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We’ve got a brand new look to Leadership Ponderings. It works great on iPhone and iPad too! Continue reading
Be Accountable…
I was privileged to invest some time in to some leadership academy students a little while back and was given the subject of ‘How to Think Like a Leader’. I came up with 13 points on thinking like a leader, and thought I’d share them with you one by one as individual posts.
Here is number two: Be Accountable
Originally I didn’t teach this session with the thought of communication attached, but I think it’s a massive part of it! Being accountable to PEOPLE needs good communication. That’s essential!
I think the biggest question I asked though, was who to be accountable to in leadership…? Continue reading
Lead Yourself…
I was privileged to invest some time in to some leadership academy students a little while back and was given the subject of ‘How to Think Like a Leader’. I came up with 13 points on thinking like a leader, and thought I’d share them with you one by one as individual posts.
Here is number one: Lead Yourself
Are you ready for a strong, direct statement? I hope so, because it’s coming anyway… If you can’t lead yourself well, forget about leading others!
Essentially, trying to get others to do something that you’re either intentionally limiting yourself from doing or aren’t willing to do yourself, is being a hypocrite. Harsh, maybe? But that’s the truth as I see it. I’m not talking about something that isn’t your gift – I’m talking about going first. Continue reading
Don’t be afraid to walk away…
This doesn’t have much to do with leadership, but I reckon there’s a lot you could relate it to, so just thought I’d share…
I went down to my local gym about four weeks ago and got a great offer on a membership. Thankfully I didn’t take it, because a few days later I had a crash on my motorbike and thought it best to avoid the gym for a little while! Today I went back to sign up for a membership and the cost had gone up – quite dramatically. But I didn’t do what most people would have in that situation… Continue reading
The Power of Your Influence…
I have an influencer by the name of Tony Harrington. He’s the associate leader of Today’s Community Church, a great friend to me and it just happens that I also share an office with him. He’s a very wise, experienced man of God – but one main distinction is his character, an unmissable, unforgettable character.
People, many people, have commented on how similar to Tony I’ve become over the time that I’ve spent with him. He LOVES this and so he should do, because it shows that his influence is effective (or that I’m easily influenced, but I’d hope not).
There are many things that I’m thankful for having imitated in Tony and many other things that people aren’t thankful for, because it’s like having two of us around! Both great and grungy traits are duplicated, because it’s hard to separate someone’s influence in to your life.
(I’ve asked his permission to share this.)
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Why Growing In Leadership Is Like Moving House…
Every time you make a decision that results in growth, there becomes a gap. It’s a gap between how you once lived, and the way you live now. The gap is a journey, and on the journey you’re not accounted for!
When I began to transition from DOING to LEADING, there was a lot unaccounted for. The difference between stuff that I once did, and stuff that other people are now expected to do within my leadership, looks like getting things wrong, people failing, falling and a great proving ground. But in that transition I need to plug the gap, cover my back and be accountable to other leaders! Continue reading
Fear…
As a leader, you have the esteemed ability to use fear to your advantage! But so many, including myself in the past, get this idea so wrong.
The world has taught us to be number one, defend our territory, fight! All of these aims can use fear very effectively to scare off other people, to make us feel big and make others feel small. But that’s completely the opposite of what we should be doing, if we’re leaders for real…
Fear and insecurity are the levelling ground – the opportunity creators that show others we’re not so big in comparison to them, but that we’re actually just the same. Allowing yourself to be human allows others to trust you. It is our common ground, our reality checker and it’s there to be phrased, “Let’s overcome this together.”
True growth is to grow above ‘self’. It’s a rather high hurdle to get over, but one that must be jumped!
Reminding myself each day: It’s not about me.
Leadership Ponderings [video]…
Get Over Yourself…
This keeps coming up in conversation, and to be honest, it’s probably me who keeps bringing it up! But let me tell you that this is one powerful thing to get a hold of. Not an easy one, by any mark, but a powerful one!
You’ll realise how intrigued I was then to come across this quote by Jack Welch:
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
Such a true and hard-hitting point that many desiring leaders miss completely. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU – so get over yourself! It’s important to recognise, as part of the quote above, that growing yourself first is a key to success. Before you’re ready to lead, you need to read. It rhymes, so you can have it, it’s cool and it’s also free. You’re welcome. But you also need to seek, ask, review, study, follow, watch, whatever needs to be done to learn, to grow yourself. And I think that this is very much a daily thing. Before I’m ready to lead each day, I need to be open to growth. Only when I am, am I ready to lead.
I strongly believe that this expands beyond leadership. I’d find it interesting if you’re reading this but wouldn’t particularly consider yourself a leader. But even still, your life is not about you, it’s about other people. Think about it this way – adding to other people’s happiness makes me happy, contributing to other people’s wealth makes me feel valuable, praying for/with someone else strengthens my relationship with God, designing a website for a client benefits their business/organisation and I get to learn, add to my company’s portfolio and get paid!
In the words of Bryan Adams: “Everything I do, I do it for you.”
So, I’m not being intentionally harsh, but I’m certainly being direct: Get over yourself.
Mediocrity Is Success’ Biggest Enemy…
Throughout life, along the road to your success, it’s extremely important to just stop, reevaluate and start back up again. In fact, sometimes you may even find that you’re forced to stop, rather than choosing to. The best thing I’ve found to do there is just allow yourself to be stopped, just for a moment, then reevaluate where you’re going and how you intend to get there. You may actually find that it’s about time you stopped trying to get there, despite the effort you’ve already put in.
I’m there right now. As I write this I’m sat pondering my destinations and considering the routes I’ve already planned to take in order to get me there.
So let me be honest, here’s where I am… Mediocrity.
I’ve become mediocre in some of the most important areas of my life. It’s not a bad thing to admit this; in fact, you should go ahead and admit this regularly, to yourself at the very least. Now is the time to stop being a mediocre man, to refresh how I think about some things, how I approach some things and maybe even consider CUTTING OFF SOME ROUTES TO MY SUCCESS. It’s no easy thing to do, but if it’s the best thing to do, then we must be bold enough to do it, right?
It’s easier to be mediocre than it is to confront reality and quit. But it’s this simple: If you’re not going to make it to the finish line, don’t start; and if you’ve already started, quit. Just as important is to know this: The opposite of quitting is not doing nothing, the opposite of quitting is rededication.
Mediocrity is success’ biggest enemy – so are you being mediocre in an important area of your life? The reasons why will help you to determine whether quitting and rededicating is actually the best option!