Are You Winging It As A Leader? Here’s What You’re Missing
There is nothing wrong with being flexible. In fact, flexibility is an important leadership skill.
But flexibility without intentionality can quickly become reactivity.
Intentionality means you have thought about what matters, where you want to go and how you want to respond along the way.
And it benefits you in ways that go far beyond business.
Want To Become A Better Listener? Try Using Your E.A.R.
That conversation reminded me that listening isn’t simply waiting for your turn to talk. Great communicators make the other person feel understood before trying to be understood themselves. And they are secure enough to let others come up with the right answer.
One of the simplest ways I’ve found to improve listening is an acronym that is easy to remember:
E.A.R.
The Company You Keep Is Creating the Leader You Become
Most of us believe we’re independent thinkers.
We assume our attitudes are our own…our standards are our own…even our habits are our own.
But think about the conversations you hear every day…the people you laugh with…the people who constantly complain…the coworker who drains you…the one who encourages you.
Is Second-Guessing Holding You Back?
Do you ever second-guess your decisions…even a little bit?
Now, I’m not suggesting the other extreme of taking a “ready, fire, aim” approach. Over the long run, that is a recipe for disaster.
But many leaders fall into a different trap: Ready. Aim. Aim. Aim. Aim. While everyone else is waiting.
Do You Need Everyone To Like You?
Have you ever faced a decision that wasn’t going to be popular no matter what you chose?For some people, making unpopular decisions is especially difficult.
Why?
Because many of us struggle with a hidden leadership trap: the need for approval.
How To Become Someone People Trust
Trust is a fragile thing. Once it is lost, rebuilding it requires intentional effort and consistency over time. Most people don’t lose trust because of one dramatic failure. They lose it through a series of small disappointments, broken promises and avoided conversations.
I see this regularly in my coaching practice.
The Leadership Trait People Never Forget: Encouragement
I have had many people encourage me along the way but one that stands out was not someone I saw every day on the trading floor but just off it.
Miss Barbara cleaned the kitchen and break room areas on the ten floors our company occupied. Most days when I was getting ice or warming something up, there she was…calling me by name with a smile.
She would ask how my kids were doing and what was going on in my life. She could usually sense it if I was having a tough day and let me know she would pray for me.
What Would Devastate You If It Was Taken Away?
When something holds you captive, it takes away your freedom. Gradually, what once served you begins to control you.
If you’re wondering whether something has a grip on you, ask yourself this question:
“What would devastate me if it were taken away?”
The answer often reveals what has captured your heart.
“Can I Be Direct?” The Leadership Skill Most People Avoid
Late on afternoon I pulled him aside and told him something nobody else was willing to say.
“Can I tell you something as a friend?”
His countenance immediately softened and he said, “Sure man, anything.”