#Beingaleader means you need to distinguish between busyness and business. Busyness is filling in time slots. Business is about getting the job done. Busyness is doing lots of stuff. Business is achieving lots of stuff. Do you find yourself filling in time with non-essentials? With busyness? Perhaps it's because you're procrastinating? Or perhaps you're simply … Continue reading Busyness
Category: Belief Breakthrough
Sanctuary
#Beingaleader means you need to find a place of sanctuary for yourself. A place of refuge and protection. This might be an actual place or it might just be a mindset you go to to protect yourself from the naysayers and critics of everything you do. A place of peace. It might actually be with … Continue reading Sanctuary
Intentional
#Beingaleader means you need to be intentional. About your leadership. About your goals. Don't leave it to chance. Make up your mind about what you want to do, the values you want to bring, the steps you want to take. And then take them. And lead others to do the same. Another word for intentional … Continue reading Intentional
Interim
#Beingaleader means you are an interim leader. You won't be in that position forever. Whether your position is as parent, pastor, coach or CEO, it is temporary. You will be replaced. Either by death, retirement, leaving, or your own position advancement. It's temporary. Nothing lasts forever. Your leadership included. It will go away. So, what … Continue reading Interim
Teachable
#Beingaleader means you need to be teachable. You need to learn to learn from others. Be willing. Be intentional. Let's face it. You have much to learn. We all do. Usually the things stopping you from learning are either arrogance or complacency. Arrogance must be acknowledged before you can proceed. For complacency, you just have … Continue reading Teachable
Action
#Beingaleader means you need to be a person of action. Words are important. But actions are also needed. To help inspire. To get what you want done. Your actions breed the actions in others that you want to see. So you are setting the example of what kind of action you want from your team. … Continue reading Action
Accessible
#Beingaleader means you need to be accessible. To your team. To your customers. More than just an 'open door policy'. Actually make them accessible to you. Your team needs access to you. They need more than orders from on high. They need to see you. To hear from you. And to be open to hear … Continue reading Accessible
Agile
#Beingaleader means you need to be agile. Agile is defined as taking an iterative approach to leadership. This means allowing for change along the way. And getting customers what they want sooner. This means providing them with an MVP (Minimally Viable Product) instead of waiting until the product is perfect. This applies to a lot … Continue reading Agile
Radical
#Beingaleader means you need be a radical. Or at least often act like one in comparison to others. Radical is being defined as someone with strong convictions that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal set before them. How radical are you? How much do you want something to happen? Are … Continue reading Radical
Fight
#Beingaleader means you sometimes have to fight. Fight for what you want. Fight to achieve success. Fight the naysayers that get in your head.Do you want to accomplish something? Goals? Dreams? Things the team needs to get done? Sometimes you have to fight for it.But what does fighting look like? It's about tenacity. Never giving … Continue reading Fight
Revitalize
#Beingaleader means you need to revitalize yourself every once in a while. The way you think. How you do things. The approach you take to problems. To make everything fresh again. Don't get stuck. It's one of the worst things a leader can do. Stuck in your old ways. Stuck in one way of thinking. … Continue reading Revitalize
Depth
#Beingaleader means you need to have depth. Time to think. Time to analyze. Time to problem solve. Depth of thought. Depth of focus. Depth of wisdom. Depth of thought. Do you take the time to think through things? Do you really? Or do you just react? Time to think requires you to go deep. To … Continue reading Depth
Brief
#Beingaleader means you have to control your words. Control the amount. Control the volume. Usually better to say less. Less is more. So choose to be brief.
Listen
#Beingaleader means you have to listen. To others. To yourself. To your team. Listening to others. Critics. Competition. Supporters. All have something to say if you're willing to listen. Is what they are saying truth? Even if it hurts, truth will still improve you. Improve your product. Improve your business. Listening to yourself. This is … Continue reading Listen
Talent
#Beingaleader means you have a talent or two. Or three. Yes, you do. You have things you excel at. Things that you do better than others. Things that come easy to you. Why is it so easy to view others as having talent (s) but not yourself? I often see it as false humility, where … Continue reading Talent
Desire
#Beingaleader means that you need some amount of desire. For your goals. For the future. For yourself. #Beingaleader means you need desire for your goals. That seems obvious. But sometimes we take goals from others and place that burden on ourselves and they aren't really what we want to pursue. Get your own goals. Pursue … Continue reading Desire
Sanity
#Beingaleader means you need to keep your sanity in an often demanding and stressful role, and it's important to take care of your mental health and well-being in order to effectively lead others. But how do you keep your sanity during those periods that might seem overwhelming? #Beingaleader means you should practice some self-care including … Continue reading Sanity
Caring
#Beingaleader means you need to be caring about your team. This is essential for building a positive work culture and achieving success as a team. Caring means communicating openly and honestly: Keeping your team informed about any updates and decision-making processes shows that you value their input and care about their well-being. Caring means supporting … Continue reading Caring
Servant
#Beingaleader means that one must have the the ability to serve others. This approach, known as servant leadership, focuses on putting the needs of employees and customers first, rather than prioritizing the interests of the leader or the company. This can improve morale, increase productivity, and foster a culture of collaboration and trust. One of … Continue reading Servant
Giving Thanks
#Beingaleader means you need to get good at giving thanks. To others. For successes. For things you've gone through. You need to make giving thanks to others a matter of habit. Whether they are part of your team or those that impact your life in some way. Giving thanks to them acknowledges their impact on … Continue reading Giving Thanks
Unity
#Beingaleader means you need to seek unity. Unity of purpose. Unity of destination. Unity of winning. Seek it. Meaning you go after the unity you want and need. It doesn't just happen. In fact, left to our own devices, we will have the opposite of unity. You don't have to try for chaos and disunity. … Continue reading Unity
Support
#Beingaleader means you need support. From other leaders. And you need to give it to them as well. Too many leaders go full on Lone Ranger and suffer for it. Leaders don't just need followers. They need traveling companions. To encourage. Challenge. And provide emotional support. Seek it out. Provide it to others. Leaders need … Continue reading Support
Weaknesses
#Beingaleader means you need to work with your weaknesses. Identify them. Use them. Grow them into something. Share your growth with others. We too often focus only on our strengths. We should not forget to work on our weaknesses so we accomplish even more than what we set out to do.So, are you able to … Continue reading Weaknesses
Pause
#Beingaleader means you sometimes need to take a pause. Halt the process to reassess. Regroup even. Allow time to go by before moving forward. Pause.Things seem to be going well so why pause now? Well, perhaps on the surface things are going well. But how is everyone really doing? Have they been pushing too hard, … Continue reading Pause
Chores
#Beingaleader means you have to do a lot of chores. Chores that need to be done. Chores you see the value in. Chores you don't want to do. But they still need to be done and you are the person to do them. Just like being a parent requires you to do things that you … Continue reading Chores
Bitterness
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with your bitterness. Towards others. Towards yourself. Towards the circumstances that you find yourself in today. Bitterness can be defined as "anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly." How you deal with bitterness will have a huge impact on your success as a leader. How do you react when … Continue reading Bitterness
Encourage
#Beingaleader means you need to encourage others. To succeed. To pick themselves up. To keep going. To achieve their goals. To make them stronger. To encourage someone is to give them strength to do something. Maybe to take a leap of faith. Maybe to accept a new challenge. Encouragement can leave people feeling that they … Continue reading Encourage
Testing
#Beingaleader means you will go through testing. Personal. Financial. Timing. Team members. There are many areas where you could be tested. Just know that you will be. Regularly. Testing can be viewed in multiple ways. In school, it's an attempt to measure where your current understanding of the subject matter is. In manufacturing, it is … Continue reading Testing
Pressure
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with pressure. Pressure of time. Pressure of confrontation. Pressure of success. Pressure of failure. Pressure of deadlines. Pressure of expectations. Lots of different kinds of pressure. But you feel them all. And seemingly can't get away from them. #Beingaleader often feels like you live in a daily pressure cooker. … Continue reading Pressure
Rules
#Beingaleader means you have to understand rules. What they are. Clear and unclear. Spoken and unspoken. When to follow them. And when to sidestep them. There are so many rules in life and in work. You need to know the important ones and know how they apply. You also need to identify when they don't … Continue reading Rules
Kind
#Beingaleader means you need to be kind. With your words and your actions. Your words can build up or tear down. Your actions often speak louder than your words. Be kind in both ways. Have you ever thought about what draws you to one leader vs. another? Think about it for a moment. It is … Continue reading Kind
Opposite
#Beingaleader means you have to act the opposite of others many times. Counterintuitive. Against the grain. Often without explanation. Lead. Is someone being mean? Be nice. Is someone angry? Be calming. Is someone rushing ahead and making mistakes? Slow down and have a conversation. You will find that often people are reactive. You need to … Continue reading Opposite
Next
#Beingaleader means that sometimes you just need to do the next thing. Whether you feel like it or not. Whether you know the second step or not. Even whether you want to or not. Just take the next step. It will keep you moving in the general direction you want to go and will, over … Continue reading Next
Heat
#Beingaleader means you have to learn to take the heat. Live in the heat. Embrace the heat. Heat can come from decisions you made. Good or bad. Or it might come from decisions others made over which you had no control. Either way you need to learn to take the heat. Live in the heat. … Continue reading Heat
Yes
#Beingaleader means you need to become comfortable with saying "Yes". It can be very freeing. Not being led down a path you don't want to go. Not being forced to spend time on things that you aren't meant to do. But focused on the things you say "yes" to. Sometimes the smallest things bring the … Continue reading Yes
No
#Beingaleader means you need to become comfortable with saying "No". It can be very freeing. Not being led down a path you don't want to go. Not being forced to spend time on things that you aren't meant to do. Sometimes the smallest things bring the biggest impact. "No" is a small but powerful word. … Continue reading No
Unnoticed
#Beingaleader means you often have to do things unnoticed. This may seem contrary to your concept of leadership which is often portrayed as being upfront. In the center of attention. Noticed. That's the overall, outsider perception. And if that's what you're seeking then you need to rethink what leadership is. It's like looking at the … Continue reading Unnoticed
Structure
#Beingaleader means you have to provide your team with structure. Parameters. Direction. How else are you able to define success for them? How else can you achieve the goals of the team? You don't want to micromanage them but you should provide the expectations and the guardrails for what you are looking for. It is … Continue reading Structure
Sacrifice
#Beingaleader means you need to understand and practice sacrifice. In order to begin to understand what sacrifice is you need to only look back 78 years to those brave young men storming the beaches of Normandy. Scared out of their minds but doing their assigned jobs anyway. Fearful but fearless all in one. Not perfect. … Continue reading Sacrifice
Honesty
#Beingaleader means you need to lead with honesty. Honesty can be defined as having fairness and frankness. Fairness is the way we want to be treated and frankness is when you are clear in your communication. Honesty means you need to be fair. Fair to your team. Fair to your clients. Fair to yourself. To … Continue reading Honesty
Contradictory
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with contradictory information. Should you make decisions quickly (https://beingaleader.blog/2022/05/10/quick/)? Or slowly (https://beingaleader.blog/2022/05/17/slow/)? Well, it depends. If it was only one answer than leadership wouldn't be hard. But leadership is hard. And it means you have to deal with these contradictions. You are constantly being pulled in different directions. The … Continue reading Contradictory
Slow
#Beingaleader means you have to be slow. Deliberate thinker. Deliberate analysis. Slow decision maker. Oftentimes you just can't afford not to take the time to step back and wait. Deliberation gets you to the finish line without unnecessary losses. Slow and deliberate gets you to the win. A deliberate thinker looks at all the factors … Continue reading Slow
Quick
#Beingaleader means you have to be quick. Quick thinker. Quick analysis. Quick decision maker. Oftentimes you just don't have time to step back and wait. Speed gets you to the finish line. Quickness gets you to the win. A quick thinker is the one who sees the various possibilities before others. You look at a … Continue reading Quick
Success
#Beingaleader means you need to understand how you define success. Not how success is defined. But how you define success. The dictionary already defines it as the accomplishment of your or your team's purpose. But that might not be success to you. Or it might not be all you define as success. Success could be … Continue reading Success
Flow
#Beingaleader sometimes means you have to go with the flow. Meaning you can't plan for everything. Every contingency. Sometimes things just happen to you and you need to go with it. Try to guide it to a successful conclusion but realize that you don't control everything. How easy you can go with the flow will … Continue reading Flow
Prepared
#Beingaleader means you need to be prepared. Or get prepared. For as many eventualities as is possible. Personally. Professionally. Your team. Your family. Yourself. What are some eventualities that you might encounter? And they can change depending on the year. But they might include: team member loss; sales loss; conflict resolution; personal loss; health issues; … Continue reading Prepared
Toxic
#Beingaleader means you need to avoid being toxic to others and to help weed out those within your organization that are toxic to yourself or others. They will bring you and your organization down over time. They will create attrition and provide a reputation in the marketplace that you do not want and will drive … Continue reading Toxic
Innovate
#Beingaleader means you need to learn to innovate. New ideas for old problems. New ideas for new problems. Trying something different to see if you get a different result. To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. #Beingaleader means you need to look for new ideas for old problems. … Continue reading Innovate
Resilience
#Beingaleader means you need to have resilience. The ability to recover quickly from difficulty. To bounce back. To have more toughness than others have. Face trauma, stress and even tragedy without it breaking you. Seeing it all in context. Resilience requires inner strength. I'm not saying that everyone doesn't have their limits. Nor am I … Continue reading Resilience
The Point
#Beingaleader means you have to get to the point. Be direct. Say what you mean. Your expectations. Your evaluation of them or their progress. Clearly. Concisely. Using examples when needed but not telling a story without getting to the punchline. You are not helping others by beating around the bush. It is not kindness to … Continue reading The Point
Being A Leader 