21 Leadership Lessons #21.

Life is engagement in activity.  Engaging life is to “Grab life by the throat; to drive a stake into the heart of the monster,” to move to action.

How do I accomplish this?

You must have the need to succeed, the commitment, and the will.  Then you must move yourself to action.

But I’m afraid?

Do not be afraid of fear or failure.  Understand that failure is discovering many methods that do not work.  Thomas Edison discovered the light bulb after 1000 attempts.  When asked how he felt to fail so many times, he replied:

“I wasn’t failing; I was discovering 1000 ways that didn’t work”.

How about you?

Achievement and inconvenience are intrinsically linked

Achievement and inconvenience are intrinsically linked.  Achievement is an inconvenience that forces activity and that removes you from your safe and warm place in life.

What about you?

Do you simply desire to be “comfortable” all the time?

Don’t you think that Christopher Columbus or America’s Astronauts didn’t experience inconvenience on their challenging and fearful journeys?

Do you think they were comfortable?

But they were brave, strong, bold and gallant.

They left their comfort zone and achieved.

You can do it too!

The inconvenience of achievement is your pathway to greatness.

Believe in yourself and your leadership ability

Believe in yourself. Be positive in thought, words and deeds.
You will achieve… if you believe.
Mahatma Gandhi said it best, and his wisdom is worth repeating.

Keep Your Beliefs Positive Because…
Your Beliefs Become Your Thoughts
Your Thoughts Become Your Words
Your Words Become Your Actions
Your Actions Become Your Habits
Your Habits Become Your Values
Your Values Become Your Destiny
-Mahatma Gandhi

Believe in yourself…Become your destiny. You can do it!!!

Rank Has It’s Privileges (R.H.I.P)

R.H.I.P. is one of the most misunderstood concepts in leadership.  Of course it means that the leader gets the ultimate accolades for success. It also means much more.

With rank comes the responsibility and privilege of:
Working the hardest
Sacrificing the most
Enduring the most pain and suffering
Giving your people the credit for the ultimate success of the mission

R.H.I.P. does not mean lording over your people for personal gain or self aggrandizement.  It does not mean experiencing pleasure while your people suffer.

R.H.I.P. means:
Being answerable and accountable to your people
Taking care of and respecting your people

“Ranks privilege” means that leaders are expected to sacrifices first, the most, and the majority of the time to ensure the completion of the mission and for the good of the people.

Not what most people think… is it?

Praise in Public, Punish in Private

Ever seen a person scold a child at the mall?

Did it make you uncomfortable?

Your job as a leader is to influence those around you to accomplish tasks they normally would not achieve.  Often times this leadership is one on one.  Often, you are quick to see the problem and the solution when others are failing.

When activities do not work out as planned this is time to exercise discipline and restraint over your emotions and conduct.  Now is not the time to be the person at the mall.

If you are to maintain influence and respect from your people, reprimand in private.

If you want to maintain influence and motivate your people, praise often in public.

Remember everyone wants to feel important.

Communicate Effectively

Communication is a two way street.

Honest, constructive, effective feedback is the most powerful communication you may receive from your subordinates.  Sometimes, this means that you must hear things that are unpleasant or unpopular.

However, “Don’t shoot the messenger” respect the feedback for what it is.

When you must say things that are disagreeable or unpopular:
Use frank, plain English.
Speak clearly and concisely.
Have concern for your listeners and how the content is conveyed.
Be respectful of your audience and sensitive to their objections.

Effective and open communication establishes an organizational atmosphere where ideas, knowledge, and solutions originate from any position or rank.

An open door policy is only effective with an open mind.

Leadership is a “Sacred Trust”

Leadership is a very honorable position.

Leaders face problems, make decisions, and readily and easily accept responsibility.  They readily adapt to stressful situations, demands for high performance, shifts in normal environment, and separation from friends and family. They seem to thrive on the mental, spiritual, and physical conditions of stress. Leaders also appear to tolerate this style of life very well.

How about you?

Leaders also possess ideas and principles that center on the American tradition of self reliance. You won’t hear a lot of complaining and whimpering from leaders because leaders have a distinct, different, spirited, and positive philosophy of life. They simply engage life with vigor.

They understand that with leadership comes the grave responsibility of protecting people’s lifestyles, caring for institutions or organizations, serving the common good, and achieving lofty and noble ideals and deeds.

Leaders “dream the impossible dream and fight the unbeatable foe.”  Societies trust their survival to their leaders.

Yes, leadership is a sacred trust.

Are you worthy of that trust?

Accept responsibility for your Actions

You must accept responsibility for your actions.

No excuses.

This sets an example for others.  Take responsibility for your failures. Do not place blame on others or on situations. Do not use alibis or make excuses for lack of performance.  Fix problems and find solutions and continue to work toward goals.

The only way you may be defeated is if you allow yourself to become overwhelmed, or undone.  Do not allow this to prevent you from engaging in constructive, positive, activity to correct deficiencies.

Everyone fails from time to time. Remember you will keep your dignity if you re-engage the battle with the mind set that occasional failure is only a small pebble on the road to victory and success.

But… please no excuses.

Quick guide to motivating people.

Set high standards.

These standards must include clearly defined goals that are easily understood and easily communicated.

Praise often when goals are met, and continue challenging people to perform if goals are not met.

Solicit help and solutions to problems from your people.  Empower them to solve and fix problems without supervision.

People are smart, good spirited and hardworking. Give them a job to do, give them the tools to do the job, stay out of the way and allow them to accomplish the job, and “praise the heck out of them” when the job is accomplished.

If you empower your people their performance constantly improves and the chances of you reaching your mission or goals is amplified.  Your reward will be recognition and success.

How to influence people

Do you lead by example?
Do you set standards of excellence and set a tone of accepted conduct?
Do you measure up to the standards you set?
Do you challenge, and inspire people by setting and encouraging them achieve lofty goals?
Do you care about your people?
Do you show that you care?

In order to influence others you must get out from behind your desk.  You must get to know your people and their dreams, needs, hopes and fears.  They must know that you care about them.

In turn, they must know you and your needs, dreams, hopes and fears.  They must care about you.

This called “Team Building”.

If you are to influence people’s behavior you must know what “makes them tick.”