The true test of leadership
What makes a leader a leader? I am sure that if you are reading this, you’ve asked this question many times… People passionate about growth and development ask themselves, and others, such questions. Maybe you believe leadership is defined by the individual. And certainly, there are leadership styles. We all have unique strengths, talents, and personal priorities, and that will make its way into how we lead. But there is one true test of leadership… Imagine this: you’re in the meeting room. Your boss has just finished delivering an important update to the team. He asks, “Does anyone have thoughts on this?” Everything is silent; no one speaks, but everyone turns their head slightly to watch one person on the team. They are paying close attention to the look on her face. She gives her opinion, and everyone begins nodding, if only to themselves. It is clear that the manager is not leading this team. I have seen this situation with my own two eyes! I was once leading a workshop and it...
The modern world challenge (and 3 strategies to deal with it)
How many times have you heard yourself saying these words: “If only there were more hours in the day…” “If I just had one more day…” “I could do it, if I only had more time.” If only there was more time, we would all be farther along in our businesses or careers, have all our personal projects finished or well under way, and still be able to be around those we love… because there would be time. Right? Well, how many times have you also found yourself in this situation: You walk into work Monday morning, determined that today is the day that you will get ahead on your tasks. You sit down at your desk and begin, only to be interrupted moments later by something that was supposed to be done days ago. Then, later you are interrupted again by one of your team members with an issue they want your direction on. Then again with several questions from another team member. Before you know it, it’s time to go home. You are tired; you are a little unsure of where all your time went; but you are...
4 problem-solving tips
In my first leadership role, I was promoted from among a team of automobile software engineers. I was thrilled! Not just thrilled to have a leadership title, but thrilled for the opportunities it came with – thrilled for the chance to exercise some of my strengths, and to serve my team in ways I could not before. There was only one problem… I was promoted from among my team. So they went from being my coworkers to being my downline overnight. They had to report to me, but they were my friends. The way they saw it, the only difference in my role was that now, I worked in an office instead of in the workshop. When I asked them for project updates, they would just laugh and wave me away. “Don’t play boss with us, Florin!” I could never imagine saying this to my boss! But more importantly, I could never imagine saying this to someone who had influence with me. I had enjoyed working on the team, but camaraderie and influence do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. This can be a difficult...
His vision created an entire industry
A man sits and watches his two young daughters play at their local funfair. He enjoys their smiles and the sound of their laughter, but inside, he wishes he could play with them instead of watching from a bench. In that moment, his vision is born. He becomes dedicated to creating a place where families can play together, where parents and children both smile and laugh. In his day, there were local small-scale carnivals, but he had something grander in mind. The thing he was envisioning would be the very first of its kind. For years he pours all his efforts into this incredible project. He rallies his team around this goal for which they have no framework yet – he leads them into unfamiliar territory, and they follow him, because he sees the vision so clearly. He is so committed to the growth of this vision that even in his later years, as he lays asleep in the hospital, he points and moves his arms around in the air, like he is leading meetings in his mind… like he is even directing...
Do Leaders Value Growth in Practice or Just in Theory?
If we have learned anything since the start of the pandemic, it’s this: we live in a world that refuses to sit still. Change is the only constant. What worked yesterday must change to work today, and it will have to change again for tomorrow. In a world like that, those who adapt, survive; and those who adapt well, thrive. So as leaders, we must learn to master growth if we want to keep leading. And what’s more, we must prioritize growth if we want our people to grow - at all. Sounds like a lot of pressure, I know, but that is the leader’s lot! Leaders represent the organization to their team. They establish the tone. They set the standard for what is important and what is not. Your team is taking their cues from your behavior; they are using the framework that you put in place. Leaders do not have the luxury of saying, Do as I say, not as I do. Your people will, for better or worse, “follow your lead.” (It’s in the title: leadership!) So, do you value growth? Sure - if someone were...
The way all great things get built
If I were to ask you if you want to be wealthier, healthier, and more skilled, what would you say? (No, this isn’t a sales pitch… well, maybe it is, in a way.) You would probably say yes. Most people would. There is a universal desire among the human race to do, be, and have more than we do. It is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, quite the opposite. To endeavor to improve is a noble pursuit. But let’s say instead of asking you that, I asked you something else - “Do you want to spend your time learning how to invest your money, and then sacrifice your vacation or new car to invest it? Do you want to get up before work, while it’s still dark outside and you’re sleepy, and go to the gym? Do you want to give up some of your recoup time at the end of the day to practice and improve your skill level?” …you would probably think a little longer about your answers to those questions. What’s funny is that they are basically the same questions. If you invest wisely, you will increase your...
Are you consistent?
Before a leader can lead anyone else, they must first lead themselves. As I write this article, I am the owner and operator of my own business - Become Your Best Version (maybe you have heard of it? haha!). These last several years of entrepreneurial life have certainly shown me that self-leadership is the most important kind - and character is central to self-leadership. However, this was an idea that solidified early on in my leadership career. Long before starting my own consulting business, my first leadership position (with a title) led a team developing software in the auto industry. Not only was I new to the responsibility, but I had been promoted directly from among the team - so I was stretched and pushed into growth. I had to learn to see a leader’s role very differently from how I had before becoming one myself. As that team’s leader, much of my time was spent behind my desk. Occasionally I would enter the workshop to discuss progress. Meanwhile, my team’s time was divided...
Attitude – the Deal-Breaker in Leadership
If you are following my emails, that is probably because you want to grow in some way. In these notes I share different leadership insights I have picked up in study and in experience. No matter if you read these perspectives to achieve a higher level of professional results, a new title in your organization, or a greater legacy of impact, you have to do some growing - and that is my goal in sharing these insights. So today, in pursuit of growth, I want to walk you through an exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down the name of someone you really admire - it could be your favorite artist, inventor, business mogul, or change-maker, or a mentor… anyone you aspire to be like. Below their name, write down five reasons why you respect them. What about them endears you? Are they inspiring? Accomplished? Innovative? Kind? Once you have those down, look at those five things and assess what they have in common. I’m willing to bet they all have to do with the person’s attitude. Pastor...
Six keys to Leadership
Before we jump to the six keys, let's look at what is leadership? Yes, it seems like a simple question. After all, it’s only three words. And leadership is a very common topic of discussion - we should have no trouble defining it. Yet, maybe that’s just the problem. There are so many voices out there adding volume to the conversation, it can be easy to stray from the things we know. So, what is leadership? Of all the philosophers and thought leaders expounding on leadership, one that has contributed greatly to the conversation is John C. Maxwell. As one of the world’s foremost leadership experts for the last 40 years, Maxwell has defined leadership simply and powerfully: “Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less.” How does it help us? Influence, as I am sure you know, is not just for the CEOs or project managers of the business world - it allows us to achieve our own goals and help others achieve theirs at the same time, regardless of anyone’s position or title. How do we...
The M-word
Today, I want to talk to you about something that makes many people uncomfortable… something that has caused many sleepless nights, countless conflicts, and so much strife… Money. There is so much of an anxiety around this five-letter word. In the employment interview, the air gets so still and cold when the time comes to talk about compensation. Team members stress about raise requests; leaders anguish over budget line items. No one wants to talk about it. But oddly enough, money drama is rarely about money itself. Money is not just the number we see as our bank balance that lets us pay the bills. It is a metric - a measurement of value - an expression of worth - one that we can easily compare and contrast and assess and understand. That is how your top performer sees money. Imagine yourself in their shoes. Maybe you are not motivated by money; maybe instead, you like what you do, and you appreciate the chance to do it. You have been with your company for a few years now. Because...
The assumption holding many managers back
We have been talking about retention lately - one of the greatest hurdles of the modern corporate manager. You know the pain of turnover. It’s hurting your morale; it’s slowing the process down; and it’s costing you, too. In fact, voluntary turnover is costing businesses so much money, I had to double check how many zeros were in the number! (It’s twelve zeros in $1 trillion, in case you were wondering.) The pressure to solve a problem on that scale can present an intimidating challenge - but all it takes is a bit of expanded perspective. I only know what it’s like to be me - that’s my limited perspective. Yours is that you only know what it’s like to be you. And because that is the only perspective we have ever had, we naturally assume everyone else is like us - thinks like us, works like us, likes like us. We see our team members showing up day after day, sitting in meetings, working at their desks, collaborating, communicating, and bringing their talents together to mobilize the...
Is no news good news?
They say that no news is good news… do you believe that? As leaders, our goal should be to develop our teams and build them up. We want to keep our eyes on the horizon and empower our employees to run the day-to-day themselves. The most diligent leaders make themselves dispensable. With a goal like that, it seems like the less you hear from your team, the better. BUT… to know there is really no news, we still must check. Let me explain… No doubt your tasks are often interrupted by your team. Some players need more guidance than others. And given that a leader’s schedule is so packed, we often appreciate those who (we feel) know their roles and simply perform them. But consider that those who need your time the most are those who are not asking for it. In the workplace, silence is not golden. Silence is an early warning sign of disengagement - and it is not a far walk from disengagement to resignation. No, I am not saying that every independent employee is planning to quit. What I...
Leaders, it’s time to do this for your employees
It was author, speaker, and business consultant Marcus Buckingham who said, “People leave managers, not companies.” That can be hard to hear if you are a corporate leader. It might even sting a little. Or maybe you just think to yourself, “Ah well, he doesn’t know my organization,” and wave it away. But he’s not wrong. A Gallup poll taken in 2019 uncovered some startling facts about voluntary employee turnover in the U.S. To sum it up, the poll shows turnover to be: 1) expensive, 2) preventable, and 3) largely, if not wholly, the leader’s responsibility. Employees transitioning to other companies were asked if their former leaders had inquired about their job satisfaction or career development in their last three months at that job. How many do you think said yes? Yes, that their leaders had checked in with the hands and feet of their company? Yes, that their leaders showed them that they cared they were fulfilled in their roles? Yes, that their leaders projected a future for them at...
How to keep your top talent in-house
Many leaders live, work, and lead in fear of one word… “Retention.” It is one of the corporate world’s greatest struggles - trying to hold onto top-performing talent. “Retention” is a feared and dreaded world. It carries with it a bad connotation. It can feel less like retaining and more like detaining, like we are holding onto our people as tightly as we can. Understandably so. It can cost a business anywhere from 50% to 200% of an employee’s annual salary to replace them. And that does not even take into account the lost potential in ideas and insight, and turnover’s dramatic hit to morale. But this fear-based approach is actually killing retention! Even with so much to lose, leaders cannot fear losing their top performers. Especially with so much to lose. Fear blinds, deafens, and distracts. Fear keeps us from asking questions whose answers we may not want to hear, even if they will build an important bridge. And if we are going to keep our best team members leaned in, we must be...
The quickest way to gain leadership influence
I have a question for you! Do you know what’s the quickest way to gain influence? Influence is the leader’s best friend. The ability to affect change or inspire action in someone else genuinely, naturally, without use of force or fabrication - influence and leadership go hand-in-hand. In fact, author and leadership expert, John Maxwell says that leadership is influence - nothing more and nothing less. The more profound your influence, the more effective your leadership. So, do you know the fastest way to increase your influence? (Hint: if you joined my live training session yesterday, you already know!) Well - I mentioned in my last email that all commerce can boil down to solving problems for a profit. That would make problem-solving the most valuable skill on the market. And that’s true in more ways than one! Problem-solving is also the fastest path to increased influence in your team and your organization. The more problems you can solve, the more influence you gain. And the...
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