Leadership: Is It For You?

 So I received an email with this question;

"I recently been reading what you have been writing on leadership and had to ask, 'what if you don't think you are cut out to be a leader?' I mean I just want to improve my life, not be in charge of other people." ~Jamie

There are so many directions that I could go with this, but the topic intrigued me enough to write the following, so I hope that you are reading this Jamie.

Leadership is something that is fundamentally part of a society. It is necessary in any good society that someone stands up and takes charge. Leadership is essential, we know that, but does that mean everyone out there is a leader? The fact of the matter is that some individuals are not made to be leaders. They are followers. And just as important in society as leaders are followers. So, where do you lie? Are you going to play leadership roles within your life?

For many people, the instincts to take those leadership roles just come to them. It is just something that happens. They step up to the plate when needed. They respond first in class. They take charge of the baseball game on the playground. They step up to the plate on the job. While you cannot be first in every case, individuals that have leadership skills will often be seen and heard throughout their lives.

But, not all leaders are born with this talent. Many of them must learn it. People with an ambition to be a leader can do so by taking classes and studying the necessary skills that it takes to be a leader. While all of this may sound simple, it can be quite a task to learn. It is hard to teach a person to react in a situation that is not planned well.

Because leaders are determined by their actions, we often see that leadership roles are filled with individuals who put themselves out there to be chosen, so to speak. But, this is not always the case. In many cases of emergency, leaders are those that take charge long before anyone else reacts. In that, these individuals will have a cool head about themselves and be able to see the necessary work ahead while others are worrying, panicking or simply in shock. These are probably the true leaders in our society.

Many people assume that if someone is successful it is because they have good leadership skills. Some people assume that if a business is successful it is because it has good leaders. Leadership isn't something that is particularly easy to pass on to other people. Sometimes a company is successful because a past leader was very skilled as a leader and the current leader simply has kept things running the same as before.

Great leadership is a rare skill. For most people it doesn't come naturally. It is amazing how many organizations are successful even though they have only marginally competent people leading them. Many times this is because the structure of the organization helps make up for a leaders short comings. Sometimes it is because a particularly talented staff that makes up for the leaders deficiencies.

Any leadership development training should take into account some of the basic facts, which ought to be made available to the individual concerned for developing his leadership skill and techniques.

The training or program must adequately deal with deliberations on leadership, and not limit the understanding of the term to its limited sense. Any reference to conventional typecast leadership should be shunned. The training should also incorporate a comprehensive understanding of leadership virtues as applicable to individual requirements, and highlight the subtle differences between leadership and management.

The program should also take into account the attitude of people towards the individual qualities of the leader. It is imperative that leadership development training should be ideally structured in relation to the advancement of the individuals concerned, instead of looking for strengths in personal qualities.

While great leadership skills can make someone successful, the inverse is not true. Being successful doesn't make you a good leader. If you are looking for leaders to learn from make sure you are looking for people who actually have good leadership skills and not just someone who is successful. You can't assume that someone is a good leader just because they have had success. Many times people try to emulate people who have had success and try to follow their leadership styles. While this might be a good thing people often end up mimicking the bad habits of individuals.

The leadership development training also tries to make it clear that that collective requirements are of greater importance than individual necessities. Leadership development training tries to develop the quality of an individual to see a vision and look into the future, and develop his ambitions and aspirations.

One crucial virtue that such training emphasizes is that potential leaders should have the capability to see how details fit into the big picture. Such training also stresses the need to have the attitude that helps one to view things from the point of view of other individuals, and also able to comprehend in the proper manner the most suitable approach towards them.

 

For Jamie, and anyone else not thinking that they are leadership material, I suggest thatyou Click Here for more info on a series that has helped a lot of people see what true leadership and success is. Also read anything by Jim Rohn and you will never think the same way about yourself again.

Just Say NO

Answer this question honestly; is it difficult for you to say “no”?

If your answer is yes, don’t feel bad because you’re not alone.

There are many people who find themselves saying "yes" to things they don't really want to agree to but are afraid that they will appear selfish, mean or rude if they don’t say yes, or in an effort to avoid conflict or hurting another person’s feelings, they will say yes in order to defer conflict.

Saying “no” isn’t always easy, but it IS vital in business and personal life to be able to say no when the time comes.

Healthy people have healthy boundaries, and part of having healthy boundaries is to be able to say no to requests, situations or people that you can’t or don’t want to accommodate. Think of “no” as the hinge on the gate that controls who you allow in your boundary lines.

I was raised in an abusive environment where I spent many months at my grandmother’s house where I slept on a couch in the living room and my “dresser” was an old banana box next to my grandmother’s bed. If I ever had money, my grandmother, my uncle, my mother would all take it if they felt they needed it and never even asked, so I grew up with a low sense of self and had no concept of personal space or boundaries.

Though it has taken me many years to learn the art of saying no in order to stay sane, I still have issues with it at times, so don’t beat yourself up if you continue to have issues with it, just keep working on it and know that you will be a better person for it. Others will have more respect for you, you will have more respect for yourself and you won’t find yourself in as many negative situations.

Here are a few techniques/phrases that I have found work for me and hopefully they work for you as well.

#1: Unfortunately, I have a full plate right now…

If you find yourself way too busy to accommodate the person’s request, let them know you’re slammed and that you simply have no time to fit what they’re asking you to do into your schedule.

Many people have issue with this because they have a tendency to justify their time. Just because you have the time doesn’t mean that you have the time to dedicate your full attention. It is better to decline and give more attention to the items already on your plate rather than take on another workload and not be able to give any of them the attention required.

#2: I’ll have to think-about-it

If you’re not sure if you can fit the person’s request in, or if you’re dealing with someone who is super pushy, consider buying yourself a little time to think about what they’re asking of you and to get back to them at a later date on your own terms and not get bullied into something.

 #3: The ol’ boomerang no

Are you in the middle of something else? You can always ask the person to come back later when you have more time to consider their request.

 #4: Give a counter offer

If you can’t or don’t want to agree to the person’s request for whatever reason, but you’d still really like to help them out, consider making a counter offer for a lesser commitment that will work better for you.

One of my soft spots where the homeless that would beg for money. Though there are some out there that are honestly in need of assistance, there are others looking for tax-free cash to supplement their income or fund their addictions.

For those who give a line about needing money for food, I let them know that I don’t have any cash, but would not mind swinging by McDonalds and picking up something for them. If they are truly in need of food, they generally take me up on the offer, but if they immediately shoot me down, it is pretty obvious, the money isn’t going for food.

 #5: Just say No

Sometimes you must be direct and let the person know that what they’re asking of you just doesn’t work for you, and you’ll be surprised how often people will respect a firm, honest and direct no.

And remember that they are coming to you and imposing their wants on you. If you are not wanting to help them out, it is courtesy to give them a reason, but not mandatory. They do not own your time, so a simple no is fine if you do not want to give them a reason.

As you practice declining requests that don’t align with your schedule, values or needs, you’ll find that saying no becomes easier and you’ll have more time for yourself, the commitments you already have and the things that are most important to you.

Secrets of the Cold-Call

Cold calling has to be one of the most dreaded ways to gain new clients/customers so that is why I am coving it first in this new mini-series.

When it comes to cold calling, there are a few questions that go through people’s heads that are more for procrastination purpose than actually answering the questions; “What is cold-calling?” “ Is it beneficial to my sales?” Cold calling (or canvassing as it is commonly known as) refers to the first meaningful calls you make to a prospective client for the purpose of marketing yourself, business, product or service and how it could benefit them. If used properly and effectively, the cold calling technique can be very beneficial and gain you quite a bit of future business. 

Having the best cold-calling techniques serves as an added advantage to your business in that it allows you to improve other aspects that will serve your business in a positive sense such as developed communication skills.

Notably, the basic principles of cold calling as they relate to communication are among the main characteristics mentioned by most prominent entrepreneurs. The fact that cold calling creates a focus on initiative, addressing one’s fears and action is a recipe for successful sales hence the importance of employing cold calling strategies while promoting your product brand and aiming for higher sales in mind with each call.

The need for cold calling strategies

Today's modern world is characterized by increased dependency to online marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and content marketing. Cold calling should be seen as an opportunity to generate new leads and contacts and a viable process in which to promote your product brand and increasing sales. Cold calling may seem like an ancient marketing strategy, but, though this is factual to an extent, it is also a tried and true method by which people have been making a name for themselves for decades.

Besides the fact that successful entrepreneurs were able to successfully nurtured their business skills long before the internet by employing basic principles of this marketing strategy, cold calling plan kits have been introduced making product brand promotions easy and general sales even easier. Cold calling marketing strategies kits are all-inclusive and will always positively impact your sales considering the fact that it comprises of:

 

• Detailed tips and techniques geared towards effective telephone pitches and additional win/win business opportunities that benefit everyone.

• A number of secrets to cold calling success that experts from the different fields implement on a daily basis.

• Examples of actual cold calling scripts that have helped secure appointments even with high profiled prospective buyers.

• Sample checklists and worksheets that can help you come up with your own personal cold script (which I recommend that you have your own that way it is geared toward your specific business).

• Tutorials on how to leverage voicemails to get prospective clients to call you back.

 

How does cold calling strategies affect your sales?

 

Normally as a sale's person you serve as a link between the customer and the supplier / source.

What this means in a nutshell is that you are the one who is influencing the leveraging products and services. With this task in mind, it becomes apparent as to why cold calling strategies comes can help you establish some key fundamentals when it comes to linking suppliers with customers.

At this point, I hope that I have given you a strong indication as to why cold calling strategies make it relatively easier for you not only to interpret and predict sales opportunities but also to control your market. Using cold-calling strategies for your sales intentions places you in the best position to control the relationship and cooperation between customers and suppliers.

It is crucial, as you work toward meeting your set sales goals, that you choose to implement cold-calling strategies focusing on more pertinent matters such as your target market place including your competitors and all the threats your sales are faced with.

 

Successful cold calling strategies for online and offline marketing

 

As an entrepreneur, to make cold calling strategies effectively work for you, it is advisable that you use the following basic standards in creating a cold calling strategies kit:

1. Preparation:

Before you call a prospective client it is vitally important for you to plan in advance, set your objectives right from the start and most importantly choose the best time to call you prospect as outlined below:

A) Pre-call planning:

According to research, a pre-call plan stands out as one of the main fundamentals when it comes to making a positive conversation with a prospective client. When prepping to make a cold call, it is crucial that you collect pieces of information about your prospect that will help you not only effectively introduce yourself but also professionally raise your business intentions in a manner that grabs the attention of the prospective client. It is during your discussion with such clients that you bring in the specific details of what you are proposing to assist them with in a way that they can directly relate it to their business. This helps you give a precise account of your company's' overall goals regarding business as you will be talking of specific features your product brand or service can provide to them. As Zig Ziglar always said, “You’ll get everything out of life that you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.”

Prior to calling your prospect, research for enough insights about your prospect’s business. To do so and to inject some of these facts into the conversation will impress the prospect and thus gain more interest from them. It's all up to you.

 

B) Setting an objective

Apart from the pre-call planning, cold calling strategies for offline marketing also requires you to have set objectives for the direction that you want the cold-call to go, and to have those objectives expressed clearly in writing prior to making that important call. Why is this relevant? Because the main aim for making this call is to set up a meeting and not necessarily to promote your product brand or services. Having a set of objectives, serves as a gateway, which allows you to bring in a possible business meeting to discuss the details of your proposals.

Remember your goal is to establish meeting with your prospect client and should you deviate from this by giving out too much unnecessary information up front, your prospect is likely to see you as being “salesy” and turn you down before you even have the chance of demonstrating the true value of your products or services. Consider your call to a prospective client as an opportunity to build more clout and develop a potential sales opportunity and introduce yourself as the best contact to consult in case of a situation change instead of “buy from me now” attitude.

 

        C) Choosing the best time to Call

Besides choosing to call your prospect at a time when you are prepared, well rested and ready for the call, it is extremely urgent that your timing be done perfectly; calling your prospective at a time you are certain he is not only available but also free to talk. Reason being chances are if your approach is agreeable; the call will most certainly be characterized by a lot of explaining and discussions before you finally settle on a meeting date. In other words, it would be more of a delightful conversation rather than one or the other trying to rush the call along. It is pointless to call up a client during extreme hours. Consequently, it is recommended that prospective clients not be contacted first thing in the morning, right before or immediately after lunch and not right before close of the business day as well as toward the end of the week is better. During such times, people are usually relaxed and in extremely pleasant moods.

 

2. Introduction

When introducing yourself and your business, try as much as possible to be relevant. Go straight to the point stating who you are, what you represent, the purpose of your call and the reason for the meeting request at a later date or another time depending on the availability of your client. At this point, you are free to explain the details of your offer, taking care not to go into details.

 

3. Ask questions

The course of your talk, it is healthy that you engage your client in a brief question and answering session to allow him to enlighten you on his situation. At this point, you will likely have a clearer picture on how best to approach so as to earn a more complete trust as well as being able to predict how he/she prefers to get work done which will give you a direction in how to make the meeting go most effectively. If the prospect is a story teller, then jumping right to the point with facts and figures won’t impress them, however, the prospect who is naturally impatient and likes to get to the straight facts, will be irritated if you go into testimonials and anecdotes.

 

4. Do not judge

Avoid taking sides especially when dealing with your customers; make sure you remain fair and neutral considering that most people prefer being helped to being judged and critiqued. In fact, providing help and offering guidance is the best choice regardless of your field of specialty, It is essential to consider this as it will help you come up with informed decisions that appeal most. Never get into what they are doing wrong, or could do better. Concentrate on how you can help them improve what they already have going.

 

5. Respond to customer inquiries

Take it upon yourself to listen to any inquiries that the prospect has and be willing to give an answer. If the answering the question is something that would be discussed in the meeting, then give a simplistic answer that doesn’t get into too many details and explain how you have full intention to go over that very question in detail at the meeting. Think of any and every question that could possibly be asked and have a prepared answer in advance so as not to have any dead space in the conversation. If the prospect feels that you are grasping for the information, then he/she might feel that you are not prepared, whereas on the adverse, a quick, well spoken answer could give the prospect the view that you are an authority on the topic.

 

6. Educate and inform your markets about your offers.

As a professional entrepreneur who understands the significance of an established offline customer base, make it one of your duties to reach out to your market audiences through both formal and informal venues of multimedia. Even if you don’t get the meeting, try to acquire permission to send them more information. Go with the attitude that if you can’t help them now, you may be able to in the future and express to the prospect that if they ever need your services in the future not to hesitate in contacting you.

 

They say information is power, so make sure that you never leave a cold call without having the prospect feeling that they are more informed without it costing them anything…and a future meeting to discuss a business venture wouldn’t be bad either.

 

Let me know your thoughts on cold calling, does this help you? What are some techniques that you use when it comes to cold calling?

A Plan Of Action

 

So we are going to go on the assumption that you have finally made the decision that it is time to make some changes in your life.  You know that the only way things are going to get better for you financially, spiritually and physically are if you sit up and take action.  You know you have to put forth the effort in order to reap the rewards. 

 

So how exactly are you going to implement these changes?  You are going to create an "plan of action".

 

A plan of action is crucial to your success.  Without a plan it is merely a thought.  When you add your thoughts to paper coupled with a desire to see them becoming reality and proceed to do everything possible to fulfill that desire you have a template for success that places you several steps ahead of the person that never gets past thinking about it.

 

A simple equation for a plan of action is by starting the process of attaining a successful life.  What you need to know to make positive life altering changes.

 

A simple equation to use when creating a plan of action from your template is:  Desire + Effort = Results. In fact, I have D+E=R in multiple locations so that I am always seeing it, therefore thinking about it.

 

Your first step is to write down what exactly it is you desire.  Albeit wealth, personal development or whatever you so strongly yearn for that you simply can no longer go without, write it down.  Make your desires realistic.  For example, if your desire is to lose 20 pounds, it is unrealistic to believe you can lose 20 pounds in 3 days.   However, it is possible to lose 20 pounds in 3 months with a proper plan of action.  It is important to note that there should be a time frame with regards to your plan.  These time frames are the milestones to marking your achievements.

 

Now that you know what your specific desire is, list the ways in which you plan on achieving optimum results.  How do I plan to lose these 20 pounds?  What do I have to do each day in order to achieve my goal?  What do I personally need to do to see this plan come to fruition?

 

Set up a scheduled list outlining each step that needs to be taken daily to achieve weekly goals.  Be specific. Before going to bed each night, create a daily "to do" list Some do this first thing in the morning, but I find that it is more productive to do it at night because it sets up the list subconsciously in your mind, so you wake up with a game plan that works the schedule rather than a schedule that works you; if that makes sense.  At the end of the week you will be able to see how much you were able to accomplish and don’t forget to congratulate yourself for each accomplishment. There is no such thing as an accomplishment that is too small. Go back and read blog #036 about change if you haven’t already.

 

Make a commitment to yourself to "Work the Plan".  Stay focused on the positive.  List all the reasons why you will be able to achieve your objective. Utilize the strengths you possess that will help you to complete your plan.

 

Know your weaknesses and make a valiant effort to overcome them without allowing them to control and limit you.  Incorporate both your strengths and weakness into your plan of action.  Know what you are capable of and know what your shortcomings are. 

 

Have your own personal reward system in place.  Know what each reward will be for each accomplishment that you have fulfilled throughout your plan.  With every desired result you achieve there should be a reward for having done so.  An incentive plan customized to your wants. NO! This does not mean if your goal is to lose 20 lbs and you lose 10 lbs that you can splurge and eat an entire chocolate cake.

 

Do not let yourself get disheartened.  If you have a temporary lapse or deviation from the plan acknowledge it and continue to move forward with your plan.  Keep the pedal to the metal, your nose to the grindstone, your eye on the ball, whatever phrase you want to use, just keep on taking action.  Remember, this is not a race to the finish line.  Your plan is your future.  Take the time to nurture and understand it.

 

We've all heard the adage "Rome was not built in a day".  Your success regarding your plan of action will not be achieved in one day either.  Success is a process and the process is something you have a long-term plan for.

 

"You and only you can determine if the reward is worth the price you are paying for it in effort".

 

If you haven’t read them already, I would suggest going into the archives and start reading my blog series on mindset starting with blog #021-Secrets to a Million Dollar Mindset.

 

 

The Egg in the Nest- A Moral for Change

 

The only thing certain in the world, and in this life, is CHANGE. No matter what people think or what they will try to believe, everything is changing all of the time, as we breathe in and out, as we eat and sleep and grow and go through our lives, change is happening all around us. Some changes are big while others are very minuscule, but change is happening no matter what.

 

This is a text version of a moral story of change I modified and illustrated for my daughter.  

 

There it is, and it just sits there in its nest of straw.

 

It doesn't DO anything.

 

It doesn't change shape, it doesn't change color, it doesn't move, it doesn't roll around; you could look at it for DAYS AND DAYS and you'd come away thinking that it was just that and that was that. (Trust me, because that is what I have done).

 

And yet, if one were to extend one's feelers in a different way, one might become aware of the riot of change that is taking place inside, a storm of re-organization, feeding and growth, of total transformation (change) as a bunch of random cells become a fish-like thingy, which in turn becomes ever more defined and more complex, more organized in every way, more mature, more fantastic with every heartbeat, every instance that passes.

 

One day, and we know not when, that egg that lay so motionless for so very long and seemed to be nothing will begin to rock, and then it will crack, first a beak, then a claw and the newly born dragonet will emerge, spread its wings for the first time and take its first small steps.

 

Yes, there was change. No matter how big or how small, change happens and from the smallest, unseen changes often comes the most beautiful results. Expect change to happen and look forward to the results…Even when you don’t see them.

 

I enjoy writing for children, but this is by no means a story only for children. If you are starting your own business, trying to grow an existing business or even trying to accomplish something not even related to business, often times you look and look and see nothing for your efforts, but I am here to tell you that just because you do not see those changes, doesn’t mean that there aren’t changes going on.

 

Don’t give up, expect change and change will happen “…Even when you don’t see them.”

 

The Ultimate Avatar: Knowing your perfect customer/client

 

No, I am not talking about tall blue alien CGI creatures from the movie, but rather a detailed vision of your ideal client. An avatar is a representation. By creating an avatar, you have something to concentrate your attentions to.

 

The more you can visualize the perspective of your ideal clients, the more you’ll be able to “speak their language” and be able to most effectively market to them.

 

John Lee Dumas goes so far as to give his ultimate avatar a name. He knows every minute detail about his average client and bases all of his efforts on that one avatar.

 

The following is a check list to go through so that you can determine who your ideal client is. Have fun with it, give this person a name, if this ideal customer/client actually reminds you of someone, get a picture of that person and keep it in front of you every time you are creating for that particular market.

 

Whether it is marketing or specific product creation, the less generic that you are, the more profitable you will become based on the selected avatar that you have created.

 

Ideal Client “Checklist”

 

This checklist will give you some great starting points on what you

should know about your avatar.

 

1. What is your ideal client’s gender, age, religion/spirituality, marital

status, socio-economic status, education level, or any other

demographics that are relevant?

2. What specific attributes do they possess?

3. Where do they tend to live?

4. What kinds of jobs or careers do they tend to have?

5. What are the things they’re most passionate about?

6. What are the things that most upset or irritates them?

7. What is their ideal vision for what they want their life, career,

health, etc. to look like?

8. In what ways are they stuck / what are their biggest challenges?

9. How do they learn best, and where do they tend to go to learn?

10. What types of groups, associations, or classes do they participate

in?

11. What do they read?

12. What hobbies and interests do they have?

13. What do they do for fun and recreation?

14. What are the priorities that they spend money and time on?

15. Is there a particular “situation” or “aspect” they have in common?

(For example: cancer survivors, recently divorced, retiring)…

16. What are their core values?

17. What is their biggest regret?

18. Have they likely already tried to get help for their challenges (pain points)? What have they tried?

 

It’s incredible what an awareness and insight you’ll have about your client after completing this checklist. Please don’t feel that this is all; remember that these are your avatars, so get them as personalized as you can. Feel free to add anything you feel is relevant to this list!

Remember, knowing your ideal client as intimately as you can and will pay off in multiples.

By actually being able to clearly see who your ideal client is, you’ll be able to attract the ideal client and be able to create that “know, like, and trust” factor that will turn that client into a fan and a repeatable customer.

 

Blueprint for Leadership - How to Be a Better Leader

Here is a description of what people want in a leader. See how do you compare?

If you were to build a house, you would begin with a blueprint. This blueprint proves useful because it contains more than directions on how to build a house. It also describes the finished house.

So, what does this have to do with leadership?

Curious about it,  I asked an audience of leaders to tell me the characteristics of an ideal leader. I then, later asked the same questions to a random group of employees and compiled the answers and here is what I got (surprisingly similar in order between both groups):

A good listener

Enthusiastic/ Passionate / Charismatic

Shows appreciation

Visionary

Role model/ Leads by example

Trusting/ Credible/ High Integrity

Organized

Knowledgeable

Persuasive

Team building/ Empower others/ Understands followers

Clarity of purpose

Problem solver

Attitude of service

Patience

Consistent

Adapts to change.

From this poll I was able to gain some useful insights.

Notice what the list contains. Most of these characteristics relate to the human side of leadership. That's interesting because I often hear people minimize this side of leadership with terms like "soft" or "touchy feely." Actually, applying these characteristics requires more strength than not.

Now take a look at what the list excludes. Sometimes the words not spoken are louder than the words used. Absent from this list are characteristics such as stern, mean, serious, short tempered, vindictive, tough, angry, harsh, punitive, controlling, violent, or ruthless. And that's interesting because many popular representations of leadership emphasize at least one of these "hard" characteristics. In fact, these characteristics are the refuge of those who lack the strength (or the skills) to apply the human side of leadership.

How about you? How would you rate yourself as a leader compared to the list of positive characteristics listed above? If you were to survey the people around you (especially those whom you lead), how would they describe your leadership? Would they list characteristics from the "soft" list or from the "hard" list? Could you become more effective by improving upon any of the "soft" characteristics? And how about the other leaders in your organization? Do they truly maximize human potential?

People want leaders who treat them with genuine compassion, courtesy, and respect. They want leaders who help them become more successful. They want leaders who inspire them with a vision for a better world and show them how to get there or create it, not one who constantly threaten them with termination.

 

 

Click Here To Take Your Leadership Forward by teaching others how to be successful leaders.

Efforts Fail: Why do some leadership development efforts not work out?

 

Organizations invest large amounts of time – and even more money trying to develop their leaders.  Unfortunately much of that investment doesn’t get the return it should. 

If you will permit me, here is a scenario for you:

George was seen as an up-and-coming leader in the organization.  The people who worked under him liked and respected him. Those in senior leadership saw his potential, so he was slated to attend the company’s leadership development workshop.

George was ecstatic!  He loved the organization and wanted to move up and contribute as much as he could.  He saw this opportunity as a positive step in that progression.  Plus, he had some challenges in his job that he hoped he could learn how to deal with more successfully.

After he found out he was slated to attend, George didn’t hear much more about the training until about a week before it began.  The email gave him all of the details and he was excited all over again.  Excited, that is, until he looked at his calendar and saw how much he had to do.

Because the training meant so much to him, he was determined and focused while he was there, so he worked hard to get his projects all caught up before he left for the workshop, leaving nothing unfinished to distract him while at the training.

George loved the workshop!  The facilitator was great, the content was helpful, and the food was even good!  He was so motivated by the new ideas and the people he met.  He gained in confidence as they practiced some of the things they learned. As a part of the program he built an action plan.  He left the two days completely stoked about what he had learned and how he would be able to apply it.

 

After the Workshop

 

George awoke the next morning and reviewed his action plan.  He was excited because he knew what he would do to be a better leader, starting today.  Then, George got back to work.  As he fired up his computer he checked his voice mail. 

23 messages. 

His heart sank a little.  As he listened to the messages, taking notes when needed on his next steps, he opened up his email and found an even more depressing sight.  91 emails.  A quick glance found that there was little fluff there – it wasn’t 20 serious emails and a bunch of reading or jokes, it was a solid 91 emails to read, work through, reply to and take action on.

After getting a cup of coffee, George went to say hello to his team.  This took awhile because they had questions and things they wanted to talk to him about – which was only natural since he had been out-of-pocket for two days.  By 9:15 he was back at his desk, ready to tackle all the messages – including the 7 new emails that had come in while he was out.

By 3:00 he had mostly forgotten about his action plan – he remembered it only when he saw it in his briefcase.  He took it out and looked at it wistfully.  He was still committed to working on those items, but they would have to wait, the next project meeting was all day tomorrow. . .

 

Reviewing the Situation

 

I know, the scene played out a little long, but it does set the stage for the topic of this post. Perhaps the situation above sounds familiar.  What is written up to the “After the Workshop” heading looks good; a willing learner, a well-designed workshop, and a person leaving excited about his action plan.  This story might be a bit too rosy – admittedly, not every one who attends training will be as excited and motivated as George, but in the end it doesn’t really matter – because a highly motivated person like George won’t get as much from this effort as he could or even wants to.

Why is that you ask?

Because while most leadership development programs focus on developing a great training program, that is a small part of the overall likelihood of success.  You see, training is an event, but learning (including leadership development) is a process.

We don’t learn important, complex life skills in a brief instant.  In an instant we might be able to gain new insight or inspiration, but then the law of diminished intent kicks in.  The law of diminished intent basically states that the longer you go without acting on something, the less likely you are to do it.

In an event we can get ideas, approaches, checklists and knowledge.  But skills come to us over time – not in a one shot, one time training course (regardless of how well it is designed or how awesome the trainer is). Skills come with practice and application.

Leadership development is a process and as long as those efforts look like events, the return on those investments will never be high.

Much can be written about the specifics that can be done to make the process more effective, but you can start without that list of ideas.  Reread the story above.  Connect it to your situation and then think of two things you can do to make your leadership development process (whether for yourself or your organization) to be more successful.

The key is to make it an ongoing experience, not an event. True leadership comes from growth, not a playbook of guidelines.

 

 

Leadership Is Action... Not Position

 

People respond to good leadership! Period! It is in all aspects of our lives, not just business. A true leader is highly ethical, honest and respected, not only in his/her field of expertise, but as an individual.

 

In our society we have leaders and followers. Are we born to one or the other? No. Do some have more of a natural affinity toward leadership roles, yes. Can you hone your leadership skills and become a great leader even if you don’t have a born knack for it? Absolutely!

 

There are certain attributes of a great leader that stand out. The leaders that I admire for example seem to have all of these in particular attributes that I strive to emulate:

 

a) They think BIG. They have a glass ceiling in place and continuously strive to break it. No limits are set as to how big or how much better something or someone can be.

 

b) Their goals are firmly set in place and they constantly re-evaluate to make sure they are on the right path.

 

c) They effectively present their goals and desires to those around them, causing those around them to become raving fans.

 

d) They concentrate on respect not fear and have a fully developed understanding that they are not the same.

 

e) When goals are met they set new goals or raise the bar. With goals that aren’t met, they re-evaluate, re-implement and strive for a better outcome and do not waste time wallowing in unmet expectations.

 

People will follow your lead willingly if you are honest, ethical, if you are consistent and treat them with respect. Rewarding someone when a job is well done is always appreciated. A good leader will also off-load someone quickly who consistently hinders the group who is just not a team player rather than allowing them to continue to affect and infect the team dynamic.

 

You can improve your own self- respect and become an inspiration to others by becoming the leader that it inside of your. Remember that successful leadership isn’t a destination but a journey. Stay on the path and keep moving.