are, others will be too. 3. Moodiness. If people never know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything. 4. Perfectionism. People respect the desire for excellence, but dread totally unrealistic expectations. 5. Cynicism. People don’t want to be rained on by someone who sees a cloud around every silver lining. If you can stay away from these qualities, you can cultivate Charisma. How to Improve your Charisma ü Change your focus. Observe your interaction with people during the next few days. As you talk with others, determine how much of your conversation is concentrated on yourself. Determine to tip the balance in favor of focusing on others. ü Play the first impression game. Try an experiment. The next time you meet someone for the first time, try your best to make a good impression. Learn the persons name, treat him as a “10”. If you can do this for a day, you can do it every day. This will increase your charisma overnight. ü Share yourself. Make it your long term goal to share your resources with others. Think about how you can add value to 5 people in your life this year. They can be family members, colleagues, employees, or friends. Provide resources to help them grow personally and professionally, and share your personal journey with them. · Pearle Mesta, the greatest Washington hostess since Dolley Madison, was asked the secret of her success in getting so many rich and famous people to attend her parties. “It’s all in the greeting’s and good-byes,” she replied. When a guest arrived, she met him, saying, “at last you’re here!” and as each left, she said, “I’m sorry you have to leave so soon!” Her agenda was to focus on others, not herself. That’s Charisma. The Bible Sez… Competence & Dependability Bible Verse IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME Competence goes beyond words. It's the leader's ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how and know that they want to follow you. -John C. Maxwell The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water. -John Gardner, Author · We all admire people who display high competence and dependability, whether they are precision craftsmen, world-class athletes, or successful business leaders. But the truth is that you don't have to be Faberge, Michael Jordan, or Bill Gates to excel in these two areas. Dependable people are solid citizens. Always on time, never make excuses, and stay hot on the job until it’s done. If you want to cultivate that quality, here's what you need to do. 1. Show Up Every Day 'There's a saying, "All things come to him who waits." Unfortunately sometimes it's just the leftovers from the people who got there first. Responsible people show up when they're expected. 'But highly competent people take it a step farther. They don't show up in body only. They come ready to play every day-no matter how they feel, what kind of circumstances they face, or how difficult they expect the game to be. 2. Keep Improving Like Benjamin Franklin, all highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving. They do that by asking why. After all, the person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss. 3. Follow Through with Excellence I've never met a person I considered competent who didn't follow through. I bet it's the same for you. Willa A. Foster remarked, "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." Performing at a high level of excellence is always a choice, an act of the will. As leaders, we expect our people to follow through when we hand them the ball. They expect that and a whole lot more from us as their leaders. Once a decision is made, the job is done to the best of your ability whether or not it was your own plan that went into effect. 4. Accomplish More than Expected Highly competent people always go the extra mile. For them, good enough is never good enough. In Men in Mid-Life Crisis, Jim Conway writes that some people feel "a weakening of the need to be a great man and an increasing feeling of 'let's just get through this the best way we can.' Never mind hitting home runs. Let's just get through the ball game without getting Beaned." Leaders cannot afford to have that kind of attitude. They need to do the job, and then some, day in and day out. 5. Inspire Others Highly competent leaders do more than perform at a high level. They inspire and motivate their people to do the same. While some people rely on relational skills alone to survive, effective leaders combine these skills with high competence to take their organizations to new levels of excellence and influence. Where do you stand when it comes to getting the job done? Where do you stand when it comes to getting the job done? Do you attack everything you do with fervor and perform at the highest level possible? Or is good enough sometimes good enough for you? When you think about people who are competent, you're really considering only three types of people: 1. Those who can see what needs to happen. 2. Those who can make it happen. 3. Those who can make things happen when it really counts. When it comes to your profession, where do you consistently perform? Are you a thinker, a doer, or a clutch player? The better YOU are, the greater potential for influence, you will have with your people. To improve your competence, do the following: · Get your head in the game. If you've been mentally or emotionally detached from your work, it's time to reengage. First, rededicate yourself to your job. Determine to give it an appropriate amount of your undivided attention. Second, figure out why you have been detached. Do you need new challenges? Are you in conflict with your boss or coworkers? Are you in a dead-end job? Identify the source of the problem, and create a plan to resolve it. · Redefine the standard. If you're not performing at a consistently high level, reexamine your standards. Are you shooting too low? Do you cut corners? If so, hit your mental reset button, and outline more demanding expectations for yourself. · Find three ways to improve. Nobody keeps improving without being intentional about it. Do a little research to find three things you can do to improve your professional skills. Then dedicate the time and money to follow through on them. You're only as good as your private standards An editorial in Texas Business not long ago said, "We are truly the lost generation, huffing and puffing down the fast track to nowhere, always looking to the dollar sign for direction. That's the only standard we recognize. We have no built-in beliefs, no ethical boundaries." You're only as good as your private standards. When was the last time you gave a task your absolute best even though nobody but you would know about it? "The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise." Too often, the reverse defines corporate culture. This is one of the main reasons why leaders like Ken Iverson of Nucor Steel, Percy Barnevik of Asea Brown Boveri, and Richard Branson of Virgin have kept their corporate staffs to a bare-bones minimum - how about fewer than 100 central corporate staffers for global $30 billion-plus ABB? Or around 25 and 3 for multi-billion Nucor and Virgin, respectively? Shift the power and the financial accountability to the folks who are bringing in the beans, not the ones who are counting or analyzing them. The Bible Sez… Generosity & Unselfishness Luke 11:36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. YOUR CANDLE LOSES NOTHING WHEN IT LIGHTS ANOTHER No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. -Calvin Coolidge, American President Giving is the highest level of living. -John C. Maxwell · Nothing speaks to others more loudly or serves them better than generosity from a leader. True generosity isn't an occasional event. It comes from the heart and permeates every aspect of a leader's fife, touching his time, money, talents, and possessions. Effective leaders, the kind that people want to follow, don't gather things just for themselves; they do it in order to give to others. Cultivate the quality of generosity in your life. Here's how: 1. Be Grateful for Whatever You Have It's hard for a person to be generous when he is not satisfied with what he has. Generosity rises out of contentment, and that doesn't come with acquiring more. Millionaire John D. Rockefeller admitted, "I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness. " If you're not content with little, you won't be content with a lot. And if you're not generous with little, you won't suddenly change if you become wealthy. 2. Put People First The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves. Generosity requires putting others first. If you can do that, giving becomes much easier. 3. Don't Allow the Desire for Possessions to Control You According to my friend Earle Wilson,, people can be divided into three groups: "Haves, have-nots, and have not paid for what they have." More and more people are becoming enslaved to the desire to acquire. Author Richard Foster writes, "Owning things is an obsession in our culture. If we own it, we feel we can control it; and if we can control it, we feel it will give us more pleasure. The idea is an illusion." If you want to be in charge of your heart, don't allow possessions to take charge of you. 4. Regard Money as a Resource Someone once said that when it comes to money, you can't win. If you focus on making it, you're materialistic. If you try to but don't make any, you're a loser. If you make a lot and keep it, you're a miser. If you make it and spend it, you're a spendthrift. If you don't care about making any, you're unambitious. If you make a lot and still have it when you die, you're a fool for trying to take it with you. The only way to really win with money is to hold it loosely- and be generous with it to accomplish things of value. As E. Stanley Jones said, "Money is a wonderful servant but a terrible master. If it gets on top and you get under it, you will become its slave." 5. Develop the Habit. of Giving In 1889, millionaire industrialist Andrew Carnegie wrote an essay called "Gospel of Wealth." In it he said that the life of a wealthy person should have two periods: a time of acquiring wealth and one of redistributing it. The only way to maintain an attitude of generosity is to make it your habit to give-your time, attention, money, and resources. Richard Foster advises, "Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed." If you're enslaved by greed, you cannot lead. · Are you a generous leader? Do you continually look for ways to add value to others? Are you giving money to something greater than yourself? And to whom are you giving your time? Are you pouring your life into others? Are you helping those who cannot help you or give anything in return? Writer John Bunyan affirmed, "You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." If you aren't giving in the small areas of your life, you're probably not as generous a leader as you could be. To improve your generosity, do the following: ü Give something away. Find out what kind of hold your possessions have on you. Take something you truly value, think of someone you care about who could benefit from it, and give it to him. If you can do it anonymously, even better. ü Put your money to work. If you know someone with the vision to do something really great- something that will positively impact the lives of others-provide resources for him to accomplish it. Put your money to work for something that will outlive you. ü Find someone to mentor. Once you reach a certain level in your leadership, the most valuable thing you have to give is yourself. Find someone to pour your life into. Then give him time and resources to become a better leader. When popular French author Dominique Lapierre first traveled to India to do research for a new book, he went in style-in a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow he had just purchased with a book advance. While he was there, he got what he needed for his book The City of Joy. But he also received something else: a passion to help the poor and miserable people he discovered there. That discovery has changed his life forever. Now he divides his time between writing, fund-raising, and donating time and money to help the people. his attitude can be summed up by the words of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, which are printed on the back of Lapierre's business card: "All that is not given is lost." What are you currently losing by holding on to it? The Bible Sez… Here are a few verses that prove our God is a GIVING God. We should strive to be like Him!! Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. Matt 16:26-27 6For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matt 19:21 21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. Luke 6:31 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 11:41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. Acts 20:32 I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 2Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. Security Bible Verse COMPETANCE NEVER COMPENSATES FOR INSECURITY You can't lead people if you need people. -John C. Maxwell No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or take all the credit for doing it. -Andrew Carnegie, Industrialist · No one can live on a level inconsistent with the way he sees himself. You may have observed that in people. If someone sees himself as a loser, he finds a way to lose. Anytime his success surpasses his security, the result is self-destruction. That's not only true for followers, but it's also true for leaders. Insecure leaders are dangerous-to themselves, their followers, and the organizations they lead-because a leadership position amplifies personal flaws. Whatever negative baggage you have in life only gets more difficult to bear when you're trying to lead others. Insecure leaders have several common traits: 1. They Don't Provide Security for Others An old saying states, "You cannot give what you do not have." just as people without skill cannot impart skill to others, people without security cannot make others feel secure. And for a person to become an effective leader, the kind that others want to follow, he needs to make his followers feel good about themselves. 2. They Take More from People than They Give Insecure people are on a continual quest for validation, acknowledgment, and love. Because of that, their focus is on finding security, not instilling it in others. They are primarily takers rather than givers, and takers do not make good leaders. 3. They Continually Limit Their Best People Show me an insecure leader, and I'll show you someone who cannot genuinely celebrate his people's victories. He might even prevent them from realizing any victories. Or he -might take credit personally for the best work of his team. As I mention in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, only secure leaders give power to others. That's the Law of Empowerment. But an insecure leader hoards power. In fact, the better his people are, the more threatened he feels-and the harder he will work to limit their success and recognition. 4. They Continually Limit the Organization When followers are undermined and receive no recognition, they become discouraged and eventually stop performing at their potential. And when that happens, the entire organization suffers. In contrast, secure leaders are able to believe in others because they believe in themselves. They aren't arrogant; they know their own strengths and weaknesses and respect themselves. When their people perform well, they don't feel threatened. They go out of their way to bring the best people together and then build them up so that they will perform at the highest level. And when a secure leader's team succeeds, it brings him great joy. He sees that as the highest compliment he can receive for his leadership ability. · How well do you understand and respect yourself? Do you know your strengths and feel good about them? Have you recognized your weaknesses and accepted the ones you can't change? When a person realizes that he is created with a particular personality type and has unique gifts, he is better able to appreciate the strengths and successes of others. · How secure are you as a leader? When a follower has a great idea, do you support it or suppress it? Do you celebrate your people's victories? When your team succeeds, do you give the members credit? If not, you may be dealing with insecurity, and it could be limiting you, your team, and your organization. To improve your security, do the following: ü Know yourself. If you are the kind of person who is not naturally self-aware, take time to learn about yourself. Take a personality test, such as the ones created by Myers-Briggs or Florence Littauer. Ask several people who know you well to name your three greatest talents and your three greatest weaknesses. Don't defend yourself when you hear their answers; gather the information and then reflect on it. ü Give away the credit. You may not believe that you can succeed if others receive the praise for the job your team isdoing. Try it. If you assist others and acknowledge their contributions, you will help their careers, lift their morale, and improve the organization. And it will make you look like an effective leader. ü Get some belp. If you cannot overcome feelings of insecurity on your own, seek professional help. Get to the r oot of your problems with the assistance of a good counselor, not only for your own benefit but also for that of your people. French novelist Honor6 de Balzac was a keen observer of, human nature, and he sought to capture a complete picture of modem civilization in his huge work The Human Comedy. He once observed, "Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others than being ill at ease with yourself." Don't let insecurity prevent you from reaching. your potential. The Bible Sez… Discernment / Judgment Bible Verse PUT AN END TO UNSOLVED MYSTERIES Smart leaders believe only half of what they hear. Discerning leaders know which half to believe. -John C. Maxwell The first rule of holes: When you're in one, stop digging. -Molly Ivins, Columnist · Discernment can be described as the ability to find the root of the matter, and it relies on intuition as well as rational thought. Effective leaders need discernment, although even good leaders don't display it all the time. For example, read these comments made by leaders, which I like to think of as famous last words: "I tell you Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad soldiers; we will settle the matter by lunch time." -Napoleon Bonaparte at breakfast with his generals preceding the Battle of Waterloo (1815) "I think there is a world market for about five computers." -Thomas J. Watson, chairman of IBM (1943) "I don't need bodyguards." -Jimmy Hoffa, one month before his disappearance (1 975) Discernment is an indispensable quality for any leader who desires to maximize effectiveness. It helps to do several important things: 1. Discover the Root Issues Leaders of large organizations must cope with tremendous chaos and complexity every day. They are never able to gather enough information to get a complete picture of just about anything. As a result, they have to rely on discernment. Researcher Henry Mintzberg of McGill University stated, "Organizational effectiveness does not lie in that narrowminded concept called rationality. It lies in the blend of clearheaded logic and powerful intuition." Discernment enables a leader to see a partial picture, fill in the missing pieces intuitively, and find the real heart of a matter. 2. Enhance Your Problem Solving If you can see the root issue of a problem, you can solve it. The closer a leader is to his area of gifting, the stronger his intuition and ability to see root causes. If you want to tap into your discernment potential, work in your areas of strength. 3. Evaluate Your Options for Maximum Impact Management consultant Robert Heller has this advice: "Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it's enough." Discernment isn't relying on intuition alone, nor is it relying only on intellect. Discernment enables you to use both your gut and your head to find the best option for your people and your organization. judgment is simply weighing all the facts in a situation, applying the leadership traits, then making the best move. 4. Multiply Your Opportunities People who lack discernment are seldom in the right place at the right time. Although great leaders often appear to be lucky to some observers, I believe leaders create their own "luck" as the result of discernment, that willingness to use their experience and follow their instincts. · Are you a discerning leader? When faced with complex issues, can you readily identify the heart of the matter? Are you able to see root causes of difficult problems without having to get every bit of information? Do you trust your intuition and rely on it as much as you do your intellect and experience? If not, you need to cultivate it. Value nontraditional thinking. Embrace change, ambiguity, and uncertainty. Broaden your horizons experientially. Your intuition will only increase with use. To improve your discernment, do the following: ü Analyze past successes. Look at some problems you solved successfully in the past. What was the root issue in each problem? What enabled you to succeed? If you can capture the heart of the matter in a few words, you can probably learn to do it with future issues. ü Learn how others think. Which great leaders do you admire? Pick some whose profession or gifting is similar to yours, and read their biographies. By learning how other discerning leaders think, you can become more discerning. ü Listen to your gut. Try to recall times when your intuition "spoke" to you and was correct (you may or may not have listened to it at the time). What do those experiences have in common? Look for a pattern that may give you insight into your intuitive ability. ü If you have no experienced judgment to use, don’t be afraid to ask someone for his or her help in making the decision. Ask and you’ll receive, seek and you shall find. For a long time, the Swiss had a lock on watchmaking. They built the best watches money could buy, and by the 1940s, they produced 80 percent of all watches worldwide. In the late 1960s, when an inventor presented an idea for a new type of watch to the leaders of a Swiss watch company, they rejected it. In fact, every Swiss company he approached had the same negative reaction. Believing his design had merit, the man took it to a company in Japan. The name of the organization was Seiko, the design of the watch was digital, and today, 80 percent of all watches use a digital design, One discernment-driven decision can change the entire course of your destiny. The Bible Sez… Problem Solving / Justice Bible Verse YOU CAN’T LET YOUR PROBLEMS BE A PROBLEM You can measure a leader by the problems he tackles. - He always looks for ones his own size. -John C. Maxwell The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year. -John Foster Dulles, Former Secretary of State · No matter what field a leader is in, he will face problems. They are inevitable for three reasons. First, we live in a world of growing complexity and diversity. Second, we interact with people. And third, we cannot control all the situations we face.' Leaders with good problem-solving ability demonstrate five qualities: 1. They Anticipate Problems Since problems are inevitable, good leaders anticipate them. Anyone who expects the road to be easy will continually find himself in trouble. I heard a story about David Livingstone, the missionary to Africa, that illustrates the kind of attitude leaders need. A mission organization wanted to send helpers to Dr. Livingstone, so its leader wrote, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to send other men to join you." Livingstone replied, "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come even if there is no road at all." If you keep your attitude positive but plan for the worst, you'll find yourself in a good position to solve problems that come your way. 2. They Accept the Truth People respond to problems in these ways: they refuse to accept them; they accept them and then put up with them; or they accept them and try to make things better. Leaders must always do the latter. Broadcaster Paul Harvey said, "In times like these it is good to remember that there have always been times like these." No leader can simultaneously have his head in the sand and navigate his people through troubled waters. Effective leaders face up to the reality of a situation. 3. They See the Big Picture Leaders must continually see the big picture. They cannot afford to be overwhelmed by emotion. Nor can they allow therfiselves to get so bogged down in the details that they lose sight of what's important. Author Alfred Armand Montapert wrote, "The major ity see the obstacles; the few see the objectives; history records the successes of the latter, while oblivion is the reward of the former." 4. They Handle One Thing at a Time Richard Sloma has this advice: "Never try to solve all the problems at once-make them line up for you one-by-one." Theleaders who get into trouble most often are the ones who are overwhelmed by the sheer size or volume of their troubles and then dabble at problem solving. If you're faced with lots of problems, make sure you really solve the one you're working on before moving on to the, next one. S. They Don't Give Up a Major Goal When They're Down Effective leaders understand the peak-to-peak principle. They make major decisions when they are experiencing a positive swing in their leadership, not during the dark times. As NFL fullback Bob Christian says, "I never decide whether it's time to retire during training carnp." He knows not to give up when he is in the valley. · Author George Matthew Adams stated, "What you think means more than anything else in your life. More than what you earn, more than where you live, more than your social position, and more than what anyone else may think about you." Every problem introduces you to yourself. It shows you how you think and what you're made of. When you come face-to-face with a problem, how do you react) Do you ignore it and hope it will go away? Do you feel powerless to solve it? Have you had such bad experiences trying to solve problems in the past that you've just given up? Or do you tackle them willingly? The ability to solve problems effectively comes from experience facing and overcoming obstacles. Each time you solve another problem, you get a little better at the process. But if you never try, fail, and try again, you'll never be good at it. To improve your problem solving, do the following: ü Look for trouble. If you've been avoiding problems, go out looking for them. You'll only get better if you gain experience dealing with them. Find situations that need fixing, come up with several viable solutions, and then take them to a leader with good problem-solving experience. You'll learn from his decisions how he thinks when handling difficulties. ü Develop a method. Some people have a hard time solving problems because they don't know how to tackle them. Try using the TEACH process: T I M E -spend time to discover the real issue. E X P 0 S U R E -find out what others have done. A S S I S T A N C E -have your team study all angles. C R E A T I V I T Y -brainstorm multiple solutions. H IT IT -implement the best solution. ü Surround yourself witb problem solvers. If you aren't a good problem solver, bring others onto your team who are. They wilf immediately complement your weaknesses, and you will also learn from them. To improve your Judgment, do the following: ü Don’t play favorites. Spread good deals around equally/evenly. ü Keep anger and emotions out of your decisions. ü Get rid of narrow views that you may have about a particular race, creed, or section of the country. ü Give everyone a chance to prove themselves. Help those who fall short of your standards, but keep your standards high. ü Make your mind up when you’ve weighed them, then issue your dicision in clear, confident terms. Don’t confuse your people by debating with yourself out load. ü Say what you mean, and mean what you say. ü Make up your mind in time to prevent the problem from growing bigger, but don’t go off while still at the “half-cocked” position. ü If the decision is beyond the scope of your authority, take it to the person who gets paid to make that decision. But if the decision is yours, make it. Don’t pass the buck. · Boxer Gene Tunney won the world heavyweight championship by beating Jack Dempsey. Most people don't know that when Tunney started his boxing career, he was a power puncher. But before turning pro, he broke both hands. His doctor and manager told him he would never be a world champion as a result. But that didn't deter him., "If I can't become a champion as a puncher," he said, "I'll make it as a boxer." He learned and he became one of the most skillful boxers ever to become champion. Never, allow others to put obstacles in the pathway to your dreams. "Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find." "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms. It's a mind-set that assumes (or hopes) that today's realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion. Pure fantasy. In this sort of culture, you won't find people who pro-actively take steps to solve problems as they emerge. Here's a little tip: don't invest in these companies. The Bible Sez… Relationships / Loyalty Bible Verse IF YOU GET ALONG, THEY’LL GO ALONG. The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. -Theodore Roosevelt, American President People don't care how much you know,until they know how much you care. -John C Maxwell § The ability to work with people and develop relationships is absolutely indispensable to effective leadership. According to the May 1991 issue of Executive Female magazine, a survey was taken of employers asking for the top three traits they desired in employees. Number one on the list was the ability to relate to people: 84 percent responded that they sought good interpersonal skills. Only 40 percent listed education and experience in their top three. And if employees need good people skills, think about how much more critical those skills are for leaders. People truly do want to go along with people they get along with. And while someone can have people skills and not be a good leader, he cannot be a good leader without people skills. What can a person do to manage and cultivate good relationships as a leader? It requires three things: 1. Have a Leader's Head-Understand People The first quality of a relational leader is the ability to understand how people feel and think. As you work with others, recognize that all people, whether leaders or followers, have some things in common: They like to feet special, so sincerely compliment them. They want a better tomorrow, so show them hope. They desire direction, so navigate for them. They are selfish, so speak to their needs first. They get low emotionally, so encourage them. They want success, so help them win. Recognizing these truths, a leader must still be able to treat people as individuals. The ability to look at each person, understand him, and connect with him is a major factor in relational, success. That means treating people differently, not all the same as one another. Marketing expert Rod Nichols notes that in business, this is particularly important: "If you deal with every customer in the same way, you will only close 25 percent to 30 percent of your contacts, because you will only close one personality type. But if you learn how to effectively work with all four personality types, you can conceivably close 100 percent of your contacts." This sensitivity can be called the soft factor in leadership. You have to be able to adapt your leadership style to the person you're leading. 2. Have a Leader's Heart-Love People President and CEO of Difinitive Computer Services Henry Gruland captures this idea: "Being a leader is more than just wanting to lead. Leaders have empathy for others and a keen ability to find the best in people ... not the worst ... by truly caring for others." You cannot be a truly effective leader, the kind that people want to follow, unless you love people. Physicist Albert Einstein put it this way: "Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men." 3. Extend a Leader's Hand-Help People Le Roy H. Kurtz of General Motors said, "The fields of industry are strewn with the bones of those organizations whose leadership became infested with dry rot, who believed in taking instead of giving ... who didn't realize that the only assets that could not be replaced easily were the human ones." People respect a leader who keeps their interests in mind. If your focus is on what you can put into people rather than what you can get out of them, they'll love and respect you-and these create a great foundation for building relationships. · How are your people skills? Do you mix well with strangers? Do you interact well with all kinds of people? Can you find common ground readily? What about long-term interaction? Are you able to sustain relationships? If your relational skills are weak, your leadership will always suffer. To improve your relationships, do the following: ü Improve your mind. If your ability to understand people needs improvement, jump-start it by reading several books on the subject. I recommend works written by Dale Carnegie, Alan Loy McGinnis, and Les Parrott M. Then spend more time observing people and talking to them to apply what you've learned. ü Strengthen your heart. If you're not as caring toward others as you could be, you need to get the focus off yourself. Make a list of little things you could do to add value to friends and colleagues. Then try to do one of them every day. Don't wait until you feel like it to help others. Act your way into feeling. ü Repair a hurting relationship. Think of a valued longterm relationship that has faded. Do what you can to rebuild it. Get in touch with the person and try to reconnect. If you had a falling out, take responsibility for your part in it, and apologize. Try to better understand, love, and serve that person. To improve your Loyalty, do the following: ü Loyalty is a two way street. It goes all the way up a chain of command and all the way back down. ü As a leader, every word, every action, must reflect your loyalty-up and down. ü Back your men when they are right correct them when they are wrong. Your being loyal either way. ü Pass on orders as if they were your own idea, even when they are distasteful. ü To rely on the rank of a person who told you to do a job is to weaken your own position. ü Keep your personal problems and the private lives of your seniors to yourself, but help your people in their difficulties when it is proper to do so. ü Never criticize your church, your seniors, or fellow piers in the presence of subordinates. Make sure they don’t either. ü If deserving persons get in trouble, go to bat for them. They’ll work harder when it’s all over. ü When it comes to spreading corruption, the proverbial rotten apple couldn’t hold a candle to the damage that can be done by a disloyal senior. In a short story titled "The Capitol of the World," Nobel prizewinning author Ernest Hemingway tells about a father and a teenage son, Paco, whose relationship breaks down. After the son runs away from home, the father begins a long journey in search of him. Finally as a last resort, the man puts an ad in the local newspaper in Madrid. It reads, "Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office tomorrow at noon ... all is forgiven ... I love you." The next morning in front of the newspaper office were eight hundred men named Paco, desiring to restore a broken relationship. Never underestimate the power of relationships on people's lives. "Powell's Rules for Picking People:” Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done. How often do our recruitment and hiring processes tap into these attributes? More often than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees and prior titles. A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem to be more important than who one is today, what they can contribute tomorrow, or how well their values mesh with those of the organization. You can train a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business fairly readily, but it's a lot harder to train someone to have integrity, judgment, energy, balance, and the drive to get things done. Good leaders stack the deck in their favor right in the recruitment phase. The Bible Sez… Responsibility Bible Verse IF YOU WON’T CARRY THE BALL, YOU CAN’T LEAD THE TEAM Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility ... In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility. -Michael Korda, Editor-in-cbief of Simon & Schuster A leader-can give up anything- except final responsibility. -John C Maxwell · Reflecting on current attitudes, my friend Haddon Robinson observes, "If you want to get rich, invest in victimization. It is America's fastest growing industry." He points out that millions of people are becoming rich by identifying, representing, interviewing, treating, insuring, and counseling victims. · Good leaders never embrace a victim mentality. They recognize that who and where they are remain their responsibility not that of their parents, their spouses, their children, the government, their bosses, or their coworkers. They face whatever life throws at them and give it their best, knowing that they will get an opportunity to lead the team only if they've proved that they can carry the ball. Take a look at the following characteristics of people who embrace responsibility: 1. They get the job done In a study of self-made millionaires, Dr. Thomas Stanley of the University of Georgia found that they all have one thing in common: they work hard. One millionaire was asked why he worked twelve to fourteen hours a day. He answered, "It took me fifteen years, working for a large organization, to realize that in our society you work eight hours a day for survival, and if you work only eight hours a day, all you do is survive ... Everything over eight hours is an investment in your future." No one can do the minimum and reach his maximum potential. How do people maintain a get-it-done attitude? They think of themselves as self-employed. If you want to achieve more and build your credibility with followers, adopt that mind-set. It can take you far. 2. They Are Willing to Go the Extra Mile Responsible people never protest, "That's not my job." They're willing to do whatever it takes to complete the work needed by the organization. If you want to succeed, be willing to put the organization ahead of your agenda. 3. They Are Driven by Excellence Excellence is a great motivator. People who desire excellence and work hard to achieve it-are almost always responsible. And when they give their all, they live at peace. Success expert Jim Rohn says, "Stress comes from doing less than you can." Make high quality your goal, and responsibility will naturally follow. 4. They Produce Regardless of the Situation The ultimate quality of a responsible person is the ability to finish. In An Open Road, Richard L. Evans writes, "It is priceless to find a person who will take responsibility, who will finish and follow through to the final detail-to know when someone has accepted an assignment that it will be effectively, conscientiously completed." If you want to lead, you've got to produce. · Gilbert Arland offers this advice: "When an archer misses the mark he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull's-eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim, improve yourself." Are you on target when it comes to responsibility? Do others see you as a finisher? Do people look to you to carry the ball in pressure situations? Are you known for excellence? If you haven't been performing at the highest level, you may need to cultivate a stronger sense of responsibility. To improve your responsibility, do the following: ü Keep banging in there. Sometimes an inability to deliver despite difficult circumstances can be due to a persistence problem. The next time you find yourself in a situation where you're going to miss a deadline, lose a deal, or fail to get a program off the ground, stop and figure out how to succeed. Think outside the lines. Can you work through the night? Can you call a colleague to help you? Can you hire a staff member or find a volunteer to help? Creativity can bring responsibility to life. ü Admit what's not good enough. If you have trouble achieving excellence, maybe you've lowered your standards. Look at your personal life for places where you've let things slip. Then make changes to set higher standards. It will help you to reset the bar of excellence for yourself. ü Find better tools. If you find that your standards are high, your attitude is good, and you consistently work hard-and you still don't achieve the way you'd like-get better equipped. Improve your skills by taking classes, reading books, and listening to tapes. Find a mentor. Do whatever it takes to become better at what you do. · An inmate at Butte County jail in California explained his absence from jail to sheriffs deputies in this way: "I was playing pole vault and I got too close to the wall and I fell over the wall. When I regained my senses, I ran around to try and find a way back in, but being unfamiliar with the area, got lost. Next thing I knew I was in Chico." People seldom realize how weak their excuses are until they hear some from others. "Being responsible sometimes means getting people angry” Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It's inevitable, if you're honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: you'll avoid the tough decisions, you'll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you'll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance because some people might get upset. Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally "nicely" regardless of their contributions, you'll simply ensure that the only people you'll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization. -Colin Powell "Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world." Small companies and start-ups don't have the time for analytically detached experts. They don't have the money to subsidize lofty elites, either. The president answers the phone and drives the truck when necessary; everyone on the payroll visibly produces and contributes to bottom-line results or they're history. But as companies get bigger, they often forget who "brought them to the dance": things like all-hands involvement, egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, agility. Policies that emanate from ivory towers often have an adverse impact on the people out in the field who are fighting the wars or bringing in the revenues. Real leaders are vigilant, and combative, in the face of these trends. -Colin Powell "Command is lonely." Harry Truman was right. Whether you're a CEO or the temporary head of a project team, the buck stops here. You can encourage participative management and bottom-up employee involvement, but ultimately the essence of leadership is the willingness to make the tough, unambiguous choices that will have an impact on the fate of the organization. I've seen too many non-leaders flinch from this responsibility. Even as you create an informal, open, collaborative corporate culture, prepare to be lonely. The Bible Sez… Initiative Bible Verse YOU WON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. -Conrad Hilton, Hotel Executive Of all the things a leader should fear, complacency should head the list. -John C. Maxwell · In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell pointed out that leaders are responsible for initiating a connection with their followers. But that's not the only area where leaders must show initiative. They must always look for opportunities and be ready to take action. What qualities do leaders possess that enable them to make things happen? There are at least four. 1. They Know What They Want Humorous pianist Oscar Levant once joked, "Once I make up my mind, I'm full of indecision." Unfortunately, that's the way many people actually operate. But no one can be both indecisive and effective. As Napoleon Hill says, "The starting point of all achievement is desire." If you are going to be an effective leader, you've got to know what you want. That's the only way you'll recognize opportunity when it comes. 2. They Push Themselves to Act There's an old saying: "You can if you will." Initiators don't wait for other people to motivate them. They knew it is their responsibility to push themselves beyond their comfort zone. And they make it a regular practice. That's why someone such as President Theodore Roosevelt, one of the great initiating leaders of the twentieth century, was able to say, "There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing: I do the things that I believe ought to be done ... And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act." 3. They Take More Risks When leaders know what they want and can push themselves to act, they still have one more hurdle. That's willingness to take risks. Proactive people always take risks. But one of the reasons good leaders are willing to take risks is that they recognize there is a price for not initiating too. President John F. Kennedy asserted, "There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." 4. They Make More Mistakes The good news for initiators is that they make things happen. The bad news is that they make lots of mistakes. IBM founder Thomas J. Watson recognized that when he remarked, "The way to succeed is to double your failure rate." Even though initiating leaders experience more failure, they don't lot it bother them. The greater the potential, the greater the chance for failure. Senator Robert Kennedy summed it up-, "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." If you want to achieve great things as a leader, you must be willing to initiate and put yourself on the line. · Are you an initiator? Are you constantly on the lookout for opportunity, or do you wait for it to come to you? Are you willing to take steps based on your best instincts? Or do you endlessly analyze everything? Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca said, "Even the right decision is the wrong decision if it is made too late." When was the last time you initiated something significant in your life? If you haven't pushed yourself lately and gotten out of your comfort zone, you may need to jump-start your initiative. To improve your initiative, do the following: ü Change your mind-set. If you lack initiative, recognize that the problem comes from the inside, not from others. Determine why you hesitate to take action. Does risk scare you? Are you discouraged by past failures? Do you not see the potential that opportunity offers? Find the source of your hesitation, and address it. You won't be able to move forward on the outside until you can move forward on the inside. ü Don't wait for opportunity to knock. Opportunity doesn't come to the door knocking. You've got to go out and look for it. Take stock of your assets, talents, and resources. Doing that will give you an idea of your potential. Now, spend every day for a week looking for opportunities. Where do you see needs? Who is looking for expertise you have? What unreached group of people is practically dying for what you have to offer? Opportunity is everywhere. ü Take the next step. It's one thing to see opportunity. It's another to do something about it. As someone once quipped, everyone has a great idea in the shower. But only a few people step out, dry off, and do something about it. Pick the best opportunity you see, and take it as far as you can. Don't stop until you've done everything you can to make it happen. ü Think ahead. Stay mentally alert and physically awake. Look around. If you see a job that needs to be done, don’t wait to be told. (I.E. If the place is filthy, organize a group to clean it up). Your situation and the lot of your subordinates can always be improved. Do what you can and use the means at hand. Think ahead and you will stay ahead. In 1947, Lester Wunderman was arbitrarily fired from his advertising job in New York. But the young man knew he could learn a lot from the head of the agency, Max Sackheim. The next morning, Wunderman went back to his office and worked just as he had before-but without pay. Sackheim. ignored him for a month, but finally walked up to Wunderman and said, "Okay, you win. I never saw a man who wanted a job more than he wanted money." Wunderman went on to become one of the most successful advertising men of the, century. He is known as the father of direct marketing. It will take a bold step from you today to reach vour Potential tomorrow. The Bible Sez… Courage Bible Verse ONE PERSON WITH COURAGE IS A MAJORITY Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. -Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister Courage is fear that has said its prayers. -Karl Barth, Swiss Theologian · When you look at the life of someone like Eddie Rickenbacker, you cannot help seeing great courage. It's easy to see in war heroes, but it's also present in every great leader in business, government, and the church. Whenever you see significant progress in an organization, you know that the leader made courageous decisions. A leadership position doesn't give a person courage, but courage can give him a leadership position. That was true for Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. Larry Osborne offers this observation: "The most striking thing about highly effective leaders is how little they have in common. What one swears by, another warns against. But one trait stands out: the willingness to risk." As you approach the tough decisions that challenge you, recognize these truths about courage: 1.. Courage Begins with an Inward Battle Every test you face as a leader begins within you. The test of courage is no different. As psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp notes, "All the significant battles are waged within self." Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory. That was true for Rickenbacker, and it can be true for you. 2. Courage Is Making Things Right, Not Just Smoothing Them Over Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. declared, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Great leaders have good people skills, and they can get people to compromise and work together. B they also take a stand when needed. Courage deals with principle, not perception. If you do have the ability to see when to stand up and the conviction to do it you'll never be an effective leader. Your dedication to potential must remain stronger than your desire to appease others. 3. Courage in a Leader Inspires Commitment from Followers "Courage is contagious," asserts evangelist Billy Graham. "When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened." A show of courage by any person encourages others. But a show of courage by a leader inspires. It makes people want to follow him. My friend Jim Mellado explains, "Leadership is the expression of courage that compels people to do the right thing." 4. Your Life Expands in Proportion to Your Courage Fear limits a leader. Roman historian Tacitus wrote, "The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise." But courage has the opposite effect. It opens doors, and that's one of its most wonderful benefits. Perhaps that's why British theologian John Henry Newman said, "Fear not that your life will come to an end but that it will never have a beginning." Courage not only gives you a good beginning, but it also provides a better future. What's ironic is that those who don't have the courage to take risks and those who do, experience the same amount of flear in life. The only difference is that those who don't take chances worry about trivial things. If you're going to have to overcome your fear and doubts anyway, you might as well make it count. · Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." How do you tend to handle fear? Do you embrace it? Are stretching experiences a regular part of your daily life? Or have you retreated so far into your comfort zone that you don't ever even feel fear? How must you change to develop a spirit of courage in your life? To improve your courage, do the following: · Face the music. Courage comes in two kinds: Physical and Moral. Go out and do something stretching simply for the sake of growing in courage. Skydive. Speak in front of an audience (most people's greatest fear). Perform in a play. Go white-water rafting. Rock climb. It doesn't matter what you do as long as it causes you to face a genuine fear. Moral courage… know what’s right and stand up for it. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. The Ten Commandments are still a pretty good set of regulations, as they haven’t had a change published for two thousand years! The person with the morals of an alley-cat will never command the loyalty and respect of others. When your wrong, say so. Don’t try to weasel out of your mistake. Everybody makes a mistake now and then. The trick is not to make the same one twice. · Talk to that person. Most people are avoiding confrontation with someone in their lives-an employee, a relative, or a coworker. If that's true for you, talk to that person this week. Don't dump on him or abuse him. Speak the truth in love. (You won't be so afraid to do it if you've already skydived rafted, etc.) · Take a giant step. Maybe you've been afraid to make a career move. If you've known in your heart that you should have changed jobs or started that new business, now is the time to face up to it. Take the time to really look at it. Talk to your spouse, your mentor, and a trusted friend or two. If it's the right thing to do, then do it. · If you are in a tight place and feel fear, recognize it. Then get control over it and make it work for you. Fear stimulates the body processes, and you can actually fight harder, and for a longer time if you are scared. · Courage grows with action. When things are tough, take action even though it might be wrong. Positive action on a poor decision is better that a half-hearted attempt on the best possible one. A nineteenth-century circuit-riding preacher named Peter Cartwright was preparing to deliver a sermon one Sunday when he was warned that President Andrew Jackson was in attendance, and he was asked to keep his remarks inoffensive. During that message, he included these statements: "I have been told that Andrew Jackson is in this congregation. And I have been asked to guard my remarks. What I must say is that Andrew Jackson will go to hell if he doesn't repent of his sin." After the sermon, Jackson strode up to Cartwright. "Sir," the president said, "if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world." A courageous act often brings unexpected positive results. Part I: "Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.” Part II: "Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut." Don't take action if you have only enough information to give you less than a 40 percent chance of being right, but don't wait until you have enough facts to be 100 percent sure, because by then it is almost always too late. Today, excessive delays in the name of information-gathering breeds "analysis paralysis." Procrastination in the name of reducing risk actually increases risk. The Bible Sez… Commitment/Endurance Bible Verse IT SEPERATES THE DOERS FROM THE DREAMERS. People do not follow uncommitted leaders. Commitment can be displayed in a full range of matters to include work hours you choose to maintain, how you work to improve your abilities, or what you do for your fellow workers at personal sacrifice. – Steven Gregg, Chairman and CEO of Ethix Corp. He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times. –Johann Von Schiller, Playwright. · The world has never seen a great leader who lacked commitment. Ed McElroy of USAir spoke of it’s importance: “Commitment gives us new power. No matter what comes to us- Sickness, Poverty, or Disaster- we never turn our eye from the goal.” · What is commitment? To each person, it means something different. 1. To the boxer, it’s getting off the matt one more time than you’ve been knocked down. 2. To the marathoner, it’s running another ten miles when your strength is gone. 3. To the soldier, it’s going over the hill, not knowing what’s on the other side. 4. To the missionary, It’s saying goodbye to your own comfort to make a better life for others. 5. To the leader, it’s all that and more because everyone you lead is depending on you. · If you want to be an effective leader, you have to be committed. True commitment inspires and attracts people. It shows them that you have conviction. Every leader must have endurance beyond that of his followers. They will believe in you only if you believe your cause. As the law of Bu-In states, people buy into the leader, then the vision. Keep yourself fit, both physically and mentally. Learn to stand punishment by undertaking hard physical tasks. Force yourself to study and think while tired. You don’t have to be trained to be miserable… but you do have to train to endure misery. · What is the true nature of commitment? 1. Commitment Starts in the Heart. Some people want everything to be perfect before they commit themselves to anything. But commitment always precedes achievement. It is said that in the Kentucky derby, the winning horse effectively runs out of oxygen after the first half mile, and he goes the rest of the way on heart. That’s why all great athletes recognize its importance. NBA Legend Michael Jordan explains that “heart is what separates the good from the great.” If you want to make a difference in other people’s lives as a leader, look into your heart to see if you are really committed. 2. Commitment is Tested by Action. It’s one thing to talk about commitment. It’s another to do something about it. The only real measure of commitment is action. Arthur Gordon acknowledged, “Nothing is easier then saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day. (read pg 19 story. Bottom paragraph (read pg 19 story. Bottom paragraph in 21 indispensable qualities of a leader). How Are you doing when it comes to following through on commitments? 3. Commitment Opens the Door to Achievement. As a leader, you will face plenty of obstacles and opposition- if you don’t already. And there will be times when commitment is the only thing that carries you forward. David McNally commented, “Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.” If you want to get anywhere worthwhile, you must be committed. WHAT TYPE OF PERSON ARE YOU? When it comes to commitment, there are really only four types of people. 1. Cop-outs. People who have no goals or do not commit. 2. Holdouts. People who don’t know if they can reach their goals, so they’re afraid to commit. 3. Dropouts. People who start toward a goal but quit when the going gets tough. 4. All-Outs. People who set goals, commit to them, and pay the price to reach them. What kind of person are you? Have you been reaching your goals? Are you achieving all that you believe you can? Do people believe in you and follow you readily? If your answer to any one of these questions is no, the problem may be your level of commitment. How to Improve your Commitment ü Measure it. Sometimes we think we are committed to something, yet our actions indicate otherwise. Take a look at your calendar and your checkbook register. Look at how much time you spend at work, at church, with family, in health or recreation activities, and so forth. Figure out how much money you spent on living expenses, entertainment, personal development, and giving. All these things are true measures of your commitment. You may be surprised by what you find. ü Know what’s worth dying for. One of the questions every leader must ask himself is, What am I willing to die for? If it came down to it, what in life would you not be able to stop doing, no matter what the consequences where? Spend some time alone meditating on that thought. Write down what you discover. Then see if you actions meet your ideals. ü Use the Edison Method. If taking the first step towards commitment is a problem, try doing what Thomas Edison did. When he had a good idea for an invention, he would call a press conference to announce it. Then he’d go into his lab and invent it. Make you plans public, and then you might be more committed to following through with them. “Just remember that if you’re not working at your game to the utmost of your ability, there will be someone out there with equal ability. And one day you will play each other, and he’ll have the advantage.” - “Easy” Ed Macauley. Former pro basketball player The Bible Sez… Vision Bible Verse YOU CAN ONLY SEIZE WHAT YOU CAN SEE A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. -John C. Maxwell The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious. -John Sculley Former CEO of Pepsi and Apple Computer · Vision is everything for a leader. It is utterly indispensable. Why? Because vision leads the leader. It paints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward. It is also the fire lighter for others who follow that leader. Show me a leader without vision, and I'll show you someone who isn't going anywhere. At best, he is traveling in circles. To get a handle on vision and how it comes to be a part of a good leader's life, understand these things: 1. Vision Starts Within When I'm teaching at conferences, someone will occasionally ask me to give him a vision for his organization. But I can't do it. You can't buy, beg, or borrow vision. It has to come from the inside. For Disney, vision was never a problem. Because of his creativity and desire for excellence, he always saw what could be. If you lack vision, look inside yourself. Draw on your natural gifts and desires. Look to your calling if you have one. And if you still don't sense a vision of your own, then consider hooking up with a leader whose vision resonates with you., Become his partner. That's what Walt Disney's brother, Roy, did. He was a good businessman and leader who could make things happen, but Walt was the one who provided the vision. Together, they made an incredible team. 2. Vision Draws on Your History Vision isn't some mystical quality that comes out of a vacuum, as some people seem to believe. It grows from a leader's past and the history of the people around him. That was the case for Disney. But it's true for all leaders. Talk to any leader; and you're likely to discover key events in his past that were instrumental in the creation of his vision. 3. Vision Meets Others' Need's True vision is far-reaching. It goes beyond what one individual can accomplish. And if it has real value, it does more than just include others; it adds value to them. If you have a vision that doesn't serve others, it's probably too small. 4. Vision Helps You Gather Resources One of the most valuable benefits of vision is that it acts like a magnet--attracting, challenging, and uniting people. It also rallies finances and other resources. The greater the vision, the more winners it has the potential to attract. The more challenging the vision, the harder the participants fight to achieve it. Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid, advised, "The first thing you do is teach the person to feel that the vision is very important and nearly impossible. That draws out the drive in winners." · Where does vision come from? To find the vision that is indispensable to leadership, you have to become a good listener. You must listen to several voices. Ø The Inner Voice As I have already said, vision starts within. Do you know your life's mission? What stirs your heart? What do you dream about? If what you're pursuing in life doesn't come from a desire within-from the very depths of who you are and what you believe-you will not be able to accomplish it. Ø The Unhappy Voice Where does inspiration for great ideas come from? From noticing what doesn't work. Discontent with the status quo is a great catalyst for vision. Are you on complacent cruise control? Or do you find yourself itching to change your world? No great leader in history has fought to prevent change. Ø The Successful Voice Nobody can accomplish great things alone. To fulfill a big vision, you need a good team. But you also need good advice from someone who is ahead of you in the leadership journey. If you want to lead others to greatness, find a mentor. Do you have an adviser who can help you sharpen your vision? Ø The Higher Voice Although it's true that your vision must come from within, you shouldn't let it be confined by your limited capabilities. A truly valuable vision must have God in it. Only He knows your full capabilities. Have you looked beyond yourself, even beyond your own lifetime, as you've sought your vision? If not, you may be missing your true potential and life's best for you. To improve your vision, do the following: ü Measure yourself. If you have previously thought about the vision for your life and articulated it, measure how well you are carrying it out. Talk to several key people, such as your spouse, a close friend, and key employees, asking them to state what they think your vision is. If they can articulate it, then you are probably living it. ü Write it down. If you've thought about your vision but never put it in writing, take the time to do it today. Writing clarifies your thinking. Once you've written it, evaluate whether it is worthy of your life's best. And then pursue it with all you've got. ü Do a gut check. If you haven't done a lot of work on vision, spend the next several weeks or months thinking about it. Consider what really impacts you at a gut level. What makes you cry?________________________________________________ What makes you dream?______________________________________________ What gives you energy?_______________________________________________ Also think about what you'd like to see change in the world around you. What do you see that isn't-but could be? Once your ideas start to become clearer, write them down and talk to a mentor about them. · From 1923 to 1955, Robert Woodruff served as president of Coca-Cola. During that time, he wanted Coca-Cola to be available to every American serviceman around the world for five cents, no matter what it cost the company. What a bold goal! But it was nothing compared to the bigger picture he could see in his mind's eye. In his lifetime, he wanted every person in the world to have tasted Coca-Cola. When you look deep into your heart and soul for a vision, what do you see? "Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard." Learn from the pros, observe them, seek them out as mentors and partners. But remember that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their learning and skills. Sometimes even the pros can become complacent and lazy. Leadership does not emerge from blind obedience to anyone. Xerox's Barry Rand was right on target when he warned his people that if you have a yes-man working for you, one of you is redundant. Good leadership encourages everyone's evolution. "Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds." In a brain-based economy, your best assets are people. We've heard this expression so often that it's become trite. But how many leaders really "walk the talk" with this stuff? Too often, people are assumed to be empty chess pieces to be moved around by grand viziers, which may explain why so many top managers immerse their calendar time in deal making, restructuring and the latest management fad. How many immerse themselves in the goal of creating an environment where the best, the brightest, the most creative are attracted, retained and, most importantly, unleashed? "Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it: Spend time with your families. Corollary: surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard." Herb Kelleher of Southwest Air and Anita Roddick of The Body Shop would agree: seek people who have some balance in their lives, who are fun to hang out with, who like to laugh (at themselves, too) and who have some non-job priorities which they approach with the same passion that they do their work. Spare me the grim workaholic or the pompous pretentious "professional;” I'll help them find jobs with my competitor. The Bible Sez… Principles of Leadership · Take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your subordinates. The leader, alone, is responsible for all that the unit does or fails to do. Do this with Judgment, tact, and initiative. · Know yourself and seek improvement. 1. Evaluate yourself from time to time. Learn how to speak effectively, how to instruct, and how to be an expert with all the equipment that you might be expected to use. · Set the example. 1. People look to you for a pattern and a standard to follow. No amount of instruction and no form of discipline can have the effect of your personal example. · Develop your subordinates. 1. Tell your subordinates what you want done and by when, then leave them alone. If you have subordinate leaders, leave the details up to them, that way you will have more time to devote to other jobs and you are training another leader. A leader with confidence will have confidence in subordinates. Supervise, and check on the results, but leave the details to the person on the spot. After all, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and it’s the whole fur you are after, not the individual hairs. · Ensure that a job is understood, then supervise it and carry it through to completion. 1. Make up your mind what to do, who is to do it, where and when it is to be done, and tell your people why when they need to be told why. Continue supervising the job until it has been done better than the person who wanted it done in the first place ever thought it could be. · Know your men and look after their welfare. 1. Loyal leaders will never permit themselves to rest until their subordinates are taken care of. Leaders share their problems of their subordinates, but they don’t pry when an individual wants privacy. · Everyone should be kept informed. 1. Be sure everyone gets the word. Be known as the person with the straight dope. Squelch rumors. They can create disappointment when they are good, but untrue. Never forget that the more your people know about the mission that has been assigned, the better they will be able to accomplish it. · Set goals you can reach. 1. Don’t send two people to a job that takes five. Your people may be good, but don’t ask the impossible. · Make sound and timely decisions. 1. Knowledge and Judgment are required to produce a sound decision. Include some initiative and the decision will be a timely one. · Know your job. 1. Stay abreast of changes. Read up on recent developments. Don’t be the type who can only say “ that ain’t the way we used to do it in the old days!” · Teamwork. 1. Train your people as a unit. If a job comes up for three people, take your whole team. The job will be easier with an extra hand and everyone will be working as a team. Quotes from Colin Powell….. The Law of Explosive Growth, which says, -To add growth, lead followers-to multiply, lead leaders." A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion.