Category: Inner Strength

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 #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 #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 #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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Challenge

#Beingaleader means you constantly need to face a new challenge. Nothing gets the fire going inside of a leader than a real challenge. Without it, boredom, complacency and bad habits can form. A challenge allows you to go to new heights and not get trapped going backwards. #Beingaleader means that you don't shrink back from … Continue reading Challenge →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Uncertain

#Beingaleader means you are often uncertain. Uncertain about what to do. Uncertain about next steps. Uncertain about your leadership.Every leader has found themselves in a place where they are uncertain about what to do. They are facing a conflict they've never faced before. They are facing uncertain markets that they have never experienced before. They … Continue reading Uncertain →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →