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Truth #2 – Credibility Is The Foundation of Leadership

If leadership begins with a belief in yourself, then leadership continues only if other people believe in you. All of the leadership ideas, books, blogs, audios, seminars, and websites are meaningless unless people believe in the people who are supposed to follow believe in the person who is supposed to lead. The truth is that credibility is the foundation of leadership. This truth is inescapable!

Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. You cannot have one with the other.

Leadership strategies, tactics, skills and practices are empty without an understanding of the fundamental dynamics of this relationship. In every relationship people have expectations of each other. Sometimes these expectations are voiced and others times they are subtle. To understand this dynamic there has been an ongoing research that started in 1980 to the present, attempting discover what followers expect of their leaders. Year after year the results have remained the same with only slight variations of order. Keep in mind the chart below has survived the rotary dial telephone through our modern digital age and yet we still are looking for the same things in a leader.

The respondents from six continents were asked to select seven characteristics. While each characteristic received some votes what is the most striking is that only four have received continually an average of over 60% of the votes. Before anyone is going to willing follow you as a leader they want to know that you are honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent. In other words before people are going to voluntarily heed your advise, take your direction, accept your guidance, trust your judgment, support your ideas, or implement your strategies people expect you to measure up to these four criteria.

Consider the essence of these four characteristics.

• Being Honest – This obviously means telling the truth and having ethical principles and clear standards by which you live your life.
• Being Forward–Looking – This implies that you have a sense of direction and a concern for the future of the organization. Understand that it is not just about the vision of the organization, but does your vision align with the hopes, dreams and aspirations of those who are following.
• Being Inspired – Do you have a genuine and excitement about future possibilities? Your energy signals your personal commitment. Your optimism signals your hope about tomorrow. You have to give people a reason that their past does not hinder their tomorrows.
• Being Competent – This implies that you have a track record and an ability to get things done. People have to believe that you know what you are talking about.

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There are so many compelling voices about leadership. With so many books, seminars, and denominationalisms we need to peal off some these layers and get at the heart/essence of leadership competencies that are true no matter who or where they lead.

Truth #1 – Making A Difference As A Leader

Every leadership decision that you will ever make in life is based upon one “Big-Hairy-Audacious-Assumption” – You Matter! It is not a question of “Will I make a difference?” Rather it is, “What difference will I make?” This became the compelling question of a fourth grader named Melissa Poe in Nashville, Tennessee. After watching a documentary on pollution and its future impact, she was motivated by the question What difference will I make?……

…..Her response was to start a club called “Kids F.A.C.E. (Kids For A Clean Environment). This fourth grader started with her friends and grew to over 500,000 globally. At the age of seventeen as she resigned her position as a child CEO of her non-profit she stated; “Change does not begin with someone else. Change begins in your own backyard, no matter your age or size….Everything you need you already have. It’s about taking the first step.” Melissa’s message shines the light on an enduring leadership truth. You do not have to look up for leadership. You do not have to look out for leadership. You only have to look inward. You have the potential to lead others to places they have never been before. Leadership begins with you.

Melissa’s example leads us to understand that leadership role models are local. After analyzing the data points of thirty years of research and over one million people globally, Kouze and Posner discovered some amazing insights pertaining to role models in our lives. Note the chart below….

No matter whether you are under or over thirty years of age, the most important role model is a family member – Mother or Father. Take note of the over thirty group; Business Leaders are more likely to be influencers by a 50% margin over Community and/or Religious leaders in the under thirty group. These data points that are charted can be deflating to non-profit leaders. We have a choice, we can either curse the darkness or speak to the light. The dominant question becomes “What are the best practices of leaders that people willingly follow?” Kouze and Posner suggest five best practices that have emerged from their thirty-year study:

Model The Way

Inspire A Shared Vision

Challenge The Process

Enable Others To Act

Encourage The Heart

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Leadership Principles They Did Not Teach You In School

Leadership involves moving people from their current position to a preferred future. This process of moving people requires certain qualities and practices from the person influencing/leading. This presumes there are qualities and practices that will not motivate others to follow your vision for a preferred future. There are some inherent laws of relationship building and influencing that cannot be ignored.

The insights in this presentation is not from a fictitious “Leadership For Dummies,” or “Leadership Made Simple In 3 Steps,” or “Leadership How To…”

There are no short cuts to leadership development. You cannot fast track your way to excellence!

Discipline sounds like a curse word at times, but it is inescapable. Leadership is a noble discipline that is not to be entered into casually or frivolously. You must be willing to accept that there are skills, techniques, and practices that require you to master if you are to become a leader that people willingly follow.

Aristotle once stated, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit!”

James Kouze and Barry Posner have dedicated their life to the study of best practices of successful leaders that people are willing to follow. Their research has spanned over thirty years and every continent. This research is not just for-profit enterprise but universally cuts across all geographical, ethnic boundaries, or faith persuasion. John Maxwell is a global influencer that has been given the title “Leadership Guru” nine years in a row by the Fortune 100 companies in the world. Kouze and Posner were mentors to John Maxwell. John Maxwell has been invited to influence the national leadership of twenty-seven countries of the world. Michael Hyatt former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers is also a global influencer in the disciplines of leadership with over one million followers.

When these principles and practices are filtered through spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting you realize that God will take truths and use them for eternal outcomes. The end result will be a spiritual leader that has a compelling eternal message that people willingly follow. So that the obvious is not ignored, I am not implying that everyone will follow. I am saying that when leadership principles are applied you exponentially increase the possibility that people willing follow you. To illustrate the importance of this material consider….

• James Dobson’s article Shuffling Deck Chairs on The Titanic still rings true. He states there are an average of 1500 ministers leaving monthly.
• Tom Rainer wrote the average length of ministerial career is 14 years from beginning to end. It is no longer a life call.
• According to Aubrey Malphurs the majority of minister’s spouses want out of the ministry if they could only find a way to support themselves and their children.
• The North American culture is becoming more and more hostile to the voice and presence of faith-based anything. We are not in Jerusalem, but Babylon.

The question remains, “How do leaders lead in a shifting marketplace?” Another church model may help, but models are not the primary drivers of leadership. Operating models are more a function of managing and not leading. A compelling vision that people willingly follow begins with the leader. Otherwise we are destined to chase models as our controlling vision instead of casting a compelling vision first, then the model.

John Maxwell has it right, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” As men and women of God that are called to be the “watchmen” on the wall of a rapidly changing cultural environment, announcing the good-news of the gospel of Christ, we must own our responsibility to become the leader that people will follow. The heart of this material will focus upon fundamental truths of leadership they did not teach in seminary or any conference for that matter.

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Each of the five levels of leadership has a downside. The interesting note at Level 5 is that fewer leaders succumb to these downsides because few every reach this level. I want to mention three negatives for awareness should you reach this level of leading.

1.Being on the Pinnacle can make you think you have arrived – In the book by Jim Collins, How The Mighty Fall, he writes those who fall often have an entitlement mind-set, bolstered by arrogance. People at this level often feel they have nothing else to learn in life. May I suggest that if you are through learning, then you are through.

2.Being on the Pinnacle can lead you to believe your own press – remember that you started on the bottom like everyone else and worked your way to this moment of life. You had to prove your worth. Be confident, but remain humble first.

3.Being on the Pinnacle can make you lose focus – Lee Iacocca became a “rock-star” in the business world for savoring Chrysler/Dodge in the first half of his tenure. In the second half, Chrysler lost 31% of market share and retired in disgrace.

Here are six suggestions on how to do something that is greater than yourself.

Make Room For Others At The Top

Most leader make it their priority to cultivate followers instead of leaders. When you do this you do not create enough room for leadership development. When you develop leaders you increase the capacity of influence thereby increasing the size and reach of the organization. As a leader your desire is to be succeeded instead of always being needed. That means you have to give away power instead of hoarding it.

Continually Mentor Potential Level 5 Leaders

Who will be your successor and where are you going to find such a person? The answer lies within those leaders that you are attempting to take with you. If you are the star at the top and it is all about you – your accomplishments will fade because you failed to take the time to invest in others.

Create an Inner Circle That Will Keep You Grounded

Inner circle members help take organizations to new heights. Jim Collins in his book How The Mighty Fall, writes about erosion of healthy teams in highly successful organizations – “There is a marked decline in the quality and amount of dialogue and debate; there is a shift toward either consensus or dictatorial management rather than a process of argument and disagreement followed by unified commitment to execute decisions.”

Do Things For The Organization That Only Level 5 Leaders Can Do

At Level 5 you see things and do things that cannot be done at any other level of leadership development. This is not about creating and leading for your sake. Create and do things that influence the masses – this is legacy building!

Plan For Your Succession

Leaving a successor is the last great gift that you can give an organization. Leadership transitions must be planned and executed. Lorin Woolfe writes, “The ultimate test of a leader is not whether they made smart decisions and took bold action. Rather it whether they taught people to continue the success of the organization after they are gone. EGO has no place at Level 5 leading!

Leave A Positive Legacy

Someone asked Billy Graham what was the one surprising discovery he had made in life. He responded, The brevity of life!” Life is short and who will you entrust to continue the mission of the organization? Keep in mind that your legacy is the sum total of your whole life, not just a few highlights. What will your legacy become? Decide today! Then take action each and every day to leave that legacy behind.

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Pinnacle Leadership Creates a Level 5 Organization

While many company’s and non-profits struggle to exist, there are a few rare examples of organizations that excel at a high level. General Electric would be one company that stands out level 5 organization. Credit is given to former CEO Jack Welch who placed a high premium upon developing people to become Level 4 leaders. Jack Welch believed that leaders produce leaders. Level 5 leaders have grown through the various levels of leading and they practice leading at a very high level. With the development of each leader and the pursuit of every opportunity, the organization becomes stronger. Given enough time developing leaders becomes part of the organizations DNA!

Pinnacle Leadership Creates a Legacy Within The Organization

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in others the convictions and the will to carry on.” – Walter Lippman. If you reach the Pinnacle of leadership, you have an opportunity to make an impact beyond your tenure and possible beyond your lifetime. Level 5 leadership is measured in the caliber of the leaders that you leave behind not the caliber of your own leadership. These leaders in turn will influence the next generation of leaders that are coming.

Larry Bossidy former CEO of AlliedSignal stated; “How am I doing as a leader? The answer is how the people you lead are doing. Do they learn? Do they manage conflict? Do they initiate change? You will not remember when you retire what you did in the first quarter of 1994….What you will remember is how many people your developed.”

Pinnacle Leadership Provides an Extended Platform for Leading

In America we believe that every person has the right to speak. But that does not mean that you have a right to be heard. Level 5 leaders have earned that right. Others will seek you out to gain your insight and perspectives. Think about the great leaders of government, business, and faith. Their influence far surpasses the organizations they led. Nelson Mandela had few boundaries – everyone respected him. Jack Welch is no longer at General Electric, but is sought internationally for his insight and wisdom. Billy Graham was sought by numerous Presidents for his spiritual wisdom and prayers.

No matter where you are in your leadership journey, I would encourage you to keep learning. Do not lead others for the sake of your benefit. Teach others to lead so that you can enter the “RETURNING” phase of life. They take your teaching and return it to you by investing in people in their sphere of influence. THAT IS THE BIG RUSH IN LIFE!!!

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ONLY LEADERS CAN DEVELOP OTHER PEOPLE TO BECOME LEADERS!

Nobody understands leadership until he or she does it…

• It takes a leader to KNOW a leader (Recruiting & Positioning)
• It takes a leader to SHOW a leader (Modeling & Equipping)
• It takes a leader to GROW a leader (Developing, Empowering, & Measuring)

If you desire to make the most of People Development at level 4 and you desire to raise others to lead, then this podcast will focus upon 7 guidelines to accomplish that goal.

RECRUITING – Finding The Best People Possible

Bobby Bowden stated that you get the best players and coach them soundly, you are going to win. Coach Bowden’s statement reveals a leadership axiom; You cannot develop people without potential no matter how hard you work at it.

POSITIONING – Placing the Right People in The Right Places

Red Auerbach, famous NBA Coach with 16 championships shared that putting the best 5 players he has on the court is not the key to success. It is putting the best 5 players on the court who can work together will bring success. This requires positioning people, moving people around until you have that mix for winning. As a leader you must remember that positioning people is a process and you have to treat it that way. If you choose not to, you will never help people reach their potential and you will never create a team of championship caliber.

MODELING – Showing Others How To Lead

Here are six characteristics for modeling leadership:

• Authenticity – This is the foundation for developing people.
• Servanthood – This is the soul for developing people.
• Growth – This is the measurement for developing people.
• Excellence – This is the standard for developing people.
• Passion – This is the fuel for developing people.
• Success – This is the purpose for developing people.

EQUIPPING – Helping Others Do Their Job Well

It is not enough to tell people what people what they need to do. That is not developing potential. Instead a leader must help people do their jobs and do it well. Peter Drucker stated the largest single source of failed promotion is the failure to think through and help others to think through what a new job requires.

DEVELOPING – Teaching Them To Do Life Well

One of the common recurring themes that leaders from across America say is, how talented people in their 20’s are and how few life skills they possess. Some have suggested the breakdown of the family and a lack of strong fathers being present as part of the problem. The Greek Philosopher Socrates states, “The individual leads in order that those who are led can develop their potential as human beings and thereby prosper.” This process requires assessment, challenging, and supporting.

EMPOWERING – Enabling People To Succeed

President Theodore Roosevelt stated once, “The best executive is the one who has 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.” I must admit that it is hard not to meddle. Yet releasing work to be done by others is an essential link to empowerment and and ultimately developing them as leaders.

MEASURING – Evaluating Those Whom You Develop to Maximize Their Efforts

The Center for Organizational Effectiveness in Cincinnati, Ohio suggests there are different degrees of ability when it comes to empowerment, based upon how independently a team member can work. Here are six areas by which this is determined:

• Look into it. Report. I’ll decide what to do.
• Look into it. Report alternatives with pros and cons and your recommendations.
• Look into it. Let me know what you intend to do and do it unless I say no.
• Take action. Let me know what you did.
• Take action. No further contact required.

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Leading on Level 4 requires high levels of maturity and skill. There are reasons that many leaders do not develop people. It is not easy! Consider these 4 primary causes that leaders breakdown at Level 4.

Self Centeredness can cause leaders to neglect people development – Maturity is the ability to think beyond yourself and to see things from another persons perspective. Said another way, when you become a leader you give up the right to think about yourself. If you are going to be successful at Level 4 leading you probably should devote 80% of your energy to helping others grow, learn, and achieve. If you focus is always on yourself and what you want then people become obstacles to your goals! Author Max Depree states the leader is the servant who removes obstacles that prevent people from doing their jobs. Perhaps the most famous statement on servant leadership is from Zig Ziglar, “If you will help others get what they want, they will help you get what you want.”

Insecurity can make leaders feel threatened by people development – Wayne Schmidt former Vice President of Wesley Seminary in Indiana stated “no amount of personal competency can compensate for personal insecurity.” Insecure leaders sabotage themselves and others. The leader focuses so heavily on his position there is little time to invest in others. If you suspect that your insecurities are preventing you from moving up to the People Development level of leadership, then be prepared to do some work in the following three areas – Ego, Control, and Trust. Jack Welch former CEO of General Electric sums these three areas by stating, “A leader’s role is not to control people or stay on top of things, but rather to guide, energize, and to excite.”

Shortsightedness can keep leaders from seeing the need for people development – How many times have you considered giving something to do and instead thought; it’s easier to just do it myself? We have all said and done this. To become a developer of people you have to adopt a LONG-TERM mindset. Doing work yourself is always faster and easier, but it is also short-term thinking! As a leader you must adopt a long-term mind-set for developing other people. If you pay the price on the front-end, the dividends. Shortsightedness like insecurity and selfishness is another sign of immaturity in a leader. When you choose to help another person become a competent leader, almost always it will take longer than you think and more difficult than you expect. YOU MUST DO IT ANYWAY! Otherwise you limit the potential for yourself, the people on your team, and the organization you are attempting to lead.

Lack of commitment can keep leaders from doing the hard of people development – Nearly anyone can lead others positionally. Many people can lead others relationally. Few people can be productive and put a team together to achieve goals. But very few people are both able and willing to develop others to become leaders. This is why most leaders will only lead followers. It takes tremendous effort to lead leaders!

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Level 4 leadership is about bringing out the best in other people. When this is achieved you bring our the best in the team. This will require time, energy, money, and thinking into growing others as leaders. To underscore the importance of leading at this level Peter Drucker offers some insights that are worth listening to: Making the right people decisions is the ultimate means of controlling an organization well such decisions reveal how competent management is, what its values are, and whether it takes its job seriously. No matter how hard managers try to keep their decisions a secret, people decisions cannot be hidden. They are eminently visible…”

Consider 5 insights regarding being a people developer as a leader.

People Development Sets You Apart from Most Leaders

Most leaders are looking for ways to grow their organizations through production – Level 3. How do you grow your organization? By growing the people in it. If you are very serious about this, then grow not just people but leaders leaders. Denis Waitley, author, suggests that leading at this level requires that as a leader you belief that you are worth the time, effort and energy. This in turn splashes over to believing that others are valuable, there dreams are worth listening to, your time investment into that person will produce a return for the organization.

People Development Assures That Growth Can Be Sustained

Sustaining growth is not easy. Many new-starts fail within the first months of existence. Even companies who have declared their products and services as “built to last” don’t last. In the book, Flight of The Buffalo, the authors suggest that instead of leading from “head-buffalo” that we should start leading more like a flock of geese in the v-formation. In this paradigm shift they offer these 4 insights:

1.Leaders should transfer ownership for work to those who execute the work

2.Leaders create the environment for ownership where each person wants to be responsible

3.Leaders coach the development of personal capacities

4.Leaders learn fast themselves and encourage others to learn quickly.

When this approach is taken then everyone has the potential to lead in some area or capacity.

Don’t allow yourself to become the lid on your organization. Give it the best chance for a bright future by developing other leaders.

People Development Empowers Others to Fulfill Their Leadership Responsibilities

Many leaders invariably become the lid on their organizations. When you cannot lead others to reach their potential everything suffers. This is called the Peter Principle – people rise to the level of their incompetence. You must help people break through this organizational lid. It starts with the leader that invests in other people’s potential and fulfilling their dreams.

People Development Empowers the Leader to Lead Larger

Many leaders do not want to share responsibility with others because they don’t want to lose their power. When you make a choice to share leadership with others, it does not take anything away from you. Instead you get something in return that only comes by developing others – it gives you back time. Other people expand their territory and thereby expand yours as a leader. This frees you to do other important tasks and dream new dreams. If you truly want to be an effective leader you have to move from being a perfectionist to pragmatist.

People Development Provides Great Personal Fulfillment

Howard Schultz founder of Starbucks stated, “Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from one person, but from joint achievements of many. The euphoria is lasting when all participants lead with their hearts, winning not just for themselves but for one another.”

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Moving up to Level 3 leadership based on solid relationships of Level 2 leadership is no small feat. Many people find themselves incapable of leading at this level. If you are one that has achieved this new level, here are six insights on maximizing your accomplishment.

Understand How Your Personal Giftedness Contributes To The Vision

How would you describe your strength zone? Is it writing content to help others, connecting people through relationships key note speaker? Having this information helps you to stay focused on the development of your talents. Many people suggest that you should work on your weaknesses to excel in life. I would suggest the opposite – hire somebody to do the work for you in your weak areas and stay focused upon your strength zone. Learn to let things that you will never be good. If you want your team to be good at what they do, then you need to become good at what you do. Productivity starts with the leader. Focus here first and then you will have opportunities to help others improve and help them reach their potential.

Cast A Vision for What Needs TO Be Accomplished

Vision casting is an integral part of leading. Fuzzy communication leads to unclear direction which produces sloppy execution. Leaders show how short term impacts the long term. A compelling vision is clear and well defined, expansive and challenging at the same time. Consider these three truths.

• Leaders help people define the success of the vision. Help your team see what success looks in your non-profit. As a leader if you do not define the target you are aiming at, how do you expect others to be successful?
• Leaders help people commit to the success of the vision. The commitment of the team begins with the commitment of the leader. Teams do not win without leaders that are dedicated to advancing their non-profit toward the vision. Make the vision clear!
• Level 3 leaders help people experience success. Few things in life inspire people quite like victory. The job of the leader is to help the team succeed. If you want your team to be inspired to win, then reward the smaller daily victories that your team achieves.

Begins To Develop Your People Into A Team

Becoming a good team is always greater than the sum of its parts and is able to accomplish more than individuals working alone. Consider these four truths.

• Team members should compliment one another – Team leaders should make that happen. Stephen Covey stated that “the job of a leader is to build a complementary team where every strength is made effective and each weakness is made irrelevant. John Wooden stated once the one who scores a basket has ten hands.
• Team members should understand their mission – Team leaders should make that happen. Good leaders never assume their team understands the mission. Don’t assume that everyone knows what you are thinking – speak clearly and help people to see how their talents is moving the team toward the goal.Prioritize The Things That Yield High Return

  What is the key to being productive? PRIORITIZING! Jim Collins in his book Good To Great states that we try to build momentum by doing, doing, doing, and doing some more. This rarely works. TO become great you have to STOP doing some things are start doing the right things – get rid of the junk!

• Team members should work in an environment conducive to growth and inspiration – Team leaders should make that happen. Criticizing and censuring everyone will diminish friends, increase enemies, and hurt your leadership – Ben Franklin. If the leader is open for growth, learning, and encouragement, the team will follow. Make no mistake developing a high performance team is hard work, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
• Team members should receive feedback about their performance – Team leaders should make that happen. Most people are willing to change if they are convinced that changing will help them win. Productive leaders take responsibility for walking team members through that process.

We need to learn to stay in the areas of strength and out of the areas of your weakness. This is a key to personal productivity. The Pareto Principle states that if you do the top 20% of your to-do-list it will yield an 80% return on your efforts. In order to do this you need to answer the following three questions:

1.What is required of me? (What I must do)

2.What gives me the greatest return? (What should I do)

3.What is the most rewarding to me? (What I love to do)

Be Willing and Ready to Be A Change Agent

Progress requires change! Change in any organization is always a leadership issue. It takes a leader to create positive change. Any leader who wants to make changes is tempted to point our differences and try to convince others that change is needed. That rarely works. Focus on the common ground areas. Consider the following:

VISION – When the vision is similar you can bet that people are standing together.

VALUES – It is difficult to travel with others very long if your values do not align.

RELATIONSHIPS – Great teams have people that are as committed to one another as they are the vision.

ATTITUDE – If you are going to get people to work together for positive change, their attitudes need to be positive and tenacious.

COMMUNICATION – For change to occur, communication must be open, honest, and ongoing. When people are in the dark they create their own storyline that may not align with the truth of the matter.

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So what are the upsides to Level 3 leadership? Here are six things to consider.

Leadership Production Gives Credibility to The Leader – The ability to produce has always been the separation line for success. Peter Drucker stated; “There are two types of people in the business community: those who produce and those who give you reasons why they didn’t.” Colin Powell apt stated; “You can issue all the memos and give all the motivational speeches you want, but if the rest do not see you putting forth your best effort every single day, they won’t either.” Level 3 leaders take people to where they want to go – they do not send them there.

Leadership Production Models and Sets The Standard for Others Visually – Productive people are leaders are an example to the people they lead. Their productivity sets the standard for the team. President Lincoln recognized this when he relived General John C. Fremont; “His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself and fails to allow people to see him. Productive leaders thrive on results from themselves and others. They show the way and others follow.

Leadership Brings Production Clarity and Reality To The Vision – Good leaders constantly communicate the vision of the organization They do it creatively, clearly, and continually. Level 3 leaders help people to see what productivity looks like. This brings the team one step closer to realizing their dreams of a fulfilling vision. This gives validation to the team members the in fact their work is making a difference. Understand that productivity expands the vision.

Leadership Production Solves A Multitude of Problems – Many people in leadership positions try to solve problems by using systems. Or they try to pay other people to solve their problems for them. But the truth of the matter is you cannot delegate the solving of your problems to someone else. You have to be presently active in the problem solving process. Historian Thomas Carlyle observed, “Nothing builds esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.”

Leadership Production Creates Momentum – When well-led organizations sustain high high morale and high productivity over time, they gain momentum. The BIG MO is a leaders best friend. Things go easier when momentum is on your side. Things are much harder otherwise. The vast majority of people don’t start or stop anything. They just go along for the ride. If momentum is moving they move with it. If is has stopped they stop. Their productivity is based upon someone else making things happen. All the more reason that good leaders are needed that produce and create a productive environment. Morale is defined as “faith in the leader.” Coach “bear” Bryant stated once, “Don’t worry about making friends; don’t worry about making enemies. Worry about winning, because if you win, your enemies can’t hurt you, and if you lose, your friends can’t stand you!”

Leadership Production Is The Foundation For Team-Building – Who wants to leave a championship team? NO ONE! People love being on a winning team. Winners attract all sorts of people. The key to building a winning team is recognizing, selecting quality people, and retaining good talent. Understand that having talented people does not equal success. Remember you can lose with good players on your team. But you cannot win without good people on your team.

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