Three Behaviours that Keep Any Team from Growing
Have you ever been led by a “bad leader”? I know the term can be defined many ways, but just think about it based on what you think a “bad leader” is. Have you ever been led by someone who you felt was a “bad leader”? It’s beyond frustrating to be in that position. And yet, most leaders at some point will deal with something internal that limits the growth of their team - most leaders will at some point exhibit the qualities of a “bad leader.” In that moment, their team will be put in an awkward position: do they reach out and offer to help and risk upsetting the balance, or do they move forward with a kink in the works that limits their potential? It serves your team well for you to perform some hard self-analysis. Take a look at this list of ways a leader can hinder their team’s growth and see if they sound familiar: Desire for Control There was a time when I thought “leadership” and “control” were basically the same thing. I thought my job description involved directing and...
The leader’s best friend
Have you ever seen a so-so team play an unusually good game? It catches you off guard - you think to yourself, “Wow! They really came out in full force today.” You rarely hear about this team doing so well, but that day, they were peak performers. It reminds you of that saying, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” There are other times, though, when a great group of players have the worst game ever. Maybe something feels weird with their chemistry and they are just not working in sync. Maybe they are having an “off day,” but whatever it is, it is not serving them well. It may seem like a fluke, but really, both teams are experiencing the effects of momentum. Inspired by a series of wins, an average team can play beyond their level of skill. The positive energy makes the team greater than the sum of its parts and the players work with great synergy. But a streak of “bad luck” can sap the life out of even the most talented team. Newton’s first law of motion says that an object...
What leadership is NOT
As you know, my leadership article series is known as Leadership for the Now. As the title implies, my goal in writing is to give leaders like you some things to consider about the nature of leadership. I love leadership. Leadership capacity is my whole life’s focus. So, I have written many articles on this topic, and I could (and will!) write many more discussing what leadership is. But today, my purpose is to tell you what leadership is by telling you what it is not! We describe many things in view of what they are not. There is no way to describe darkness without mentioning the absence of light, and we cannot define cold without bringing up a lack of heat. It stands to reason that we can better understand leadership through this same lens. There are many things that leadership is not. But most often, leadership becomes confused with these 5 things: 1. Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors have the remarkable ability to see something that does not yet exist...
What are you doing for the health of your organization?
It has been said that if one student fails a test, the student is to blame, but if the whole class fails, the teacher is at fault. An individual performing very differently from the rest may show that they alone were not prepared, that they have not been paying attention during lessons, or maybe that they were simply too hungry to concentrate on the day of the exam. But if the whole class does poorly, more than likely, something is wrong with the test itself. This is just one expression of a law so fundamental, it may as well be a law of nature… Ailing sports teams hire new coaches. Countries in trouble elect new presidents. And businesses producing less than their potential hire new leaders. In every industry, and in every organized group, we see that the health of the whole is determined by the leader. If the leader is doing well, they lift up those they lead; if they are not, they reduce the ability of the group. My mentor and associate, leadership expert Dr. John Maxwell, named...
Are you a driver or an influencer?
Psychologist Nathaniel Brendon said, “The first step to change is awareness.” And as someone who has studied leadership for years, let me assure you: he is right! In order to bring about change of any kind - as we leaders are charged with doing - we must gain awareness… awareness of what could be, of what currently is, and that change is necessary at all. You can’t “play a game” if you don’t “have all the pieces.” Let me tell you how this point was made clear to me. When I was in automotive development, I thought that leadership was a competition. I went in hard trying to get the best results on my project and far surpass every other project leader in every meeting. I wanted to report record-breaking numbers while everyone else was reporting delays. I worked my team very hard, and I produced incredible results. We were producing ahead of schedule and I was lauded by many above me for my results. I did not know that people were undermining my leadership. I did not know that my team...
The least glamorous leadership topic – Sacrifice
Today, I want to talk to you about the least glamorous leadership topic there is: sacrifice. Really, how many seminars on sacrifice have you been to? It is not exactly the first thing that business speakers jump to cover. It is not an eye-catching topic that puts people in seats. Who is excited to talk about the things we need to give up? You should be – and let me tell you why. Sacrifice is a crucial focal point of achieving anything lasting. A desire, naturally, presents us with a gap: the gap between where we are and where we want to be. And in order to close that gap, we must give up something. Sacrifice is necessary. Now, that doesn’t mean we must fixate on what we must let go; no good can come from obsessing over the cost. But we do need to know what we value so that we know what we are willing to give up to get it. Sacrifice is the letting go of something of a lesser value for the attainment of something of a higher value. In order to obtain the thing of higher value, we must...
What are you leaving behind?
For a few weeks now, I have been talking about the end of 2021 and the contemplative mood we often find ourselves in because of it. With a new year so close, no doubt many of us have been buying up yoga mats and protein shake tumblers, and others filling our shelves with how-to books. We are already putting in place the tools that we use to make 2022 count for something great. And some of us do that by instead choosing a word for the year. This word sums up everything that we want the year to focus on – where we want all of our efforts, actions, and thoughts moving toward. I love this annual tradition. I find it not just helpful, but crucial, to look at what I have ahead of me and ask myself, “What do I want to build using this?” and make all of my decisions through that lens. I find it especially helpful when considering what I leave behind. In Romania, we often honor those who have passed away by hosting alms lunches in their memory. We do this for up to nine years after they are...
Decisions, decisions…
That time of year has come where we begin looking forward to the next. The days in 2021 are winding down, and the fewer the uncolored days on the calendar, the more we look ahead and begin planning all the ways our lives will be different in the new year. But in order to make life different, we have to actually do the making ourselves – and to that end I’m asking you, what will you do to make next year better? One study done this year showed that nearly 2/3 of us will abandon our New Year’s resolutions before February. In only four weeks, the fervor of desire for change will fade and we will return to the way we lived the previous 365 days. And then when another year ends, we make the same resolution as last year. Clearly, we know what is important to us, but we struggle to live out our priorities day-to-day. John Maxwell hit this nail on the head when he said, "Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily." Decisions are easy to make, but difficult...
Leadership pop quiz time!
You are about to leave for an important business engagement. You really want to make a good impression; you have worked hard to get ready, and now you are walking out the door. You pass by the mirror next to the threshold. Do you: A) Check yourself in the mirror to make sure your clothes are clean, everything is buttoned properly, and there is nothing in your teeth; or, B) Walk right by the mirror. If in fact you are really concerned about hitting the mark, the answer is clear: you take a look at yourself to make sure everything is in order. Your reflection tells you what’s good and what needs changing. Why do I bring this up? Well, because leadership – life, enterprise, growth, you name it – is something that we want to hit the mark on. And to that end, I mean to illustrate the importance of reflection. John Maxwell says that, despite what we’ve heard, experience isn’t the best teacher; evaluated experience is. Often, we go from one phase of life to the next, enjoying the...
The main reason most people quit
It has been said that variety is the spice of life, but it isn’t only that – it is a crucial ingredient in the daily operation of a successful organization. Any role in any company is part of a great coalition: a coming together of people with different backgrounds, specialties, and talents all for one common goal. And for as many positions as there are to fill, there are as many unique motivating factors: professional ambition, financial security, world impact. One team member might work to earn their dream home, while another may simply enjoy the work itself. We have all accepted our various roles for our various reasons. But when we talk about why people leave, it’s a totally different story. Many people all have the same reason for exiting a job. Of course, people are not all totally identical. Circumstances and personalities have their parts to play. But many, if not most, people who leave their positions have something in common. Their exit interviews all sound alike, and their...
Leadership’s defining moments
As a leader, tough calls come with our territory. Of course, important decisions are a natural part of life. But the higher up the leadership ladder one climbs, the higher the stakes of those decisions get, too. When leaders are faced with difficult and weighty choices, they show the world whether or not their words align with their actions. When I was a young leader, I cared very much about how liked I was. I wanted everyone to be pleased with me. I had been promoted as a team I was already part of, so I knew them quite well – what they struggled with, what they needed. I made it a priority that everyone was happy. Then, one of my team members made a mistake. And it was a costly mistake, too. He damaged one of the test cars our team was working on, and I had to give him an official warning. He felt betrayed. He felt I was his friend, and he wondered how I could chide him after all we had been through together. From his perspective, the company had failed him – given him suboptimal...
Do you look at your scoreboard?
Picture this: you are hurrying to a sporting event, but you are late. You walk into the stadium thirty minutes after the start of the game. As you take your seat, you start to ask your friend how the game is going, but before they can answer, you already know. With just a glance, you can see exactly how many points have been scored and how much time is left on the clock. Why? Because in the middle of the stadium, there is a huge brightly lit scoreboard telling you! But that is not all the scoreboard tells you. By giving you a snapshot of the score, the board tells you how the teams have been playing, how well their strategies have been working, and what they must do in order to secure a victory. This crucial cross-section of the game tells coaches, players, and viewers where to change and where to hold steady. John Maxwell says, “I’m often surprised by how many people outside sports try to succeed without a scoreboard.” Do you look at your scoreboard? We all have goals – consider the...
How to get the best out of your most precious resource – Time
As people, we look for the thing that gets us the best result – the best value – the best return. When we are shopping for our next car, we compare models to make sure we get our favorite features for a fair price. We shop at this store or that store, even if it is farther from home, because they charge less for our favorite brand. Sometimes we even buy things we don’t need just because they are on sale! Naturally, we want the most we can get for whatever we are giving. But often, we fail to make sure we are getting the most value out of the most limited and most valuable resource we have: our time. Time is so easily, and so nobly, frittered away – but not a single cent can buy any of it back. We are all limited to the same 24 hours each day. Some make great progress on their goals; others find they’ve let another day go by without making a noticeable impact. Where does the difference lie? Most likely, you have heard of the Pareto principle. Sometimes it is called the 80/20 rule. It...
The mark of leadership well done
What would you say should be a leader’s primary goal? To serve their organization? To always be improving? To develop their people? Of course, all of these are important. A leader’s foremost responsibility is to their people, and to better serve their people, a leader must always be growing themselves. And at the end of the day, the organization benefits when everyone improves. But I believe a leader’s primary goal should be to become completely dispensable. To me, that is the mark of leadership well done. Business leadership is a bit funny that way. It is backwards to how many people approach their role. Often, people focus on becoming so good at their job that they are completely irreplaceable. After all, if the company would be lost without you, you have great job security – or at the very least, great leverage. But this is not how authentic leadership is measured. How can we say we have equipped anyone if we were to leave and the day-to-day falls apart? Leadership well-effected...
How do you see “slow”?
We live in a world of 8-second attention spans and next-day delivery. Almost any question can be answered with a few quick swipes of your finger. “Fast-paced” hardly covers it, and it is getting faster every passing day. In this world of lightning speed, it is easy to see “slow” as a setback. Waiting even a short time for something simple can seem tedious at best, and maddening at worst. And all the more in leadership. Years ago, I described leading the way many people do: authoritative and active. And it is both of those things, to a point. But I thought that being authoritative meant taking people to task, and being active meant hurrying the stragglers forward. I wanted everyone right behind me so we could keep moving, and I was quick to chide anyone too far behind. That is how I saw “slow”… until one day, in the Rocky Mountains. You know the saying, “How you do anything is how you do everything?” Well, just like I was impatient with my team in the office, I was impatient with them...
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