#Beingaleader means you sometimes have to show restraint to your team. Restraint of words. Restraint of emotion. Restraint of self. #Beingaleader means you need to restrain your words. Just because you think it doesn't mean you should say it. Too many words are said out of emotion whether verbally or in an email. Some say … Continue reading Restraint
Category: Stress
Quickness
#Beingaleader means you need a level of quickness. Quickness of decision-making, of movement, of thought. #Beingaleader means you need to have quickness of decision-making. Life is fast. #Beingaleader only picks up the pace. You cannot afford to agonize over every decision. Analysis paralysis is a real thing. And it is incompatible with #Beingaleader. The more … Continue reading Quickness
Testing
#Beingaleader means that you will go through testing. Physical testing. Testing by pressure. Spiritual testing. #Beingaleader means that you will experience physical testing: about your abilities and stamina. By the very nature of #Beingaleader, you will have your abilities and stamina tested. Are you able to take what you've learned in one circumstance and apply … Continue reading Testing
Loss
#Beingaleader does not make you immune to loss. In some cases, you will experience it deeper and more profoundly than others as you carry the burden not just for yourself but for your team as well whenever there is a loss. A loss of a project. Loss of a team member. Loss of valuation. You … Continue reading Loss
Adapt
#Beingaleader means you have to adapt. Become adjusted to new conditions. Make changes on the fly. And recognize that while you are adapting to your own new things so too must you adapt to the changes that others are experiencing on your team. #Beingaleader means you have to adjust to new conditions. Things change. All … Continue reading Adapt
Feelings
#Beingaleader means you should not be driven or swayed by feelings. Yours or theirs. Good or bad. Don't let them control you or take you places you do not want to go or that undermine your vision or your destination for your team. #Beingaleader means you shouldn't be driven by your feelings. You are human … Continue reading Feelings
Choices
#Beingaleader means you need to make a lot of choices. Some simple. Some monumental. But each should be done with a similar mindset and criteria. #Beingaleader means you need to make simple choices. These are the ones that seem to fill up the day. Left or right. Up or down. They are simple but they … Continue reading Choices
PTO
#Beingaleader means you need to take paid time off (PTO) - vacation, holidays, a break, sabbatical or whatever you might call it. It's important for your longevity and sharpness. I see too many leaders who cannot disconnect. They don't allow for time to rejuvenate or to give themselves time to clear their mind. This will … Continue reading PTO
Consistent
#Beingaleader means you need to be consistent. Consistent in attitude. Consistent in message. Consistent in approach. #Beingaleader means you need to be consistent in attitude. This may be the hardest one so I start with it. A consistent attitude or countenance even when under stress or other issue will provide a level of confidence that … Continue reading Consistent
Teacher
#Beingaleader means you are a teacher. People will listen to what you have to say. Follow your example. And strive for things you determine to be important. #Beingaleader means that people will listen to what you have to say. Be careful what you say. Your words should be measured. Congratulatory when earned. Encouraging when needed. … Continue reading Teacher
Peacemaker
#Beingaleader means you need to be a peacemaker. For your team. Within your team. With others. #Beingaleader means you need to be a peacemaker for your team. If there is someone who needs to 'take the hit' it should be you as the leader. You should protect your team from all enemies, 'foreign and domestic' … Continue reading Peacemaker
Pain
#Beingaleader means you have to endure pain. Emotional. Mental. From internal and external sources. Pain seems to be part of the job. The more you recognize that fact the better prepared you will be to handle it when it happens. Emotional pain is the type of pain that comes from the people who love us … Continue reading Pain
Overwhelmed
#Beingaleader means you are often overwhelmed. Sometimes you just feel it. Other times you actually are. Overwhelmed with pressure, deadlines, crises, decisions, finances, and life in general. It is important to understand that you will have times and days like that. Recognize it. Deal with it. #Beingaleader means you sometimes are overwhelmed. Schedules. Demands from … Continue reading Overwhelmed
Resilient
#Beingaleader means you need to be resilient. Resilient is defined as the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Difficult people. Difficult circumstances. Difficult emotions. #Beingaleader means you have to deal with difficult people. They seem to be everywhere. People you bump into. People on your team. Above you. Below you. We work … Continue reading Resilient
Uncomfortable
#Beingaleader means you are often uncomfortable. Uncomfortable conversations. Uncomfortable meetings. Uncomfortable decisions. Dealing with things most people would rather avoid. And in fact usually do. That's what #Beingaleader often means. Uncomfortable conversations could include facing our fears, helping others do the same, telling someone "no", etc. One of your fears might be these uncomfortable conversations. … Continue reading Uncomfortable
For Such a Time
#Beingaleader means you are in a leadership position for such a time as this. Are you prepared to handle the moment? This is the moment to rise up. To give direction. To lead. To figure out things that others cannot or will not figure out. To move into action while others are paralyzed. You have … Continue reading For Such a Time
Significance
#Beingaleader means you need to know where you significance comes from and where it does not come from. If it comes from the wrong place it will not last. It will not be real. Many leaders find their significance in their accomplishments. They seek glory from what they have done. They look upon what feat … Continue reading Significance
The Unknown
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with the unknown. Unknown events. Unknown circumstances. Unknown reactions. And possibly unknown people. How you respond to these unknown things, events and people will show a lot about who you are as a leader. Do you react in a knee-jerk manner causing confusion and concern among your team members? … Continue reading The Unknown
Crisis
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with crisis. Yours and others. The actual crisis and the emotional impact that it brings. The ones that you created and the ones that just happen to you. How you deal with crisis will determine your leadership impact and potentially your longevity as a leader. At the current moment, … Continue reading Crisis
Alone
#Beingaleader means you are often alone. Even in a group or crowd. This can occur for numerous reasons. Often it is because you see things differently than others. Have different goals. Different motivations. You see life differently. You often have to inspire others while trying to motivate yourself in the same circumstances. While you may … Continue reading Alone
Continued Trust
#Beingaleader means you need to have the trust of your people. I have written about this before. See https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/beingaleader.blog/133. However, it bears repeating in a time of crisis. Whether national, business or family. So many decisions that are made are either followed or scorned based upon the level of trust someone has in their leadership. … Continue reading Continued Trust
Fear – Redux
#Beingaleader means you have to circle back to the same topics over and over. You don't just go through it once. You go through it. Learn. Apply. Go again. Learn. Apply. Repeat. Such as it is with blog topics. I have tried to not create content far in advance but instead deal with what is … Continue reading Fear – Redux
Fear
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with fear. Yours. And others. And on the surface there seems to be a lot to be afraid of. Stock values go down. Supply chains get interrupted. Plans get canceled. Deadlines move and shift. People fail you. You cannot do much about things out of your control. But you … Continue reading Fear
Juggling
#Beingaleader means you have to juggle. A lot. Whether you are a parent, a coach, or a CEO, you have a lot to juggle. At one time. With competing priorities and timelines. Pressures from many different corners whether your boss, a project deadline or a screaming infant. Everyone thinks their stuff is the most important … Continue reading Juggling
Hurry
#Beingaleader means you are sometimes in a hurry. Maybe most of the time. Hurry to get somewhere. Hurry to accomplish something. Hurry to make a decision. Deal with an employee. Finish a task. The speed of life can overtake you. This is not an article about slowing down your life. But you still need to … Continue reading Hurry
Patience
#Beingaleader means you know the old adage "never pray for patience." However, without patience, you will not succeed at #beingaleader. You will push people away, alienate team members, and likely, in the end, irreparably blow up your team or project. Patience is defined as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without … Continue reading Patience
Buy-In
#Beingaleader means you have to understand the 80/20 rule and work hard at overcoming it. The 80/20 rule states that 80% of the work gets done by 20% of the people. We've all seen it. A few people doing most of the work. The rest are helping in some capacity but frankly, you're not sure … Continue reading Buy-In
Encourage
#Beingaleader means it's your job to encourage others. To encourage is to give someone else the courage to keep going. To finish a task or to keep plugging along. To give them hope and strength. But how do you encourage someone? Here are three ways: tell someone that they can do it; that they have … Continue reading Encourage
Rest
#Beingaleader means you learn how to rest. It's a skill. You learn how. Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. But sometimes only rest can actually be rest. Rest is needed daily, weekly and annually. Too many people neglect rest. And they burn out. They get sick. They stop leading. They think they … Continue reading Rest
Manners
Parenting is #beingaleader. In that leadership role, it is your responsibility to teach your child(ren) manners. I am not simply talking about not speaking when your mouth is full of food (although that can be an issue too and clearly many adults were not taught that). I am defining manners as someone "having respect" - … Continue reading Manners
SHIELD
I need to revisit a topic that I touched on earlier as it's a topic that people can debate on but it's also a critical test of your character that #beingaleader requires you to pass. #Beingaleader means you sometimes are a shield for your team. Shielding them from attack and criticism that would weigh them … Continue reading SHIELD
Greatness
#Beingaleader means you can see the greatness in others. Usually before they do. It is a skill to work on and perfect. To practice on those around you. To call them out to be better then they currently are or to help them see what's already there. #Beingaleader means you are able to see this … Continue reading Greatness
Energy
#Beingaleader means you need to bring energy. Energy to yourself; to your team; to your goals. In order to bring energy you must have energy. So how does one get energy? I am seeing that we all have the energy we need within us. The issue is whether or not we are willing to have … Continue reading Energy
Think
Are you a doer or a thinker? That's an interesting question to me. One that needs to be pondered more often than it is. While we all would like to answer "both", I believe that most of us are doers by nature and thinkers only by learned discipline. We like to "accomplish" things and not … Continue reading Think
Focus
#Beingaleader means you need to focus. Not just on the end prize of a project or task completion but on the specific step in front of you. Studies have shown over and over that we are not really as good as we think at multi-tasking. If we are trying to accomplish a task, it is … Continue reading Focus
Delegate
#Beingaleader means you have to learn to delegate. Your job includes finding the right person with the right skill set(s) to achieve what needs to be done. You often don't have the time nor the right skill set(s) to get the job done yourself. You need others. Your job is to identify them and delegate … Continue reading Delegate
Projecting Peace
#Beingaleader means you have the ability to project peace to others. To project is to extend outward from yourself to someone else. To give of what you have to sustain others or fill their tanks. Peace is a sense of tranquility or calm that you have regardless of the current circumstances. So in order to … Continue reading Projecting Peace
Stress
#Beingaleader means you live in a world of stress (defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.) Changing circumstances. Pace of life. Unforeseen issues. Volume of issues. Loudness of the questions. All of these can lead to stress. How you handle it will show how … Continue reading Stress
Being A Leader 