Every leader lurks a daunting question that hurls a shadow over every significant challenge:
Can I successfully do this?
When I went to take the test for my driver’s license… When I went to work for the prison system… When I proposed to my wife… When my daughter arrived… and every new job I took, I subconsciously thought of this question….. Can I Successfully Do This?
But then, the next question is…..Or Am I destined for failure? Well, my personality falls forward to the answer to this question: ” I can succeed in everything.” Unfortunately, that has driven me to many disappointments and frustrations.
However, we must understand that almost everything that goes through our head attaches to our brain and then determines our decisions.
We sometimes sabotage by shirking responsibility and self-medicating through addictive behavior – drugs, alcohol, gaming, etc. Others go numb, becoming “yes” men to the tyranny of mediocrity.
For those who have already made the tragic choice of shutting down and checking out, you need to realize your decisions and rethink the successful way forward.
For those still wrestling with the decision, take a step back and rethink the outcome of your choices.
As I coach or interact with leaders, I hear it in their voices and see it in their eyes and body language. People are constantly thinking Can I Successfully Do This?
YOU Can!
Let me drop in a few reasons why you are, indeed, up to the tasks you are qualified and capable of completing and can be successful.
You were MADE to DO this
What you have achieved or have been successful with in the past means you took advantage of your schooling, training, mentorship, and experience to achieve success.
Everything we do offers challenges. And while we sometimes fail, we’re still designed to take on the challenges adequately.
You’ve been equipped for this.
You have natural talents as well as trained abilities. It’s not that you’re superhuman. Instead, you’re a human who manages the opportunity within the hands of your past success.
You have people
You don’t have to do this alone. Some people will help you succeed.
Maybe you’ve been let down by them, but don’t give up. These people, imperfect as they may be, are made to complement an imperfect you!
You also have people that you can help succeed. But, again, this is a requirement for all successful leaders. Remember, not everything is about you; it is about everyone!
Conclusion
Every company and organization suffers from a shortage of courageous, confident, and successful leaders. Instead, many have emphasized humility which creates false confidence for pride. But as we reveal that our thoughts, actions, and team are always working in us, around us, and through us to accomplish our success.
When you remain dependent and surrendered, you remain an unstoppable force for the SUCCESS OF EVERYTHING YOU ACCOMPLISH!
Yes, YOU Can Successfully Do This!!
Denis is an Executive Director for the John Maxwell Group and is a certified leadership coach, trainer, keynote speaker, and DISC Behaviorial Consultant. Denis is a senior safety professional and a strong, passionate influential person. He is committed to teaching and communicating practical and relevant influencing techniques. His unique, passionate, and emotionally driven style resonates with many, creating a desire to become an effective leader.
You can contact Denis at dbaker@leaderinfluence.net for information on coaching, leadership, team and culture training, DISC Behavioral consulting, or to be an inspirational speaker at your next event.
In my effort to cultivate and grow my leadership, I find it challenging to stay the course and achieve what I read, witness, and teach. In fact, I often find myself telling people one thing and doing the exact opposite. Doing that can hurt those you lead, coach, mentor, or teach. If you don’t improve, you will ultimately lose respect, trust, and, eventually, the ability to influence.
As 2020 approaches, I decided to evaluate my leadership abilities and identify those things I do well and those areas where I need to improve. The last four years have been a personal leadership challenge for me. I’ve had a job change that put me in a role with no direct reports and limited my decision-making authority. I’ve had to learn to lead differently. The term; “influence without authority” has become an actual reality challenge for me.
During my self-evaluation, I identified my top 5 strengths in leading others and having a strong influence on the decision making process.
1. I am a very HIGH ENERGY AND PASSIONATE leader in the areas I believe in.
2. I am willing to embrace CHANGE, even if I don’t entirely agree with it
3. I am PERSISTENT in my approach to achieving my desires, goals, and objectives
4. I am CONFIDENT in my decision making but open to ideas and suggestions
5. I am a strong ENGAGER of people
It is always good to identify your strong points, but it can be challenging to identify areas for improvement. The way I approached this was to reflect on 2019 and the many conversations, suggestions, and feedback I received throughout the year. I am always asking for feedback (although many times I don’t want to hear it or I have an excuse)
Based on my evaluation and reflection, I will focus on building and improving the following five leadership traits in 2020.
1. Being Clear in My Communication – I will work to enhance my communication approach through tone and word choices. Working to pull my feelings and frustration back and undoubtedly transfer my thoughts, ideas, and expectations. I will explain the “why” more often and ensure people are well informed. People want to be “in the know.” People want to deliver expectations, but can’t be successful if we don’t clearly and successfully communicate. They also want to know what the rewards are for good work and the consequences for sub-standard work.
2. Build Stronger Relationships – Relationships are critical to leadership. Strong relationships build trust and respect and offer the opportunity to influence. I will work to be present with my customers, leaders, and the workforce. I will reach out for general conversations and make sure I follow-up with the right people. I will work to show how much I care about all facets of the business. It is said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!” They are looking for you to care for them and build a working relationship. I will work harder to learn and remember names and recognize that life is going on outside of work.
3. Humble Myself – I am am very confident in my role but must be better at leading with humility. I don’t know everything and always make the right decisions, but I will work diligently to illustrate my knowledge through the quality of my choices. I will recognize all persons, regardless of position, and work to realize that no one is any more important than anyone else. I will demonstrate this through my actions and interactions. I will let each know how important they are by involving them and getting their brains in the game.
4. Be a Stronger Encourager – I will continuously look for and recognize the great work people are doing. I will express my gratitude and exemplify the positive difference they are making. I will encourage them for their actions, the work they perform, and the value they add.
5. Have Courage – I understand creativity and innovation drive progress and performance. I will make bold decisions, push back when needed, but fully support the final decision. I will have difficult conversations when necessary, and I will do the difficult right things.
With a new year and new decade roll into place, I feel like it is the optimal time to increase my influence and achieve more than I ever have. I don’t know where most of you fall within your leadership needs (unless I know you). Still, I believe the results from my self-evaluation will encourage many of you to look within yourself, identify areas of improvement, and make the necessary changes to become a stronger influencer and more effective leader.
My job would be the greatest in the world if it weren’t for people!
Denis Baker
Here is reality. People are the reason I have a job. Probably the same for most of you.
What is the most challenging aspect of any position?
PEOPLE!
In the last few years my interaction with leaders and employees have been well……CHALLENGING.
I’ve found that regardless if the organization is growing, adding people or whether the organization was downsizing, people have been my biggest challenge.
Don’t get me wrong; some are very good, others well are…. CHALLENGING.
As I reflect on these last few years, I’ve realized the challenges with people is affected by my ability to manage my self-leadership.
I’ve also come to realize that being a leader is…..CHALLENGING. I found that leadership is, indeed, a 24/7 job. Leaders must practice the art of influence every time, all the time. If you sway, you will fall back into the same practices of those you lead.
Here is an example of one of my challenges;
In one of the organizations I’ve worked at (no longer there), we opened an additional manufacturing facility. That meant we needed additional leaders and employees. The CEO tapped into a retired individual without having any discussion with the executive leadership group. He was familiar with the type of business and had significant manufacturing experience, but didn’t have a great ethical reputation. It meant that he would be in charge of securing the location, ensuring the building was ready for manufacturing and recruiting people to build the product. He accomplished everything as needed. However, the way he went about it was not what I expected.
For instance: ……., he went to his former employer and convinced a large group to come over and work for us. He did this without any discussions or insight into our hiring process. That meant we had employees showing up for work without being fully authorized, without going through background checks, physicals, and orientation. I was frustrated! I immediately grew dissatisfied and refused to accommodate or help him in any way. He continued to defy our policies and procedures and was causing much discord between employees. I found myself resisting his ideas and refusing to support him.
After a year, we laid-off everyone and closed the facility.
My frustration was significantly affecting those whom I led. It was noticeable, and my attitude was not very good. The employees closest to me were asking what was wrong with me, why was I letting this guy get to me?
I realized that I was the problem.
I had the knowledge and ability to change this situation immediately. I was the company leadership example.
As the head of Safety and HR, people were looking to me for direction, watching my reactions to this guy’s actions, and I was failing.
As I began to think and meditate on the situation, I realized that I had done a poor job of self-leadership. I had temporarily walked away from what I knew and the very things I had taught and coached others on.
I realized that a leader’s greatest challenge is self-leadership.
I also found that my leadership example must be right-on for others to follow. I must always find a way to add value to every situation to influence others.
I needed to be a strong influencer to have this person do what was right. I realized that if I lead myself the correct way, others will follow. If you don’t lead, or lead poorly, you’ll push people away. Even those whom you consistently influence will become frustrated. They see your frustration and act similarly. Eventually, you will drive them away. These are the very people you need to influence.
When considering self-leadership, I like to follow three areas shared by John Maxwell.
Here they are, with my flair and take.
Emotions – Like anyone else, leaders experience powerful emotions. However, good leaders know when to display emotions and when to delay them. I often hear people question leaders that show powerful emotions. We must demonstrate our emotions in appropriate situations. The wrong emotion at the wrong time can do significant damage. The right emotion at the right time can produce incredible results. Leaders must hold their emotions in check until an appropriate time and place. Remember, the ultimate goal in leadership is adding value. Emotions can add or detract value based on the way they are displayed.
Thoughts – Leaders are thinkers. Thoughts are critical to making sound decisions. If you are too busy to spend time in thought, your decision-making ability is affected. A good leader must allow time for gathering and organizing his/her thoughts.
Energy – Successful people are high energy people. However, high energy levels can create problems, both for you and for those whom you influence. My accomplishments drive me. I tend to focus on achievement, but tend to over-achieve and overwhelm people. In my training as an Executive Director with the John Maxwell group, I realize that I must focus my efforts on what provides the most significant results by adding value to others. To ensure I focus on the right things, I start every day reviewing my calendar and identifying the one or two activities that require the highest amount of energy. I focus my energy on them and sandbag the rest of the day. No, I don’t give them less effort, but I am slow and steady to complete these projects. I cannot afford to expend my energy on situations or people pulling me down as a leader. I must focus on people and projects that results in influence and ultimately, increases my leadership.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Being in leadership is well…….CHALLENGING.
As leaders, we must remember to self-lead our actions. Whether it is a situation, person or group, the way we react and act is a direct result of our leadership frame of mind. Follow the three things mentioned above, and you will begin to self-lead yourself effectively.
Jim Rhone once said,
“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor but without folly.”
Jim Rhone
I think if we can take hold of this, we can all be effective leaders who are up to the challenge.
Like some of you, leadership has been a continual growth process for me. It seems that there are some who “get it” from the get-go. However, for me, it’s been a journey. I’ve struggled with resistance from individuals. As a safety professional, the most difficult thing to change in a program is the belief that “we’ve always done it this way,” or “we didn’t budget for that.” In the safety profession, influence is the key to success. The safety profession serves an essential purpose in the work field, but it does not produce a product or generate cash flow.
Consequently, we must be able to influence others to make the right decisions for the right reasons. Success in the safety field is determined through the reduction or elimination of injuries. Ultimately, the worker and their families benefit from our efforts. Over the past several years, three principles have emerged that have helped renew my energy and commitment to influencing those who make the decisions. These principles aren’t new, but I have become more intentional in my implementation. I am deliberate in focusing on each of these principles, and because of such, I have seen significant results.
“Principle-centered people are constantly educated by their experiences.” – Steven Covey
I want to share these 3 principles with you. I believe that EACH leader should acquaint themselves with these truths to obtain powerful influence.
RIGHT PEOPLE The first question to ask is “Am I influencing the right people?” Different people need to be influenced by various reasons and circumstances. For instance, does a production employee need to be influenced to purchase a new piece of equipment? No. The focus needs to be on finance and production leadership. However, the production employee does need to be influenced by the need to make appropriate behavior choices. If we are not influencing the right people for our current demand, then our time and effort become lost. The second question is “Do you have the right people on your team?” For leaders, the motto has been that people are your greatest asset, but that saying needs some fine-tuning. It’s not just people; it’s the right people. When you’re bringing someone aboard your leadership team, put forth ample time into the resume/interview process. Develop engaging interview questions and include other team members to ensure the person can become an effective team collaborator and has the right skillset to “fill in the holes.” A leader is only as good as his/her inner circle. These are the people that make the vision a reality. Sometimes organizations put excessive emphasis on the senior leader, when in fact it’s more than just one man.
Moreover, it’s not just whom we bring on, but also whom we hang onto. It’s hard to let an employee go or to tell a team leader that their season has come to an end. Ultimately, do what is best for the team and the overall organization.
Consider whom you are currently trying to influence, are they the right person for your needs? Do you have the right people on board and in the right positions? Focus on influencing the right people and ensure your inner circle consists of qualified, committed individuals and success will be achieved.
WELL-DEFINED MISSION Second, it is vital to have a well-defined mission. A clear mission keeps us on track to complete critical tasks. You and your team must define a mission that supports your vision. Evaluate all the things you’re doing and make the difficult decision to cut out (even good things) that don’t fit within that defined mission. This pruning process will help you avoid “mission drift” and make your leadership more effective.
UNWAVERING FAITHFULNESS So finally, when you have the right people and a well-defined mission, go after it with all your heart. Those who are passionate about what they want will be successful. Passion drives us through difficult times. In our ready-made culture, we want immediate results. The reality is that any constant endeavor, a marriage, business, or ministry takes time to build. I remind people that they’re embarking on an adventure that requires an investment of faithfulness. Be committed to putting the time and effort in; day by day, person-by-person, project by project.
You can contact Denis at dbaker@leaderinfluence.net for information on coaching, leadership, team and culture training, DISC Behavioral consulting, or to be an inspirational speaker at your next event.
I recently began a new job. Yes, I said a new job. The last two years have been very challenging, but that is a topic for a future blog. Man, I wish I could keep a job like I keep my wife (we’ve been married for 32 years).
With a new job comes the need to re-balance the commitment to work with the commitment to life. That takes a lot of effort. Let’s face it, a new job not only takes a lot of effort to build relationships, learn the job and become familiar with the organization, but it creates a desire to make a great first impression.
However, our personal life is the most important. Whether you are married, dating or simply just like your alone time, work-life balance is essential to your physical and mental health.
As leaders, we want to set the pace and set the expectation. If you are a true leader, the best way to do that is to exceed your own expectations. I find many leaders do this by coming to the office early and staying late. In fact, if I come to the office and someone is already there, I find myself questioning my commitment and leadership. Even though I know better, I will fall into this thought process sometimes.
I think the challenge of work-life balance is one of perspective and mindset. I heard someone say,
In order to change the way we work, we must change the way we think.”
I agree, to achieve balance we must think like the leader we are and not the doer we want to be.
I’ve heard it said that being “busy” is the badge of honor among leaders.” I used to model that saying. However, I realize I was merely wasting time. There is a time within the end of a day (for me about 9-10 hrs) where my concentration and focus lacks. I only exist at the office to create a perception. Longer days don’t generate accomplishments.
As a leader, here is what is needed to create a fair work-life balance:
Make a list of things you need to do. And make a list of things you want to do. Create a combined list based on both “need” and “want.” This will generate a desire to accomplish both while creating a more enjoyable work environment.
Identify your priorities each day. Priorities change, so it is essential to take time in the morning, and afternoon to re-evaluate and make adjustments.
Schedule time in the early morning to give you an opportunity to achieve items on your priority list before people start interrupting.
Look for ways or opportunities to overlap projects.
Limit emails, answering calls or checking voice mail. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to answer emails and voicemails. In fact, I have a code for my staff and family. If there is an emergency or critical situations, they are instructed to use the code, and I will immediately answer.
Assign appropriate roles and responsibilities to your staff. This will reduce your workload and free up time to accomplish your priorities.
Trust your team. Some of you will say this is easier said than done. If that is the case, I suggest you reevaluate your team members. Give them a challenge and the freedom to perform and succeed. I use the approach of “Ready, Fire, Aim.” Meaning I let them do what they do, and we course correct as needed.
Learn to say NO! It’s ok to say no. People will respect you more when you do. When we figure this out, we free up time to accomplish other things and spend more time with family or taking care of ourselves.
Creating a healthy work-life balance doesn’t just happen. It takes commitment and persistence every day. However, seasons do come and go. There will be situations where the balance is off, however, be persistent in trying to maintain and create the balance because a good work-life balance will create a better you and stronger relationships.
Our personality impacts everything we do; how we respond to pressure, how we network, socialize, and react when there is an emergency. Our personality is something that we cannot escape. When I reflect upon those who are successful, I see bold individuals who are assured within. They know what they are good at and they maximize upon those strengths. Successful people, regardless of their industry, are always boldly self-aware.
With the beginning of 2019, the New Year provides us with an opportunity to build upon the experiences and lessons learned from the previous year. I don’t believe we ever truly start over, instead; we build upon our achievements and/or the lessons learned from past failures and shortfalls. In retrospect, one of the things I’ve gleaned over the past couple of years is that our personality identifies our strengths and weaknesses. It directly affects our ability to achieve our goals and meet our objectives.
As a DISC Behavioral Consultant, I’ve learned to identify personality
types through consultation, and help others develop goals that coincide with
their character. In doing so, individuals maximize their opportunity for
achievement.
These
3 actions will help individuals streamline their personal goals:
Tailor your conversation based on personality traits. This gives you the ability to make adjustments within the discussion to lead the path forward.
Generate goals that motivate the person to put in the necessary effort to achieve each one.
Identify areas to stretch the individual and achieve things that will take a focused effort.
By successfully implementing these 3 things into the
development of goals, I believe we give people the ability to be successful and
achieve more than they might expect.
So how do we set goals based upon a person’s personality? To answer this question, I will identify methods that reflect the DISC personality styles in general. I’ll use the behavioral traits and the typical strengths and weaknesses of each personality style. Let’s take a look at how to set goals for each personality style.
Dominant
People with dominant personalities are direct, decisive, problem solvers, risk takers, and self-starters. People with a strong dominant personality are hard-charging, get-it-done kind of people! I identify with this particular personality type. I tend to set very ambitious, lofty goals. However, if I don’t see immediate results, I’ll quickly lose motivation.
People you identify as having a dominant personality need to
have goals that meet the following parameters;
Identify a few more than required. If you want 3-5 goals, a dominant person will set 7-10.
Make the majority of the goals short-term. This serves as motivation to accomplish many things.
Set a couple of long-term goals with the expectation to endure until the end.
Each goal must be clearly identified and the timeline for completion well established.
Establish regular one-on-one follow-ups and progress meetings.
When
developing goals for a dominant personality consider the following:
POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Autocratic in teams and will rise to the top in a crisis
Good at providing direction and leadership
High assertiveness
They have a clear idea of their ambitions and goals and will push hard for accomplishment
Function well with heavy workloads
Very competitive attitude
Welcomes new challenges
Tend to follow their own ideas
AREAS FOR GROWTH
LEARN TO LISTEN MORE AND SPEAK LESS
Gather consensus on decisions
Don’t act alone
Learn to answer the question “why” when asked about decisions and proposals
Work on body language and tone of voice when dealing with frustration
Focus on developing sincere personal relationships
Can intimidate others
Influential
People with an influential personality are enthusiastic,
trusting, optimistic, persuasive, talkative, impulsive and emotional. They are
just pure FUN! They are the life of the party and are typically the ones we
talk about after the Christmas party. They love to set goals and dream about
the things they want to achieve.
These
fun-loving social characters need to have goals that meet the following
parameters:
Harness their enthusiasm when
identifying goals
Identify goals that will move the
company forward and acknowledge their value
Clearly define the steps to achieve
each goal and have them focus on each stage before moving onto the next
Set smaller goals
Identify the timeline for each goal
Prioritize each goal for the company
and the individual
Establish regular one-on-one
meetings to verify progress and determine the next steps for successful
performance
When developing goals for those with an influencing
personality style, consider;
POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Great communicators who are both influential and inspirational
Have the ability to motivate others
Great advocates of change and deal well with change themselves
People are drawn to them, thus creating a great opportunity to lead others
Positive attitude
Great at brainstorming and visionary projects
AREAS FOR GROWTH
Impulsive in decision making
Can be slow to action (a lot of talk, but little action)
Need to exercise control over actions, words, and emotions
Need to talk less and listen more
Tends to over-promise
Steady
The steady personalities are good listeners, team players, possessive, steady and predictable. They are understanding and friendly relationship-based people. Goal setting usually means change is coming, which immediately causes tension for a steady personality—because they don’t like change.
If you see yourself as a person with a steady personality or will be working to set goals with someone described above, consider:
Goals that establish step by step directions with a clearly defined plan for achievement
Establish the benefit for achieving each goal
Needs more time to develop their goals
Set timelines for each goal and hold them to it
Consider
the following when developing goals for the person with a steady personality:
POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Supportive and natural relationship builders
Grounded in reality and common sense
Talented multi-taskers
Patient
Loyal
Even-tempered
Peacemakers in groups and teams
AREAS FOR GROWTH
Struggles with change and making adjustments
Can be overly agreeable
Tends to put other’s needs before theirs
Need to be more direct in their interactions with others
Their pace tends to be slow, thus causing them to miss deadlines
Compliant
A person with a compliant personality is accurate,
analytical, conscientious, careful, precise, meticulous and systematic.
Those with a complaint personality are very focused on procedure and making sure
things are done the right way. They don’t have a problem with setting goals,
but they do need help prioritizing. A compliant personality wants to
accomplish EVERYTHING!
To
set effective goals, a person with a compliant personality must consider:
Start the process early!
Focusing on goals that are important to YOU!
Ensure each goal is practical and detailed
Create clear, identifiable goals that establish their role within the group, department, and organization
Establish data-driven goals that focus on details others may not see
Stretch the person by developing one or two visionary goals
As
you consider developing goals for the compliant personality, consider the
following:
POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Instinctive organizers
Excellent at creating and maintaining systems and processes
Consistent in their approach
Will see projects through until completion
Strive for a diplomatic approach
Strive for a group and team consensus
AREAS FOR GROWTH
Tend to be critical of others
Consider other’s ideas and methods
Need to speed up to help the team or group accomplish their goals
Work on focusing more on building strong relationships
Make faster-informed decisions
Take more risks
Final Thoughts
Each one of us has a unique personality style. Sure, we can put people in “personality” buckets, but that only helps to identify our approach. As leaders, we must know our coworkers and ourselves well enough to understand what motivates them and how they react to different situations. Knowing a person’s personality style can proactively help you and your employees make adjustments. Consider the information presented and strive to achieve your personal best and the best from your employees in 2019!
Denis is an Executive Director at the John Maxwell Group, is a certified leadership coach, trainer, keynote speaker, and DISC Behavior, Consultant. He is a passionate person of influence committed to teaching and communicating practical and relevant influencing techniques. His unique passionate and emotionally driven style resonates with many, creating a desire to become an effective leader.
You can contact Denis at dbaker@leaderinfluence.netfor information on coaching, training, DISC Behavioral consulting or to be an inspirational speaker at your next event.
You’ve been there. You get an email accusing you of some action or lack of action. The tone is rude and inappropriate. The sender includes several people, many who have no reason to be involved. As you read what is written, the words spark enraged anger from deep within your soul.
You immediately react by hitting “Reply All.” In fact, you want to vindicate yourself, so you “Bcc” your supervisor. Through your rage, you unleash a barrage of words that support your position.
Immediately, after hitting the send button, you receive a text from your boss. Yes! He wants to congratulate you on an excellent response! Only when you open the text, it says “meet me in my office first thing in the morning.”
Emails and texting, perceived in the wrong way, can lessen or eliminate the influence you have with your staff or groups. The relationships you spent months or maybe years to build and foster are now in jeopardy.
Email and texting should never be a substitute for face to face communication or phone conversation. However, if crafted properly, these can be useful in reinforcing your ideas and increasing your influence.
In part 1 of my 3 part series, I provide 10 rules and etiquette for crafting and sending using emails.
I find these very useful and productive to lessen the chance of responding in a destructive or unprofessional manner.
EMAIL
When preparing or an email consider the following 10 suggestions:
First, consider a face-to-face or phone call before sending an email.
Send the email to those that absolutely need to know.
“CC” people for information only. “CC” responses should only be sent if the data reinforce or add additional pertinent information.
Make sure the “subject” accurately depicts the content.
Content must be specifically related to your “TO” group. Be precise, concise, and clear.
Begin the email with a positive statement. Sets the tone for the responses.
Continued disagreement or confusion, set up an in person meeting, conference call or video chat.
READ IT BEFORE YOU HIT SEND AND THEN READ IT AGAIN. Read and re-read your email. Make sure your grammar, spelling, and choice of words portray the intended tone and message.
Emails should NEVER be used to reprimand, counsel or address disagreements.
In my journey to increase my leadership, I’ve come to realize the importance of self-growth and the value of always learning. Let’s face it, if you want to lead, you must learn to lead yourself first.
I’ve found that most successful leaders become successful through their insatiable drive to learn more. They are never satisfied with what they know; they always want to know more. In fact, successful leaders are somewhat obsessive with their desire and drive to learn.
Here are eight (8) ways to create an obsession to learning:
Do it every day – Every discussion, every wrong turn, every meeting, every confrontation, every conversation; learn from it. Don’t waste the day; we only get so many. Never pass up an opportunity to learn!
Never be satisfied with today – Whatever you accomplish, good for you, but remember tomorrow is coming and today will just be yesterday. Never forget yesterday, but rather learn from it and take today straight on!
Serve others by helping to solve problems – Learn by helping others succeed. Leaders help those whom they lead. Invest in your people’s development, give words of wisdom and encouragement. Be a part of their struggles and successes!
Read! – Everything and anything! Need to solve a problem? Need an answer to a question? There’s a book for that! Reading will not only increase your knowledge, but it will also improve your vocabulary and creative process. I used to hate to read. After college, I don’t think I read a book for ten years after graduation. Apparently, I’m not the only one. 42% of all college graduates will never read another book after completion of their formal education! Make reading a habit of learning and get ahead of 42% of the people!
Ask questions – John Maxwell said, “Answers inform, but questions transform.” Ask questions and be willing to challenge the answer with the notion to understand the answer given. Remember, we don’t know it all, never will.
Be an active listener – If you ask a question, be willing to listen to the answer actively. I’ve found I learn more by listening and less by talking. Listen and learn.
Keep an open mind – Be open to new ways of thinking. Realize there is always another and maybe better way to do things. Remember you don’t know what you don’t know because you don’t know it!
Always fail forward – You failed? Get over it! What did you learn? J.M. Barrie said, “We are all failures – at least, all the best of us are.” Always find the positive in failure. In fact, I think failure is the best way to learn.
Leaders who never stop to improve themselves are eager to take on new challenges, embrace change and help others succeed.
Why is leading myself more difficult than leading others? I ask myself this question EVERY SINGLE day!
Why do I say or do things I know are wrong (there is a biblical reference here)? It happens at home, work, with my wife, with my co-workers and those I love and lead.
The answer is simple. There are areas I don’t see until they sprout up. In fact, I believe there are times I don’t see myself from a realistic point. I see myself from my intentions, AND others see me through my actions and words. I should probably also admit that I see my intentions from the training and talks I give.
While I speak of myself, I am sure I’m not alone. But how does one address this issue? Answer, look for the blind spots and deal with them! However, how do we identify the blind spots? I look personally to three source for my self-leadership:
Scripture
My wife
Co-workers and staff
These sources provide direct and/or indirect insights to the areas I need to change or improve. With this information, I can apply these five principles.
Control Emotions – Like anyone else, leaders have emotions. In fact, I believe a leader’s emotions can be more powerful due to the passion and desire for success they possess. However, a good leader knows how to control their emotions and display or delay them based on the situation.
Meditate – Leaders are achievers. And that means they hit the ground running, which leaves little time to stop and think. Spend 30-45 minutes every morning mediating on the things that matter and planning your day.
Focus Your Effort Where it Matters– A good leader wants to achieve more. They are never satisfied with their achievements. For me, I tend to want to fix everything and solve everyone’s problems. However, to be effective we must learn to focus our efforts on what really matters. I heard John Maxwell say, ” You can’t be 100% all the time.” I find that statement very true. We must identify the times and events where we need to be 100% . Everything else gets a good effort, just not our best.
Serve Others – Zig Ziggler said, You can have everything in life, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” I am finding this to be very true. Not from a selfish perspective, but simply from putting others first in every action or decision. Throughout my career, I have seen and reaped the benefits of putting others first by gaining their respect, commitment and dedication. I simply look at it as, “you reap what you sow.”
Get a Coach and/or Mentor – We all need to keep our minds sharp and our thoughts and ideas flowing freely. Our minds can freeze or we experience those “blind spots” that throw us for a loop. As a Coach and Mentor, I see the benefit from asking stimulating questions and the ability to seek wisdom and advice from others. I personally have at least five mentors that I can rely on for helping to address questions or walk me through situations. I sleep better knowing I have access to these individuals. I also can call several coaching colleagues for encouragement and guidance when needed.
Take the time to evaluate the effectiveness of your self-leadership to these five principles. Then establish a process where you consistently work to apply these principles and improve where needed.
A leader’s greatest challenge and most difficult task, is self-leadership. If you lead yourself correctly, you will influence others and they will follow. Failure to manage your self-leadership will create a loss of respect and the inability to influence, causing people to leave and follow others.
Denis is an Executive Director for the John Maxwell Group and is a certified leadership coach, trainer, keynote speaker, and DISC Behaviorial Consultant. Denis is a senior safety professional and a strong, passionate influential person. He is committed to teaching and communicating practical and relevant influencing techniques. His unique, passionate, and emotionally driven style resonates with many, creating a desire to become an effective leader. 
I recently began a new job. Yes, I said a new job. The last two years have been very challenging, but that is a topic for a future blog. Man, I wish I could keep a job like I keep my wife (we’ve been married for 32 years).
You’ve been there. You get an email accusing you of some action or lack of action. The tone is rude and inappropriate. The sender includes several people, many who have no reason to be involved. As you read what is written, the words spark enraged anger from deep within your soul.
you have with your staff or groups. The relationships you spent months or maybe years to build and foster are now in jeopardy.
Why is leading myself more difficult than leading others? I ask myself this question EVERY SINGLE day!
LEADER INFLUENCE 