Development

Developing people and experiencing their growth is genuinely what leadership is about. I have learned that if people are not growing or developing –there is no success in the leader. Look at the people-  that is the key indicator of the leader's success. Here are some truths and beliefs I hold on to. It is my intention for you to do the same: Everyone wants to feel worthwhile. Your people want to feel like they belong; they want to feel like you value them. The question is, are they? Only you have the answer. People generally respond to encouragement. "It is the oxygen for the soul." You can be the real CEO, the Chief Encouragement Officer. Are You? Only you [...]

As a leader, we all have standards. What is acceptable performance? What will you not tolerate? We all want to rise to the next level, and we expect that of our team. So I have a question for all of us, myself included, do you have a standard of excellence? Webster's New World Dictionary defined excellence as "superiority." Superiority begins and ends with you, the leader. You must expect excellence from yourself, live it out and be an example for others. Co-Founder of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Horst Schulze authored the book, "Excellence Wins." If you have ever stayed at a Ritz-Carlton, you will experience excellence from the moment you walk in the door (or when you book your stay). Allow [...]

The question is how do we get our people to believe that and say it? What would be the secret sauce that sparks the fire for them to believe that? Well truth be told there are likely several behaviors that you as a leader can demonstrate; including having strong values, ethics, integrity, and authenticity. I believe the secret sauce is believing so strongly in your people that their awareness of your belief in them causes them to rise to new heights of individual growth and achievement. Here is what I am learning about leadership, there is one fundamental belief, and it is foundational. Most, if not all people, have unlimited potential that has been largely unrecognized and untapped. When discovered and accessed, this [...]

Do you recognize that saying? You likely have said it or heard it said. There certainly is merit in that belief. If the system/process is working on all cylinders, leaving it alone is the wisest thing to do. Yes, at first blush, that makes sense. I have been part of that belief. Ok, but what if it is not broken, and you DISCOVER there is a crack someplace? What if "decay" builds up, and you can't see it until there is so much pain the "tooth" needs to be extracted? The operative word here is DISCOVER. In simple terms, you can only discover if you go looking. This is like success. Success can lead to complacency, a mindset that says, "We [...]