Month: January 2017

Leave a comment Posted on Development, Leadership, Productivity, Professionalism, Success

10 Key Insights to Growing as a Leader by Carrie Rich

This is a great article I read on LinkedIn this morning.  Here are some of the highlights:  

1. Do what your superior wants done (vs. what you think is important). Much learning in a professional space takes the form of imitation. To learn, find the best person possible to workfor. Working closely with an experienced individual who is good at his or her job will help you gain the confidence and perspective to be successful.
3. Practice direct talk. Speaking directly builds trust. For example, address conflict directly and promptly, deliver constructive criticism without invitation, and ask for honest criticism from others.

8. Tell people when you don’t understand. You cannot meet the needs of others if you don’t understand what they want. You might say something like, “Help me understand,” as it helps people feel valued, respected, heard and close to you.

10. Practice servant leadership. As a leader, your fundamental job is to remove the barriers your staff faces doing their jobs. Include colleagues in identifying their priorities and empower them to craft solutions. At the end of the day, people don’t want to make the decision — they just want to be heard, so listen. Additionally, show appreciation. Say “thank you” as much as possible; people want their efforts to be acknowledged. It builds a sense of commitment and loyalty.

Read the rest here:  https://cdn.ampproject.org/c/www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2017/01/10/ten-key-insights-for-growing-as-a-leader/amp/

Leave a comment Posted on Character, decision making, Development, Leadership, Ownership, Passion, Professionalism, Success

Gritty 

“Grit is having the strength and the resilience to overcome your obstacles to reach your goals. To be gritty, you have to care more about succeeding than your possible failures. It forces you to dig deep in your pain and believe you’re going to accomplish your goals.”

Rodney & Ron Lewis, Gritty.

 

Leave a comment Posted on decision making, Leadership, Ownership, Passion, Professionalism, Success

Book #3

As I shared earlier, one of my  goals this year is to read 12 books. I am actually on book #3 now. This book, Gritty, is co-written by a friend of mine, Ron Lewis. 

Take the time to find out more about these brothers and their passion the following link. Order the book. By their book and give it to a first year college student. They will thank you for it.

http://www.lewflu.com

1 Comment Posted on Development, Leadership, Ownership, Passion, Productivity, Professionalism, Success

Read a Book?! Me?!

Is this your response if someone asks you to read a book?  I’ve heard it from many people that I encounter.

Studies have shown that when a person graduated high school and even college that a vast majority never read a book after that. When I ask people why they don’t read, I usually get responses such as “who has time to read a book?”

The answer is simple. You do. No, you really do.

In his book, The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson tells us exactly how to read a book, an entire book, and as little as 30 days. Olson suggests that you set aside time to read 10 pages each day. Now I’m not a fast reader, but I can read 10 pages in about 10 minutes. Olson states that if you read 10 pages a day, you’ll finish a 300 page book in a month. But I think too many people look first at the 300 pages and become overwhelmed thinking “I’m never going to read this”. And then they don’t. 

But if you break it down into simple segments – 10 pages a day – you can easily get through a book in a month. This is the secret to the slight edge – taking small incremental steps each day that gets you towards a goal.

What happens when you start to read?

  • You expose yourself to insights and thoughts that you wouldn’t get any other way.
  • You get an opportunity to learn something.
  • Ideas come to you.
  • A difficult situation may become more clear after reading.
  • You begin seeing your world from a different perspective.
  • It will positively affect your leadership style and your leadership abilities.

We probably all have heard it said that leaders are readers. There really is no downside to daily reading a book.

One of my goals for 2017 is to read 12 books this year. So far this month I’m about to finish book number 2. They’re not “long” books but I’m using the slight edge principles to read at least ten pages a day. As a result I’m moving through the books quickly and I’m gaining new knowledge and insight. And I’m journaling things that I’m learning (another goal of mine).

So, what are you reading? Yes, you! Put the slight edge in your favor, find a great book, and start reading. If you need a book list, start with The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. At the end of this book he lists around a hundred books that he would suggest leaders start reading. That would be a great place to start. Or listen to your favorite podcaster. I bet they’ll be some suggestions there.

In your town there may be a used book store. You can get great deals at places like that. Or go to Amazon. You can buy great used books for a fraction of the original cost. And many of those used books are in great condition.

Don’t limit your leadership abilities by giving yourself excuses not to learn and grow. Start reading. You really will love it.