As a leader, we are members of the supporting cast. Everyone has a story. John Maxwell talks about a book given to him by one of his mentors called, "The Greatest Story Ever Told." The book had only blank pages. He was then instructed to fill the pages with intentionality. It is true, we all have a story. We play a critical role in the story of the people we choose to lead. We are members of the supporting cast. We need to remember it is always their story not ours. We need to connect and support their dreams. We need to see everyone as a "ten". Those we lead need to see and feel that we believe in them -- [...]

We are well aware how critical communication is, in particular verbal communication. Words are powerful and carry plenty of weight. The weight is heavier when you are the leader. Tony Robbins stated, "To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." Verbal communication is about being clear in what you say when speaking to groups and/or individuals. Effective communication involves not just talking, but also carefully listening. Here are some tips to follow to improve your verbal communication: Make an effort to put yourself in the other person’s role and anticipate how your communication is likely to be received. [...]

“Leadership is going somewhere -- if you and your people don’t know where you are going, your leadership doesn’t matter.” Alice learned this lesson in Alice in Wonderland.  She was searching for a way out of Wonderland when she came to a fork in the road. She confronted the Cheshire Cat and asked “Would you please tell me which way I ought to go from here?”  The cat responded, “That depends on where you want to go.”  Alice replied that she really didn’t care much.  The smiling cat told her, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” We need to be careful when our vision statement is in a file or on a wall for declaration.  It should be [...]