Beingaleader means you need intelligence. Different kinds depending on the situation. You need the ability to learn, understand, and apply knowledge. Without it, you will continue to make the same mistakes over and over. There are lots of different kinds of intelligence, of course, including emotional intelligence (EI) where the understanding of your own or … Continue reading Intelligence
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
Consult
#Beingaleader means you need to consult. You have experience. You have expertise. Someone will be calling you to get your input. Your thoughts. Maybe even your wisdom as to how to apply your experience to their situation. I often say that you can tell what you are good at by looking at the things you … Continue reading Consult
Sight
#Beingaleader means you need to have great sight. Into your team. Into your direction. To see what is going on around you. Sight into what problems are happening or might happen. Sight is more than vision. Sight is seeing things that are going on now and how they play into the future. Vision is about … Continue reading Sight
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
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
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
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
Meetings
#Beingaleader means you have to attend a lot of meetings. Zoom. Teams. In person. Meetings. Sometimes all day. Meetings you control. Meetings that others control. Meetings that have value. Meetings that don't. Meetings often feel like a necessary evil, clogging calendars and draining energy when they lack focus. Without a clear agenda, they can devolve … Continue reading Meetings
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
Apologize
#Beingaleader means you have to apologize. Quickly. Without hesitation. It's important for the leader to by humble enough to know that they don't have all the right ideas and in fact they might get something wrong while the team member might have the right idea. #Beingaleader is about recognizing both situations and being humble enough … Continue reading Apologize
Empower
#Beingaleader means you need to empower your team. Giving them power. Authority. Showing confidence in them to make the right decisions as if you were making them yourself. Leader, are you empowering your team or showing only your power to your team? They cannot learn without you empowering them. They cannot get better at decision … Continue reading Empower
Talent Optimization
#Beingaleader means you need to understand talent optimization. It's not just about filling seats; it's about finding the needed strengths, ensuring every member of the team plays their part with precision. The heart of true talent optimization lies in understanding the individual team member. This requires a leader who is both observer and listener, one … Continue reading Talent Optimization
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
Macro
#Beingaleader means you need to think and act on a macro level. The big picture. See what's really going on. Make strategic decisions for what's best for the overall team or company. You need a broad perspective. Not always getting bogger down in the details. You need to see where you are going. What goal … Continue reading Macro
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
Sickness
#Beingaleader means you need to learn to deal with sickness. I'm here to tell you. You will get sick. You learn to prepare for everything else. Why not this? It's going to happen. To prepare for sickness you need to know how you normally react and how much energy you normally have. Then you need … Continue reading Sickness
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
Peace Redone
Multi-Generational
#Beingaleader means you need to understand the multi-generational aspect of leadership and the marketplace. It's a skill you need to learn and apply. Each generation has different things that motivate them. Different ways of expressing themselves. Different ways of communicating. Different ways they want performance evaluations or feedback to be provided. You can learn them … Continue reading Multi-Generational
Cyclical
#Beingaleader means you understand that life is cyclical. There are cycles to everything. To leadership. To projects. To teams. To work. To, well, everything. There's the beginning. The start up. The excitement. The honeymoon. Then it becomes steady. The normal. The anticipated. Then, sometimes, it becomes the stale. The rigid. The never changing. Then, new … Continue reading Cyclical
Kindness
#Beingaleader means you need to show kindness. Kindness to your team. To those you supervise. To clients. And to those others that you run into on a regular basis. Google defines kindness as a quality of being that involves treating others with consideration, generosity, and concern, without expecting anything in return. So, two parts. Treating … Continue reading Kindness
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
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
Change Management
#Beingaleader means you need to understand and lead change management. What it is. How to properly implement it. Know how it affects those on your team and potentially those not on your team. Change management isn't about the change itself. It's about the process of identifying, creating and implementing that change. You can have people … Continue reading Change Management
Appreciate
#Beingaleader means you need to be the head appreciator for your team. Appreciate what your team is doing. Appreciate the business you are in. The position you have and the opportunities given for the next position. What does it mean to appreciate your team and their efforts? It means to recognize their true or whole … Continue reading Appreciate
Compassion
#Beingaleader means you need to have compassion. For your team. For their experiences and how that impacts them. Compassion is defined as having the desire to take action to help others. What does it mean to have compassion for someone? It means you know about their circumstance. That you care about their circumstance. And you … Continue reading Compassion
Rock
#Beingaleader means you are a rock. Not easily swayed. You know who you are and what you believe. You stand for something. And you defend others. Sometimes, even to your own short term detriment. You cannot be easily swayed and be a good leader at the same time. You may feel that you are sometimes … Continue reading Rock
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
Engage
#Beingaleader means you need to engage. Engage with your team. Engage with your projects. Engage your mind. Engaging with your team could be as simple as spending time with them. Reaching out and connecting. Having a Teams meeting or phone call on a regular basis. Getting involved with them, their projects or issues. Engaging is … Continue reading Engage
Being A Leader 