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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Today

#Beingaleader means you need to be aware and focused on today. Yes, I know. Everyone says look to the future. And, yes you should. But you also need to take care of today. Don't look past it. Don't squander it. The future will come but it will look an awful lot like today when it … Continue reading Today →

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 →

Quiet

#Beingaleader means that you need some regular time to be quiet. Quiet your mind. Quiet the external voices and demands. Life is busy and often chaotic. #Beingaleader only accentuates that reality. It's important to take time to quiet your mind. To allow yourself time to recover, recuperate, regenerate. To quiet your mind to all that … Continue reading Quiet →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Dignified

#Beingaleader means you need to be dignified. Not crass. Not vulgar. Not boorish. Not overbearing. Dignified. Calm, impressive and deserving of respect. So how do you react to stress, bad things happening or difficult people? Are you calm, impressive and deserving of respect? Or do people cower and resent your involvement? Too many people equate … Continue reading Dignified →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Shape

#Beingaleader means you shape the direction of your team. Shape the emotion around your team. And shape the team's impact. Shaping the direction of the team is critical to its success. You often impact how it starts, how it moves along and where it ends up. You cannot underestimate the impact you have on shaping … Continue reading Shape →

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 →

Drama Queen

#Beingaleader means you should not be a drama queen. Or tolerate it on your team. Stop being overly dramatic every time something goes wrong or not exactly how you wanted them to go. Things happen. Some good. Some not so good. But you need to press through them without creating additional chaos or drama on … Continue reading Drama Queen →

Giving

#Beingaleader means you need to be a giving person. Giving of your time. Giving of your finances. Giving of your emotion. And doing it cheerfully. #Beingaleader means you need to give of your time. Your family needs you. Whether it's work or play, whenever you are leading, they need your time. They need you to … Continue reading Giving →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Extra

#Beingaleader means you have to give extra. Extra time. Extra energy. Extra work. You have to give extra. You can't expect it from others without giving it first. Extra time. Arrive first. Stay late. You are the example especially in a volunteer situation. You are setting the example. You are the one trying to lead … Continue reading Extra →

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 →

Drain

#Beingaleader means that you often have things, circumstances or people that drain you. Emotionally. Energy-taking. Whatever it or they can take from you. And you need to learn how to deal with those situations and people so they don't bring you down or drain the energy from you. #Beingaleader means you need to recognize the … Continue reading Drain →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Anxious

#Beingaleader means that you often feel anxious about the results of the actions you are taking. Or often you're anxious about the actions that others are taking on your behalf. Experiencing nervousness about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Beyond your control. Out of reach. Unable to do it yourself. Relying on … Continue reading Anxious →

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 →

Milestones

#Beingaleader means you need to recognize and celebrate milestones. Recognize and celebrate. One of the things a leader needs to do is recognize the milestones. That's often overlooked. Milestones are often thought of when discussing birthdays or anniversaries. Now those are all important. But often the milestones overlooked are the completion of a project. A … Continue reading Milestones →

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 →

#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 →

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 →