#Beingaleader does not mean you have all the answers. The sooner you come to that realization, the better leader you will be. You will need to seek after them, however. It is your job to find the source of the answers you are seeking because at the end of the day, it is you that … Continue reading Answers
Depleted
#Beingaleader means you can often feel depleted. Energy crashed. Vision blurred. And your "care meter" very low. Have you ever had an energy crash? This can be physical or emotional. You just don't feel like you can keep going. The physical reasons are easier to fix. Get back to the healthy things that worked for … Continue reading Depleted
Uncertain
#Beingaleader means you are often uncertain. Uncertain about what to do. Uncertain about next steps. Uncertain about your leadership.Every leader has found themselves in a place where they are uncertain about what to do. They are facing a conflict they've never faced before. They are facing uncertain markets that they have never experienced before. They … Continue reading Uncertain
The Moment
#Beingaleader means you need to live in the moment. It's not just about planning for the future. Or the next steps. Enjoy now. Live now. In the moment. Sometimes we get starry eyed. Or so focused on the next steps that we fail to live in the moment. What's happening now. The successes now. The … Continue reading The Moment
Dignified
#Beingaleader means you need to be dignified. Not crass. Not vulgar. Not boorish. Not overbearing. Dignified. Calm, impressive and deserving of respect. So how do you react to stress, bad things happening or difficult people? Are you calm, impressive and deserving of respect? Or do people cower and resent your involvement? Too many people equate … Continue reading Dignified
Fair
#Beingaleader means you need to be fair. Even keeled. Fair-minded. And equal in your treatment of people and situations. Fair means to be just and impartial. Not showing favoritism to anyone. Unbiased. And it's really hard to do. When dealing with people, it is inevitable that you have favorites. That doesn't necessarily mean you like … Continue reading Fair
Curveball
#Beingaleader means you're sometimes thrown a curveball. Something unexpected. Something life altering. How will you react? Don't try to hide. Don't try to deny it happened. Embrace the suck as they say. Allow yourself time to grieve whatever loss you experienced with that curveball. Maybe it's a relationship lost. A position lost. A change in … Continue reading Curveball
Decisive
#Beingaleader means you have to sometimes be decisive. Often making decisions based upon incomplete information. Affecting others. Affecting the future. Affecting your future. Being decisive is not just a reflex. It needs to be learned. And practiced. Experience is a great teacher if you are willing to learn. And take the risks associated with being … Continue reading Decisive
Alert
#Beingaleader means you need to be alert. Alert to dangers. Alert to your people's needs. Alert to new trends. Failure to be alert could spell disaster. #Beingaleader means you need to be alert to dangers. Dangers to your team. Dangers to your product or process. Dangers that might stop you from achieving your goals. Keep … Continue reading Alert
Negotiate
#Beingaleader means you need to know how to negotiate. The ability to come to an agreement with someone else. To find a resolution. To settle a disagreement. Negotiate. Negotiation skills include keeping a calm demeanor. Knowing what your final goal is. Knowing what your opponent's or competitor's or the person across from the table's goals … Continue reading Negotiate
Modernize
#Beingaleader means you need to modernize your thinking. You need to stay up-to-date. See what's working today since what worked before might not be working any longer. Continue to learn. Read. Listen. Go to conferences. Get information from every industry you can to see what is working in the marketplace. Your ideas might never change. … Continue reading Modernize
Captain
#Beingaleader means you are the captain of the ship. In charge. The one with the final say. Responsible. If you are a parent, there is that moment when that child first comes home with you and everyone else leaves and the realization hits. I'm responsible. This life is my responsibility. I cannot look to anyone … Continue reading Captain
Courage
#Beingaleader means you have to have courage. Courage is defined as pushing through your fear and accomplishing your mission. Courage to start. Courage to finish. Having fear is fine. Everyone has it from time to time. Facing your fear and still doing the task is what courage is all about. Not letting fear stop you. … Continue reading Courage
Shape
#Beingaleader means you shape the direction of your team. Shape the emotion around your team. And shape the team's impact. Shaping the direction of the team is critical to its success. You often impact how it starts, how it moves along and where it ends up. You cannot underestimate the impact you have on shaping … Continue reading Shape
On Fire
#Beingaleader means you need to be on fire. On fire means that you are playing or working extremely well. On fire for what you do, who you do it with and for what purpose. Be on fire for what you do. What you do matters. But often we forget the impact on our team or … Continue reading On Fire
You
#Beingaleader means you need to check on yourself now and again. So how are you doing? Not just the leader you, but the you, you? How are you, doing? Are you in any pain? Are you reacting out of that pain onto your team? Do you have someone safe to talk to about that pain? … Continue reading You
Optimize
#Beingaleader means you need to optimize your team. Your situation. Your skills. Their skills. Make them and your situation as good as possible. Add value. So, how does one add value to your own situation? Whatever you encounter, however you find yourself, do it to your best. Keep learning new things. Go to conferences and … Continue reading Optimize
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
Giving
#Beingaleader means you need to be a giving person. Giving of your time. Giving of your finances. Giving of your emotion. And doing it cheerfully. #Beingaleader means you need to give of your time. Your family needs you. Whether it's work or play, whenever you are leading, they need your time. They need you to … Continue reading Giving
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
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
