#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
Character
#Beingaleader means you need to have character. The aggregate of features and traits that make up you the individual. The real you. How you react. How you decide things. Your core beliefs that impact everything you do. The real you. Character in decision making. Do the right thing is a good motto to follow. But … Continue reading Character
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
Stress
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with stress. All kinds. All of the time. Some created by others. Some by circumstances. Some by yourself. Stress from others. I think there are two kinds: legitimate and illegitimate. Legitimate stress from others are things that must get done based upon the job or relationship you have with … Continue reading Stress
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
Advocate
#Beingaleader means you are an advocate. For others. For your project. For yourself. To advocate is to plead the case. To provide support. To cheer on the accomplishment of a person or project. To make sure others know about the situation and view it in a good light. Do you advocate for others? In order … Continue reading Advocate
Unique
#Beingaleader means you are unique. One of a kind. Broke the mold kind of leader. Whether you feel it or not. Whether you view that as a positive or not. Even whether you agree with it or not. It's still true. You are unique. Yes, we learn from others. Yes, we learn new skills. Yes, … Continue reading Unique
Mentor
#Beingaleader means you are a mentor. Whether you know it or not. Intentional or not. Want to be or not. You are a mentor. A trusted counselor. Someone of influence that others look to for guidance, wisdom, answers. An example. I find that most discussions about mentorship are when someone is trying to find one … Continue reading Mentor
Legacy
#Beingaleader means you will leave a legacy. It will happen. Good or bad. Long lasting or short. But you cannot avoid leaving a legacy. Whether through death or through leaving the leadership position you are currently in, you will leave a legacy. A legacy is something that is carried forward from the activities you have … Continue reading Legacy
Busyness
#Beingaleader means you need to distinguish between busyness and business. Busyness is filling in time slots. Business is about getting the job done. Busyness is doing lots of stuff. Business is achieving lots of stuff. Do you find yourself filling in time with non-essentials? With busyness? Perhaps it's because you're procrastinating? Or perhaps you're simply … Continue reading Busyness
Sanctuary
#Beingaleader means you need to find a place of sanctuary for yourself. A place of refuge and protection. This might be an actual place or it might just be a mindset you go to to protect yourself from the naysayers and critics of everything you do. A place of peace. It might actually be with … Continue reading Sanctuary
Intentional
#Beingaleader means you need to be intentional. About your leadership. About your goals. Don't leave it to chance. Make up your mind about what you want to do, the values you want to bring, the steps you want to take. And then take them. And lead others to do the same. Another word for intentional … Continue reading Intentional
Interim
#Beingaleader means you are an interim leader. You won't be in that position forever. Whether your position is as parent, pastor, coach or CEO, it is temporary. You will be replaced. Either by death, retirement, leaving, or your own position advancement. It's temporary. Nothing lasts forever. Your leadership included. It will go away. So, what … Continue reading Interim
Teachable
#Beingaleader means you need to be teachable. You need to learn to learn from others. Be willing. Be intentional. Let's face it. You have much to learn. We all do. Usually the things stopping you from learning are either arrogance or complacency. Arrogance must be acknowledged before you can proceed. For complacency, you just have … Continue reading Teachable
Action
#Beingaleader means you need to be a person of action. Words are important. But actions are also needed. To help inspire. To get what you want done. Your actions breed the actions in others that you want to see. So you are setting the example of what kind of action you want from your team. … Continue reading Action
Accessible
#Beingaleader means you need to be accessible. To your team. To your customers. More than just an 'open door policy'. Actually make them accessible to you. Your team needs access to you. They need more than orders from on high. They need to see you. To hear from you. And to be open to hear … Continue reading Accessible
Agile
#Beingaleader means you need to be agile. Agile is defined as taking an iterative approach to leadership. This means allowing for change along the way. And getting customers what they want sooner. This means providing them with an MVP (Minimally Viable Product) instead of waiting until the product is perfect. This applies to a lot … Continue reading Agile
Radical
#Beingaleader means you need be a radical. Or at least often act like one in comparison to others. Radical is being defined as someone with strong convictions that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal set before them. How radical are you? How much do you want something to happen? Are … Continue reading Radical
Fight
#Beingaleader means you sometimes have to fight. Fight for what you want. Fight to achieve success. Fight the naysayers that get in your head.Do you want to accomplish something? Goals? Dreams? Things the team needs to get done? Sometimes you have to fight for it.But what does fighting look like? It's about tenacity. Never giving … Continue reading Fight
Positive
#Beingaleader means you have to be positive. Positive personally. Positive professionally. Positive about the future. To be positive personally means you are happy with the way your life is going and you project that happiness to others. Smiling is part of this but a smaller part than you would perhaps think. It's not about being … Continue reading Positive
Revitalize
#Beingaleader means you need to revitalize yourself every once in a while. The way you think. How you do things. The approach you take to problems. To make everything fresh again. Don't get stuck. It's one of the worst things a leader can do. Stuck in your old ways. Stuck in one way of thinking. … Continue reading Revitalize
Depth
#Beingaleader means you need to have depth. Time to think. Time to analyze. Time to problem solve. Depth of thought. Depth of focus. Depth of wisdom. Depth of thought. Do you take the time to think through things? Do you really? Or do you just react? Time to think requires you to go deep. To … Continue reading Depth
Brief
#Beingaleader means you have to control your words. Control the amount. Control the volume. Usually better to say less. Less is more. So choose to be brief.
Listen
#Beingaleader means you have to listen. To others. To yourself. To your team. Listening to others. Critics. Competition. Supporters. All have something to say if you're willing to listen. Is what they are saying truth? Even if it hurts, truth will still improve you. Improve your product. Improve your business. Listening to yourself. This is … Continue reading Listen
Extra
#Beingaleader means you have to give extra. Extra time. Extra energy. Extra work. You have to give extra. You can't expect it from others without giving it first. Extra time. Arrive first. Stay late. You are the example especially in a volunteer situation. You are setting the example. You are the one trying to lead … Continue reading Extra
Talent
#Beingaleader means you have a talent or two. Or three. Yes, you do. You have things you excel at. Things that you do better than others. Things that come easy to you. Why is it so easy to view others as having talent (s) but not yourself? I often see it as false humility, where … Continue reading Talent
Desire
#Beingaleader means that you need some amount of desire. For your goals. For the future. For yourself. #Beingaleader means you need desire for your goals. That seems obvious. But sometimes we take goals from others and place that burden on ourselves and they aren't really what we want to pursue. Get your own goals. Pursue … Continue reading Desire
Strong
#Beingaleader means you have to be strong. Strong for your team. Strong in your purpose. Strong in your message. #Beingaleader means that you have to be strong for your team. Don't be the weak link. Communicate effectively. Stick to your guns and the methods that you have chosen to use. Let everyone know that you … Continue reading Strong
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
Caring
#Beingaleader means you need to be caring about your team. This is essential for building a positive work culture and achieving success as a team. Caring means communicating openly and honestly: Keeping your team informed about any updates and decision-making processes shows that you value their input and care about their well-being. Caring means supporting … Continue reading Caring
Servant
#Beingaleader means that one must have the the ability to serve others. This approach, known as servant leadership, focuses on putting the needs of employees and customers first, rather than prioritizing the interests of the leader or the company. This can improve morale, increase productivity, and foster a culture of collaboration and trust. One of … Continue reading Servant
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
Giving Thanks
#Beingaleader means you need to get good at giving thanks. To others. For successes. For things you've gone through. You need to make giving thanks to others a matter of habit. Whether they are part of your team or those that impact your life in some way. Giving thanks to them acknowledges their impact on … Continue reading Giving Thanks
Reflection
#Beingaleader means you should take times of reflection. To see where you've come from. To see where you want to go. To identify new areas to think about and press into. Do you know where you've come from? Have you taken the time to reflect on the steps that got you where you are today? … Continue reading Reflection
Unity
#Beingaleader means you need to seek unity. Unity of purpose. Unity of destination. Unity of winning. Seek it. Meaning you go after the unity you want and need. It doesn't just happen. In fact, left to our own devices, we will have the opposite of unity. You don't have to try for chaos and disunity. … Continue reading Unity
Support
#Beingaleader means you need support. From other leaders. And you need to give it to them as well. Too many leaders go full on Lone Ranger and suffer for it. Leaders don't just need followers. They need traveling companions. To encourage. Challenge. And provide emotional support. Seek it out. Provide it to others. Leaders need … Continue reading Support
Weaknesses
#Beingaleader means you need to work with your weaknesses. Identify them. Use them. Grow them into something. Share your growth with others. We too often focus only on our strengths. We should not forget to work on our weaknesses so we accomplish even more than what we set out to do.So, are you able to … Continue reading Weaknesses
Strengths
#Beingaleader means you need to work to your strengths. Identify them. Use them. Grow them. Share them with others. We too often focus on our weaknesses. We should not forget to work to our strengths most of the time so that we can actually accomplish what we set out to do. So, are you able … Continue reading Strengths
Pause
#Beingaleader means you sometimes need to take a pause. Halt the process to reassess. Regroup even. Allow time to go by before moving forward. Pause.Things seem to be going well so why pause now? Well, perhaps on the surface things are going well. But how is everyone really doing? Have they been pushing too hard, … Continue reading Pause
Chores
#Beingaleader means you have to do a lot of chores. Chores that need to be done. Chores you see the value in. Chores you don't want to do. But they still need to be done and you are the person to do them. Just like being a parent requires you to do things that you … Continue reading Chores
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
Encourage
#Beingaleader means you need to encourage others. To succeed. To pick themselves up. To keep going. To achieve their goals. To make them stronger. To encourage someone is to give them strength to do something. Maybe to take a leap of faith. Maybe to accept a new challenge. Encouragement can leave people feeling that they … Continue reading Encourage
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
Pressure
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with pressure. Pressure of time. Pressure of confrontation. Pressure of success. Pressure of failure. Pressure of deadlines. Pressure of expectations. Lots of different kinds of pressure. But you feel them all. And seemingly can't get away from them. #Beingaleader often feels like you live in a daily pressure cooker. … Continue reading Pressure
Rules
#Beingaleader means you have to understand rules. What they are. Clear and unclear. Spoken and unspoken. When to follow them. And when to sidestep them. There are so many rules in life and in work. You need to know the important ones and know how they apply. You also need to identify when they don't … Continue reading Rules
Distance
#Beingaleader means you need to learn about distance. How close to get. How far away to stay. And when to choose between the two. When someone on your team is learning a new skill or in a new position you need to stay close. Help them along the way. Let them watch what you do. … Continue reading Distance
Anxious
#Beingaleader means that you often feel anxious about the results of the actions you are taking. Or often you're anxious about the actions that others are taking on your behalf. Experiencing nervousness about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Beyond your control. Out of reach. Unable to do it yourself. Relying on … Continue reading Anxious
Kind
#Beingaleader means you need to be kind. With your words and your actions. Your words can build up or tear down. Your actions often speak louder than your words. Be kind in both ways. Have you ever thought about what draws you to one leader vs. another? Think about it for a moment. It is … Continue reading Kind
Milestones
#Beingaleader means you need to recognize and celebrate milestones. Recognize and celebrate. One of the things a leader needs to do is recognize the milestones. That's often overlooked. Milestones are often thought of when discussing birthdays or anniversaries. Now those are all important. But often the milestones overlooked are the completion of a project. A … Continue reading Milestones
Mixed
#Beingaleader often means you have mixed feelings. Am I doing the right thing? Am I making the right decisions? Did I respond appropriately? A lot of potential mixed feelings about your success rate on this questions. So, should you wait until you can make the perfect decision? Should you wait until all of your questions … Continue reading Mixed
Being A Leader 