“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.” ~Albert Einstein One of the foundations of leadership in any industry is modeling the behaviors you want to see more of in your organization. If you are in the service industry like me, then you know how important this principle is to the people who serve on the front lines. Frontline team members are often critically important to customer service and satisfaction....
Recently, I was talking with a business owner of a multi-million-dollar business. He has 150-200 employees at any given time. His frustration was with a few of his top inner circle leaders who wanted to be leaders in theory, but not in practice, leaving him wondering where their loyalties might lie. He said, “Some on my leadership team have a hard time drawing the line between having a working relationship with an employee and trying to...
“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” ~Robert H. Schuler Pastor, Motivational Speaker, and Author The old saying “it can be lonely at the top” may be true at times. However, as leadership expert John Maxwell says, “If we find ourselves lonely at the top, then we didn’t do something right.” In your leadership journey, at times, you may have felt isolated. If you have ever had to flip a negative work culture, make unpopular decisions, or go against...
I used to get so frustrated because I thought I was building unity and teamwork on my team, only to discover some of our employees were not interested in being on the same page. I understand the hard (sometimes discouraging) work being done in organizations everywhere. This week, I spoke to a leader who had taken over a major operation to “right-the-ship.” He recently discovered many of his direct reports have been actively working against him behind...
“Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.” ~ Fulton J. Sheen In those lonely hard times, when you have to make those tough decisions that others don’t, it is important to have something inside of you that is bigger than yourself. When you have to be willing to take those actions that require courage others don’t understand, it matters. Good Friday reminds us that there is something bigger than...
Recently I had the opportunity to hear Dennis McIntee do a short training session. He is a non-traditional speaker, using frameworks and mind tools to assist leaders. He is a gifted presenter. As one person said, and I agree, “I feel like Dennis lives in my head as a leader.” One of the things I like about Dennis is he gives simple, practical solutions that are realistic to use. Here is the gist of Dennis’ magic. Dennis...
“3 things you can control every day: 1. Attitude 2. Effort 3. Actions to be a great teammate.” -Jon Gordon Some people hate working. They spend more time looking for ways to get out of work than actually working. I believe we all truly value working with people who bring a great attitude to a job. I remember one of my first summer jobs working at my high school where my dad was the principal. We had a small...
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” ~Aristotle As a leader you are heavily focused on getting results with your team. You look for people who have initiative and drive. Those leaders who can follow up and remember details that are important to the organization’s success. You look for people who have good communication skills, listen and who are empathetic. You are always on the look-out for those...
A great leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. ~John Maxwell Once, I thought I was a really good leader. Then, unexpectedly I found myself having to layoff almost half of my department’s employees. That day, I decided to take control of my leadership skills, because knowing how to lead people keeps me and my staff working. It also keeps my customers happy. So, I tried being a better listener and...
“Don’t go through life, grow through life.” - Eric Butterworth A long time ago, when I graduated from college, I had some innocent views of what leadership looks like. Until one day, I was put in charge of leading a group of hourly employees who were more knowledgeable than me and really didn’t care much for my title or my leadership style. Because I needed results from my team, and a job, I tried to become a cool,...