Category Archives: Leadership Tips

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Few Leaders Are Successful….

LEARN IT

  • As a leader, you will never get ahead until your people are behind you. When I look back at all the people who have helped me along over the years, I realize they fall into two main groups: mentors and supporters.

Interesting Thoughts About Mentors

  • Some helped me who never knew me – books others have written; information others have written about them; and their ideas.
  • Some who knew me never knew they helped me – those who have modeled principles of leadership.
  • Some knew me and knew they helped me – those people were intentional in their assistance.

LIVE IT

  • My dreams are always bigger than myself. I can either give up or get help
  • People appreciate working for someone who appreciate them
  • What is your response to each person that has played a role in making you a better leader?

LEAD IT

Who supports you?

  • Time Relievers – people who save me time.
  • Gift Complementors – people who do things I am not gifted to do.
  • Team Players – people who add value to me and my team.
  • Creative Thinkers – people who solve problems and give me options.
  • Door Closers – people who complete assignments with excellence.
  • People Developers – people who develop and raise up other leaders and producers.
  • Servant Leaders – people who lead with the right attitude.
  • Mind Stretchers – people who expand my thinking and my spirit.
  • Relational Networkers – people who bring other people into my life who add value to me.
  • Spiritual Mentors – people who encourage me in my faith walk.

How Do you Say THANK-YOU?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Those Who Start With You Seldom Finish With You

LEARN IT

  • Not everyone is going to take the journey with you
  • Not everyone should take the journey with you
  • Not everyone can take the journey with you
  • Are you forcing your Team to get on the train without understanding?

LIVE IT

  • At times as leaders we can wait for people we should not be waiting on
  • At times leaders can feel guilty for losing a key player – What are some potential reasons that people would leave?
  • Learn to appreciate those people who are with you even if they are there for a short time.
  • When a key person leaves your team what is the strategy for replacement?

LEAD IT

  • What is your personal reaction when people leave your team?
  • Are you waiting too long for people to go to the next level?
  • Where are your key players coming from?
  • Everyone you meet is a potential team player

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Everything You Gain You Give Up Something

LEARN IT

The greatest detriment to tomorrow’s success is today’s success! – Rick Warren

  • Max DePree states by avoiding risk, we risk what is important in life – namely our growth, potential, and contribution to life.
  • The higher you go the harder it is to make trade-offs.
  • Many climb the mountain of their potential and then stop.
  • Many will come to a point they will not give up something to go to the next level of receiving.
  • What is your next level of growth worth to you?

LIVE IT

What are you willing to trade?

  • Affirmation for Accomplishment
  • Security for Significance
  • Immediate Pleasure for Personal Gain
  • Quantity of Life for Quality of Life
  • Acceptable for Excellence
  • First-half for Second-half

LEAD IT

  • Learn to travel light – learn to off-load before you re-load
  • We resist moving from our Comfort Zone to new levels
  • If becoming a better leader is the goal – get ready to make some serious trades

Do you have what it takes to keep making trades?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Influence Should Be Earned Never Given

LEARN IT

  • Influence exists to speak up for those who do not have influence
  • Influence exists to speak to those who do have influence
  • Influence exists to be passed on to others

LIVE IT

  • Have you gained the influence of another and failed to build upon it?
  • If you borrow the influence of another, what do you expect to come with that influence?
  • You cannot build upon influence you do not have!

LEAD IT

  • Are there people you need to speak up for?
  • Where do you need to increase your level of influence with others?
  • Take inventory of the influence you already have
    • Insight: What do you know
    • Ability: What you can do
    • Character: Who you are
    • Passion: What you feel
    • Confidence: How you make others feel

Charisma: How you connect

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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The Choices You Make – Make You

LEARN IT

  • “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So, keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.” – John Wooden
  • My choices reveal who I am 
  • Many choices in life are not easy
  • The choices I made changed who I was

LIVE IT

Choosing Your Choices

  • Choice #1 – My standards for myself will be higher than what others may set for me
  • Choice #2 – Helping people is more important that making them happy
  • Choice #3 – My focus will be on the present

LEAD IT

  • Write down and review major choices that have changed you.
  • What key choices have you made or will make that has changed you?
  • Are you prepared to make difficult choices?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Meeting Before The Meeting

LEARN IT

Meetings usually fail for 2 reasons: The leader does not have a clear agenda; The people attending have their own agenda.

  • The meeting before the meeting is where you get buy-in
  • The meeting before the meeting helps people with perspective
  • The meeting before the meeting increases your influence
  • The meeting before the meeting develops trust
  • The meeting before the meeting keeps you from getting blindsided

LIVE IT

  • If you cannot have the meeting before the meeting, don’t have the meeting
  • If the meeting before the meeting did not go well, don’t have the meeting
  • If the meeting before the meeting goes well, have the meeting
  • Structure the meeting around these 3 items: Information Items, Study Items, Action Items

LEAD IT

  • Do your meetings have structure?
  • Have you connected with key influencers?
  • What is your plan for the next big change?

Plan your meetings according to levels of influence: Top Influencers, Top Positional Leaders; 20% of a Department; Meet with everyone

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Experience Is Not The Best Teacher

LEARN IT

  • We all begin our lives as an empty book
  • Everyday we have opportunities to write new experiences on our pages
  • Some people leave their notebook closed most of their life
  • Others fill their pages and never take the time for reflection
  • Experience teaches nothing, but evaluated experience teaches everything

LIVE IT

  • Do you know people who have lots of knowledge but little understanding?
  • We all experience more than we understand
  • Our attitude toward unpleasant and unplanned experiences determines our growth
  • A lack of experience is costly
  • Experience is costly
  • Not learning from experiences is more costly

LEAD IT

  • How often do you pause to reflect on your experiences?
  • How do you record what you have learned?
  • How do you evaluate your year?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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People Quit People, Not Companies

LEARN IT

  • All organizations have an influx and outflow of people that works similar to that of a revolving door.
  • People come in through that door because they have a reason they want to be part of that company.
  • But when they exit the company through that door, chances are they all have something in common. Their desire for “greener pastures” is often motivated by the need to get away from someone.
  • Some people cannot get along with anyone. Wherever they go, trouble goes with them.
  • “Some cause happiness wherever they go. Some cause happiness whenever they go.” Oscar Wilde

LIVE IT

As leaders, we’d like to think that when people leave, it has little to do with

us. But the reality is that we are often the reason. Some sources estimate that as many as 65 percent of people leaving companies do so because of their managers.

There are 4 types of people who leave

  • People quit people who devalue them. If we don’t respect someone, can we treat them with respect?
  • People quit people who are untrustworthy. Here are 5 ways Leaders the trust of their people:
    • Acting inconsistently in what they say and do. 
    • Seeking personal gain above shared gain.
    • Withholding information.
    • Lying or telling half-truths.
    • Being close-minded.
  • People quit people who are incompetent
  • People quit people who are insecure

LEAD IT

  • Take responsibility on how you treat others
  • When people leave me, I do an exit interview
  • Place HIGH VALUE on the people working with you
  • I put credibility at the top of my Leadership list
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Leaders Distinguish Themselves In Tough Times

LEARN IT

When people are faced with this kind of leadership weakness, they can run from it, or they can try to overcome it.

What is your current goal as a leader?

LIVE IT

I can’t lead people if I need people! This statement is worthy of your reflection.

Every leader will face tough times. Your decisions are marked by these three things:

  1. The tough call demands risk
  2. A tough call brings with it an inner battle
  3. A tough call will distinguish you as a leader

LEAD IT

  • If you aren’t willing to take care of the little difficulties, don’t expect to be able to rise up to meet the big ones.
  • No matter how tough it gets, a real leader will keep on leading and never give up.
  • If you keep doing the right thing, you will continue to gain greater responsibility.

Have you made the tough calls in the past?

Are you prepared to win the battle within?

Are you playing it too safe as a leader?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Keep Learning To Keep Leading

LEARN IT

How will you grow?

Invest in yourself first

Be a continual learner

People fall into one of three zones:

  • The Challenge Zone: “I attempt to do what I haven’t done before.”
  • The Comfort Zone: “I do what I already know I can do.”
  • The Coasting Zone: “I don’t even do what I’ve done before.”

One of the great dangers of life is believing that you have arrived.

LIVE IT

Whether you are trying to cross over into the ranks of continual learners, or you are trying to build an organization that possesses a growth environment, the secret to success can be found in the people who surround you.

People’s attitudes and actions rub off on one another.

Small people will try to put the same limits on you that they have put on themselves.

LEAD IT

Remember, a growth environment is one in which:

  • Others are ahead of them (this means you are growing).
  • They are continually challenged.
  • The focus is forward (on the future, not past mistakes).
  • The atmosphere is affirming.
  • They are often out of their comfort zone (but not their strength zone).
  • They wake up excited (they are excited about coming to work).
  • Failure is not their enemy (they are allowed to take risks).
  • Others are growing (you must place a high value on growth for everyone).

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com