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
Category: Change
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
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
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
Blind
#Beingaleader means you cannot be blind to what is going on. Blind to who is doing what. Who excels. Who is dragging your team down. Personal loyalty aside, you have to keep your eyes open to what is going on and who is doing what. We probably can all relate stories of people in leadership … Continue reading Blind
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
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 – 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
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
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
Remote
#Beingaleader means you or your team often have to work in a remote environment. Many of us talk to our team around the country or even internationally. We have co-workers in multiple locations that would necessitate a zoom or teams meeting even if we sat in an office somewhere. We are living in the day … Continue reading Remote
Strategy
#Beingaleader means you need a strategy. I thought out plan. More than just a goal or a vision. But steps to get to where you want to be. The how. Not just the why. A plan of action. A strategy. Whether you are a small team leader or a large corporate executive, you need a … Continue reading Strategy
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
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
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
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
Hard
#Beingaleader means you have to handle hard things at times. Hard emotions. Hard decisions. Hard circumstances. Not that you should become hard. Just that you will be in hard situations. In fact, the hardness you find yourself in needs to be matched with the strength of the opposite emotion to be successful. Not soft. But … Continue reading Hard
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
Celebrate
#Beingaleader means you need to learn to celebrate. Celebrate the wins. Celebrate surviving. Celebrate living the good life. Celebrating the wins means that you tried to do something and you succeeded and now you are celebrating the fact that you accomplished what you set out to do. That is worth celebrating. First you set a … Continue reading Celebrate
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
The Moment
#Beingaleader means you need to live in the moment. It's not just about planning for the future. Or the next steps. Enjoy now. Live now. In the moment. Sometimes we get starry eyed. Or so focused on the next steps that we fail to live in the moment. What's happening now. The successes now. The … Continue reading The Moment
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
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
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
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
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
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
Distance
#Beingaleader means you need to learn about distance. How close to get. How far away to stay. And when to choose between the two. When someone on your team is learning a new skill or in a new position you need to stay close. Help them along the way. Let them watch what you do. … Continue reading Distance
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
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
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
Books
#Beingaleader means you need to read/listen to books. Old ones. New ones. Different topics and subject matter. Old books. Why are old books important to read? Because culture changes. Viewpoints change. And it's important to see how people did things in the past. How they thought. How they responded. There is a lot of stability … Continue reading Books
Time
#Beingaleader means you have to be concerned about time. Having enough. Using it wisely. Prioritizing. Deciding who gets it. And, by necessity, who doesn't. How much thought you give to one thing vs. another. Time. It's all about how you spend it. Allocation of time is one of the most important things you do as … Continue reading Time
Problem Solver
#Beingaleader means you have to be a problem solver. It can be personnel issues. HR issues. Cost issues. Satisfaction issues from internal or external sources. All of these will eventually land on your desk at some point as a leader. And what are you expected to do with these problems? Solve them. Everyone has them. … Continue reading Problem Solver
Building
#Beingaleader means you need to always be building. Building on the past. Building for the future. Building on what you have to work with. Skills. People. Experiences. Continuing to grow your building blocks. Building on your past includes all of the things you've experienced this past year: the good and the bad. The easy and … Continue reading Building
Seasons
#Beingaleader means you need to understand the seasons. Seasons in your leadership. Start up energy. Sustainment. Longevity. Expertise. Training others. Passing it along to others. There are many different seasons in your leadership life. Sometimes you repeat seasons (new adventures etc.) But over the long haul of your leadership life you move from that energetic … Continue reading Seasons
Vision
#Beingaleader means you already have vision. The ability to see what's going on now. The ability to see and think about what could be in the future. And, often, even the steps and the people needed to get there. But it's much more than that. #Beingaleader also means you need to be able to communicate … Continue reading Vision
Re-Think
#Beingaleader means you have to re-think things all the time. Look at situations from new angles. Allow your mind to imagine things that aren't there yet. Re-imagine. Re-tool. Be careful about getting stuck in the 'right' way of thinking (i.e., your way). Allow yourself time and space to re-think things. This takes time set aside … Continue reading Re-Think
Timing – Redux
I have dealt with issue once before https://beingaleader.blog/2019/12/03/timing/ but I have found it is a critical issue that needs re-raising. #Beingaleader means you need to understand the concept of timing. Knowing that you need to do something is not the last step in the process. You need to know when. When to move on from … Continue reading Timing – Redux
Being A Leader 