#Beingaleader means you need to have compassion. For your team. For their experiences and how that impacts them. Compassion is defined as having the desire to take action to help others. What does it mean to have compassion for someone? It means you know about their circumstance. That you care about their circumstance. And you … Continue reading Compassion
Category: Belief Breakthrough
Rock
#Beingaleader means you are a rock. Not easily swayed. You know who you are and what you believe. You stand for something. And you defend others. Sometimes, even to your own short term detriment. You cannot be easily swayed and be a good leader at the same time. You may feel that you are sometimes … Continue reading Rock
Engage
#Beingaleader means you need to engage. Engage with your team. Engage with your projects. Engage your mind. Engaging with your team could be as simple as spending time with them. Reaching out and connecting. Having a Teams meeting or phone call on a regular basis. Getting involved with them, their projects or issues. Engaging is … Continue reading Engage
Initiative
#Beingaleader means you have to take the initiative. The one to make the first move. To take the risk. To want something bad enough you're willing to fail while trying. Initiative. When you want to see a problem from a new perspective, you sometimes have to make the first move. Meaning, you have to see … Continue reading Initiative
Starting Over
#Beingaleader means that you sometimes have to start over. Everything is new again. There is a physical and emotional component to starting over. Physically, you have to get accustomed to a new schedule. A new cadence. Meeting new people while digging into the projects themselves. Dealing with new experiences. New team members with varied experience. … Continue reading Starting Over
Respect
#Beingaleader means you need to have respect. For yourself. For others. Respect for what you do and respect for how you got to where you are. Respect for yourself. The position you are in. The value you bring. The obstacles you have overcome. Not pride. Respect. Respect means due regard. Sound judgment of the facts. … Continue reading Respect
Likeability
#Beingaleader means you understand the importance of likeability. Both for yourself and your team. Your likeability. And theirs. It may not have been a conscious thought process in your mind but you measure it every time you meet someone. Skill. Experience. Competency. Even Character. All are important. But the packaging in which they are delivered … Continue reading Likeability
Example
#Beingaleader means you are setting an example. For good or bad. You are. So the question becomes: what kind of example do you want to set? One of honor and integrity? Hard work? Driven? Cutting corners? Angry? There are lots of ways to be an example. #Beingaleader is all about making choices as to what … Continue reading Example
Unfulfilled
#Beingaleader means you will sometimes feel unfulfilled. You won't always be doing everything that you want to be doing. A lot of the things that are on your plate will not fulfill you. They won't be the things you desire to do. You might even dislike some or all of them. But #Beingaleader means you … Continue reading Unfulfilled
Expectations
#Beingaleader means you have expectations. Things that should happen because of what you've done. Things that you are hoping to happen. Dreams that you have that aren't yet fulfilled. It's important to have expectations. To have dreams. To think certain things will happen. For example, hard work should result in good things for you and … Continue reading Expectations
The Real You
#Beingaleader means you need to be you. In the moment of crisis. In the moment of celebration. In the moment you least expected. The real you will come out. It always does. You can't help being you. You can fake you for a time. You can show others a different you for a time. But … Continue reading The Real You
Don’t Freak
#Beingaleader means you don't freak. You don't panic. You try to be proactive instead of reactive. You don't let your emotions get the better of you. Even in a crisis or unexpected situation or moment. In teaching each of my kids to drive, I have one rule: don't freak. This means you don't overreact. You … Continue reading Don’t Freak
Style
#Beingaleader means you have a unique style. A way of dealing with things. A way of communicating. A way of of handling conflict. A way of reaching success. A unique style. You can learn from a lot of different sources. You can learn things that are new to you. But the way you blend them … Continue reading Style
Re-Invent
#Beingaleader means you sometimes need to re-invent yourself. To re-invent means to make new again. To invent again. It's not that everything before was wrong or bad. It's just that you need to re-invent yourself for the future. For the next steps. For the future. Sometimes you need to change something so much that it … Continue reading Re-Invent
Remember
#Beingaleader means you have to remember. Remember where you've come from. Remember what you and your team has already accomplished. Remember what got you to where you are today. Remember. #Beingaleader means you need to remember where you've come from. You've come a long ways. Sometimes our focus is so future-centric that we fear we … Continue reading Remember
Heat
#Beingaleader means you deal with heat. Battle. Deadlines. Pressure. Decision-making. People's views of you or your team. Misunderstanding. Heat. Does the heat you find yourself in lead you to overboil? To explode at others or to shut down completely? You need to learn to live with the heat because it is more normal than not … Continue reading Heat
Execution
#Beingaleader means you need to be good at execution or have someone on your leadership team that is. It's one thing to have a vision. Or ideas. It's another to execute on those plans. For some, ideas are a dime a dozen. But they never get past the idea phase before the person moves on … Continue reading Execution
Bridges
#Beingaleader means you need to build bridges. To others. For others. To build bridges means to help you or your team or someone you are working with to see an opposing point of view or a different way of doing things. Sometimes it's a communication style. Sometimes it's a different way of prioritizing. Sometimes you … Continue reading Bridges
Timid
#Beingaleader means you sometimes have to fight being timid. Even if it's in your nature to be timid. You can't always allow yourself to be so. Or to remain timid too long. Being timid is when you lack confidence. You're afraid of what might happen depending on what decision you make. Or you're lacking the … Continue reading Timid
Humility
#Beingaleader means that you need humility. Not humiliation. Humility. One happens to you. The other is something you have. It's who you are. Humiliation is when you do something stupid and it turns out into a situation that embarrasses you or your team. This should be avoided as much as possible. It is something that … Continue reading Humility
Lost
#Beingaleader means that sometimes you feel lost. Unable to find your way. Or having misplaced the path of the direction you felt you were headed in. That pit in your stomach feeling that things just aren't going the way they are supposed to. Being lost is not a good feeling. It's disorienting. It might even … Continue reading Lost
Waiting Room
#Beingaleader means you are often in the waiting room. Now, I've touched on waiting before (https://beingaleader.blog/2021/02/02/waiting/), but the waiting room can be even deeper than simply waiting for something to happen. What does it mean to be in the waiting room? It means you feel like you have a dream or a promise or desire … Continue reading Waiting Room
Lessons Learned
#Beingaleader means you need to lead a life of lessons learned. The good. The bad. And the ugly. Not just go through the lessons. But lessons learned. Meaning, are you going to have to keep doing the same thing over and over or are you finally going to learn to move on and through them? … Continue reading Lessons Learned
The Future
#Beingaleader means you need to think about the future. You want to build towards something. A goal. A vision. A dream. The future that you want. But can you have the future that you want? The future doesn't just happen. At least it doesn't always happen the way you want it to. You need to … Continue reading The Future
Timeliness
#Beingaleader means that timeliness is an important quality you have. When something happens, and in what order, often matters. Turning in an "A" paper late is an "F" in many cases. Timeliness matters. There is a sequence to life and to most projects. There is often a life cycle for the team. #Beingaleader means you … Continue reading Timeliness
Credibility
#Beingaleader means you need a certain amount of credibility. Do you have any? Trustworthiness. Track record. Can be counted on. Believable. Convincing. In other words, when you say something, can others rely on it? Is your word sufficient for others to believe and make decisions based on it? Credibility is often lacking in today's leadership … Continue reading Credibility
Accountability
#Beingaleader means you need accountability. To others. For your actions, activities, schedule. I know. I know. You're a leader. But we're not perfect. We make mistakes and need someone to help us own them. Mistakes in time management or in priorities. Accountable. But wait, you say. I'm the top dog. The person in charge. Others … Continue reading Accountability
Yesterday
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with yesterday. Yes, we live in today. Yes, we plan for tomorrow. But sometimes it's yesterday that's holding us back. Keeping us from focusing on today. Keeping us from moving forward. Yesterday can be very powerful. Mistakes were made. Relationships harmed. Missteps. Hurt feelings. Regrets. All of these can … Continue reading Yesterday
Active
#Beingaleader means you need to be active. Active with your mind. Active with your body. Active with your vision. Being active with your mind means you keep feeding it. Reading. Thinking. Analyzing. Not letting your mind get stale with old ideas. Looking forward to the future because better days are ahead. Active. Being active with … Continue reading Active
Collaborate
#Beingaleader means you have to collaborate with others. Jointly. Together. With others. Those are not necessarily the things done by a boss. But they are things done by a leader. So many bosses like to be lone rangers. Commanding from on high. Barking orders. Telling people what to do. But a leader works with their … Continue reading Collaborate
Start
#Beingaleader means you need to start. Something. Anything. It always seems this is the hardest step and where most people quit. They quit by not starting. Don't be that person. Start something. Maybe you need to start a hobby. Maybe you need to form a new habit. Maybe there's a business you need to start. … Continue reading Start
Traditions
#Beingaleader means you need to understand traditions. Yours. Others. The company's. Not agree. Understand. Why you may ask? Because if you fail to understand the traditions, you will unnecessarily offend, hold back progress and potentially miss out on great opportunities. So what traditions do you have that need to continue? Ones that make your house … Continue reading Traditions
Transition
#Beingaleader means you have to work through transition. Transition is inevitable in some form or another. But you have to work through it when it happens so that the end result is better than where you started. In other words, while transition is inevitable, successful transition is not. Transition is about the process of change. … Continue reading Transition
Self-Aware
#Beingaleader means you need to be self-aware. Conscious of who you are. Your abilities. What you are capable of. Your leadership skills. An honest assessment. Not fabricated. Not believing your own press. Just, self-aware. One of the keys to success as a leader, is to know who you are. What you can do. What you … Continue reading Self-Aware
Steward
#Beingaleader means you are a steward. Of your team. Of your clients. A steward is someone responsible for someone else's things. In this case, the team or your client's things. You are to steward them. To steward your team is to care for them. To train them. To act like what they do is as … Continue reading Steward
Answers
#Beingaleader does not mean you have all the answers. The sooner you come to that realization, the better leader you will be. You will need to seek after them, however. It is your job to find the source of the answers you are seeking because at the end of the day, it is you that … Continue reading Answers
Depleted
#Beingaleader means you can often feel depleted. Energy crashed. Vision blurred. And your "care meter" very low. Have you ever had an energy crash? This can be physical or emotional. You just don't feel like you can keep going. The physical reasons are easier to fix. Get back to the healthy things that worked for … Continue reading Depleted
Fair
#Beingaleader means you need to be fair. Even keeled. Fair-minded. And equal in your treatment of people and situations. Fair means to be just and impartial. Not showing favoritism to anyone. Unbiased. And it's really hard to do. When dealing with people, it is inevitable that you have favorites. That doesn't necessarily mean you like … Continue reading Fair
Curveball
#Beingaleader means you're sometimes thrown a curveball. Something unexpected. Something life altering. How will you react? Don't try to hide. Don't try to deny it happened. Embrace the suck as they say. Allow yourself time to grieve whatever loss you experienced with that curveball. Maybe it's a relationship lost. A position lost. A change in … Continue reading Curveball
Alert
#Beingaleader means you need to be alert. Alert to dangers. Alert to your people's needs. Alert to new trends. Failure to be alert could spell disaster. #Beingaleader means you need to be alert to dangers. Dangers to your team. Dangers to your product or process. Dangers that might stop you from achieving your goals. Keep … Continue reading Alert
Negotiate
#Beingaleader means you need to know how to negotiate. The ability to come to an agreement with someone else. To find a resolution. To settle a disagreement. Negotiate. Negotiation skills include keeping a calm demeanor. Knowing what your final goal is. Knowing what your opponent's or competitor's or the person across from the table's goals … Continue reading Negotiate
Modernize
#Beingaleader means you need to modernize your thinking. You need to stay up-to-date. See what's working today since what worked before might not be working any longer. Continue to learn. Read. Listen. Go to conferences. Get information from every industry you can to see what is working in the marketplace. Your ideas might never change. … Continue reading Modernize
Captain
#Beingaleader means you are the captain of the ship. In charge. The one with the final say. Responsible. If you are a parent, there is that moment when that child first comes home with you and everyone else leaves and the realization hits. I'm responsible. This life is my responsibility. I cannot look to anyone … Continue reading Captain
Optimize
#Beingaleader means you need to optimize your team. Your situation. Your skills. Their skills. Make them and your situation as good as possible. Add value. So, how does one add value to your own situation? Whatever you encounter, however you find yourself, do it to your best. Keep learning new things. Go to conferences and … Continue reading Optimize
Sadness
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with sadness. Your own. Others'. Their actions that cause them not to reach their potential. What sadness are you carrying? Personally or professionally? This can affect your leadership of others. It's not about ignoring your sadness. It's about realizing its impact on you and your decision making. It's about … Continue reading Sadness
Weary
#Beingaleader means you often feel weary. Done. Tired. Plain and simple. Weary of what you've gone through. Weary about how you think it's going to go. We all get tired. Drained. Feeling unable to replenish. It affects everyone at some point. It's normal. Are you weary from what you've just gone through? We go through … Continue reading Weary
Merit
#Beingaleader means you need to have merit. Merit means to be worthy of. Possessing good and worthwhile qualities. When something has merit, it is considered valuable. People view it will positivity. Something to seek after. To grow for sure. But you have it to begin with. What qualities do you have? Since you are a … Continue reading Merit
Advocate
#Beingaleader means you are an advocate. For others. For your project. For yourself. To advocate is to plead the case. To provide support. To cheer on the accomplishment of a person or project. To make sure others know about the situation and view it in a good light. Do you advocate for others? In order … Continue reading Advocate
Unique
#Beingaleader means you are unique. One of a kind. Broke the mold kind of leader. Whether you feel it or not. Whether you view that as a positive or not. Even whether you agree with it or not. It's still true. You are unique. Yes, we learn from others. Yes, we learn new skills. Yes, … Continue reading Unique
Mentor
#Beingaleader means you are a mentor. Whether you know it or not. Intentional or not. Want to be or not. You are a mentor. A trusted counselor. Someone of influence that others look to for guidance, wisdom, answers. An example. I find that most discussions about mentorship are when someone is trying to find one … Continue reading Mentor
Being A Leader 