The Leadership Quality of Commitment (part 3 of 3)

Continued from yesterday... Here are 3 exercises you can do to start evaluating and improving your level of commitment. Consider the following... 1. Measure it: Sometimes we think we are committed to something, yet our actions indicate otherwise. Take out your calendar and your checkbook register. Sped a few hours tallying up how you spend your time and where you spend your money. Look at how much time you spend at work, in service, with family, in health and recreation activities, in your faith, and so forth. Figure out how much money you spent on living expenses, entertainment, personal development, giving, etc. All these things are true measures of your commitment. 2. Know what’s worth dying for: One of the questions every leader must ask himself is, “What am I willing to die for?” If it came down to it, what in life would you not be able to stop doing, no matter what the consequences were? Spend some time alone meditating on that thought. Write down what you discover. Then see if your actions match your ideals. 3. Use the Edison method: If taking the first step toward commitment is a problem, try doing what Thomas Edison did. When he had a good idea for an invention, he would call a press conference to announce it. Then he’d go into his lab and invent it. Make your goals, your plans, your commitments public. You will be more committed to following and achieving them. Want to get started on increasing your leadership commitment? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Quality of Commitment (part 2 of 3)

Continued from yesterday... The following three observations tell us a lot about the nature of commitment: 1. Commitment starts in the heart. Some people want everything to be perfect before they are willing to commit themselves to anything. But commitment always precedes achievement. It is said that in the Kentucky Derby, the winning horse effectively runs out of oxygen about half-way through the race and goes the remainder of the way on heart. All good athletes recognize the importance of commitment. NBA legend Michael Jordan says, “Heart is what separates the good from the great.” So if you want to make a difference in other people’s lives as a leader, look into your own heart to see if you’re really committed. 2. Commitment is tested by action. It’s one thing to talk about commitment. It’s another to do something about it. The only real measure of commitment is action. It has been said, “Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day.” 3. Commitment opens the door to achievement. As a leader, you will face plenty of obstacles and opposition – if you haven’t already. And there will be times when commitment is the only thing that carries you forward. It has been said, “Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you have been knocked down.” If you want to get anywhere worthwhile, you must be committed. When it comes to commitment, there are really only four types of people: 1. Cop-outs: People who have no goals and who do not commit. 2. Holdouts: People who don’t know if they can reach their goals, so they’re afraid to commit. 3. Dropouts: People who start toward a goal but quit when the going gets tough. 4. All-outs: People who set goals, commit to them, and pay the price to reach them. What kind of person are you? Have you been reaching your goals? Are you achieving all that you believe you can? Do people believe in you and follow you readily? If your answer to any of these questions is no, the problem may be your level of commitment. To be continued... Want to get started on increasing your leadership commitment? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Quality of Commitment (part 1 of 3)

Former pro basketball player Bill Bradley attended a summer basketball camp at age 15 conducted by Ed Macauley. During that camp, Macauley made a statement that changed Bradley’s life: “Just remember that if you’re not working at your game to the utmost of your ability, there will be someone out there with equal ability. One day you’ll play each other, and he’ll have the advantage.” People do not follow uncommitted leaders. Commitment can be displayed in a full range of matters to include the work hours you choose to maintain, how you work to improve your abilities, or what you do for your fellow workers at personal sacrifice. The world has never seen a great leader who lacked commitment. Ed McElroy of USAir spoke of its importance: “Commitment gives us new power. No matter what comes to us – sickness, poverty, or disaster – we never turn our eye from the goal.” What is commitment? To each person, it means something different. To the boxer, it’s getting off the mat one more time than you’ve been knocked down. To the marathoner, it’s running another ten miles when your strength is gone. To the soldier, it’s going over the hill, not knowing what’s waiting on the other side. To the missionary, it’s saying good-bye to your own comfort to make life better for others. To the leader, it’s all about that and more because everyone you lead is depending on you. If you want to be an effective leader, you have to be committed. True commitment inspires and attracts people. It shows them that you have conviction. They will believe in you only if you believe in your cause. As the Leadership Principle of Buy-In states, people first buy into the leader, then they buy into the vision. To be continued... Want to get started on increasing your leadership commitment? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Principle of Process (part 3 of 3)

Continued from part 2... Leadership is developed daily, not in a day. That is a reality dictated by the Principle of Process. The secret for success in life is for a person to be ready for his time when it comes. What a person does on a disciplined, consistent basis gets him ready. The good news is that your leadership ability is not static. No matter where you are starting from, you can get better. There is an old saying: Champions don’t become champions in the ring (or on the field), they are merely recognized there. So true. If you want to see where someone develops into a champion, look at his daily routine. Former heavyweight champ Joe Frazier stated, You can map out a fight plan. Better yet is to map out a life plan. When the action starts, it boils down to reflexes. That’s where your road work shows. If you’ve cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you’re getting found out now under the bright lights.” Boxing is a great analogy for leadership development because it is all about preparation. Even if a person has natural talent, he has to prepare and train to be truly successful. President Theodore Roosevelt, a great leader and boxing enthusiast, once stated: “It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and, who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Roosevelt, a boxer himself, was the ultimate man of action. He began everyday by spending time building his body as well as his mind. He did that for his entire life. He did not become a great leader overnight. His road to the presidency was one of slow, continual growth. When they removed his dead body from his bed, they found a book under his pillow. Up to the very last, he was still striving to learn and improve himself. He was still practicing the Principle of Process. So if you want to be a great leader, the good news is that you can do it. But is will cost you. Everyone has the potential, but not everyone is willing to make the sacrifice. It isn’t accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance. You can’t ignore the Principle of Process. Leadership does not develop in a day – great leadership takes the better part of a lifetime. Want to get started on the process of improving your leadership? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Principle of Process (part 2 of 3)

Leadership develops daily, not in a day. Continued from yesterday - the four phases of The Leadership Principle of Process... Phase 1 - I don’t know what I don’t know: Most people fail to recognize the value of leadership. They believe that leadership is only for a few – for the people at the top of the corporate ladder. They have no idea of the opportunities they are passing up when they don’t learn to lead. In the course of each day most individuals try to influence at least four people. This substantiates the claim by sociologists that most people will influence – positively or negatively – over 10,000 people in their lifetime. Unfortunately, as long as a person doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, he doesn’t grow. Phase 2 - I know what I don’t know: Usually at some point in life, we are placed in a leadership position only to look around and discover that no one is following us. That’s when we realize that we need to learn how to lead. Benjamin Disraeli once said, “To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step to knowledge.” Phase 3 - I grow and know and it starts to show: When you recognize your lack of skill and begin the daily discipline of personal growth in leadership, exciting things start to happen. Every one can become a great leader. Almost immediately, progress begins as your influence become greater, as you put newly learned leadership principles into practice. Read books, listen to tapes/CDs/DVDs, and attend regular seminars. Whenever you come across a golden nugget of truth or a significant quote, file it away for the future. Phase 4 - I know what I don’t know: When you’re in Phase 3, you can be pretty effective as a leader. However, when you get to Phase 4, your ability to lead becomes almost automatic. And that’s when the payoff becomes larger than life. But the only way to get there is to practice the Principle of Process and to pay the price. Think for a moment, which phase are you in? To be continued... Want to get started on the process of improving your leadership? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Principle of Process (part 1 of 3)

Leadership develops daily, not in a day. Leadership skills are like investing – they compound. It’s a lot like investing in the stock market. If you hope is to make a fortune in a day, you’re not going to be successful. What matters most is what you do day by day over the long haul. The secret of success is found in your daily and weekly agenda. If you continually invest in your leadership development, letting your “assets“ compound, the inevitable result is growth over time. Although it is true that some people are born with greater natural gifts in leadership than others, the ability to lead is really a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and improved. But that process doesn’t happen overnight. Leadership is complicated. It has many facets: respect, experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing – and the list goes on. Many factors that some into play are somewhat intangible. That’s why leaders improve with seasoning. In a study of 90 top leaders from a variety of fields, leadership experts Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus made a discovery about the relationship between growth and leadership: It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers. Successful leaders are learners. The learning process is ongoing, a result of self-discipline and perseverance. The goal each day must be to get a little e bit better, to build on the previous day’s progress. So whether you do or don’t have great natural leadership ability, your development and progress will probably occur over the following four phases: 1. I don’t know what I don’t know. 2. I know what I don’t know. 3. I grow and know and it stars to show. 4. I simply go because of what I know. To be continued... Want to get started on the process of improving your leadership? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Quality of Charisma (part 2 of 2)

Continued from earlier... How would you rate yourself when it comes to charisma? Are other people naturally attracted to you? Are you well liked? If not you may possess one of the following roadblocks to charisma: Pride – No one want to follow a leader who thinks he is better than everyone else. Insecurity – If you are uncomfortable with who you are, others will be too. Moodiness – If people never know what to expect from you, they stop expecting anything. Perfectionism – People respect the desire for excellence, dread totally unrealistic expectations. Cynicism – People don’t want to be rained on by someone who sees a cloud around every silver lining. If you can stay away from these qualities, you can cultivate charisma. Pearle Mesta, the greatest Washington hostess since Dolly Madison, was asked the secret of her success in getting so many rich and famous people to attend her parties. “It’s all about the greetings and the good-byes, “ she replied. When a guest arrived, she met him, saying, “At last you’re here!” and as each left, she said, “I’m sorry you have to leave so soon!” Her agenda was to focus on others, not herself. That’s charisma. Here are some tips for getting started on the path for a more charismatic life: • Change your focus. Observe your interaction with people during the next few days. As you talk to others, determine who much of your conversation is concentrated on yourself. Determine to tip the balance in favor of focusing on others. • Play the first impressions game. Try an experiment. The next time you meet someone for the very first time, try your best to make a good first impression. Learn the person’s name. Focus on his interests. Be positive. And most important, treat him as a “10”. If you can do this for a day, you can do it every day. And that will increase your charisma overnight. • Share yourself. Make it your long-term goal to share your resources with others. Think about how you can add value to five people in your life this year. They can be family members, colleagues, employees, or friends. Provide resources to help them grow personally and professionally, and share your personal journey with them. Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

The Leadership Quality of Charisma (part 1 of 2)

How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you. Most people think of charisma as something mystical, almost undefinable. They think it’s a quality that comes at birth or not at all. But that’s not true. Charisma, plainly stated, is the ability to draw people to you. And like many other character traits, it can be developed. To make yourself the kind of person who attracts others, you need to personify the following: 1. People Enjoy Leaders who Enjoy Life: Think of the people you want to spend time with. How would you describe them? Grumpy? Bitter? Depressed? Of course not. They’re celebrators, not complainers. They’re passionate about life. If you want to attract people, you need to be like the people you enjoy being with. 2. Put a “10” on Every Person’s head: One of the best things you can do for people – which also attracts them to you – is to expect the best of them. It’s like putting a “10” on everybody’s head. It helps others think more highly of themselves, and at the same time, it also helps you. According to Jacques Wiesel, “A survey of 100 self-made millionaires showed only one common denominator. These highly successful men and women could only see the good in other people.” The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal him to his own. If you appreciate others, encourage them, and help them reach their potential – they will love you for it 3. Give People Hope: French General Napoleon Bonaparte characterized leaders as “dealers in hope”. Like all great leaders, he knew that hope is the greatest of all possessions. If you can be the person who bestows that gift on others, they will be attracted to you, and they will be forever grateful. 4. Share Yourself: People love leaders who share themselves and their life journeys. As you lead people, give of yourself. Share wisdom, resources, and even special occasions. When it comes to charisma, the bottom line is other-mindedness. Leaders who think about others and their concerns before thinking of themselves exhibit charisma. To be continued... Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com 

The Leadership Principle of Influence (part 2 of 2)

Continued from yesterday... Here are five common myths about leadership: 3. The Knowledge Myth: Sir Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power.” Most people, believing that power is the essence of leadership, naturally assume that those who possess knowledge and intelligence are leaders. But that isn’t automatically true. IQ does not necessarily equate to leadership ability. 4. The Pioneer Myth: Another misconception is that anyone who is out in front of the crowd is a leader. But being first isn’t the same as leading. Example: Sir Edmund Hillary vs. John Hunt and the Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Leaders often go first and lead by example, but those who go first are not always good leaders – it takes more than that to be a good leader. 5. The Position Myth: As mentioned earlier, the greatest misconception about leadership is that people think it is based on position, but it’s not. As Stanley Huffy once affirmed, “It is not the position that makes the leader, but the leader who makes the position.” There are Five Levels of Leadership – each one an increasingly better leader. A Position based leader leads from the title that has been assigned to him/her. A Permission based leader leads because he has earned the respect of others who will follow him/her. A Production based leader not only has their respect, but also gets things done and produces results on a consistent basis. A People Development leaders is a Production leader who also realizes that they will be more successful in the long run if they invest in their followers to enhance their leadership abilities as well. A Pinnacle leader not only invests in his followers’ leadership ability, but he makes sure they are producing leaders as well – hence, he leaves behind a legacy of leadership development. Positional leadership doesn’t work with volunteer organizations. Because these leaders don’t have leverage – or influence – so they are ineffective. In volunteer organizations, such as churches, the only thing that works is leadership in its purest form. In other organizations, the person who has position may have incredible leverage. In the military for instance, leaders can use rank and, if all else fails, throw people into the brig. In business, bosses have tremendous leverage in the form of salary, benefits, and perks. Most followers are pretty cooperative when their livelihood is at stake. But his is still not true leadership. Here is my favorite leadership proverb, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” If you can’t influence others, they won’t follow you. And if they won’t follow, you’re not a leader. That’s the Principle of Influence. No matter what anybody else tells you, remember that leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less. Need help improving your ability to influence others in a positive way? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com 

The Leadership Principle of Influence (part 1 or 2)

The true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. If you don’t have influence, you will never be able to lead others. Great examples are Princess Diana and Mother Theresa – neither had any real authority, but both exercised an incredible amount of influence. Colin Powell once said, “You will have achieved excellence as a leader when people will follow you anywhere, even if only out of curiosity.” People have many misconceptions about leadership. When they hear that someone has an impressive title of an assigned leadership position, they assume that he is a leader. Sometimes that’s true. But titles don’t have much value when it comes to truly leading. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that can’t be mandated – it must be earned. The only thing a title can buy is a little time – either to increase your level of influence with others or to erase it. Here are five common myths about leadership: 1. The Management Myth: A widespread misunderstanding is that leadership and management are one and the same. Up until a few years ago, books that claimed to be on leadership were often really about management. The main difference between the two is that leadership is about influencing people to follow, while management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. Consequently, a great way to test whether a person can lead rather than manage is to ask him to create positive change. Managers can maintain direction, but changing it is difficult for them. To move people in a new direction, you need influence. Michael Hammer, the father of Reengineering (the science of fast, radical business change) frequently said, “the hard stuff is the soft stuff”. He was referring to the fact that successful change is always accomplished by influencing people. 2. The Entrepreneur Myth: Frequently, people assume that all salespeople and entrepreneurs are leaders. But that’s often not the case. Just because someone is buying what they are selling, does not make them leaders – people are not really following them. At best, salespeople and entrepreneurs may be able to persuade someone for the moment, but they hold no long-term real influence over their customers. This is often evidenced by how many of these individuals go out of the business as soon as there is a shift in the market. To be continued... Need to improve your ability to positively influence others? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com