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: Struggle
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
Cross-Cultural
#Beingaleader means you are likely to lead cross-cultural teams at some point. I have traveled to over 20 countries. I've led teams in many of those countries including Singapore, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, United States, and India. I've led in-person teams and remote teams. Men. Women. Numerous religious and cultural backgrounds. … Continue reading Cross-Cultural
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
Micro
#Beingaleader means you need to think and act on a micro level. The small picture. See what's really going on at a personal level. Sweat the small stuff. Making strategic decisions for what's best for individual team members. You need a focused perspective. Not always having your head in the clouds but sweating the details. … Continue reading Micro
Thanks
#Beingaleader means you need to give thanks. More not less. It's been 2 years since I wrote on being thankful. I should probably write on it every week. More thankful. And more giving of thanks. First, you need to be thankful. Then you need to give it away. It is a two step process. And … Continue reading Thanks
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
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
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
Unfulfilled
#Beingaleader means you will sometimes feel unfulfilled. You won't always be doing everything that you want to be doing. A lot of the things that are on your plate will not fulfill you. They won't be the things you desire to do. You might even dislike some or all of them. But #Beingaleader means you … Continue reading Unfulfilled
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
Downside
#Beingaleader will come with a downside. Your energy will go. You will need to put others first. You will be disappointed at times. You may be alone. And you may have to do things you don't want to do. How's that for encouraging people into #Beingaleader? But it is true. It's not all about being … Continue reading Downside
Lost
#Beingaleader means that sometimes you feel lost. Unable to find your way. Or having misplaced the path of the direction you felt you were headed in. That pit in your stomach feeling that things just aren't going the way they are supposed to. Being lost is not a good feeling. It's disorienting. It might even … Continue reading Lost
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Bitterness
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with your bitterness. Towards others. Towards yourself. Towards the circumstances that you find yourself in today. Bitterness can be defined as "anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly." How you deal with bitterness will have a huge impact on your success as a leader. How do you react when … Continue reading Bitterness
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
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
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
Sacrifice
#Beingaleader means you need to understand and practice sacrifice. In order to begin to understand what sacrifice is you need to only look back 78 years to those brave young men storming the beaches of Normandy. Scared out of their minds but doing their assigned jobs anyway. Fearful but fearless all in one. Not perfect. … Continue reading Sacrifice
Contradictory
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with contradictory information. Should you make decisions quickly (https://beingaleader.blog/2022/05/10/quick/)? Or slowly (https://beingaleader.blog/2022/05/17/slow/)? Well, it depends. If it was only one answer than leadership wouldn't be hard. But leadership is hard. And it means you have to deal with these contradictions. You are constantly being pulled in different directions. The … Continue reading Contradictory
Alone
#Beingaleader means you often have to stand alone. At least at first. Your job is often to inspire others to join you but it presupposes that you are alone at the beginning. The idea is yours. The stance is yours. The product or service is yours. Alone. Are you willing to stand alone? To press … Continue reading Alone
Persistence
#Beingaleader means you need persistence. Persistence is defined as the obstinate continuation in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. That's an interesting combination of words. Persistence and obstinate in the same sentence. Obstinate can be a stubbornness on the part of a leader to not change course even in the face … Continue reading Persistence
Thankful
#Beingaleader means you need to be thankful. Thankful for others. Thankful for your team's successes. Thankful for the things that brought you to where you are today. Even the hard things. And train others to do the same. Being thankful is being "conscious of benefits received." So the most important step is to be conscious … Continue reading Thankful
Frustration
#Beingaleader means you can feel a lot of frustration. At yourself. At others. At circumstances. At the inability to do things better or change an outcome. It's just frustrating how some people act or don't learn or don't care. Frustration. So how do you deal with frustration? Do you let it consume you? Do you … Continue reading Frustration
Baggage
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with baggage. Sometimes your own. Sometimes others'. Either way you need to know how to deal with it or get rid of it before it drags you down. What does your baggage look like? Is it emotional? Bad experiences? Each one of us is a compilation of experiences, good … Continue reading Baggage
Healthy
#Beingaleader means you need to stay healthy. In your mindset. In your relationships. And in your environment. #Beingaleader means you need to stay healthy in your mindset. Your attitude or mindset is so critically important that you must protect it from anything that would try to get you down. The keys to being successful in … Continue reading Healthy
Juggling
#Beingaleader means you have to juggle. Spin a lot of plates. Multi-task. The key is to keep your focus while all around you is spinning furiously. Whether parenting or running a business or leading a project. You are seemingly never able to focus on just one thing at a time. How do you maintain you … Continue reading Juggling
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
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
Discord or Discourse
#Beingaleader means you need to make a decision whether you will participate in discord or discourse. Too many leaders make the wrong decision. As a result, they use their influence to sow discord rather than encourage civil discourse. By discord, I mean creating an environment where opinion becomes fact and one's opinion is greater or … Continue reading Discord or Discourse
Impact
#Beingaleader means you have impact. Known and unknown. Close and far reaching. Generational. To me it's sad that we often only hear of the impact someone had on another person's life at the funeral of the first person. Regardless, the impact was there. The person might not have even known that they had that impact … Continue reading Impact
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
Being A Leader 