Leadership Lessons

I just finished reading a very insightful book "Opportunity Screams - Unlocking Hearts and Minds in Today's Idea Economy" by Tom Asacker. Of the many, many thought provoking ideas presented, one that struck home with me personally was about passion. I sell products (maybe you do, too). The products are great, but there are lots of similar items in the marketplace. My products will never be the cheapest. They will never be the most cutting edge. So what chance do I have to run a successful business? It's passion. It's what I believe that my products can bring to enhance the lives of my friends and family. It's how I help others improve how they see themselves and their lives. But, lately, the "cares of life" have gotten in the way of my personal passion for my products. Now, I still run a good business, and lead a great team. My passion for my team has never waned. But how much better could it be? How much more could there be if that passion were al...

One of my leadership activities is being a business coach. I help others identify their goals and plan strategies to achieve their goals. Very often, the initial coaching goes something like this- "What are your goals?" "These are my goals." "What do you need to do to achieve these goals?" "I need to do a,b,c." "When do you want to have these goals achieved?" "By this date." And then off they go. OK- so there is more, but this boils it down to the essentials. Next coaching (after they have actually done some of the steps) sometimes goes like this- "No one will a or b." "What was their objection?" "I asked them to a or b for me, and they just said no." "What did you offer them?" "I offered them a or b and they said no." "What was in it for them?" "I didn't even get to tell them because they said no." "So why would they want a or b?...

The pace at which you can work at leadership has an ebb and flow. The seasons change in your personal life. Your business has peaks and valleys. Things just change. When your leadership is in a growth faze, you look for ways to streamline your activities. You delegate, you cut out some activities, you only work with your "A" people. So what happens when you're not growing? First, you catch your breath. You take a few minutes to rest. Then, do you hit the ground again? Or do you keep resting? Do you forget to do the things that put you into growth mode? Is the comfy couch, or other parts of life, just so much easier? Be a leader, or don't. But being a "lazy leader" is really just being a bad example.

Several years ago, I heard a speaker talk about the "fear of success". The idea being that some people are afraid to really do well. Afraid others may think they have too much. Afraid of the fame, the money, the promotion. Really? I think most people would say, "bring it on!" I believe the majority of us are really afraid of failing. We may put things off until the last minute, so that if we don't meet a goal, we can blame our lack of time. We may rely heavily on others, so that if the other person fails, they can be blamed. It isn't our own fault that we don't succeed. Because what happens if we do give it our all?... and fail? Who wants to admit that they just don't measure up? That they failed? That they are responsible? That they gave it their all, and still didn't cut it? Good leaders do what they know should be done. Even when it's hard. Even when they're afraid. Most of the time. Do we occasionally hide our heads...