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Questions For Healthy Leaders

Posted by on October 31, 2013

Many times in life we spend too much time answering the wrong questions. It really feels like progress but in the end we don’t accomplish the things in life that matter most. Jenni Catron writes great post that clarifies the questions we should be asking:

Most days I have more questions than I have answers.

I’m learning that leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s more about asking the right questions.

The trajectory of our leadership and the impact of our influence is contingent upon the type of questions we’re asking.

The types of questions you’re asking are indicative of whether your leadership is self-focused or others-focused.

The self-focused leader is asking things like:

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5 Ways Leaders Can Build Trust

Posted by on October 30, 2013

In the old days of leadership people simply led out of the power of their position and that was it. Today its more about influence and there is no greater factor in gaining influence than building trust with the people you lead. Joseph Lalonde talks about practical principles that allow us to create this valuable asset in leadership:

Trust is essential for any leader. Without trust, you can’t lead anyone willingly.

I started my new job July 29^th, 2013. I was nervous, excited, fearful, but most of all, ready for the challenge. I was scared because it’s something new. Anxiety and worries follow fear with any new endeavor. The combination of fear, anxiety, worries is a great recipe for mistakes and missed opportunities at a new job.

How To Accomplish Top 3 Goals Weekly

Posted by on October 28, 2013

Its amazing how on Monday we start out with such a clear focus on what we want to get done during the week only to end it wondering what happened to crash our plan. Casey Graham gives some very practical and helpful tips in this post to help us all be more productive.

Activity feels good, but doesn’t produce much. Results drive your business & life forward.

I have to constantly remind my team that sharing a list of activities with me doesn’t impress me, results do. Did you get it done or not? It’s pretty simple. However, we get sucked into activities that might be good, but they aren’t crucial. The larger the organization grows, the more pointless activity tends to happen.

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6 Ways To Build A Culture Of Feedback

Posted by on October 24, 2013

One of the most significant responsibilities of leaders is to build an organizational culture where the truth can be told. If leaders only want good news and they always shoot the messenger then no one will feel comfortable enough to take the risk of candid feedback. Eric Geiger offers some helpful tips:

Under the guise of “being nice,” many leaders fail to offer feedback to those they lead. Instead, they often ignore or work around the deficiency. Because feedback is an essential ingredient in development, teams and individuals suffer when leaders fail to provide it. So how do you, as a leader, develop a culture of feedback in the team that you lead? Here are six ways to increase the value of feedback among those you are leading:

Vision Casting To Yourself

Posted by on October 23, 2013

We as leaders know the value of casting vision to inspire our followers to accomplish great things together. The missing piece many times is we don’t know how to keep the passion alive in our own hearts that inspires us to really make a difference. Jenni Catron gives some practical insight in her latest post.

If you’re a leader, you understand the importance of vision casting. You frequently have to remind those you lead why they do what they do. You remind them of how every task, no matter how seemingly insignificant, ties back to the vision of your church or organization. It’s leadership 101.

You’ve likely worked hard to develop the skill of vision casting. Great leaders are masters of this art.

But how good are you at vision casting to yourself?

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Time Management Is Not The Issue

Posted by on October 16, 2013

Many times we work harder to only realize we are simply doing the wrong things faster. Great post by Mark Miller on what the real issue is that we must face.

Time is a leader’s most important asset. If we are effective as leaders, where we invest our time yields a return. However, many leaders, myself included, have often pursued a different path. We chased the holy grail of improving our time management skills. We were wrong.

How To Overcome Discouragement

Posted by on October 14, 2013

We all get discouraged at times and lose our momentum. Carey Nieuwhof offers several practical things that we can do to break the cycle and get back on track again.

Ever get discouraged as a leader? It’s kind of like asking if you have a pulse.

If you’ve led anything for more than a few months, you’ve been discouraged.

Progress isn’t happening as fast as you like

Or may it is happening quickly but you still feel like it’s not fast enough

You’re coming off a great season but you wonder if a slump is right around the corner

The voices of the critics are getting to you

In fact, some of you are discouraged enough right now that you’re thinking of packing it in.

Break Yourself To Improve Yourself

Posted by on October 3, 2013

The post by Joseph Lalonde deals with the need for brokenness and humility in our lives if we are ever going to reach our potential. It is painful at times but very necessary.

“There’s an age old saying that goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. For the most part, I agree with this saying. There’s nothing wrong with letting things stay at the status quo, as long as you’re good not seeing change.

However, for those that want to improve themselves, they know things need to change. And sometimes you need to break yourself to improve yourself.”

Categories: Personal Leadership Servant Leader | Comments Off on Break Yourself To Improve Yourself

8 Great Team Operating Principles

Posted by on October 2, 2013

The first thing I look for in putting together any team is the right chemistry for the particular task at hand. If the team is responsible for completing a construction project I need expertise and great project managers. When the assignment is to create a new vision statement I want very creative people that are willing to think outside the box.

One of the best books on team building is The Performance Factor by Pat MacMillan. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Team Resources Inc. an international consulting firm specializing in organizational and team development.

Regardless of the team dynamics and the task assignments there should be some guiding principles that give direction to all teams. The following list from MacMillan is the best one I have found and creates an environment of mutual respect that drives participation and performance:

We are open and honest with one another.
We treat each other with dignity and respect.
We listen to and respect each other’s ideas and opinions.
We hold confidences.
We honor our commitments.
We support and invest in each other’s development.
We routinely critique our processes.
We have fun.

If the team leader can model and get everyone to buy into these principles then the potential for a great outcome has dramatically increased. When teams often break down it has very little to do with the task at hand but with the way members communicate and relate to each other.

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4 Reasons Why Timing Is Everything

Posted by on September 27, 2013

In many situations leaders know what needs to be done to move forward and even how it should be done but they fail on the when it should be done question. If you try to put a major change initiative in place that is really needed but the climate for change is not urgent then a very good idea is going to die and the organization will continue to fail.

In John Maxwell’s book on The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership he talks about the Law of Timing. According to Maxwell great leaders recognize that 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 that can result:

The wrong action at the wrong time leads to disaster.
The right action at the wrong time brings resistance.
The wrong action at the right time is a mistake.
The right action at the right time results in success.

Timing is also very important in our personal lives when we are faced with a major decision or even a relationship issue that needs to be resolved. Sometimes because we think we are right about something that gives us a blank check on saying something to the other person whenever we want.

We must say the right thing in the right way but most important at the right time. When our teenagers come home with very bad test score in tears, it is probably not the right time for the thirty minute lecture on WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO STUDY!!!!

How do you practice this discipline in your life?

Categories: Leadership Development Pastoral Leadership | Comments Off on 4 Reasons Why Timing Is Everything