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.”

Ultimate Leadership Aura

You must have the look, feel and demeanor of a leader. This aura will give you “Power and Influence” over your people.  John Wayne, George Clooney, and all your favorite action movie heroes have the aura of leadership.  Try to emulate that aura and their action.

This requires that you stop being hurried, harried, frenzied, and immature or out of control. Begin to walk, act and talk like a person in charge.  Act like, and be an “action hero”.

People have confidence in someone that demonstrate poise, polish, fearlessness, confidence, and display smoothness of action.  This of course is reflected by your physical appearance to include: your attitude, body language, and speech patterns.

Remember people react first to what they see…and then to what they hear.  People are making judgments about your leadership ability long before you speak.  Develop your leadership “aura”, it will pay big dividends.

Pre-plan your philosophy of life

Most if not all of your conduct is controlled by a pre-ordained philosophy of life of which you may not even be aware.  Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said:

“That all human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion or desire.”

Do you have a philosophy of life?

If so, is it working?

What is it based on?

Successful people commonly utilize a framework of general rules of conduct they expect of themselves.  Like these successful people, if you are to succeed, you must establish high standards of performance, “grab life by the throat”, and go do it.

Pre-think, pre-plan and thus pre-manage how you are going to live!!!

How and when are you going to achieve your destiny?

Take responsibility for your thoughts and words. Your deeds and your performance will follow.  Your ultimate goal is to move to action to achieve goals and achieve your destiny.

Alexander the Great, ancient King of Macedon said:
“There is nothing impossible to him [her] who will not try.”

Movement

The United States Army Leadership Handbook states:

“You cannot be effective, you cannot be a leader, until you apply what you know, until you act, and DO what you must.  Action is the essence of leadership.”

Action is operating in a manner to achieve your mission or goals.

Achieving goals requires action.

Move yourself to action.

Engage life with vigor.

Any questions?

Knowledge

Where does an organization start?

A great organization starts at the top with the leader. It starts with an intelligent use of knowledge and information.

People rely on your:
Ability to use information wisely
To understand and listen
To solve problems

Knowledge results from the mental capacity to know or to understand.  It is the ability to use information to seek solutions and achieve goals.

It is the ability to see opportunity in problems.  Knowledge provides the ability to make judgments about information and to determine the validity of ideas.

Keep your eye on your goals.

Do not get diverted.

Skills

Your skills represent those things you know how to accomplish.  These include the technical side of your occupation and the people skills required to accomplish tasks.

These include:

Skills which target your awareness, and growth in attitudes, emotion and feelings.

Skills which focus on developing your behavior.

Skills which revolve around your gain in knowledge and comprehension.

Leadership is achieving a skill level that is not amateur or sophomoric.  It is being an expert, a master and proficient in all aspects of your job.

Attitude

It is a “can-do” philosophy of engaging life; it is intense work effort; and it is based on a pre-determined action plan to move yourself to action to achieve your dreams and goals.

This attitude is what we call a “Warriors Mentality.”

It is a combination of mental strength, spiritual toughness and Arthurian Chivalry. It is possessing the need, the will, and the attitude to engage life with purpose and to accomplish goals regardless of the difficulty.

It is having the resolve of a leader, a winner, a fighter, a gladiator, a combatant, to face doubt, fear, and pain, often in the face of over whelming odds. It is possessing a mind set that is positive in thought, words, and deeds. It is the mind set to never quit moving to reach your goals regardless of the difficulty or setbacks.

This attitude is necessary for your survival.

Character

Character is a holistic concept and encompasses a wide range of mind, body and spiritual qualities. Character is the soil from which productive life performance grows.

Character represents your disposition and trademark. Character demonstrates and predicts your conduct. Character is a reflection of your power, and control over your mind, body, and spirit. It represents high standards, or the lack there of.

Character is comprised of qualities that distinguish one person from another. It is a constant standard that helps you evaluate your daily performance and helps you to determine to what extent you have control, discipline, order, and precision in your life.

Ultimate Leadership Requirements

Five qualities are required to form the internal framework of Leadership.

Character:
Which is recognized as the soil from which leadership grows.

Attitude:
A “can-do”, never give up “Warrior’s Mind Set” to perform and accomplish exceptional deeds.

Skills:
Having and using your technical proficiency to accomplish tasks.

Knowledge:
Having the intelligence to pre-plan, manage, and think through solutions.

Movement:
Action, the concept of moving yourself and others to action.

Think about these five qualities.

We will cover each in the following five lessons.

Leadership starts at the top

This means you.  You are where it all begins.  Your people look to you for leadership, guidance, and inspiration. You are their role model. They emulate your conduct.  Consider the importance of the first line of the “Creed of the Non-Commissioned Military Officer.”
“No one is more professional than I”

This means: You are expected to be an expert, master or proficient in all aspects of your job or profession. You are expected to be worthy of the occupation you represent. You are expected to be worthy of responsibility, trust and respect.

These are lofty goals and remarkably large shoes to fill.

Are you able to fill them?

Are you worthy of the respected position of Leader?

Do you deserve to be at the top?

The Ultimate Responsibility

The ultimate responsibility of a leader is to lead “soldiers” into “combat” and to win “battles”, to fight, to win and to return home safely.

Have you ever given much thought to that kind of responsibility?

Maybe not, but nevertheless your leadership responsibilities, while not as extreme, are similar to those of a combat leader.

Yes, a combat leader!!!

This means that you should be at the front of the battle, leading the charge to success and victory. Not behind your desk shuffling paper work, etc. but in view of your people and experiencing the same pain, suffering and problems they are occurring.  Show them that you are doing your job, pulling your weight and much, much, more.

“Your people” are your responsibility, and they want you to lead them; to show them how to fight and beat the competition, and to win. They want you to inspire them and give them a vision of the future. They want a quest to conquer and then want to be allowed to meet the challenge on their own terms.  They want you to respect them, to appreciate and thank them for their effort.  They want you to lead them gallantly to victory.

You are ultimately responsible for the success or failure or your organization.  Lead your people with your thoughts, words and deeds.

This is a serious responsibility.

Lead today, and everyday.

The Ultimate Leadership Concept

Leadership is the art of directing and influencing people to accomplish missions or goals.  Within this art, the leader must keep in mind the two most important and basic elements of leadership.

The Mission:

First, define the mission, task or goal to be accomplished.  True leaders recognize the importance of clearly defining the mission and they understand the role of people in achieving that mission.

Have you clearly defined your organizations goals or mission?

The People:

You must understand that goals are ultimately achieved by people.  This is critical to your success because they perform the tasks to achieve the mission.  Without your leadership support the people will fail… if your people fail, your mission will fail.  Your success as a leader is dependant on the success your people have in accomplishing the mission.

Are you doing everything possible to help your people accomplish the mission?

If not, why not?