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: Self-Leadership
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
Goals
Beingaleader means you need to set some goals. Long and short term. Personal. Professional. Family. Business and pleasure goals. You need to know what you are trying to achieve or attain. Sit down and make a list of the things you want. The things you want to do and accomplish. The places you want to … Continue reading Goals
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
Fuzzy
#Beingaleader oftentimes means that you are leading while your head and eyes and vision are fuzzy. You don't quite know where to go. What to do or what's going to happen. Your site is fuzzy. But you still have to get up in the morning. You still have to lead others. You still have things … Continue reading Fuzzy
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
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
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
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
Restraint
#Beingaleader means that sometimes it's best not to say anything.
Promote
#Beingaleader means you need to promote yourself. But you ask, that doesn't sound like me. It sounds arrogant. Or you're putting yourself above others. All of my writings on this blog have been under the guise of servant leadership with one specific blog on that very topic directly https://beingaleader.blog/2022/12/13/1557/. However, there comes a time when … Continue reading Promote
Time Management
#Beingaleader means you need to understand time management. Time management is the process of planning, prioritizing, and controlling how you spend your time. You only have so much of it. It's one thing to make a to-do list. It's another thing if you learn and know how to manage your time. I once worked at … Continue reading Time Management
Composed
#Beingaleader means you have to be composed. Composed in the face of change. Composed in the face of difficulty. Composed for those around you. You set the tone. You set the team atmosphere. Better for you to be composed. Look, life is full of curveballs. They happen to all of us and they can happen … Continue reading Composed
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
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 – Investing
#Beingaleader means you need to learn about and participate in investing. First, you earn. Then you save. Now it's time to invest. In yourself. In your leadership. In your future. Often when we think about investing we immediately go to retirement investing. And that's important. No matter how hard you try, you will continue to … Continue reading Money – Investing
Money – Saving
#Beingaleader means you need to learn to save money. Last time we talked about the importance and strategies for earning money. Now that you have it, what do you do with it? The answer to that question will have a great impact on your leadership. So, you want to save. But what for? Annual expenses. … Continue reading Money – Saving
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
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
Opportunity
#Beingaleader means you need to seek out and understand opportunity. The old phrase is Opportunity Knocks. Well, that has not been my experience. Most of the time, opportunity has to be spotted by you, harnessed into something actionable, and then has some follow through required. So, how do you spot an opportunity? The first question … Continue reading Opportunity
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
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
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
Authority
#Beingaleader means you have authority. You have it. You can use it. You can delegate it. Authority is defined as having the power to make decisions for or on behalf of others. This is not necessarily the same thing as being the boss. Title has little to do with true authority. Yes, they might be … Continue reading Authority
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
Decision Making
#Beingaleader means you need to be good at decision making. I've partially touched on this before on one of my first posts on this blog (https://beingaleader.blog/2019/01/29/decisions/). But decision making is a day to day event in a leader's life. A leader needs not only to make good decisions, but be good at the decision making … Continue reading Decision Making
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
Sage
#Beingaleader means that at some point you will be a sage. One who teaches others to be a leader. One to whom others go for advice and counsel. One who has built a legacy of consistency, honor, and courage and led by example. Everyone wants one. The question today is whether you will become one … Continue reading Sage
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
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
Passion
#Beingaleader means you need to have passion. Passion for what you are doing. Passion for who you are doing it with. And passion for where you want to go. Passion is having an enthusiasm for something, a desire for something, that is so strong that many of the roadblocks that are inevitable seem not worthy … Continue reading Passion
Infamy
#Beingaleader means you need to avoid infamy. Being well known for a bad quality or deed. Infamy can kill your future. It means others will look at you with suspicion. It is very hard to overcome public infamy. So what do I mean by infamy? Infamy is not just a mistake. It's likely a trait … Continue reading Infamy
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
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
Being A Leader 