The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Relationships

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 #15 - Relationships: if you get along, they'll go along.

“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." - Theodore Roosevelt, American President

The ability to work with people and develop relationships is absolutely indispensable to effective leadership.

What can a person do to manage and cultivate good relationships as a leader? It requires three things:

1. Have a Leader's Head - Understand People.
   1. The first quality of a relational leader is the ability to understand how people feel and think.
   2. As you work with others, recognize that all people, whether leaders or followers, have some thing in common:
      - They like to feel special, so sincerely compliment them.
      - They want a better tomorrow, so show them hope.
      - They desire direction, so navigate for them.
      - They are selfish, so speak to their needs first.
      - They get low emotionally, so encourage them.
      - They way success, so help them win.
   3. Recognizing these truths, a leader must still be able to treat people as individuals.
   4. The ability to look at each person, understand him, and connect with him is a major factor in relational success.
   5. That means treating people differently, not all the same as one another.
   6. You have to adapt your leadership style to the person you're leading.
2. Have a Leader's Heart - Love People
   1. "Being a leader is more than just wanting to lead. Leaders have empathy for others and a keen ability to find the best in people ... not the worst ... by truly caring for others." Henry Gruland, President & CEO of Difinitive Computer Services.
   2. You cannot be a truly effective leader, the kind that people want to follow, unless you love people.
3. Extend a Leader's Hand - Help People.
1. People respect a leader who keeps their interests in mind.
2. If your focus is on what you can put into people rather than what you can get out of them, they'll love and respect you - and create a great foundation for building relationships.

“People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - John C. Maxwell

Bringing it home:

1. Improve Your Mind.
   1. If your ability to understand people needs improvement, jump-start it by reading several books on the subject.
   2. Then spend more time observing people and talking to them to apply what you've learned.
2. Strengthen Your Heart.
   1. Don't wait until you feel like it to help others.
   2. Act your way into feeling.
3. Repair a Hurting Relationship.
1. Do what you can to rebuild it.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Problem-Solving

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 #14 - Problem-Solving: you can't let your problems be a problem.

“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year." -John Foster Dulles, Former Secretary of State

http://www.buzzquotes.com/quotes-solving-problems

Effective leaders always rise to a challenge. That's one of the things that separates winners from whiners.
No matter what field a leader is in, he will face problems. They are inevitable for three reasons. First, we live in a world of growing complexity and diversity. Second, we interact with people. And third, we cannot control all the situations we face.

Leaders with good problem-solving ability demonstrate five qualities:

1. They Anticipate Problems.
   1. Since problems are inevitable, good leaders anticipate them.
   2. If you keep your attitude positive but plan for the worst, you'll find yourself in a good position to solve problems that come your way.
2. They Accept the Truth.
   1. People respond to problems in these ways: they refuse to accept them; they accept them and then put up with them; or they accept them and try to make things better. Leaders must always do the latter.
   2. Effective leaders face up to the reality of a situation.
3. They See the Big Picture.
   1. Leaders must continually see the big picture.
   2. They cannot afford to be overwhelmed by emotion.
   3. Nor can they allow themselves to get so bogged down in the details that they lose sight of what's important.
4. They Handle One Thing at a Time.
1. Richard Sloma has this advice: "Never try to solve all the problems at once - make them line up for you one-by-one."
2. If you're faced with lots of problems, make sure you really solve the one you're working on before moving on to the next one.
5. They Don't Give Up a Major Goal When They're Down.
1. Effective leaders understand the peak-to-peak principle.
2. They make major decisions when they are experiencing a positive swing in their leadership, not during the dark times.

Every problem introduces you to yourself. It shows you how you think and what you're made of.

The ability to solve problems effectively comes from experience facing and overcoming obstacles. Each time you solve another problem, you get a little better at the process. But if you never try, fail, and try again, you'll never be good at it.

“You can measure a leader by the problems he tackles. He always looks for ones his own size." -John C. Maxwell

Bringing it home:

1. Look for Trouble.
   1. If you've been avoiding problems, go out looking for them.
   2. You'll only get better if you gain experience dealing with them.
   3. Find situations that need fixing, come up with several viable solutions, and then take them to a leader with good problem-solving experience.
2. Develop a Method.
1. Some people have a hard time solving problems because they don't know how to tackle them.
2. Try using the TEACH Process:
   - Time - spend time to discover the real issue
   - Exposure - find out what others have done.
   - Assistance - have your team study all angles.
   - Creativity - brainstorm multiple solutions.
   - Hit it - implement the best solution.
3. Surround yourself with problem solvers.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Positive Attitude

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 #13 - Positive Attitude: if you believe you can, you can.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind." -William James, Psychologist

If you desire to be an effective leader, having a positive attitude is essential. It not only determines your level of contentment as a person, but also has an impact on how others interact with you.

To learn more about what it means to be positive, think on these things:

1. Your Attitude is a Choice.
   1. The average person wants to wait for someone else to motivate him.
   2. No matter what happened to you yesterday, your attitude is your choice today.
2. Your Attitude Determines Your Actions.
   1. Denis Waitley: "The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success."
   2. Your attitude is crucial because it determines how you act.
3. Your People Are a Mirror of Your Attitude.
   1. The Law of Magnetism (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership) really is true: who you are is who you attract.
   2. Thomas Edison: "If the only thing we leave our kids is the quality of enthusiasm, we will have given them an estate of incalculable value."
4. Maintaining a Good Attitude is Easier Than Regaining One.
   1. If you already have a positive attitude, I want to encourage you to keep it.
   2. On the other hand, if you have a difficult time expecting the best of yourself and others, don't despair.
   3. Because you choose your attitude, you can change it.

The best way to retrain your attitude is to prevent your mind from going down any negative forks in the road.

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks other have thrown at him." -David Brinkley, Television Journalist

Bringing it home:

1. Feed Yourself the Right "Food."
   1. If you've been starved of anything positive, then you need to start feeding yourself a regular diet of motivational material. Read books that encourage a positive attitude. Listen to motivational CDs. Visit educational websites.
   2. If you consume a steady diet of the right "food," you can become a positive thinker.
2. Achieve a Goal Every Day.
   1. Begin setting achievable daily goals for yourself.
3. Write it on Your Wall.
1. We all need reminders to help us keep thinking right.
2. As incentive, people put up awards they've won, inspirational posters, or letters they've received.
3. Find something that will work for you and put it on your wall.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader - Passion

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 #12 - Passion: take this life and love it.

“When a leader reaches out in passion, he is usually met with an answering passion." - John C. Maxwell

What makes it possible for people who might seem ordinary to achieve great things? The answer is passion. Nothing can take the place of passion in a leader's life.

Take a look at four truths about passion and what it can do for you as a leader:

1. Passion is the First Step to Achievement.
   1. Your desire determines your destiny.
   2. Anyone who lives beyond an ordinary life has great desire.
   3. The stronger your fire, the greater the desire - and greater the potential.
2. Passion Increases Your Willpower.
   1. There is no substitute for passion.
   2. It is the fuel for the will.
   3. If you want anything badly enough, you can find the willpower to achieve it.
   4. The only way to have that kind of desire is to develop passion.
3. Passion Changes You. 
   1. If you follow your passion - instead of others' perceptions - you can't help becoming a more dedicated, productive person.
   2. In the end, your passion will have more influence than your personality.
4. Passion Makes the Impossible Possible.
   1. Human beings are so made that whenever anything fires the soul, impossibilities vanish.
   2. A fire in the heart lifts everything in your life.
   3. A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion.

The truth is that you can never lead something you don't care passionately about. You can't start a fire in your organization unless one is burning in you.

“Concentrate on what you do well, and do it better than anybody else." - John "Papa John" Schnatter

Bringing it home:

1. Take Your Temperature.
   1. You won't become passionate until you believe passion can be the difference maker in your life.
2. Return to Your First Love.
   1. Think back to when you were just starting out in your career - or even further back to when you were a child. What really turned your crank?
   2. Try to recapture your old enthusiasm.
   3. Then evaluate your life and career in light of those old loves.
3. Associate with People of Passion.
1. Passion is contagious.
2. Schedule some time with people who can infect you with it.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc