7 Years

Beingaleader has now been published every Tuesday morning for the past seven years. It has been a journey to provide my contemporaneous thoughts on leadership. Below is that first blog from January 1, 2019 that outlines what I've tried to do and I feel like I've stayed on point during this whole time. Read the … Continue reading 7 Years →

Modern Leadership #14 – Discernment

Beingaleader means you need to have and exercise discernment every day. The ability to recognize subtleties in speech and demeanor. The ability to apply wisdom to new situations. To use your judgment in making right decisions and plans for the future. The ability to pick up on subtleties can have a profound effect on your … Continue reading Modern Leadership #14 – Discernment →

Modern Leadership #13 – Information

Beingaleader means you need to provide information to your team. Not horde it. Not assume 'they can't handle it'. Not 'they don't need to know...yet'. Stop already. If you have information that impacts your team, tell them. Some say that information is power. And some leaders want to wield that power over their employees. Some … Continue reading Modern Leadership #13 – Information →

Modern Leadership #12 – Connection

Beingaleader means you need to know how to connect with and among your team. Employees are looking for connection. Connection to people. Connection to a purpose. Connection for community. Connecting to people is a high priority for many employees today. Connecting on a regular basis with specific individuals especially their supervisor who can provide both … Continue reading Modern Leadership #12 – Connection →

Modern Leadership #11 – Lead to Serve

Beingaleader means you need to learn to lead to serve. It's about giving inspiration. It's about working for the good of others. I don't mean you put yourself down or hold yourself back. Rather, it's about raising the boat with everyone in it and making them better people and better leaders due to your presence … Continue reading Modern Leadership #11 – Lead to Serve →

Modern Leadership #10 – Performance Evaluations

Beingaleader means you need to re-think and re-do performance evaluations. Yes, everyone needs to be evaluated. But the current mindset of annual performance reviews is broken, in my opinion. First of all, performance reviews reflect and discuss issues that might have occurred over 12 months ago. How would you like to be reminded of the … Continue reading Modern Leadership #10 – Performance Evaluations →

Modern Leadership #9 – Employee Expectations

Beingaleader means you need to understand modern employee expectations. The employees of today. Not the employees of the past. Today's modern employee is looking for flexibility. Remote. Hybrid. Flexibility. Stop with the "culture of the company" requires physical presence talk. It's just not true anymore. I'm not sure if it was even true before. But … Continue reading Modern Leadership #9 – Employee Expectations →

Modern Leadership #8 – Hiring

Beingaleader means you will be hiring people. You need to look at the people you want to hire and the process you are using to find them or scare them away. You want to hire high value people. That's the goal. People who will do the job. Who will grow with the job. And work … Continue reading Modern Leadership #8 – Hiring →

Modern Leadership – #7 – Handling AI

Beingaleader means you need to learn to handle AI and its potential impact on the workplace. You cannot simply put your head in the sand and hope for the best. You need to begin preparing. Now. I've seen two types of responses to the upcoming impact of AI in the workplace. Apathy and Fear. Both … Continue reading Modern Leadership – #7 – Handling AI →

Modern Leadership #6 – Apathy

Beingaleader means you need to learn to deal with apathy. Yours. And your team's. We have touched on previously the fact that people move around a lot today. From job to job. From company to company. Today they are a competitor. Tomorrow an ally. This can lead to a certain amount of apathy. Apathy towards … Continue reading Modern Leadership #6 – Apathy →

Modern Leadership #4 – Short Term Employees

Beingaleader means you have to deal with the new reality - short term employees. Gone are the days of employees staying in one place for life. In fact, the new reality is that there seems to be a lot of fluidity in the marketplace and not only is it a reality, it's an accepted reality. … Continue reading Modern Leadership #4 – Short Term Employees →

Modern Leadership #3 – Remote

Beingaleader means you have to deal with remote work, hybrid work and other types of changes to the traditional work place team management. Adapt and embrace. For many people, remote work started during the pandemic of 2020 and following. And now there are those that want to make employees come back all or part of … Continue reading Modern Leadership #3 – Remote →

Modern Leadership #2 – Vulnerable

Beingaleader means you need to change and adapt to the modern leadership landscape. We touched on checking on your employees last week. This week it's the opposite angle to the same thing: showing your vulnerability to your team. Vulnerability you say? Not me. Never. That's the same thing as weakness. And leadership is about strength … Continue reading Modern Leadership #2 – Vulnerable →

Modern Leadership #1 – Employee Burnout

Beingaleader means you need to adapt and change to not just the culture in general but to the culture and characteristics of the modern employee. We will start a small series on topics that might not have been important or as important 30 years ago but are critically important in today's marketplace leadership. We will … Continue reading Modern Leadership #1 – Employee Burnout →

Intelligence

Beingaleader means you need intelligence. Different kinds depending on the situation. You need the ability to learn, understand, and apply knowledge. Without it, you will continue to make the same mistakes over and over. There are lots of different kinds of intelligence, of course, including emotional intelligence (EI) where the understanding of your own or … Continue reading Intelligence →

Goals

Beingaleader means you need to set some goals. Long and short term. Personal. Professional. Family. Business and pleasure goals. You need to know what you are trying to achieve or attain. Sit down and make a list of the things you want. The things you want to do and accomplish. The places you want to … Continue reading Goals →

Contrary

Beingaleader means you often need to be contrary. Contrary means doing the opposite or taking a different direction. It doesn't mean ornery. It doesn't mean being difficult. It means that you see things differently and you're not afraid to say it in a manner that is helpful to the cause. You are not cowered into … Continue reading Contrary →

Fuzzy

#Beingaleader oftentimes means that you are leading while your head and eyes and vision are fuzzy. You don't quite know where to go. What to do or what's going to happen. Your site is fuzzy. But you still have to get up in the morning. You still have to lead others. You still have things … Continue reading Fuzzy →

Constantly Learning

#Beingaleader means you need to be constantly learning. For more than the past 2 decades, every year I attend the Global Leadership Summit and this year was no different. It brings together leaders from many different backgrounds, styles and industries. They share their expertise in a particular area and you walk away with nuggets of … Continue reading Constantly Learning →

Testing Ground

#Beingaleader means you have a ready made testing ground for new and innovative ideas. There's absolutely no reason to keep doing things the same way if you're not liking the results you're getting. Try something new. Too often we get stuck. Doing the same thing. Getting the same results. And not always favorable ones. Try … Continue reading Testing Ground →

Consult

#Beingaleader means you need to consult. You have experience. You have expertise. Someone will be calling you to get your input. Your thoughts. Maybe even your wisdom as to how to apply your experience to their situation. I often say that you can tell what you are good at by looking at the things you … Continue reading Consult →

Sight

#Beingaleader means you need to have great sight. Into your team. Into your direction. To see what is going on around you. Sight into what problems are happening or might happen. Sight is more than vision. Sight is seeing things that are going on now and how they play into the future. Vision is about … Continue reading Sight →

Well Being

#Beingaleader means you need to be aware of your own and others' well being. You are responsible for your health and for the health of others that you lead. Do you know that your well being is of the utmost importance for health, success and longevity of your leadership? Well being is defined as taking … Continue reading Well Being →

Ethical

#Beingaleader means you need to be ethical and act in an ethical manner. The idea is that you need to have, and then act on, your moral compass. I know most professions have their professional ethical code of conduct whether you're a lawyer or a doctor or whatever. But I'm not not talking about the … Continue reading Ethical →

Lies

#Beingaleader means you have to deal with lies. Lies from others. Lies from within. We hear so many lies every day. Intentional ones. Unintentional ones. Cultural ones. Things we thought were true but aren't. People lie to you all the time. Sometimes with malice. Sometimes with ignorance. They often just can't help themselves. So you … Continue reading Lies →

Soft Skills

#Beingaleader means you need to have and utilize soft skills. Those skills that distinguish you from others with the same technical skills and training that you have. The hard skills needed for a particular position change with technology and time. For example a hard skill for an electrician is to know the basics of electricity … Continue reading Soft Skills →

Restraint

#Beingaleader means that sometimes it's best not to say anything.

Promote

#Beingaleader means you need to promote yourself. But you ask, that doesn't sound like me. It sounds arrogant. Or you're putting yourself above others. All of my writings on this blog have been under the guise of servant leadership with one specific blog on that very topic directly https://beingaleader.blog/2022/12/13/1557/. However, there comes a time when … Continue reading Promote →

Cross-Cultural

#Beingaleader means you are likely to lead cross-cultural teams at some point. I have traveled to over 20 countries. I've led teams in many of those countries including Singapore, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, United States, and India. I've led in-person teams and remote teams. Men. Women. Numerous religious and cultural backgrounds. … Continue reading Cross-Cultural →

Composed

#Beingaleader means you have to be composed. Composed in the face of change. Composed in the face of difficulty. Composed for those around you. You set the tone. You set the team atmosphere. Better for you to be composed. Look, life is full of curveballs. They happen to all of us and they can happen … Continue reading Composed →

Unfair

#Beingaleader means you have to grapple with the issue of fairness. Am I being treated fairly? Are these circumstances fair to me and my business? How should I respond to unfair treatment? It's a serious question because as a leader, you are often treated unfairly. Clients leave you for no reason. Colleagues disparage you or … Continue reading Unfair →

Storm

#Beingaleader means you are often in the storm. You need to know how to handle them because they won't be a one time occurrence. They will keep on coming. Storms bring chaos. They bring stress. They bring uncertainty. How you respond to the storm will define your leadership. Storms are inevitable. Often unavoidable. And yet … Continue reading Storm →

Meetings

#Beingaleader means you have to attend a lot of meetings. Zoom. Teams. In person. Meetings. Sometimes all day. Meetings you control. Meetings that others control. Meetings that have value. Meetings that don't. Meetings often feel like a necessary evil, clogging calendars and draining energy when they lack focus. Without a clear agenda, they can devolve … Continue reading Meetings →

Money – Giving

#Beingaleader means you need to understand about giving. Generosity. Doing something for others without the expectation of return. First, you earn. Then you save and invest. And along the way you need to learn to give. Not out of pressure. But as a way of life. To show gratitude for what you have. Acknowledging the … Continue reading Money – Giving →

Money – Investing

#Beingaleader means you need to learn about and participate in investing. First, you earn. Then you save. Now it's time to invest. In yourself. In your leadership. In your future. Often when we think about investing we immediately go to retirement investing. And that's important. No matter how hard you try, you will continue to … Continue reading Money – Investing →

Money – Earning

#Beingaleader means you need to learn how to handle money. Your money. Earn it. Save it. Invest it. And spend it. I am going to start a mini series on each of these topics. Today, we will talk about earning. One of the requirements of #Beingaleader, is that you are learning to earn your own … Continue reading Money – Earning →

Empower

#Beingaleader means you need to empower your team. Giving them power. Authority. Showing confidence in them to make the right decisions as if you were making them yourself. Leader, are you empowering your team or showing only your power to your team? They cannot learn without you empowering them. They cannot get better at decision … Continue reading Empower →

Micro

#Beingaleader means you need to think and act on a micro level. The small picture. See what's really going on at a personal level. Sweat the small stuff. Making strategic decisions for what's best for individual team members. You need a focused perspective. Not always having your head in the clouds but sweating the details. … Continue reading Micro →

Macro

#Beingaleader means you need to think and act on a macro level. The big picture. See what's really going on. Make strategic decisions for what's best for the overall team or company. You need a broad perspective. Not always getting bogger down in the details. You need to see where you are going. What goal … Continue reading Macro →

Assertive

#Beingaleader means you need to be assertive. At least at some critical points in time. It might not be your normal style. It might not be what you are comfortable with. But sometimes you need to be assertive to the betterment of your team and the circumstances you are working under. Being assertive is not … Continue reading Assertive →

Opportunity

#Beingaleader means you need to seek out and understand opportunity. The old phrase is Opportunity Knocks. Well, that has not been my experience. Most of the time, opportunity has to be spotted by you, harnessed into something actionable, and then has some follow through required. So, how do you spot an opportunity? The first question … Continue reading Opportunity →

Vulnerable

#Beingaleader means you need to embrace vulnerability. Be who you really are and not some fake personality that blusters over every one. Leadership is often associated with strength, confidence, and decisiveness. But true leadership isn’t about projecting perfection—it’s about being real. It means being willing to admit that you don’t have all the answers, that … Continue reading Vulnerable →

Satisfaction

#Beingaleader means you need to know your level of satisfaction from what you lead. What level of satisfaction are you experiencing? How fulfilled are you in what or how you are leading? Not every moment. Not even every day. But overall satisfaction. You should be experiencing it. If you don't, then you might not be … Continue reading Satisfaction →

Looking Ahead

#Beingaleader means you need to be looking ahead. Taking stalk of what has gone before, but be looking ahead to what is and what might be coming. This is the start of my 7th year of weekly blogging on various leadership topics. A lot has gone before. But the question for today is: what is … Continue reading Looking Ahead →

Taking Stalk

#Beingaleader means that there are times you need to look back, take stalk of what has gone before, and enjoy the successes and learn from the losses before you plan your next steps into the future. So, what has gone before you this past year? What victories? What losses? What lessons learned? Taking stalk means … Continue reading Taking Stalk →

Multi-Generational

#Beingaleader means you need to understand the multi-generational aspect of leadership and the marketplace. It's a skill you need to learn and apply. Each generation has different things that motivate them. Different ways of expressing themselves. Different ways of communicating. Different ways they want performance evaluations or feedback to be provided. You can learn them … Continue reading Multi-Generational →

Cyclical

#Beingaleader means you understand that life is cyclical. There are cycles to everything. To leadership. To projects. To teams. To work. To, well, everything. There's the beginning. The start up. The excitement. The honeymoon. Then it becomes steady. The normal. The anticipated. Then, sometimes, it becomes the stale. The rigid. The never changing. Then, new … Continue reading Cyclical →

Kindness

#Beingaleader means you need to show kindness. Kindness to your team. To those you supervise. To clients. And to those others that you run into on a regular basis. Google defines kindness as a quality of being that involves treating others with consideration, generosity, and concern, without expecting anything in return. So, two parts. Treating … Continue reading Kindness →

Change Management

#Beingaleader means you need to understand and lead change management. What it is. How to properly implement it. Know how it affects those on your team and potentially those not on your team. Change management isn't about the change itself. It's about the process of identifying, creating and implementing that change. You can have people … Continue reading Change Management →

Appreciate

#Beingaleader means you need to be the head appreciator for your team. Appreciate what your team is doing. Appreciate the business you are in. The position you have and the opportunities given for the next position. What does it mean to appreciate your team and their efforts? It means to recognize their true or whole … Continue reading Appreciate →