Friday, May 22, 2015

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Courage

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.


Quality #6 - Courage: One person with courage is a majority.

“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities ... because it is the quality which guarantees all others." - Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister

Larry Osborne offers this observation: "The most striking thing about highly effective leaders is how little they have in common. What one swears by, another warns against. But one trait stands out: the willingness to risk."

As you approach the tough decisions that challenge you, recognize these truths about courage:

  1. Courage Begins with an Inward Battle.
    1. Courage isn't an absence of fear.  It's doing what you are afraid to do.
    2. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory.
  2. Courage Is Making Things Right, Not Just Smoothing Them Over.
    1. Courage deals with principle, not perception.
    2. Your dedication to potential must remain stronger than your desire to appease others.
  3. Courage in a Leader Inspires Commitment from Followers.
    1. A show of courage by any person encourages others.
    2. But a show of courage by a leader inspires. It makes people want to follow him.
    3. "Courage is contagious," asserts evangelist Billy Graham. "When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened."
  4. Your Life Expands in Proportion to Your Courage.
    1. Fear limits a leader.
    2. British theologian John Henry Newman said, "Feat not that your life will come to an end but that it will never have a beginning."
    3. Courage not only gives you a good beginning, but it also provides a better future.
Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged, "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

A courageous act often brings unexpected positive results.

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers." - Karl Barth, Swiss Theologian

Bringing it home:
  1. Face the music.
    1. Go out and do something stretching simply for the sake of growing in courage.
  2. Talk to the person.
    1. Most people are avoiding confrontation with someone in their lives - an employee, a relative, or a coworker. If that's true for you, talk to that person this week.
  3. Take a giant step.
    1. If it's the right thing to do, then do it.
Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Competence

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.


Quality #5 - Competence: If you build it, they will come.

“Competence goes beyond words. It's the leader's ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how - and know that they want to follow you." - John C. Maxwell

We all admire people who display high competence, whether they are precision craftsmen, world-class athletes, or successful business leaders. But the truth is that you don't have to be Faberge, Michael Jordan, or Bill Gates to excel in the area of competence.

If you want to cultivate that quality, here's what you need to do:
  1. Show Up Every Day.
    1. Responsible people show up when they are expected.
    2. They come ready to play every day - no matter how they feel, what kind of circumstances they face, or how difficult they expect the game to be.
  2. Keep Improving.
    1. All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing and improving.
    2. They do that by asking why.
    3. The person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss.
  3. Follow Through with Excellence.
    1. "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." - Willa A. Foster
    2. Performing at a high level of excellence is always a choice, an act of the will.
  4. Accomplish More than Expected.
    1. Highly competent people always go the extra mile.
    2. For them, good enough is never good enough.
  5. Inspire Others.
    1. Highly competent leaders do more than perform at a high level. They inspire and motivate their people to do the same.
Where do you stand when it comes to getting the job done? Do you attack everything you do with fervor and perform at the highest level possible? Or is good enough sometimes good enough for you?

When you think about people who are competent, you're really considering only three types of people:
  1. Those who can see what needs to happen.
  2. Those who can make it happen.
  3. Those who can make things happen when it really counts
Bringing it home:
  1. Get your head in the game.
    1. First, rededicate yourself to your job. Determine to give it an appropriate amount of your undivided attention.
  2. Redefine the standard.
    1. If you're not performing at a consistently high level, reexamine your standards.
  3. Find three ways to improve.
    1. Nobody keeps improving without being intentional about it.
    Donald G Rosenbarger
    Senior Vice President
    Delta Companies Inc

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Communication

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.


Quality #4 - Communication: Without it you travel alone.

“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership.  The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others.  If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't matter."

Even if you don't have your sights set on leading the country, ... , you still need to possess the ability to communicate.  The success of your marriage, job, and personal relationships depends greatly on it.  People will not follow you if they don't know what you want or where you are going.

You can be a more effective communicator if you follow four basic truths:
  1. Simplify Your Message
    1. Communication is not just what you say.  It's also how you say it.
    2. Contrary to what some educators teach, the key to effective communication is simplicity.
    3. Napoleon Bonaparte used to tell his secretaries, "Be clear, be clear, be clear."
  2. See the Person
    1. Effective communicators focus on the people with whom they're communicating.
    2. They know it is impossible to effectively communicate to an audience without knowing something about them.
    3. As you communicate with people - whether individuals or groups - ask yourself these questions:
      1. Who is my audience?
      2. What are their questions?
      3. What needs to be accomplished?
      4. How much time do I have?
  3. Show the Truth
    1. Credibility precedes great communication.
    2. There are two ways to convey credibility to your audience.
      1. First, believe in what you say.
      2. Second, live what you say.
    3. There is no greater credibility than conviction in action.
  4. Seek a Response
    1. As you communicate, never forget that the goal of all communication is action.
    2. Every time you speak to people, give them something to feel, something to remember, and something to do

  5. “A leader must get things done through  others, therefore the leader must have the ability to inspire and motivate, guide and direct, and listen. It's only through communication that the leader is able to cause others to internalize his or her vision and implement it." - Danto Manquez Jr., President of MVM, Inc.

    Bringing it home:

    1. Be clear as a bell. 
      1. To a communicator, your best friends are simplicity and clarity.
    2. Refocus your attention.
      1. Meet people where they are, and you will be a better communicator.
    3. Live your message.
      1. Purpose to make changes in your life to be more consistent.

    Learning and growing together!
    Donald G Rosenbarger
    Senior Vice President
    Delta Companies Inc

Thursday, May 21, 2015

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Commitment

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.


Quality #3 - Commitment: it separates doers from dreamers.

“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." - Stephen Gregg, Chairman and CEO of Ethix Corp.

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.

What is the true nature of commitment? Take a look at three observations:
  1. Commitment Starts in the Heart.
    1. Some people want everything to be perfect before they're willing to commit themselves to anything. But commitment always precedes achievement.
    2. If you want to make a difference in other people's lives as a leader, look into your heart to see if you're really committed.
  2. Commitment is Tested by Action.
    1. It's one thing to talk about commitment. It's another to do something about it.
    2. The only real measure of commitment is action.
    3. "Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day." - Arthur Gordon
  3. Commitment Opens the Door to Achievement
    1. As a leader, you will face plenty of obstacles and opposition - if you don't already.
    2. And there are times when commitment is the only thing that carries you forward.
    3. "Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down." David McNally

“Just remember that it you're not working to the utmost of your ability, there will be someone out there somewhere with equal ability. And one day you'll play each other, and he'll have the advantage." - "Easy" Ed Macauley, basketball coach

Bringing it home:
  1. Measure it.
    1. Take out your calendar and your checkbook register - these are the true measures of your commitment.
  2. Know what's worth dying for.
    1. If it came down to it, what in life would you not be able to stop doing, no matter what the consequences were?
  3. Use the Edison method.
    1. Make your plans public, and you might be more committed to following through with them.

Learning and growing together!

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Charisma

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.


Quality #2 - Charisma: the first impression can seal the deal.

“How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you ." - Dan Reiland, Vice President of Leadership Development, INJOY

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 other traits, it can be developed.

To make yourself the kind of person who attracts others, you need to personify these pointers:
  1. Love life
    1. People enjoy leaders who enjoy life.
    2. 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
    1. One of the best things you can do for people - which also attracts them to you - is to expect the best of them.
    2. If you appreciate others, encourage them, and help them reach their potential, they will love you for it.
  3. Give people hope
    1. French General Napoleon Bonaparte characterized leaders as "dealers in hope".
    2. 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
    1. People love leaders who share themselves and their life journeys
    2. As you lead people, give of yourself.
    3. Share wisdom, resources, and even special occasions.
“I have yet to find the man, however exalted his situation, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism." - Charles Schwab, Industrialist

Bringing it home:
  1. Change your focus.
    1. Determine to tip the balance in favor of focusing on others.
  2. Play the first impression game.
    1. The next time you meet someone for the first time, try your best to make a good impression, Learn the person's name. Focus on his interests. Be positive. And most important, treat him as a "10".
  3. Share yourself.
    1. Make it your long-term goal to share your resources with others. Provide resources to help them grow personally and professionally, and share your personal journey with them.
Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc.

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Character

We continue our learning and growing with the lessons contained in John C. Maxwell’s book titled The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. This book carries the subtitle: "Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow".

Everything rises and falls on leadership. And leadership truly develops from the inside out. If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside. People will want to follow you.


Quality #1 - Character: be a piece of the rock

“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” – Bernard Montgomery, British Field Marshall

Crisis doesn't necessarily make character, but it does certainly reveal it. Adversity is a crossroads that make a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise.

What must every person know about character?
  1. Character is more than talk
    1. Anyone can say that he has integrity, but action is the real indicator of character.
    2. That’s why you can never separate a leader’s character from his actions.
  2. Talent is a gift, but character is a choice
    1. We do choose our character.
    2. In fact, we create it every time we make choices – to cop out or dig out of a situation, to bend the truth or stand under the weight of it, to take the easy money or pay the price.
    3. As you live your life and make choices, you are continuing to create your character.
  3. Character brings lasting success with people
    1. True leadership always involves other people.
    2. Followers do not trust leaders whose character they know to be flawed, and they will not continue following them.
  4. Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character
    1. Have you ever seen highly talented people suddenly fall apart when they achieved a certain level of success?
    2. b. The key to that phenomenon is character.
    3. He believes they are destined for one or more of the four A’s: arrogance, painful feelings of aloneness, destructive adventure-seeking, or adultery. Each is a terrible price to pay for weak character.
“The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the ‘gray areas’.” – G. Alan Bernard

Bringing it home:
  1. Search for the cracks.
    1. Spend some time looking at the major areas of your life, and identify anywhere you might have cut corners, compromised, or let people down.
  2. Look for patterns.
    1. Detectable patterns will help you diagnose character issues.
  3. Face the music.
    1. The beginning of character repair comes when you face your flaws, apologize, and deal with the consequences of your actions.
  4. Rebuild.
    1. Now that you've identified any areas of weakness, create a plan that will prevent you from making the same mistakes again.
Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

NO YELLING: The Final Lesson

Today we finalize our journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Thus far, our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", has covered:
  1. Integrity - Trustworthy, Consistent, and Non-negotiables
  2. Technical Competence - The Foundation of Credibility, Success Triangle, and Setting the Standards
  3. Set the Example - Inspiring Followers, Being a Role Model, and Professionalism
  4. Self-Awareness - Know Thyself, Personal Style, and Situational Awareness
  5. Take Care of People - At Work, At Home, and For Life
  6. Make New Leaders - Cultural, Personal, and Accountable
  7. Commander's Intent - Where Are We Going, Communication, and Getting the Point Across
  8. Culture and Values - Core Values, Alignment, and The Science Behind Values
  9. Rehearsals and Critiques - The Foundation of Success, Practice the Way You Play, and Let's Talk About It.
In the book's introduction, and in our initial lesson, Wally makes the following statement regarding leadership:


"Leadership is a conscious behavior, developed through application and ongoing assessment. It is both an art - learned and refined over time - and a skill that requires practice and introspection. It's what makes people want to work for you. And, as you will see, it's about trust. Successful leaders earn the trust of those they lead, allowing them to advance their agenda in support of the larger effort."

Some are born leaders, the rest of us have to read, study, practice, and refine our skills and habits to become one. We must follow the "Plan. Do. Check. Act." methodology of the Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) on a daily basis. And encourage those we lead to do the same.

I hope you have enjoyed the lessons from Wally's book.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

NO YELLING: Rehearsals and Critiques

Today we continue our journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", continues with the ninth secret: Rehearsals and Critiques which includes: The Foundation of Success, Practice the Way You Play, and Let's Talk About It.

"Don't be afraid to make mistakes. In fact, go ahead and make mistakes, that means you are trying. Most important, learn from your mistakes. Do this and you will succeed and people will follow you." - Owen Murray, Major USMC.

My father always said, "If you had time to do it right the second time, you had time to do it right the first time." And great leaders say, "That went well, let's take a look at what went right and wrong and see what we can do to make it better next time," as they conduct a rigorous and rankles debrief.

The Foundation of Success

"Repetitive training on the very basic tactics is a pain, no doubt, but they are the building blocks of more complex tactics." - Vaughn Fox, Major USMC.

Beyond the emotional baggage of practice, there are other reasons we don't place high value on these essential elements of successful performance. We often perceive ourselves as too busy to practice. The corporate environment often looks at rehearsing, or training, as a waste of time that could be better spent producing revenue. People may not take it seriously, because of poor execution, in which case it does become a waste of time. Or people don't do a thorough debrief so there is no learning, again, a waste of time. The most successful leaders and the most successful organizations make rehearsal and practice integral to the planning and operations process. No surprise, the success rate of these groups is usually higher than the groups that don't practice.

Mission success in the corporate world is characterized by such things as improving on budget and schedule expectations and profitability increasing market share. Prototypes and rehearsals are examples of due diligence activities, before executing the plan, that often pay huge benefits.


Practice the Way You Play

Rehearsals and practice must be done well. Poor practice is worse than no practice. Proper practice yields a well-trained group that is able to execute.

Practice is for everyone. Leaders lose credibility when they don't fully participate or when they merely go through the motions. This behavior sends three very negative messages to people:
  1. I am better than you and I don't have to do this.
  2. This isn't really that important but you have to do it anyway.
  3. When it comes to "game time" I may not be ready because I did not practice.
"Don't miss the point. As leaders we send messages with everything we do. And we need to be ready on game day because we practiced the right way all along." Craig Blanford, Major USMC.

Let's Talk About It

People want feedback. They really do want to know how they are doing - good or bad. They might not like hearing the bad stuff but they want to know. Most of them really do want to get better. If they have no desire to improve, it may be due to a poor environment created by the leader. Ideally, this feedback is continual and not limited to an annual performance review. Continuous improvement is the norm today, and it requires ongoing analysis.

"On top of improving the process, we were involving the people who were actually doing the work. They know best the issues we are facing and when we ask them, it motivates them." Jon Hruska, Captain USMC.

Critiques are an important part of training because critical self-analysis, even after success, is essential to improvement. Their purpose is to draw out the lessons of training. As a result, we should conduct critiques immediately after the completing training, before the memory of the events has faded.

Critiques should be held in an atmosphere of open and frank dialogue in which all hands are encouraged to contribute.

We learn as much from our mistakes as from things done well, so we must be willing to admit mistakes and discuss them.

Of course, a subordinate’s willingness to admit mistakes depends on the commander’s willingness to tolerate them. Because we recognize that no two situations in war are the same, our critiques should focus not so much on the actions we took as on why we took those actions and why they brought the results they did.” Warfighting

Leaders set the tone in the debrief. This tone must be conducive to learning, with the leader often acting more as a facilitator, guiding the process…. The debrief we are talking about here is one in which people learn what went right, what went wrong, and how to make it better next time.


Summary

Practice the way you plan to play. Allocate the resources (time, money, people, and leadership) to do it correctly. Work with people to get better.

Critical analysis and review of the facts is essential, as is full and fair treatment for all players. When this procedure is regularly followed, people actually look forward to the accountability.

Develop the habit of delivering feedback to your team.

You cannot accomplish great things with a disinterested workforce. You can achieve greatness with one that believes in continuous improvement that starts at the top.

"The only way you can possibly get better at what you do is to talk about how you are doing. Too often we avoid these conversations since we don't want to hurt feelings. You will never get better that way." Clark Cox, Captain USMC.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc