#Beingaleader means you need to be prepared. Or get prepared. For as many eventualities as is possible. Personally. Professionally. Your team. Your family. Yourself. What are some eventualities that you might encounter? And they can change depending on the year. But they might include: team member loss; sales loss; conflict resolution; personal loss; health issues; … Continue reading Prepared
Toxic
#Beingaleader means you need to avoid being toxic to others and to help weed out those within your organization that are toxic to yourself or others. They will bring you and your organization down over time. They will create attrition and provide a reputation in the marketplace that you do not want and will drive … Continue reading Toxic
Innovate
#Beingaleader means you need to learn to innovate. New ideas for old problems. New ideas for new problems. Trying something different to see if you get a different result. To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. #Beingaleader means you need to look for new ideas for old problems. … Continue reading Innovate
Books
#Beingaleader means you need to read/listen to books. Old ones. New ones. Different topics and subject matter. Old books. Why are old books important to read? Because culture changes. Viewpoints change. And it's important to see how people did things in the past. How they thought. How they responded. There is a lot of stability … Continue reading Books
Resilience
#Beingaleader means you need to have resilience. The ability to recover quickly from difficulty. To bounce back. To have more toughness than others have. Face trauma, stress and even tragedy without it breaking you. Seeing it all in context. Resilience requires inner strength. I'm not saying that everyone doesn't have their limits. Nor am I … Continue reading Resilience
The Point
#Beingaleader means you have to get to the point. Be direct. Say what you mean. Your expectations. Your evaluation of them or their progress. Clearly. Concisely. Using examples when needed but not telling a story without getting to the punchline. You are not helping others by beating around the bush. It is not kindness to … Continue reading The Point
Refresh
#Beingaleader means you need to take time to refresh every so often. To recharge. To take stock. To give yourself new strength or to invigorate yourself for the next tasks or phase of life that are ahead of you. To do whatever it takes to prevent burnout and disillusionment. A sabbatical. A vacation. A weekend … Continue reading Refresh
Decision-Making
#Beingaleader means you need to have a good decision-making paradigm. How do you make decisions? What's the criteria you look at? Granted, many decisions you make during the day may not be extremely significant. They might just be decisions that need to be made in order to keep the project going. Oftentimes, people are paralyzed … Continue reading Decision-Making
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
Balance
#Beingaleader means you need to find balance. In your work. In your family. In your life. We each have so many different things pulling at us, our time, our thoughts, our energy. Balance can be defined as an even distribution of weight or having something in equal proportions. However, I think you can be balanced … Continue reading Balance
Time
#Beingaleader means you have to be concerned about time. Having enough. Using it wisely. Prioritizing. Deciding who gets it. And, by necessity, who doesn't. How much thought you give to one thing vs. another. Time. It's all about how you spend it. Allocation of time is one of the most important things you do as … Continue reading Time
Tools
#Beingaleader means you need to learn to use tools. Technical tools. Software. Messaging. Keyboards. Calendars. The things that help make keeping you organized a possibility. Now, many of the younger generation don't even think twice about this. They likely don't even know what life would be like without those tools. They are ingrained into their … Continue reading Tools
Conflict
#Beingaleader means you have to deal with conflict. Sooner or later. And perhaps often. Disagreement. Clashing. Differences of opinion or desired direction. You don't have to go looking for it. It will find you. The question is how will you treat it? How will you react or respond? Let me break it up into two … Continue reading Conflict
Dreams
#Beingaleader means you should have dreams. Dreams about the future you are trying to create. Dreaming is defined as a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal. Thinking about (consciously and unconsciously) how to improve things. For yourself. For your family or team. For the greater good. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that he outlined … Continue reading Dreams
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
Problem Solver
#Beingaleader means you have to be a problem solver. It can be personnel issues. HR issues. Cost issues. Satisfaction issues from internal or external sources. All of these will eventually land on your desk at some point as a leader. And what are you expected to do with these problems? Solve them. Everyone has them. … Continue reading Problem Solver
Building
#Beingaleader means you need to always be building. Building on the past. Building for the future. Building on what you have to work with. Skills. People. Experiences. Continuing to grow your building blocks. Building on your past includes all of the things you've experienced this past year: the good and the bad. The easy and … Continue reading Building
Peace
#Beingaleader means you need to choose peace. Note that I didn't say 'have a peaceful circumstance'. Peace is less about the circumstances you find yourself in. But rather, peace is a state of mind. A place of being. The place you should want to live your real life. Less about the absence of conflict and … Continue reading Peace
Joy
#Beingaleader means you need to have joy. Joy in what you do. Joy in who you do it with. Joy about the future and the impact you are having. Many people when they see or hear the word "joy" equate it to happiness. The problem is that happiness is an emotion based upon the circumstances … Continue reading Joy
Love
#Beingaleader means you need to love. What you do. Who you do it with. The goals you are trying to reach. It is outward focused. I have previously written on "Love" but from a parenting perspective towards your family https://beingaleader.blog/2019/06/04/its-love-stupid/. However, today the focus is on those you work with. Today is the 80th Anniversary … Continue reading Love
Hope
#Beingaleader means you need to have hope. Hope for yourself. Hope for your team. Hope for the future. Not hope in. Hope for. Hope is placed on something or someone outside of yourself and your circumstance that you can know is going to change everything. Hope is more than being positive about life or the … Continue reading Hope
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
Steady
#Beingaleader means you need to be a steady leader. A steady person. Steady means you are consistent but it is more than just consistent. Steady means you are a rock during a tempest. Steady means you will always be there. That you don't run from a fight. That while others go up and down with … Continue reading Steady
Patience
#Beingaleader means you have to exhibit patience. Patience is defined as more than waiting (https://beingaleader.blog/2021/02/02/waiting/). Patience is more what you do with the waiting. It is defined as 'the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.' So, while many people might be okay with waiting, they aren't very … Continue reading Patience
Seasons
#Beingaleader means you need to understand the seasons. Seasons in your leadership. Start up energy. Sustainment. Longevity. Expertise. Training others. Passing it along to others. There are many different seasons in your leadership life. Sometimes you repeat seasons (new adventures etc.) But over the long haul of your leadership life you move from that energetic … Continue reading Seasons
Vision
#Beingaleader means you already have vision. The ability to see what's going on now. The ability to see and think about what could be in the future. And, often, even the steps and the people needed to get there. But it's much more than that. #Beingaleader also means you need to be able to communicate … Continue reading Vision
Spending
#Beingaleader means you need to understand the importance of spending. Specifically, money. Spending to make things happen that need to happen. Spending to procure the right talent. Spending to make progress on your project. Too many leaders are spendthrifts and therefore not wise with money. Read that again. How can it be wrong to save … Continue reading Spending
Team
#Beingaleader means you have a team. Not just followers. A team. I did a quick search of my previous blogs and found that I have mentioned "team" over 20 times and "followers" only 3 times. That's one indication that shows the importance of team. But I haven't specifically talked about having a team and why … Continue reading Team
“Good” Leader
#Beingaleader means you should want to be a "good" leader. But how is "good" defined and how do you achieve it? So and so is a "good" leader. What do you mean by that? Is it their character? Personality? How they treat others? Skill set? Compassion? Attitude? Yes to all. Someone can be an effective … Continue reading “Good” Leader
Power
Whether you like it or not, #Beingaleader means you wield some power. From your position. From your followers. From your experience. Even from your presence. How you use that power will determine what kind of leader you will be and how worthy you are of those followers. Power is an interesting thing. There is an … Continue reading Power
Ordinary
#Beingaleader means you understand that the ordinary matters. The consistent matters. The regular matters. These are the things that make up your life and they are what make your leadership matter. The ordinary. We have been led to believe in books we read and in shows we watch that only the spectacular matters. The "significant" … Continue reading Ordinary
Birth
#Beingaleader means you need to give birth. To new ideas. To new projects. But most importantly to new leaders. #Beingaleader means you need to be birthing and growing new leaders. Do not let the knowledge, experiences and lessons you have learned be lost when you are gone. Pass them on. Birth new leaders. In your … Continue reading Birth
Goodbyes
#Beingaleader means your life can be full of goodbyes. To people. To projects. Nothing seems to last forever. This week was full of goodbyes. A belated goodbye to a father who's life we could not previously celebrate together as a family due to borders being closed. A goodbye to a mother who we might never … Continue reading Goodbyes
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
ROI
#Beingaleader means you seek ROI (Return on Investment). ROI is usually calculated as the difference between your initial investment and your end result. Your return. What came back to you as a result of what you sent out. True with money and other financial situations. True also with leadership. So what is ROI in leadership … Continue reading ROI
Sustainability
#Beingaleader means you need to have sustainability. Sustainable is avoiding depletion. For the long haul. Regenerating. Healthy. We often hear the term used in reference to the environment or a particular product that is being touted. But sustainability is important for the leader too. You must prepare for the long haul. The adversity. The challenges. … Continue reading Sustainability
Satisfied
#Beingaleader means you have times where you are satisfied. Where you are at. Where the team is at. With life. Satisfied. Yes it's important to keep striving. Yes it's important to keep pushing. But if you never stop and let yourself be satisfied with where you're currently at, then what are you pursuing? Is it … Continue reading Satisfied
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
Title
#Beingaleader does not mean you will always have a title. Nor should you think that having such a title means that you are a leader. Nor should it be your goal. A title is bestowed. Leadership is learned and earned. Being named CEO doesn't make you a leader. Nor does Group Leader, Doctor, Colonel, Pastor, … Continue reading Title
Generous
#Beingaleader means you need to be generous. With your time. With your money. With your praise. So what does being generous with your time mean? It means giving of yourself whenever possible to help others achieve their goals or the goals of the team. It means you show up when the team shows up. It … Continue reading Generous
Fun?
Can #Beingaleader be fun? Can it give you energy and not just take it? Can it be what gives you life and not just have it take it from you on a regular basis? Can it give you pleasure? A sense of satisfaction? Something that propels you forward in a positive manner? We talk a … Continue reading Fun?
Independent
#Beingaleader means you have to think independently. It means you have to come up with solutions and ideas based upon your experience and calculated risk level that perhaps others are unable or unwilling to think about. Everything you go through as a leader is preparing you for the future decisions you will have to make. … Continue reading Independent
Re-Think
#Beingaleader means you have to re-think things all the time. Look at situations from new angles. Allow your mind to imagine things that aren't there yet. Re-imagine. Re-tool. Be careful about getting stuck in the 'right' way of thinking (i.e., your way). Allow yourself time and space to re-think things. This takes time set aside … Continue reading Re-Think
Timing – Redux
I have dealt with issue once before https://beingaleader.blog/2019/12/03/timing/ but I have found it is a critical issue that needs re-raising. #Beingaleader means you need to understand the concept of timing. Knowing that you need to do something is not the last step in the process. You need to know when. When to move on from … Continue reading Timing – Redux
Bully
#Beingaleader means you are not a bully. You cannot be a bully and still be a true leader. A bully is defined as someone who uses fear and intimidation to get their way. Whether through shouting or threats or other forms. I'm less interested in whether you've experienced this (I have) but rather whether you … Continue reading Bully
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
Confidence
#Beingaleader means you need confidence. In yourself. In your team. In the future. Confidence in your abilities. Your decision making. #Beingaleader means you need to teach yourself to be confident in who you are and what abilities you have learned and are learning. Confidence. Not arrogance. It's not about other people or a comparison to … Continue reading Confidence
Real
#Beingaleader means you need to be real. As in "not fake". Authentic. Be yourself. Lead the way you lead. Learn principles from others but don't try to copy them with mannerisms or style. Let your personality and character shine through. Be who you were created to be. Be real. Being real will create a level … Continue reading Real
Repeat. Repeat.
#Beingaleader means you have to repeat yourself. Often. What that means is you have to repeat yourself. Often. Your team is unlikely to get it the first time. Or the second. Or perhaps even the third time. You have to repeat yourself. Often. It's because #Beingaleader involves a lot of communication. Communication is fraught with … Continue reading Repeat. Repeat.
Being A Leader 