Author Archives

Garry Brackett

BA - Fort Wayne Bible College
MAR - Trinity Evangelical Divinity
D.Min - Grace Theological Seminary
Birkman Certified Coach
John Maxwell Certified Team Member
Myers/Briggs Certified
FIRO-B Certified
TKI Certified
25 Years Executive Coaching

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The Ultimate Test

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Because people do not mind change, they resist being changed I want to look at some insights on this thought.

People feel awkward and self-conscious doing something new – Let’s face the truth, we are more comfortable with old problems than we are with new solutions.. New solutions represent the unknown.

Author Marilyn Ferguson stated that  it is not that we are afraid of change or so in love with the old ways rather, it is the place between these two points that we fear.

People focus upon what they initially will give up – Isn’t this natural? When we see change coming, our first question is what is this going to cost me or what will I have to give up? The truth of the matter is that for everything you gain you lose something (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Leadership is more about helping people get over their fear of losing something that they will forego anything new – even progress. While everyone is different in this regard I feel that history and circumstance impacts here in a big way. Some people are hoarders and other people throw away things when they are not needed. Truthfully, baggage can have a negative impact. Why not let it go? 

Bill Gates stated once that he recognized their products were going to become outdated. For him the only question was are we going to replace ourselves with something better or will someone else do it for us? Peter Drucker suggested that companies review every product they offer every three years and ask WHY?

People are afraid of being ridiculed – Being mocked or ridiculed can be a deterrent to change. The greatest illustration of the power of being ridiculed or afraid is Wilt Chamberlain and his experiment with underhanded free throw shooting. Rick Barry who was an 89% free throw shooter mastered the underhand technique. On March 2, 1962 Chamberlain did something that has not been repeated he scored 100 points in a single game – 28 of those points came from his underhand technique. However, Chamberlain went back to his old ways of shooting and lived out his career as a poor free-throw shooter. He would say that he just could not pull himself to stay with the new way – he felt like a sissy.

People personalize change and may feel alone in the process – John Maxwell at the age of 27 developed his “PLANAHEAD” acrostic that is quite useful on this insight.

Predetermine the change that is needed

Lay out your steps

Adjust your priorities

Notify key people

Allow time for acceptance

Head into action

Expect problems

Always point to the successes

Daily review your progress

The greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is yesterday’s success!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Black Line Paradigm” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Statue of Responsibility

Developing The Leader Within You 2.0

Birkman Assessment

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com
Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!



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The Pulse of High Performance

Authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz suggest in their book The Power of Full Engagement, suggest that cycles of full throttle training coupled with cycles of rest are important to take your ability to the next level. Notice what they say, “Nature itself has a pulse, a rhythmic, wavelike movement between activity and rest. Think about the ebb and flow of the tides, the movement between seasons, and the daily rising and setting of the sun. Likewise, all organisms follow life-sustaining rhythms—birds migrating, bears hibernating, squirrels gathering nuts, and fish spawning, all of them at predictable intervals. So, too, human beings are guided by rhythms…. The concept of maximizing performance by alternating periods of activity with periods of rest was first advanced by Flavius Philostratus (A.D. 170–245), who wrote training manuals for Greek athletes. Russian sports scientists resurrected the concept in the 1960s and began applying it with stunning success to their Olympic athletes. Today, ‘work-rest’ ratios lie at the heart of periodization, a training method used by elite athletes throughout the world.” 

If increasing your performance is the goal in life – there are no shortcuts in achieving this goal. Simply stated you must balance your sessions of intense work with seasons of rest. I might add that rest is not doing chores (cutting the lawn, washing the car, painting the house, etc.). Rest is defined as a verb – cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength. When the same word is defined as a noun – an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity.

What does an exhausted person of faith look like? What is their potential in that condition? If we desire to live our fullest lives then we must align our activity with the rhythms of life. This is a powerful piece of content yet it is simple content. Unfortunately, it is overlooked far too often. STOP – take an inventory right now. Look at the intensity versus rest cycles. What is one thing that you can change today?

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Leadership Character

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To keep myself on track, I need to remind myself of the importance of character and why it matters.

Since I am a person of faith, I have a number of biblical references to remind me of the importance of character and why it matters. Consider the following:

  • Our hearts can be deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 139:23, 24). 
  • We can so easily seek leadership office for the wrong reasons (Matthew 20:17–28). 
  • Character is the area that I will face the greatest attack (Romans 7; Galatians 5:16–24). 
  • Character is foundational to Christian leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9.
  • talents and gifting (Romans 12:3–8). 
  • It is so easy to slip into a life of hypocrisy and forget that we will have to give an account one day (Hebrews 4:13). 
  • We naturally neglect character building and focus on other developments (1 Timothy 4:7–8). 
  • We soon discover that strength of character is what will count in hard times (2 Corinthians 4:16–17).

Having good character does not ensure that you will be successful in life and leadership. But having bad character will eventually derail you personally and professionally.

I want to examine three compelling reasons why good character is so important.Good Character Builds Strong Trust – Kouzes and Posner explain the importance of developing trust in leaders – “In the final analysis only you can decide whether to take the risk of trusting others and whether the risks are worth taking. This means to have others trust you, you must actively take some initiative and can’t wait for others to make the first move. As many leaders explained, “Trust is a risk game. Leaders must be the first ones to ante-up.” Leaders always find the ante worth risking. Sowing seeds of trust with people creates the fields of collaboration necessary to get extraordinary things done in organizations.”

If my team learns to trust me I will get their attention. But if I initiate trust in my team, I will get their action (John Maxwell).

Successful Leaders Embrace The Four Dimensions of Character – These four dimensions are

  • Authenticity – Live openly and honestly in front of others
  • Self-management – We set leaders up for failure by telling them what they can do before they decide who they should become.
  • Humility – Stop believing your own press reports
  • Courage – Courage is what makes character possible

Character Makes You Bigger On The Inside – It has been said that what we achieve inwardly will change outward reality. Success leads to the greatest failure – PRIDE. Failure leads to the greatest victory which is humility and learning. Develop the person of character within you by doing these three things;

  • Embrace good values
  • Practice self leadership
  • Value people

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Black Line Paradigm” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Statue of Responsibility

Developing The Leader Within You 2.0

Birkman Assessment


Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com


Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Scary Leadership Styles

I believe that scary leaders emerge for two reasons:

  1. They are not able to communicate Empathy to those they lead
  2. They have lost Perspective of the lives of those they lead

Scary leaders can show up in a variety of ways. Let’s look at seven types of scary leaders:

  1. The lead-by-fear leader. Under this scary leader, criticism is common. Threats of demotion or job loss are common. Team members don’t work for the organization’s vision but for the fear of humiliation and salary loss.
  2. The selfish leader. This type of scary leader relishes the spotlight. They take credit rather than give credit. They hoard responsibility and information. They want everyone looking at them and relying on them. They hate when team members get acknowledged for their work without mention of them.
  3. The micromanaging leader. The micromanaging leader struggles to trust others. Because of this, he or she is in the details of everyone’s work. They think that they are ensuring quality work, but they end up slowing everyone down. They hinder, instead of propel, their teams.
  4. The emotionally unpredictable leader. You never know how the conversation will go with this type of scary leader. One day, everything seems great. The next day, or maybe the next hour, they’re irate. What happened? No one really knows. Suddenly, everything is wrong. Team members walk on eggshells, not knowing what will set the leader off next.
  5. The over-confident leader. Confidence is good. Over-confidence can be scary. Over-confident leaders tend to dismiss differing opinions, even from trusted sources. They take excessive risks. They assume that past success means future success. Their confidence convinces team members to make or go along with bad decisions. And worst of all, they rarely see themselves as over-confident.
  6. The under-confident leader. Over-confidence is scary. But so is under-confidence. Under-confident leaders are unsure of themselves, constantly questioning their own ability in an unhealthy manner. They tend to be overly concerned with others’ opinions. They focus on the negative, struggle to make decisions, and let past decision define them. Needless to say, under-confident leaders struggle to gain a following. 
  7. The visionless leader. This type of scary leader has no idea where he or she should take the team. They allow their team to wander aimlessly. Team members tend to get either get frustrated or bored.

The ethical and biblical mandate requires us to manage well those we lead. A leader who strives to be the best steward of his or her team will rarely be classified as a scary leader.

So don’t be a scary leader. Serve and steward your team well.

Genesis of this article – Art Rainer 2016.

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The Key To Leadership

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The one commonality for all leaders is that life is filled with pressure. Pressure will cause us to act in different ways than we might otherwise. When this happens our priorities can become confused and distorted. Consider these insights.

  • We overestimate the importance of most things
  • Too many priorities paralyzes people
  • When small demands are given too much attention, BIG problems occur
  • Making everything a priority means nothing is a priority

Someone once said, “An infant is born with a clenched fist; an adult dies with an open hand. Life has a way of prying free the things we think are so important.” If you want to develop the leader within you, don’t wait for tragedy to realign your priorities. Become proactive about the process starting today. Begin by acknowledging the following principles (John Maxwell)

Working smarter has a higher return than working harder – Disciplined of the time that everyone else wastes can give you and edge (Dan Kennedy). When you do this you will be able to accomplish what you have delayed because of the lack of time.
You can’t have it all – Could it be that once you figure out what it is that you really want, your leadership becomes clarified and your decisions become more focused and narrow in scope. Clarity is a wonderful thing in leadership. If it is fuzzy and we are busy doing what everyone else is doing, our leading is going to be equally fuzzy and frantic. You cannot do everything. Get focused! Strive for crystal clear priorities – you really cannot do everything.

The good is always the enemy of the best – Most people can prioritize between good and bad or right and wrong. But what happens when you are faced with two good options? There are times when the good must be sacrificed for the best. This is why clarity is so valuable to the focused leader. Since you cannot do it all – choose wisely the best.
Proactive beats reactive – If you do not think this is not true, think about how much is accomplished then week before you go on vacation. Meetings, emails, phone calls, and completion of assignments all get done the week before vacation. It is amazing to watch!

The important needs takes precedence over the urgent needs – The Pareto Principle has not been fully embraced. 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of your production if you spend your time, energy,talent and money on 20% of your priorities. Question; Who are the top 20% of your staff? Spend 80% of your time investing in them for an 80% return on production. All employees/team members do not impact your organization equally. Therefore, equip this 20% to impact the next 20% below them which increases production and return on investment. Rinse and Repeat!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Black Line Paradigm” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Statue of Responsibility

Developing The Leader Within You 2.0

Birkman Assessment

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com
Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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The Power of Full Engagement

 “Every one of our thoughts, emotions and behaviors has an energy consequence, for better or for worse. The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time that we have. The premise of this book—and of the training we do each year with thousands of clients—is simple enough: Performance, health and happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy.” 

~ Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz from The Power of Full Engagement  

Authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz has put together a tool box based upon research and their consulting with the highest athletic performers. At the heart of their work is this big idea; “Energy not time,  is the fundamental currency of high performance.” WOW!

Here is what I believe to be core insights to Loehr and Schwartz’s writing.

THE 4 PRINCIPLES OF FULL ENGAGEMENT 

“Principle 1: Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. 

Principle 2: Because energy diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal. 

Principle 3: To build capacity we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do. 

Principle 4: Positive energy rituals—highly specific routines for managing energy—are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.” 

No matter your life calling and deep work, we all can apply these insights to obtain a higher performance in our work. What is one thing that you can do right now?

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Defining Leadership

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How do you develop the leader that is resident within you? If you have never done anything to enhance this capability, the good news is that you can start today. What is it going to take? Let’s begin with the basics, What is the definition of leadership? Leadership is influence – nothing more and nothing less. Said another way, Leadership is the ability to obtain followers (James C. Georges). 

These definitions are but the beginning of the discussion. Consider that in 1938 TIME Magazine name Adolf Hitler their Man of The Year award for having the most influence. Every person influences! Sociologists tell us that the most introverted among us will influence 10,000 people in their life-time. You have influence in this world. Recognition  of this fact and what you do about it your responsibility.

To assist us in understanding the power of Influence I want to discuss the 5 Levels of Leadership that John Maxwell developed over 30 years ago. This is still relevant for today. Here are the 5 levels.

POSITION (Rights)- People will follow you because they have to. This is the entry level of leadership. Know your role & job description thoroughly.

PERMISSION (Relationships)- People will follow you because they want to follow you. Care more about the person than the rules – value people!
PRODUCTION (Results)- People will follow you because of what you have done for the organization. Initiate your growth plan – take responsibility.

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT (Reproduction)- People will follow you because of what you have done for them. Embrace the notion that people are the most important asset. Take other people on the growth journey with you.
PINNACLE (Respect) – People will follow because of who you are and what you represent. Focus your attention on the top 20% of the most influential people around you. Leverage your influence to advance the organization.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Black Line Paradigm” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Statue of Responsibility

Developing The Leader Within You 2.0

Birkman Assessment

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com
Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Winners Value Process

Preparation places the focus on the process rather than the outcomes.

  • The process includes PREPARATION for the things that help you win. This instructs you on what to do.
  • The process includes SEPARATION from the things that cause you to lose. This instructs you on what not to do.
  • The process helps you to learn to WORK at winning and not just wing it.
  • When you wing it you live off your natural gifts but in fact you never develop them to a higher standard. You plateau at GOOD when you could have been GREAT!
  • People who say, “I Wish” and people who say “I Do” are worlds apart.

There is a natural separation between the wishful thinkers and the active doers. This separation is what places the focus on moving from good to great.

  • Instead of spending time with people – you invest in people.
  • Instead of settling for outside approval – you strive for internal approval.
  • Instead of being motivated by a situation – you are motivated internally.
  • Instead of an occasional high performance – you have consistent high performance.
  • Instead of paying the price someday – you pay the price every day.

“When you know you can do better on the inside, you have no right to do less on the outside.” (John Maxwell 2016).

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The Leadership Gap Pt. #2

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Here is the top 10 list of small things done consistently will lead you on the pathway to greatness. In our last podcast we focused upon the small things you could do personally. Today, our hit list will focus upon what you can do for others. 

Share Your Leadership – Give your team opportunities to grow in their careers while gain self-confidence by sharing your leadership duties with them.

 Reward Others – When people when they do great work, be sure to recognize and reward that effort. Remember, you get what is rewarded.

Insist On Accountability – When there is an agreement to take on a task, hold people accountable for their commitments. Without it, you risk the possibility of the task not getting accomplished at all.

Coach Others – The difference between a good leader and great leader is the ability to teach and coach others. If greatness is the goal, be the kind of leader that sets the pace for your teaching, coaching, and teachable points of view.

Encourage Belief – We all know what it feels like when you have lost confidence in yourself. Be the kind of leader that empowers others through encouragement and genuine care for others success.

Do Not Judge – Before you assume, learn the facts. Before you judge, understand. Before you speak, think!Leverage Past Experiences – The best leaders consciously think about their experiences and rethink what they know and what they need to learn. The greatest leaders teach from their experiences while telling compelling stories that help other people in their decision making skills.

Write Thank You Notes – Letting people know how much you appreciate them and the work they are doing will leave a legacy of goodwill behind that effort.

Give Credit Where It Is Due – Regardless of your title, it is vitally important for workplace morale for you to acknowledge proficiency, hard work, and initiative. Thanking them privately is not always enough. Write a letter for their personnel file or give public recognition in front of others will help demonstrate their efforts have not gone unnoticed.Help Make Dreams Come True – The leadership adage is true – Help others achieve their dreams and they will help you achieve your dreams.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Black Line Paradigm” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Statue of Responsibility

The Leadership Gap

Birkman Assessment

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com
Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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The Winning Habit

Success is uphill all the way

John Maxwell – MIM May 2016

The only way to guarantee losing is to quit right now. There are only three reasons that you should ever quit anything.

  • Quite something you do not do well to start something that you do well.
  • Quit something you are not passionate about to do something fires up the passion within you.
  • Quit something that does not make a difference to pursue something that does make a difference.

Do not just leave a place for the sake of leaving. Rather move toward something else. Keep a forward moving mentality – always moving forward instead of always leaving something.

The winning habit is a persistence in the following four ways.

  • Winners persist through time – Tough times never last. Tough people do! (Robert Schuller)
  • Winners persist through failure – Failure teaches you what does not work
  • Winners persist through criticism – Do not turn a deaf ear to criticism. Discover truths in valid criticism
  • Winners persist through rejection – Rejection stimulates reflection and that will always make you better