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Characteristics of a Builder:

What does a builder look like?

1. Builders love results.

• They talk constantly about how they’re growing.
• They always know their numbers.
• Downside: They’ll do almost anything to make their numbers.

2. Builders seldom stay satisfied.

• Bill Hybels calls it a “holy discontent.”
• They want to go farther, fly higher, and do better all the time.
• Secret to being a builder: Knuckle down on the front end so you won’t be disappointed on the back end.
• Downside: Expecting others to do the same and live in the same tension.
• Consider: Did I do my best today?

3. Builders are comfortable with uncertainty.

• They don’t have to start with all the answers because they are certain within themselves.
• Builders understand that plan A quickly becomes option A.
• They believe that when they come to a place of ambiguity, there will be an answer.
• Consider: Do you need to know before you go, or are you okay with going before knowing?

4. Builders are movers.

• They have to move and they have to see things moving around them.
• They place production ahead of process (can be positive and negative).
• They are impatient (can be positive and negative).

5. Builders love options.

• They have an abundance mindset.
• They love options because they don’t want to be fenced in and they believe there is always an answer.

1. They are agile when they move toward opportunity.
2. They are pragmatic, not concerned with the “right way.”

iii. They are creative.

1. They have “negative claustrophobia.” Minimize the fences, boundaries, and rules.
2. Builders look for an edge.

• They see their competition and seek an edge to set themselves apart from the rest.
• They get around people they can learn from then apply what they are learning right away.

7. Builders are contagious.

• They are filled with passion. They’re loving it and living it.
• Their passion drives others to buy in.
• Consider: Am I contagious?

8. Builders respect and learn from other builders.

• They aren’t too interested in learning from non-builders. They don’t want to talk about

what they’ve done. They want to talk about what they’re doing.

• They want to see something grow.

9. Builders are producers.

• This is the #1 characteristic of a leader.
• They find the time, money, resources, and the way no matter what.

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MATURITY DEFINED: 5 Key Principles

1. Leading yourself before leading others

»» Instead of leading themselves, immature leaders only lead others

2. Seeing the big picture – As you mature you give up the right to see things from your perspective. You realize there is a bigger picture and you are not the center of it. You make decisions based upon the well-being of the team first before you are benefited. Immature leaders want everyone to get on their leadership train and to your leadership destination.
3. Valuing the vision without devaluing the team
4. Making right decisions for the right reasons – always what is best for members of your team!
5. Moving forward by growing and making transitions

»» Leaders are constantly shifting and adjusting – this allows you to take other people with you – It is not always about you!

»» The ability to be flexible and to shift is essential to strengthening leadership.

BEING A MATURE LEADER:

1. Not acting entitled
2. Increasingly OK with not knowing everything
3. Increasingly perform better under pressure
4. Surround oneself with people who have gifts greater than theirs – you have to be confident in who you are first to allow people that are more gifted than you are in strategic areas. It is a sign of a mature leader who will hire people greater than themselves in key areas. Only bigger people make you bigger. Lesser people will make you less.

»» Will have the chance to increase – Greater people make you greater

»» Turns you away from answering questions and toward asking questions – When you surround yourself with people lesser than you you tell people what to do. When people are bigger than you you ask questions because you understand that you do not know everything.

»» The better the team, the better questions that get asked

5. Embrace the process more and more – We over estimate the goal, and under estimate the process.

»» Stop asking “how long will it take?”

»» Start asking “how far I can go?” You become a passionate student. The finish line keeps moving

»» There is no set finish line

»» The only finish line in your life is the one you place there – The finish line is always moving away from you – not moving toward you! Epitaph: He ran out of breath! Don’t die before you are dead!

6. You must have a healthy view of failure

»» We have two choices:

1. We leave it
2. We learn and improve from it

»» Wisdom is the process of learning from failure

THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS

1. Test

»» How you see failure determines how you see a test

2. Fail
3. Learn

»» Wisdom is the process of learning from failure – What did you learn? How did you change as a result?

4. Improve

»» You know what you did wrong, but did you get better?

5. Re-enter

»» The moment you re-enter you begin the cycle again

THE CYCLE OF DUMB

1. Fail
2. Re-enter
3. Repeat the TEST

TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE WHEN WALKING INTO A NEW SITUATION

1. “I hope this works out alright”
2. “I am going to prove that this is alright”

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Why Do You Need A Leadership Culture?

1.  Culture Eats Vision for lunch by a factor of 10 to 1. Culture is the most powerful factor in any organization – Culture is what you are doing – Vision is where you are going! If you do not get right what you are doing you will never get where you are going. Culture is the visual of the values of the people in an organization. Culture is the sum of the habits of the people. It is what people do on a regular basis. Culture is not what we say so much as it is what we do. We model belief around common convictions.

2. Leadership puts a lid on an organization. If you have enough leaders in your organization you can scale new heights faster than others. Most organizations have a limiting capacitor called “NOT ENOUGH LEADERS!” Everything rises and falls on leadership. You must develop leaders. If you do not have bench depth you will not have band width. There is a shortage of leaders.
3. A characteristic of a leadership is they have depth on their team. you have to create a culture of great leaders that can lead at any time. Over 75% of Chik-fil-A’s staff are under 25 years of age. Four things that are required to build a bench

• Attractive – hire people who are over-qualified
• Recruiting – attract the right people, leadership minded people, successful in others arenas
• Training – You have to be passionate and have training as a non-negotiable item
• Empowerment – if you hire someone that you cannot empower within a reasonable period of time, you do not have a bench player.

If you do not have a surplus of leaders then you are in a short-fall situation

FIRST you must define what leadership is! This is the benchmark. People need to know if they are in the game and in the correct zip code. Once you have forged a definition within your culture then everyone must speak the same language. You cannot build what you cannot articulate!

Six C’s on defining culture from John Maxwell

• Character – It is not something that I talk about, I must be a person of Character
• Clarity – you have to show people what you need. Do not leave them guessing what you want. 5 Minute Manager in which you model your love and appreciation for their service and effort.
• Communication – Keep saying it! Constantly talk about the culture so others can see, hear, and feel what is in your heart. If the team does not hear the vision often they will drift quickly.
• Contribution – Own it! I will own this company – this is on me!
• Consistency – I have to do on a regular basis – daily 5!
• Celebration – Embrace it together and celebrate the victory of everyone moving in the same direction

Culture is a visual of the values of what leaders want others to see. The only thing that limits an organization is the development of leaders.

5 Keys to Build A Leadership Culture – Template

1. Define the leadership culture that you want. Forge a consensus in your organization. There are over 6,000 definitions of leadership in the dictionary. You must define it.

Question #1 – “Do we have a common definition of leadership”

SERVE – JMT (John Maxwell Team)

Serve others

Excellence in all that you do

Responsible and accountable to do what we say

Value – we value our people as individuals as our most important asset. Are you properly valuing your team-mates?

Environment – foster a positive environment within the team

These five concepts compromise leadership culture

2.    Teach it – Ensure that everyone knows that your point of view on leadership is being taught to them verbally and behaviorally. Talent is not enough!

Question #2 – “Do your current and emerging leaders have the skills to deliver on the definition?”

3. Practice it – Do we give people on our team an opportunity to prove themselves? ILL. Spring Training Camp for Baseball

Question #3 – Are we giving ample opportunity for leaders to lead? Are we giving emerging leaders opportunity to lead?

You have to give assignments that people will be stretched and will probably not succeed at. We wear out the heavy hitters and fail to give opportunities for emerging leaders.

4. Measure it – You can get good at developing leaders. A shortage of leaders is every organizations challenge. What gets measured gets done!

Question #4 – “ Do you have a way to evaluate to metrics of your culture?”

How many leaders are ready for the next level in your organization? This question should guide an annual leadership talent review.

5. 5. Model It – People do what people see!

Question #5 – “Do our current leaders model the leadership behaviors of our organization?”

How we learn 89% IS VISUAL – Stanford research.

To many leaders tell the vision, too few leaders show the vision!

6. BONUS – SELL IT – Budget training! Where does your time and money go? You must become passionate about developing people. INVEST!! FREE does not make changes in people and organizations! How great do you want your organization become? How long do you want this organization to exist?

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The Law of Timing

When To Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where To Go. Every time a Leader makes a move, there are really only four outcomes.

1.The Wrong Action At The Wrong Time Leads To Disaster. You will experience negative repercussions every time.

2.The Right Action At The Wrong Time Brings Resistance.

3.The Wrong Action At The Right Time Is A Mistake.

4.The Right Action At The Right Time Results In Success.

Good Leadership timing requires a number of factors:

• Understanding – having a grasp of the situation
• Maturity – This needs no explanation
• Confidence – Be confident in God’s calling and leading in your life for others to follow you with confidence
• Experience – Wisdom is a byproduct, you will have a difficult time leading without it

The Law of Explosive Growth

To Add Growth, Lead Followers – To Multiply, Lead Leaders

Becoming a leader who develops leaders requires an entirely different focus and attitude from simply attracting and leading followers. It takes a different mind-set. If you develop yourself, you can experience personal success. If our develop your team, your organization can experience growth. If you develop leaders, your organization can achieve explosive growth.

A Different Focus….

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Need To Be Needed

Leaders Who Develop Leaders – Want To Be Succeeded

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Develop The Bottom 20%

Leaders Who Develop Leaders – Develop The Top 20%

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Focus on Weaknesses

Leaders Who Develop Leaders – Focus on Strengths

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Treat Everyone The Same

Leaders Who Attract Leaders – Treat Individuals Differently

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Spend Time With Others

Leaders Who Attract Leaders – Invest Time With Others

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Grow By Addition

Leaders Who Attract Leaders – Grow By Multiplication

Leaders Who Attract Followers – Impact Only People They Touch

Leaders Who Develop Leaders – Impact People Beyond Their Reach

Leadership development compounds. The more you invest in people, the greater the growth and the higher the return!

The Law of Legacy

A Leaders Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession

What is your life sentence? I have adopted this one; I want to make a difference with people who make a difference! This mantra came into focus as I began to understand that most people do not lead their lives, they simply accept their lives and call it FATE! You have to be intentional in developing your leadership legacy.

Know The Legacy You Want To Leave Behind – Your life is a book. The Title is your name. The Preface is your introduction to the world. The pages are daily journal entries of your activity.

Live The Legacy You Want To Leave – In order to leave something behind, you must first live your legacy

Choose Who Will Carry your Legacy – succession is one of the key responsibilities of leadership(Max Dupree). Great organizations will function well beyond you!

Make Sure You Pass The Baton – any person can make an organization shine for a moment. Leaders who leave a legacy take a different approach. Elton Trueblood stated; “We have made a least a start in discovering the meaning in human life, when we plant shade trees under which we know full well we will never sit.”

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The Law of The Big MO

Momentum Is A Leaders Best Friend

Why is momentum a leaders best friend? Many times momentum is the only thing that makes the difference between losing and winning. When you have no momentum, even the simplest tasks seem impossible. Small problems look insurmountable. Morale is low. The future appears dark.

On the other hand when you have momentum on your side, the future looks bright, obstacles seem small, and troubles seem inconsequential. Here are seven (7) insights about momentum.

Momentum Is The Great Exaggerator

We see this in the sports world many times. It seems when momentum shows up, every shot is made and every obstacle is conquered. In this sense momentum is like a magnifying glass, it makes things seem larger than they really are.

Momentum Makes Leaders Look Better Than They Are

When leaders have momentum on their side, people think they are geniuses. They look past their shortcomings. They forget the mistakes the leader made. Momentum changes everyone’s perspective of a leader. People like associating with a winner.

Momentum Helps Followers Perform Better Than They Are

Average people can perform far above average in an organization with great momentum. When leadership is strong and there is momentum in an organization, people are motivated and inspired to perform at higher levels.

Momentum Is Easier To Steer Than To Start

If you have ever been water-skiing, you know that it is harder to get up on the water than to steer once you are up on top. Getting started is a struggle, once you are moving you can do some amazing things.

Momentum Begins Inside The Leader

It has been said that you cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it burns within yours. People do what people see! If you are not sold on the idea, no will follow.

Momentum Is The Most Powerful Change Agent

It takes a leader to create momentum! The story of Steve Jobs buying the computer graphics division from Lucasfilm Ltd and renamed Pixar – well the rest is history.

Momentum Is The Leaders Responsibility

It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers can catch it. Management can use it to their benefit. Everyone reaps the benefits. Creating momentum starts with a visionary leader. If th

The Law of Priorities

Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment

Stephen Covey once exclaimed, “A leaders is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation and yells, ‘Wrong jungle!’” There are times that you must evaluate and re-prioritize the direction of your life. John Maxwell gives us a three step process of evaluation.

What is Required?

The key question is, “What must I do that no one else can do for me?” If we are doing something that is not necessary, then get rid of it. As you get older your list of things that only you can do should be getting shorter.

What Gives The Greatest Return?

People are more productive and more content when their work is within their natural gifting and strengths. Ideally leadership should get out of their comfort zone and stay in their strength zone.

What Brings The Greatest Reward?

Tim Redmond of the Leadership Institute stated “There are many things that catch my eye, but there are only a few things that will catch my heart.” Life is too short to do things that you do not love or enjoy.

The Law of Sacrifice

A Leader Must Give Up To Go Up

He are four key things to understand about the Law of Sacrifice.

There Is No Success Without Sacrifice

Every person who has ever obtained success in life has made great sacrifice. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “For everything you have missed, you have gained something else and for everything you have gained, you lose something.” Life is a series of trade-offs, one thing for another.

Leaders Are Often Asked To Give Up More Than Others

The heart of leadership is putting others ahead of yourself. It’s doing what is best for the team. It has been said that becoming a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself.

You Must Keep Giving Up To Stay Up

If leaders must give up to go up, then they have to give up even more to stay up. Sacrifice is an ongoing process, not a one-time payment. Many times we assume that if we win big once, we can duplicate that win over again.

The Higher The Level of Leadership The Greater The Sacrifice

Think about an auction. The higher the bid the fewer the people that are willing to pay. Think about the highest position of leadership in our nation – the Office of President. Have you considered the sacrifice to be in that office?

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The Law of The Picture

People Do What People See

The Leaders effective modeling of the vision makes the picture come alive! The mission provides the purpose, the vision provides the picture, and the strategy provides the plan. Author Hans Finzel stated, “Leaders are paid to be dreamers. The higher you go in leadership, the more your work is about the future.

If you desire to be the best leader that you can become, you cannot ignore the Law of The Picture. As you strive for mastery remember these four insights.

Followers Are Always Watching What You Do

Followers may doubt what their leaders says, but they usually believe what they do. General Colin Powell observed, that you can issue all of the memos and give all of the motivational speeches you want, but until people see you put forth your best, they will not either.

It’s Easier To Teach What’s Right Than Do What’s Right

Mark Twain stated to do what is right is wonderful. To teach what is right is even more wonderful and much easier. Norman Vincent Peale stated, “nothing is more confusing that people who give good advise but set a bad example.” In other words Leaders tell but never teach until they practice what they preach.

We Should Work on Changing Ourselves Before Trying To Improve Others

As leaders the first person that I need to lead is myself. The first person I should try to change is myself. My standards of excellence should be higher for myself than those I set for others. To remain a credible leader I must work first, hardest, and longest on changing myself.

The Most Valuable Gift That A Leader Can Give Is Being A Good Example

The number one characteristic quality most admired in leaders is that they lead by example. Following behind this quality by 7% is a leaders ethics and morals, followed by 9% is a leaders business knowledge. Do you get the idea that leaders lead first.

The Law of Buy-In

People Buy Into The Leader, Then The Vision

The leader finds a dream then the people. The people find a leader then the vision. The truth of the matter is that people follow worthy causes and then follow leaders who promote those worthy causes. Consider the following:

LEADER  +          VISION  =            RESULTS

Don’t Buy In       Don’t Buy In        Get Another Leader

Don’t Buy In        Buy In                 Get Another Leader

Buy In                  Don’t Buy In       Get Another Vision

Buy In                  Buy In                  Get Behind The Leader

As leaders your success is measured by your ability to actually take people where they need to go. But you can only do that if people buy into you first.

The Law of Victory

Leaders Find A Way For The Team To Win

Victorious leaders possess an unwillingness to accept defeat. The alternative to winning is totally unacceptable to them.

Winston Churchill once declared; “What is our aim? I can answer in one word: VICTORY! – victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.” There are three components of Victory.

UNITY OF VISION

Teams succeed only when the players have a unified vision, no matter how much talent or potential there is.

DIVERSITY OF SKILLS

A Team does not win a championship if its players are working from different agendas. No Business succeeds with just sales without accountants, or non-profits succeeding as fund-raisers without visionary purpose. Diverse talent is needed to succeed. The difference maker is that we are pulling in the same visionary pathway.

A LEADER DEDICATED TO VICTORY

Lou Holtz stated, “You have got to have great athletes to win. I don’t care who the coach is. You can’t win without good athletes, but you can lose with them. This is where coaching makes the difference.” In other words you always must have good leadership insure victory!

LINKS

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The Law of Connection

Leaders Touch A Heart Before They Ask For A Hand

You cannot move people to action unless you first move them with emotion. The heart comes before the head. The stronger the relationship and connection between individuals, the more likely the follower will want to help the leader. As a leader you develop credibility with people when you connect wit them and show that you genuinely care and want to help them. Here are eight guidelines in effectively connecting with people.

1.Connect With Yourself – You must know who you are and have confidence in yourself if you desire to connect with others

2.Communicate With Openness and Sincerity – Legendary NFL coach Bill Walsh observed, “Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment.”

3.Know Your Audience – When working with individuals, knowing your audience leans learning their names, know their history, and know their hopes and dreams.

4.Live Your Message – The most important thing that you can do as a leader is to live out the message that you speak. This is where credibility comes from.

5.Go To Where They Are – Get out from behind the desk as often as you can and connect with people without a barrier between you and your audience.

6.Focus On Others, Not Yourself – Focusing on others instead of yourself is the number #1 problem of inexperienced leaders.

7.Believe In Others – It is one thing to communicate with others because you believe you have something to say. It is another matter to communicate with people because you believe they have value.

8.Offer Direction and Hope – People simply expect leaders to help them get to where they want to go.

The Law of The Inner Circle

A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him

Perhaps Mother Teresa said it best, “You can do what I cannot do and I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.” Who are you attracting to your inner circle? Here are five insights on selecting inner circle members.

1.Do They They Have High Influence With Others? You want someone on your team that will have the ability to influence other people

2.Do They Bring A Complimentary Gift To The Table? Bring people into your inner circle that compliment your weaknesses.

3.Do They Hold A Strategic Position Within The Organization? Some people belong in your inner circle because of their strategic importance. These people do for you what would otherwise take twice as long for you to do. You become the Lid in your organization without them.

4.Do They Add Value To Me and The Organization? Previously we discussed the Law of Addition and how people either add, subtract, multiply or divide. The people in your inner circle must be multipliers. They should have a proven track record as an asset to the organization.

5.So They Positively Impact Other Inner Circle Members? Obviously you desire a good fit. But most of all you want your inner members to make each other better.

The Law of Empowerment

Only Secure Leaders Give Power To Others

Theodore Roosevelt once stated, “The best executive is the one who has the sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

Leading well is not about enriching yourself – it is about empowering others! Only empowered people can reach their potential. When a leader can’t or want empower others, he is creating a barrier. Here are three significant barriers.

The Fear of Losing What We Have – We foolishly say at times, what if I work myself out of a job? The opposite is more true – if you keep raising up leaders and empowering them, you will develop a pattern of achievement.

Resistance To Change – John Steinbeck once wrote, “It is the nature of a man as he grows older to protest against change, particularly change for the better.”

Lack of Self Worth – Self-conscious people are rarely good leaders because they focus on themselves and what others think.

Admiral Stockdale declared, “Leadership must be based on goodwill….It means obvious and wholehearted commitment to helping others….What we need for leaders are individuals of heart who are so helpful they do away with the need of a job. Leaders like this are never without a job and never out of followers. Leaders gain authority by giving it away!

LINKS

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The Law of Respect

People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves

The more leadership ability a person has, the more quickly he recognizes leadership or the lack in others. Here are six ways that a leader can gain respect.

Natural Leadership Ability – Some people are born with greater leadership ability. All leaders are not created equally. If you possess a natural ability as a leader people will want to follow you. Be careful to not rely on talent alone!

Respect For Others – Dictators and autocratic leaders rely on violence and intimidation to get people to follow. When leaders take the time to show respect for others of lesser positions than their, people will respect and honor you. When people respect you as a person they will admire you. When they respect you as a friend they love you. When they respect you as a leader they will follow you.

Courage – “A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing to occasionally stand alone” – Henry Kissinger. Great leaders do what’s right, even at the risk of failure, in the face of great danger and under the brunt of relentless criticism.

Success – Success is attractive. People are naturally drown to it. People naturally desire to be on winning teams!

Loyalty – We live in an era of free agency. The average worker will change jobs ten times before age 65. In an age of constant turnover and transition, loyalty is an asset.

Value Added To Others – Perhaps the greatest manner in which respect is earned – add value to people’s lives.

The Law of Intuition

Leaders Evaluate Everything With A Leadership Bias

Leaders look at everything differently than others do. They evaluate everything according to a leadership bias. They possess leadership intuition that informs everything they do. It is an inseparable part of who they are. People are intuitive in the area of their strengths. Consider these five aspects of intuition…

Leaders are readers of….

Their Situation – in all kinds of situations , leaders pick up on details that elude others. They tune in to leadership dynamics. You pick up on office chemistry faster than others.

Trends – Most people are focused on their work. Leaders spot trends before they happen. This keeps them ahead of others in planning and vision casting.

Their Resources – Leaders who want to succeed maximize every asset and resource they have for the benefit of their organization.

People – Reading people is perhaps the most intuitive skill of a leader. They sense what is happening in the room.

Themselves – Poet James Lowell stated, “No one can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself.”

The Law of Magnetism

Who You Are Is Who You Attract

What you want in leadership is not determined by your desire, but rather who you are. If you have ever recruited staff of built a team, you probably have noticed there are common areas of interests. Notice these key areas.

Generation

Most organizations reflect the characteristics of key leaders, including their age.

Attitude

Rarely have I ever seen a positive and negative people attracted to the same person.

Background

People attract and are attracted to others with similar backgrounds. The law of natural magnetism is so strong that organizations that value diversity have to fight against it.

Values

People are attracted to other people with similar values. You will not stay in an environment where you values are not aligned with the organization.

Energy

Rarely do you see a high energy and low energy person in a successful work relationship.

Giftedness

People do not look for mediocre people to follow after. People are attracted to talent and excellence.

Leadership Ability

People are naturally attracted to other leaders who skill set is similar to their own.

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!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:44 — 18.1MB) | Embed

The Law of Navigation

Anyone Steer the Ship, but it Takes a Leader to Chart The Course

Consider these four insights on becoming a Navigator

Navigators See The Trip Ahead

Former CEO of GE, Jack Welch stated, “A good leader remains focused….Controlling your direction is better than being controlled by it.” Leroy Eims would would say it this way, “A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and see before others do.”

Navigators Draw on Past Experience

Every past success and failure you’ve experienced can be a valuable source of information and wisdom. Successes teach you what you are capable of doing and gives you confidence. However, your failures teach you a greater lesson in life. They reveal wrong assumptions, character flaws, errors in judgment and they teach you poor work habits. Many people cover up their failures without ever learning anything from them. It is important to develop the discipline of REFLECTIVE THINKING!

• Gives you true perspective
• Gives you emotional integrity to your thought life
• Increases your confidence in decision making
• Clarifies the big picture
• Takes a good experience and makes it a valuable experience

Navigators Examine the Conditions Before Making Commitments

Drawing on experience means looking inward. Examining conditions means looking outward. The cost is evaluated before decisions are made. This means that inventory is made of finances, resources, and talent along with the intangibles such as timing, morale, momentum, and culture.

Navigators Listen To What Others Have To Say

No matter how much you have learned form the past, it will never tell you all that you need to know for the present. No matter how good the leader you are, you yourself will not have all of the answers. This is why that top leaders gather information from many sources, starting with their own team.

The Law of Addition

Leaders Add Value by Serving Others

The bottom line in leadership is not how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others! The key question here is; “Are you making things better for the people who follow you. Consider that 90% of all people who add value to others do so intentionally. By nature we are self-centered. Consider these four (4) insights on adding value to others.

We Add Value to Others When We Truly Value Others

Former chairman of Hyatt Hotels, Darryl Hartley Leonard stated, “When a person moves into a position of authority, they give up the right to abuse other people.”

We Add Value To Others When We Make Ourselves More Valuable To Others

The whole idea of adding value to other people depends on the idea that you have something of value to add. You cannot give what you do not possess. What is your personal growth plan for this year? If you can’t articulate it on paper, you are only day-dreaming.

We Add Value To People When We Know and Relate To What Others Value

Inexperienced leaders are quick to lead before knowing anything about the people they intend to lead. But mature leaders listen, learn, and then lead. Learn to lead based upon what you learn about the people you are asking to follow you.

We add Value To Others When We Do Things That God Values

I believe that God desires that we not only treat people with respect, but also actively reach out to them and serve them. The standard of our conduct influences everything that we do, especially our leadership.

The Law of Solid Ground

Trust Is The Foundation of Leadership

How important is trust to a leader? It is the most important thing. To build trust a leader must exhibit competence, connection, and character. Character is what makes trust possible. Trust is what makes leadership possible. Consider the following three insights on character.

Character Communicates Consistency

Leaders without inner strength can’t be counted on day after day because of their ability to perform changes constantly.

Character Communicates Potential

It was said once that “No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character. Poor character is like a ticking bomb. It is only a matter of time before it blows up a person’s ability to perform and the capacity to lead.

Character Communicates Respect

How do leaders earn respect? By making sound decisions, by admitting their mistakes, and by putting what it best for their followers and the organization ahead of their personal agendas.

The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried is the character of a man – J.R. Miller

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!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:27 — 27.0MB) | Embed

THE LAW OF THE LID

Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid of potential. The higher the individual’s ability to lead, the higher the lid on his potential.

I believe that success is within the reach of just about everyone. But I also believe that personal success without leadership ability brings limited effectiveness. Without leadership ability, a person’s impact is only a fraction of what it could be with good leadership. The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be.

Leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizational effectiveness. Personal and organizational effectiveness is proportionate to the strength of the leader. Things you can do to raise your lid

1. Value experience with reflection

2. Invest in training

3. Mentorship/Coaching

4. Mastermind/Focus

5. Do something beyond yourself

6. Reflect on who has been a lid lifter in your life. What characteristics make them a lid lifter?

7. Make a “STOP DOING” list

The Law of Influence

The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence – Nothing More, Nothing Less. If you do not have influence you will never be able to lead others. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only thing that a title can do it to buy a little time. Either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it. I want to offer seven (7) factors that comprise effective leaders.

Character – True leadership always begins with the inner person.

Relationships – You are a leader only if you have followers, and that requires that you develop relationships.

Knowledge – You must grasp the facts, understand the dynamic factors and a timing, and a vision for the future.

Intuition – Leaders seek to recognize and influence intangibles such as energy, morale, timing, and momentum.

Experience – Experience doesn’t guarantee credibility, but it encourages people to give you a chance to prove that you are capable.

Past Success – Nothing speaks to followers like a good track record.

Ability – The bottom line for followers is what a leader is capable of.

Psychologist Harry Ovestreet observed that the very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.

The Law of Process

Leadership Develops Daily, Not In A Day

In a study of ninety top leaders, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus discovered a relationship between growth and leadership. They wrote, “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.” Simply stated, leaders are learners. The learning process is ongoing as a result of self-discipline and perseverance. The key problem is that most people overestimate the importance of events and underestimate the power of the process. We live in an era of instant gratification. Here is a five (5) phase process of leadership growth.

1. I Don’t Know What i Don’t Know – As long as a person doesn’t know what he doesn’t know he isn’t going to grow.
2. I Know That I Need to Know – Benjamin Disraeli stated, “To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step to knowledge.
3. I Know What I Don’t Know – The million dollar question is, “Can you put in writing your personal growth plan?”
4. I Know and Grow, and It Starts To Show – When you begin daily discipline of personal growth, exciting things start to happen. It has been said that the secret of success in life is for a person to be ready for their time when it comes.
5. I Simply Go Because of What I Know – It during this phase that your leading becomes almost automatic. You must be willing to pay the process of daily preparation for this to become reflexive.

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!