I could not believe what my eyes were reading and what my ears were hearing. While I sat in a physical and mental posture of learning, I waited for my Professor of Record in a doctorate program to share the first point of his opening lecture entitled “Becoming the Leaders We Need to Be.” The first point: Leaders do what needs to be done. My first reaction: I felt disappointed; the point seemed too obvious and too simple. However, as I continued to listen, I realized that it was neither obvious nor simple. Even though the statement was framed with simplicity, applying the principle is far from easy. Effective leaders ask, “What needs to be done?” These are the exact words used by leadership guru Peter Drucker. Interestingly, both of my professors—Dr. Leith Anderson and Peter Drucker—began explaining this principle with nearly the same sub-point: Notice that the question

  Importance of Writing Action Plans According to Peter Drucker, the second of eight effective practices of effective leaders is to invest time in writing action plans. Writing an action plan is the task that follows answering the most difficult question: “What needs to be done?” which we discussed in the last article. I recently heard a friend explain in a somewhat sarcastic tone, “The idea of a map is to have it in your possession before you begin your journey.” Supposedly, Napoleon said that he never won a battle by perfectly following his written plan. Yet anyone who studies history knows that it never stopped him from planning out in detail every one of his battles! I wonder what history might have said if he had never planned. The Leader’s Playbook At Lead Today we call an action plan, The Leader’s Playbook. We believe in it, we use it,

  Every conscientious leader strives to be more effective. I want to get better, and so do you. That’s why we work on our approach to leading ourselves and others, not just doing whatever we do. Otherwise, if we mostly work with our heads down—focused only on tasks—we often miss the big picture: the more effective way of getting things done. Eight Effective Leadership Practices Extensive research has revealed that the most effective leaders follow eight practices: They ask, “What needs to be done?”   They ask, “What are the most important things for the organization?”   They create a consistent playbook, which includes clear action plans.   They take responsibility for decisions.   They take responsibility for good communication.   They focus on opportunities rather than problems.   They run well-planned and productive meetings.   They think and speak “we” rather than “I.” Notably, Peter Drucker, in his book

  Three Perspectives Within Healthy Leadership Our work at Lead Today has taught us a peculiar fact: many of us [leaders] have found ourselves in positions of influence almost by accident. Through the years we have worked hard and have been promoted. This reward is expected; however, the skills that got us here are only a portion of what we need to be successful today. To be effective leaders, we need to regularly climb the Mountain of Perspective before hiking back down into the action. The daily grind will have a way of impeding a leader’s vision. When we work too close to the battle without stepping back from time to time our vision can often be described like the age-old saying, “He can’t see the forest for the trees.” Imagine sitting on top of a mountain. Other than the breeze, it’s quiet. This is where I want you to

  Conscious and Empathic Leadership “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” ― C.G. Jung SELF EXAMINATION Outstanding leaders have both a reservoir of empathy and the ability to motivate themselves and others. How do they do it? They understand human nature. To start, they become a student of their own attitudes, desires, and behaviors. An accurate self-examination awakens the unconscious mind not only to understand one’s self but also the attributes and motivations of others. Leaders who understand what lies beneath the surface of human behavior will have a decided advantage not only in their relationships but also in their desired outcomes. I CAN’T FLY Germany 2013. A very serious and transparent moment presents itself. A common four-year-old boy who worships almost every known superhero walks out on the balcony of his condo to find and confide in his

I once worked for a small family-owned restaurant. The pay was minimal, the conditions weren’t all that glamorous, and the hours were less than ideal. But I loved the place because it had a story. The founder, an Italian immigrant, had a dream to bring recipes from the old country into the brave new world of America. His son eventually took over the joint, now he was grooming his son to run it. Most of the employees attached to the establishment were family, either as bookkeepers, cooks, or servers. And with the family, there seemed to be drama every day. Marriage issues were worked out next to the prep station (knives readily available, but never used thank goodness!) Children did their homework at one of the tables near the rear of the restaurant. Family photos adorned the walls. Although I was an outsider, I was invited into that narrative. People

How to Deal with Leadership Stress “Gosh, right now my jokes are funny and I’m the best looking guy in the world, but I know as soon as I lose, all that will change.” This quote came from a man who was recently granted the position of head football coach for a major NCAA football team. If you’ve been in leadership for any length of time, you either grinned or shook your head in agreement. You know leadership is demanding. Leadership is demanding and oftentimes stressful. As a result, leaders burn out. Their behavior becomes less predictable. They begin making more mistakes. Some are actions unbecoming for a leader. Some mistakes are due to a lack of action. They stop taking care of their own person – mind, body, and soul. After a while, they find themselves in a really bad place. Bad habits, irritation, confusion, and truckloads of stress.

“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” Philippians 1:4 As we grow older, some of us gain wisdom and humility. Others become bitter and reactive. The fork in the road determining whether we become bitter or better has much to do with how we process the troubles in life and the relationships that did not work out as we might have hoped. In this article, I hope to strengthen your team-building outlook by considering how to apply the Scripture above in the context of building like-minded teams: Seek to Understand Yesterday, I met with a potential new team member. Most of our time together was invested in learning about his history, his values, and his life situation. This is important because those things often determine if working together will be a good fit. In fact, they are just as important as one’s

Customer service is an everyday experience. We rate service with words like Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor. There are three kinds of people who take these ratings seriously: the business owner (because their lives and reputation depend on it), the customer (because it’s their time and money and perhaps their own customer they represent), and the kind of person you want on your team (because not everybody can provide excellent customer service). I admit it; I’m a person that notices. I pay attention to service and I take it personally. Fortunately, not all are like me, some are a little more laid back. If every customer expected the kind of service I do, at least 25% of businesses would shut their doors. Why? Because that’s about how many places I have never patronized again due to poor service. The first thing a business owner or concerned employee should know about

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power – Abraham Lincoln Let’s face it. It’s easy to get angry, cynical, guarded, and stingy in a crooked world. If you don’t believe in evil, you can stop reading right now. But if you like to think in a positive, grateful, and proactive way, yet recognize the condition of the world is not quite up to par, continue reading. Like you, my positive belief in people can be shattered in a moment and if I’m not careful, it will plant itself in my heart and take up residence. How do we keep a level head in a world filled with so-called friends who do not tell the truth and people who strap bombs on their person for the sake of some god who can’t seem to do his own fighting? Wow, that

  Proverbs 28:5 says, “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand everything.” The “Key” seems clear. Seek the Lord… but does this apply to business? You would think it strange for a pastor not to pray before presenting a message to the congregation. Is your business less important than the sermon? No. That’s because your business is the sermon. Please, please stop using the phrase “business is business” as if it lives in its own capsule separated from the rest of God’s design. The truth is this: your business decisions glorify your truest values. How you make decisions expose what you believe, not what you know. People, including business leaders, act on what they believe, not on what they know. A person can “know” the wisdom found in Scripture but if it’s not practiced, it can’t be learned in the “believing” sense. Once we

“I believe leadership itself is largely learned.” – Coach John Wooden John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach who became an icon of American sports while guiding the Bruins to an unprecedented 10 national championships in the 1960s and ’70s and remained in the spotlight during retirement with his “Pyramid of Success” motivational program, has died. He was 99. (LA Times, June 5, 2010, by Bill Dwyre & David Wharton). Leadership is Learned I agree completely with the coach – leadership is mostly learned. That’s why I’m always amazed when people label others as if they were frozen in time like a photograph. It is the summit of leadership stupidity. It’s easier to make a judgment about a person than it is to evaluate and then work with them, inspiring them to grow, learn, and change. We take pictures of our children because we want to capture the moment. We know

The #1 Leadership Mistake: Quick Decisions! Combining one of the following words: Haste, Swift, Impulse, Rash, Quick…with the word “Decision” often leads to disaster. Worse yet they represent weakness in character. According to my friend Phil Eastman, the seven elements of character are: wisdom, temperance, justice, courage, faith, hope and love. Proverbs 20:18 “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.” esv Example #1 I once heard a man in a role of significant responsibility and trust say to me, “Jim, we are going to act swiftly and decisively.” It sounded like courage but as I watched the results, one mistake rolled into another creating a large snowballing disaster where many people where hurt. Looking back, he was not well enough informed with the facts and exasperated the situation by acting too quickly. Example #2 One day I was late for an appointment. I pushed the garage door

Proverbs 11:25: “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who waters will himself be watered.” Relationships are one of the best things life has to offer. Relationships are one of the most difficult experiences in life. Both statements are true. Profit is as natural as fruit on the tree. If you plant a fruit-bearing tree, water it, and do the maintenance, you will see a profit. If you work with others in the planting, watering, and maintaining, you will have both relationship and profit. Both are good and from God. The point is that relationship and profit walk hand-in-hand. Even though you have been burned, remember, that one cannot survive without the other. 7 principles I’ve learned to respect through years of hard knocks: 1. Hiring is a most difficult process And should be treated with the utmost respect because “hoping someone works out” is not a strategy.

I just finished reading a well-written article about how mighty organizations fall. It surprised me how organizational failures parallel our personal lives. It got me thinking and it inspired me to reflect upon the leadership shortcomings of my past. While my family and friends might run to my aid and list all of my accomplishments, let’s save those for the memorial service! It is much healthier for a leader to think about learning and growing for the sake of others. Some of these mistakes I committed in my twenties, others in my thirties, and unfortunately, a couple in my forties. Let’s pray my fifties (NOW in my sixties) are quiet in the sense of leadership mistakes! HERE’S MY TOP TEN FAILURES IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER: 1. Not Understanding the Other Side of My Strengths. I have come to learn that fixing weaknesses (I’m not talking about character) is a waste