The leader’s best friend. 

ARE YOU CONVICTED? As leaders we need to form the habit of conviction. This is essential for us to be a change agent. If ignored it can destroy quickly. I have learned every person of influence will face a moment or moments when they will be tempted to compromise their integrity. How many stories have we read or heard about people in government, business, clergy where their lives (and those they love) have been destroyed as a result of compromise. A mentor of mine had a mantra that became sticky to me, "Their is no right way to do a wrong thing."  Please let that sink in. The habit of conviction always means doing what is right -- not what [...]

By |2021-06-09T12:18:21+00:00June 9th, 2021|Development, Empowering, Leadership|0 Comments

The essentials of mentorship.

Building upon last week’s message of mentorship, I wanted to dive a little deeper. Fred Manske Jr. author of the Secrets of Effective Leadership nailed it when he said, “The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point they surpass him or her in knowledge or ability.” There are several characteristics of an effective mentor. Wisdom: there is no substitution for experience. Your past successes and failures are your bank account for an effective mentor. Empathy: chances are you were mentored and can relate to the place the mentee is in. Patience: growing and developing people takes time. If you are not willing to invest the time needed, you simply cannot be effective at mentoring. [...]

By |2021-06-01T17:44:44+00:00June 2nd, 2021|Coaching, Connecting, Development, Leadership|0 Comments

The power of mentorship.

Let me ask you a question, "Did you get here alone?  Are you really self-made?"  Probably not. Am I right?  Whatever we have accomplished up to this point in life, it’s likely the result of someone helping guide you. It may have been a coach, a boss, a co-worker, teacher or a parent -- and maybe several people. As leaders, we make investments and decisions on a daily basis. When we decide to invest our time in mentoring someone, we expand the enterprise, we help move it forward.  In the book, “The Leadership Challenge,” authors Kouzes and Pozner state “Leaders are pioneers; they guide us to new and often unfamiliar destinations.  Leaders move us forward.” The positive result of mentoring [...]

By |2021-05-26T01:06:09+00:00May 26th, 2021|Coaching|0 Comments

The main thing is the main thing. 

Steven R. Covey the late author of, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People noted, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." I believe it is true that  individuals and companies with too many priorities have no priorities and are at risk of spinning their wheels. In turn, laser -focusing everyone on a single priority--today, this week, this month, quarter, etc. creates the clarity and power throughout the organization. As leaders, one of our responsibilities is to obtain from team members alignment on what is the priority. For example, "If we could do only one thing this week, month, quarter what would that be?" Get agreement, get commitment and start the plan. We all spend plenty of [...]

By |2021-05-18T17:39:20+00:00May 19th, 2021|Coaching|0 Comments

Three things your people want to know. 

We all know one critical aspect of building a productive team is the selection of the right talent. Once you believe you have the right person for the opportunity, they intuitively have three questions they want answers to. Keep in mind they may not ask these questions of you directly, but deep down the answers may be deal breakers. The last thing you want is to have the person at risk of walking, especially when you have invested the time to identify the right person for the job. The questions are: 1. Do you care about me?  The challenge here for most leaders is how to sincerely demonstrate care. Ask yourself, "Do I really know this person? Do I know [...]

By |2021-05-12T11:49:47+00:00May 12th, 2021|Leadership|0 Comments
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