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 Leadership Gap

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Many books and articles have been written about Self Actualization. How do we achieve the highest expression of ourselves. Surely it is a goal to achieve our highest potential. So how do we do this? This podcast will be one of two podcasts that I will devote on achieving your greatness by means of the simplest of actions. True greatness consists in being great in little things daily. I believe that each person has the potential for greatness. We can achieve the highest expression of our unique selves. By working on this process you will discover areas to improve in your leadership capability and perhaps what is hindering you from achieving greatness.

Here is the Top 10 list of simple things you can do daily.

Be Transparent & Open – It is easier to notice our shortcomings when we are open and willing to be honest with self examination of our truest motives and personality. (Birkman Assessment Link in the Show Notes)

Build Bridges of Trust – You need the trust and support of your people to succeed as a leader. Instead of tearing down bridges of trust, build others up.

Be Willing To Take Risks – Lead by example, be willing to take risks and encourage your team to do so as well. Failure is our best teacher. You do not have to be great to take risks, you just have to risk to be great.Celebrate Your Victories – The pace and complexity of our business world makes it difficult to step back and celebrate the wins. CELEBRATE! This will energize the batteries and give time to catch your breath.

Don’t Try To Do It All Yourself – Delegation is the #1 tool of great leaders.Hire the right people, train them well, then delegate your organizations work to them.

Make It A Habit To Respect Everyone – Be the kind of leader that other people admire. Respect people, trust people, and have the confidence in yourself to lead with heart.

Don’t Blame Others – In order to make a positive impact in the face of problems, learn to own your mistakes! When you blame others, you give up the right to make a positive impact.Make Key Relationships A Priority – Good relationships do not just happen – they take time and patience. Make a positive impact on a life by making it a priority.

Praise Others For Good Work – To praise other people is to recognize and appreciate the work and accomplishments of other people. Only kindness will reveal the greatness of the soul of a leader.Listen To People – A leaders greatest impact is to give full attention when others speak. People want to know that you are listening, paying attention to what is being said, and show compassion.

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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Insecure Leaders make People Insecure

In recent years, a very popular Broadway play has been Hamilton. Hamilton was hand-picked by George Washington at the age of 20. One of the chief setbacks of Alexander Hamilton was his insecurity. His insecurities made him…..

  • Push his loved ones away
  • Always wanted to be in control
  • Possessed great fear

In Hamilton’s youth he had great tragedies as a child and hurts that he never fully overcome or healed.

  • Forgiveness is essential to hurts we have in life
  • The greatest progress in personal growth comes when we choose to forgive
  • It is amazing that so many of our hurts come from the unforgiveness toward our parents.

In his book Eyewitness to Power, David Gergan states that Richard Nixon was one of the most brilliant men he had ever worked for. However he writes that Nixon was also the most insecure and that was probably a major contributor to his downfall.

A Secure Person Will Let You Inside Their Circle

An Insecure Person Will Not Let you Inside Their Circle

INSECURE LEADERS…….

  • Think too much about themselves
    • Overly concerned about how they look, sound, and feel
    • You need to be comfortable in your own skin
  • Seldom Develop People
    • No man will make a great leader who  wants to do it all himself or get all of the credit for doing it – Andrew Carnegie
    • Insecure people lower the ceiling
    • Little people make other people little
  • Fail to make hard decisions
    • If you need people, you cannot lead people
    • If you need constant affirmation you cannot risk making a decision that makes others unhappy.

Leadershifts To Become A Secure Leader

  • Put other people first
  • Make a difference in other people’s lives
  • Be the best possible version of yourself that you can
  • Express gratitude and reject entitlement
  • Be misunderstood and lonely for the right  reasons
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The Language of Leadership

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The language of ownership sounds very different than the language of a victim. We do not naturally or easily make the claim, “I am a victim.” However, we need a reality check from time to time to perhaps see that in fact we are victims and we are speaking that language as leaders.

I want to share 4 insights around the question, What language do you speak?

Intentional Living Starts With Intentional Thinking

The most important gap between successful people and unsuccessful people is the thinking gap! What you say on the outside starts with what you think and feel on the inside. Have you heard someone say, I didn’t mean to say that.” The truth is they have in fact been thinking and feeling it for a while on the inside.

Living Language Vs. Death Language

Words has the power to grant life or death to another person. Our words are windows into the soul of a person. They reveal what type of person we really are. Keep in mind that others are evaluating our leadership capability through 3 questions: Do you care for me? Can you help me? Can I trust you? Your leadership language is answering these questions and will determine your overall effectiveness.

Victim Thinking

Victims not only think that life is hard, but they think that everyone is out to get them. Under this mindset are the thoughts that I am not responsible for myself. Notice the difference in thinking patterns in victims versus survivors…

Illustration: Horatio Algers Award to under-privileged students with a 3.57+ grade average.

Owner Thinking

The key word along with ownership is RESPONSIBILITY. There is as belief they are not only responsible for themselves but they are responsible to other people. This is the language of empowerment. Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor longed for a Statue of Responsibility. Click on the link to view this amazing sculpture from an artist that was traumatized by the murder of his mother at the hands of a step-father. Take just a moment to review this 3 minute video.

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

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




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DNA of Great Leaders

There are certain qualities of great leaders that all seem to exhibit. They certainly seem to be visionaries – seeing opportunities before others see them. They also are not afraid to act upon those opportunities – they thrive on “making things happen!”

On a more deeper level there are certain DNA qualities of great leaders. Here are seven qualities that are embodied in great leaders

SELF-STARTERS – They start early, start first, and stay fast. There is something to be said about helping others first before other people realize there is a need that needs attention. Being first to start gives you a distinct advantage over others.

WORK-HARDER – Find your passion and it is easy to work harder. Passion does not even feel like work. Realize that everything worthwhile in life is UPHILL!

STRONG-DESIRE – Great leaders want to win more than anything at times. They hate losing. Realize that everyone will lose sometime. Great leaders do make a habit of losing and they will not settle for average. Kevin Myers stated; Most of  us have uphill goals, but we have downhill habits. 

PROVE THEMSELVES – There is something to be said about the drive inside of you that desires to prove that you have the right stuff. You are not afraid of putting it on the line. TIP: Prove yourself before you attempt to prove others. Pay attention to the difference between “I think” verses “I know.”

PRESS FORWARD – There are going to be difficulties in life. You must press forward in spite of those difficulties. We all experience them. The difference is that some never get back up. If life knocks you down six times – get up seven times!

VALUE OPPORTUNITY – Attempting to stay secure allows opportunities to pass by you to someone else. I am not saying that security is not important, but I am saying that opportunities can be better than security at ages and stages in life.STAY CREATIVE – Creativity starts with good questions that probes the unconventional – which leads to seeing possibilities – which leads to creative solutions.

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Develop Your Curiosity

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Six Keys To Developing Curiosity

Keep A Beginners Mindset

Age and experience can become a detriment to a person’s growth and vitality. If we are not careful we can become part of the “Been there – done that” crowd. Rather say; “I am going and doing that!” How do you keep a beginners mindset?

  • Ask questions
  • Do not worry about an image to uphold
  • Keep learning rather than looking good or smart
  • There are no preset rules to follow

Intentionally Learn Something New Everyday

Get the dictionary out and learn a new word everyday. Use flipboard.com to learn new things on a daily basis. Figure out a way to keep fresh thinking in your life, your home, your company. Ambrose Bierce stated, “There is nothing new under the sun, but there are a lot of old things we don’t know.”

Make Failure Your Friend

Start by embracing failure and understanding the value of failing. Are you running from your failure or running toward it. Consider this statement: I would hate to see who I would have become if I did everything correct and never failed.

Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Eric Hoffer stated; In a time of drastic change, it’s the learners who inherit the future.” The simple truth of the matter is that if you are learning your are changing. Here is a sobering truth that Harvard Business Journal and others have said, your Bachelor’s Degree only has a 5 year shelf life.

Keep Asking Questions

Good questions are the keys that opens of opportunity. Are you an answer person or a question person? Let me say it another way; you know you are getting old if all you do is give advice instead of asking questions. It is curiosity that keeps you going when others are stopping.

Get Out Of The Box

Most people will stay within the confines of their world (their box) without ever discovering how big the world really is. Understand that your VALUES are constant – your beliefs radically change through the years. Your values are the motive behind purposeful action! James Clear has developed a list of core values. I would suggest that you pick 3-5 and master them to guide purposeful behavior.

Curiosity leads to questions

Imagination leads to discovering options

Creativity leads to solutions

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable serviceMusic: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!



Wind fuels a fire and extinguishes a candle – Nassim Taleb

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Great Leader Series – Ralph de la Vega

From Cuba to CEO

What can great leaders teach us?

I recently had the privilege to listen to a presentation by Ralph de la Vega now CEO of the De La Vega Group. I must admit that he presented his life in a colorful way that simply captivates you. As an immigrant he was born in Cuba and his family had an opportunity to leave right after the revolution in Cuba. The family arrives at the airport to leave for America and the security personnel made a life changing statement; “Only the boy can go!” due to complications in the paperwork the parents were not permitted to leave and as parents they had to make a split second decision to allow their son to go ahead of them alone. It is hard for me to imagine the difficulty of such a decision to allow a child to go ahead of you alone to a new country – new everything. What was anticipated to be only a few weeks turned into 4 years before he would see his family again.

His education started in mechanics because that is what a guidance counselor told him that he would be good for that type of work. However, his grandmother told him to not allow anyone to place limitations upon his abilities. From the turning point he would go ahead and become the CEO of Bell South Latin America. During his early days in this position he would face 5 Presidential changes and the currency value plummet causing this company to go from $1 billion to $250 million overnight in net worth. The solution was to merge the 11 enterprises of Bell South Latin America into one company. They would turn this division around in one-year.

In the third phase of his leadership he would lead the merger of AT&T and Cingular in the largest cash purchase in history. This move would position AT&T to get in on the ground floor of the iPhone technology, Ralph de la Vega would be instrumental in explosive for AT&T. His leadership integrity was such that the Board of Directors bought into the idea of the iPone solely on the conviction and belief that Steve Jobs was going to be part of something revolutionary. AT&T would set a record one quarter earning of $50 billion and lead the company 9 years in a row for customer satisfaction.

What are the takeaways From Ralph de la Vega’s life story? To start with Ralph’s enthusiasm is riveting. SHARE your hopes and dreams with those you lead – Show (What do I want them to see) – Help (what I want them to do) – Amplify (What I can imagine) – Relate (What I want them to feel) – Enjoy (What do I want them to love).

Dream big and believe in yourself

Hoping is not a strategy

Be willing to unlearn what you have learned to embrace new things

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Half Marathon Lessons

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In his 70’s John Maxwell successfully completed a half marathon – 13.11 miles. There are five lessons learned from this experience that can challenge any leader in any organization. Let’s examine these insights.

Spontaneity is the foundation of youth

  • It seems that as we age we are not as spontaneous
  • It is easy to get stuck in your ways and not dare
  • When is the last time you did something for the first time?
  • Walk yourself into opportunities before you talk yourself out of them
  • Right is the best time – TODAY MATTERS!

Provide a FIRST for someone who has provided firsts for you

  • Do something for someone that they will not of cannot do for themselves
  • Who do you know right now who would be abundantly blessed if you provided a first experience for them?
  • Mark Cole did this for John by serving as his coach through the run.

Set yourself up for a win

  • John had 3 goals for this run: have a good experience, finish, finish in 4 hours
  • Leadership requires a strategy – What is yours?
  • If you do not know where you are going any road will take your there!
  • Ask: CAN I? HOW CAN I? Once you ask the second question, you have already decided to participate.

Know how you are doing will keep you going forward

  • You can always make adjustments when you know where you stand
  • Keep a scoreboard to visualize your wins and how to adjust
  • It is harder to quit when you know you are winning
  • Quitting usually comes right before the biggest breakthrough

The best stretches are the ones out of your comfort zone

  • The best stretches are the hardest ones
  • You need to be in an environment where everyone is ahead of you
  • When you are out of your comfort zone, connect with someone who is on their comfort zone

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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

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

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Goals Are for Losers or WINners

Did you know that Scott Adams created Dilbert in 1989. Assuming that he has wrote a comic strip every day since January 1, 1990, he has created 10,000 Dilbert’s. I do not know about you, but that is fascinating to ponder.

How about Charles Schulz, author of Peanuts comics who has wrote over 17,897 comics in a row. How did he and Scott Adams do this? DAILY RITUALS!

Seth Godin has written over 10,000 daily blog articles – DAILY RITUALS.

Scott Adams once stated that Goals are for LOSERS. Obviously, he was being dramatic to make a point. He would go on to write, “…Goal oriented people exist in a state of continuous pre-success failure at best. Systems people succeed every time they apply their system as they intended. Goals oriented people tend to fight discouragement. Systems people feel good every time they apply their system. The key difference is applying your energy in the right direction.”

So that we do not create unnecessary argument between goals people and systems people, let’s turn our focus upon the W.I.N. – What’s Important Now! This is the zone in which you can thrive!

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Connect With Millennials

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There are 6 functional changes we need to make in order to keep Millennials engaged in the marketplace.

Millennials do not work for a paycheck, rather they work for a purpose.

  • They want purpose to be intermingled in their job. They want their work to matter
  • APPLICATION: Connect their purpose in life with the purpose of the organization. Ask them what they care about, then connect them with what the company cares about.

Millennials are not pursuing job satisfaction, but development.

  • They seek personal affirmation and improvement.
  • APPLICATION: Ask them what they want to do and then get them into a position that fulfills that answer.

Millennials want to take responsibility faster than they want to give it.

  • Millennials are impatient – they want freedom to get the answers themselves.
  • They seek empowerment on the job. In the past we have required experience before empowerment.
  • Most leaders delegate tasks rather than give authority. When you give tasks you create followers, when you give authority you create leaders.
  • APPLICATION: Follow the 10/80/10 rule. As a leader be on the task the first 10%. Let them move forward with the project for the next 80%. As the leader return for the last 10% to evaluate the work.

Millennials Do not want a boss, they want a coach.

  • Millennials do not want command and control, nor do they trust structured leadership, titles, levels, etc.
  • They seek someone to walk beside and with them.
  • The best ideas is the goal, not just the bosses ideas.
  • APPLICATION: Keep constant communication with millennials.

Millennials do not want annual reviews, they seek constant conversations.

  • This is referred to as “management by walking around.” Ken Blanchard
  • APPLICATION: Get out of your office and engage Millennials in what they are doing on a daily basis.

Millennials want cultural compatibility.

  • They want to come to work and yet feel at home.
  • They seek work/life balance. They do not want to be placed in a box, they seek flexibility in their schedules.
  • APPLICATION: Value Millennials, they desire to feel valued more than anything./

RECAP: 71% of Millennials are the least engaged generation at work. You are going to have problems when two-thirds of your workforce is disengaged. Start with reinventing yourself as a leader. Odds are your experience will lead to the wrong solution. WHY? You are attempting to solve modern problems with yesterday’s methods. Start NOW! It is never too late.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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

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