Developing the Leader Within You - Self-Discipline

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

The Price Tag of Leadership: Self-Discipline.

All great leaders have understood that their number one responsibility was for their own discipline and personal growth. If they could not lead themselves, they could not lead others.


Leaders can never take others farther than they have gone themselves, for no one can travel without until he or she has first traveled within. A great person will lead a great organization, but growth is only possible when the leader is willing to "pay the price" for it.

The Process for Developing Personal Discipline

• Start with yourself
• Maxwell observes that more potential leaders fail because of inner issues than outer issues.
• Most of us can relate to a sign Maxwell once saw: "if you could kick the person responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn't be able to sit down for weeks."
• When we are foolish we want to conquer the world. When we are wise we want to conquer ourselves.
• Start early.
• Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the things you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned and, however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.
• Hard work is the accumulation of easy things you didn't do when you should have.
• Start small.
• What you are going to be tomorrow, you are becoming today.
• It is essential to begin developing self-discipline in a small way today in order to be disciplined in a big way tomorrow.
• Remember, having it all doesn't mean having it all at once. It takes time. Start small and concentrate on today.
• Start now.
• Great leaders never set themselves above their followers except in carrying out responsibilities.
• "The will to succeed is important, but i'll tell you what's more important: it's the will to prepare. It's the will to go out there every day training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills." Bobby Knight, Indiana University Basketball Coach
• "I will get ready and then perhaps my chance will come." Abraham Lincoln
• Organize your life.
• "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it's not all mixed up." Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh
• Top ten list for personal organization
1. Set your priorities
2. Place your priorities in your calendar.
3. Allow a little time for the unexpected.
4. Do projects one at a time.
5. Organize your work space.
6. Work according to your temperament.
7. Use your driving time for light work and growth.
8. Develop systems that work for you.
9. Always have a plan for those minutes between meetings.
10. Focus on results, not the activity.
• Welcome responsibility.
• Be responsible for who you are.
• Be responsible for what you do.
• Be responsible for what you have received.
• Be responsible to those you lead.
• Accept accountability.
• Human nature cannot handle unchecked power.
• "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln
• Leaders can easily be separated from their people.
• Develop integrity.
• I will live what I teach.
• I will do what I say.
• I will be honest with others.
• I will put what is best for others ahead of what is best for me.
• I will be transparent and vulnerable.
• Pay now, play later.
• There are two paths that people can take. They can either play now and pay later or pay now and play later. Regardless of the choices, one thing is certain - life will demand a payment.
• "I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - this greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers Football Coach
• Become character driven instead of emotion driven.
• It is not doing the things we like to do, but doing the things we have to do that causes growth and makes us successful.
• Success depends not merely on how well you do the things you enjoy, but how conscientiously you perform those duties you don't.
• Successful people are willing to do things unsuccessful people will not do.
• Good character is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece - by thought, choice, courage, and determination. This will only be accomplished with a disciplined life-style.

Next time, we will look into the most important lesson of leadership: STAFF DEVELOPMENT.


Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Developing the Leader Within You - Vision : Part 2

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

All great leaders possess two things: They know where they are going. They are able to persuade others to follow.

This chapters of Maxwell's book discusses the power of a strong clear vision. Last time, we discusses Vision Statements. This time, we will explore the two kinds of vision ownership.


Personal Ownership Of A Vision

• The focus must be on the leader - like leader, like people.
• Followers find the leader and then the vision. Leaders find the vision and then the people.

Look Within You : What do you feel?

• "The very essence of leadership is that you have a vision. It's got to be a vision you can articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet." Theodore Hesburgh
• A person with a vision talks little but does much.
• A person with a vision finds strength from inner convictions. A person with a vision continues when problems arise.

Look Ahead of You: What is the big picture?

• Leaders are concerned with the organization's basic purpose - why it exists and what it should achieve.
  

Look Beside You: What resources are available to you?

• A vision should be greater than the person who has it. Its accomplishment must be the result of many people bringing many resources to the job.
• The experienced leader is always looking for others to make the dream come true.
• The leader continually passes on the vision to those who come around, knowing that dreams, if presented right, are contagious.

Corporate Ownership Of A Vision

• One fact is true: leaders who effectively communicate goals to their followers achieve far more than those who don't.
• Successful leaders see on three levels:
• Level 1 Perception: Seeing what is now with the eyes of reality.
• Level 2 Probability: Seeing what will be with the eyes of discernment.
• Level 3 Possibility: Seeing what can be with the eyes of vision.

Understanding What Hinders A Vision - Level 1

We see things, not as they are, but as we are.

There are ten types of people who usually hinder the vision of the organization.

1. Limited Leaders
2. Concrete Thinkers
3. Dogmatic Talkers
4. Continual Losers
5. Satisfied Sitters
6. Tradition Lovers
7. Census Takers
8. Problem Perceivers
9. Self-Seekers
10. Failure Forecasters

Setting The Proper Environment - Level 2

Knowing people and the keys to their lives will allow the leader to go to the "next picture" in Level 2. It is essential that the leader begin to influence what will be seen by the people.

Come alongside of them.

• People don't care how much you see until they see how much you care.
• People don't buy into the leader before they buy into that leader's vision.
• Remember, when you help people get what they want, they will help you get what you want. This can only be accomplished by building strong relationships with people.

Paint the picture for them.

• Every great vision has certain ingredients, and the great leader makes the people understand, appreciate, and "see" them.
• If the picture is painted clearly and shown continually, soon others will begin to see how it fits into everything they do. They will have a vision mind-set.

Put the things they love in the picture.

• People carry pictures of other people and things they love. Put what is important to the people within the frame of the vision and you will have transferred the vision to the people.

Opening Eyes To Possibilities - Level 3

On this level we need to ask ourselves how to grow people to the size of the vision. This represents the one thing the leader must continually do ... grow people to the vision once they see it.

Vision is empowering to the leader who has it.

The leader with vision believe not only that what he envisions can be done, but that it must be done.

Next time, we will look into the price tag of leadership - SELF-DISCIPLINE.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Developing the Leader Within You - Vision : Part 1

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

All great leaders possess two things: They know where they are going, and, They are able to persuade others to follow.

This chapter of Maxwell's book discusses the power of a strong clear vision.

Vision Statements

People do what people see.

In other words, people depend on visual stimulation for growth. Couple a vision with a leader willing to implement that dream and a movement begins. People do not follow a dream in itself. They follow the leader who has that dream and the ability to communicate it effectively.

Four Vision-Levels of People.

1. Some people never see it. (They are wanderers.)
2. Some people see it but never pursue it on their own. (They are followers.)
3. Some people see it and pursue it. (They are achievers.)
4. Some people see it and pursue it and help others see it. (They are leaders.)

You See What You Are Prepared To See.

Leaders can never take their people farther than they have traveled. Like leader, like people.

We see what we are prepared to see, not what is. Every successful leader understands this about people and ask three questions:

• What do others see?
• Why do they see it that way?
• How can I change their perception?

What You See Is What You Get.

Bobbi Biehl, in his book Increasing Your Leadership Confidence, says, "Keep in mind the difference between a winner's and a loser's mentality. Winners focus on winning big - not just how to win, but how to win big. Losers, however, don't focus on losing; they just focus on getting by!"

Keep asking yourself, "Survival, success, or significance?" are you striving to simply survive, are you dreaming about success, or are you really out to make a truly significant difference?

Next time, we will explore the two kinds of "ownership" of a vision.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Developing the Leader Within You - People : Part 3

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your vision.

This chapter of Maxwell's book  will focus on the importance of developing people to share in and assist you with implementation of your vision as a leader.

In the last two lessors, we discussed the three traits of Successful People Developers. In this lessor, we will discuss People Development Principles.


People Development Principles

1. People development takes time.
• "There is something that is much more scarce, something raver than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability." - Robert Half
2. People skills are essential for success.
• The center for Creative Leadership studied successful executives and found the following
1. They admitted their mistakes and accepted the consequences, rather than trying to blame others.
2. They were able to get along with a wide variety of people.
3. They had strong interpersonal skills, sensitivity to others, and tact.
4. They were calm and confident, rather than moody and volatile.
• "The most important single ingredient to the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people." - Teddy Roosevelt
3. Be a model that others can follow.
• The number one motivational principle in the world is: People do what people see.
• The speed of the leader determines the speed of the followers.
• People's mind are changed more through observation than through arguments.
4. Lead others by looking through their eyes.
• "We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing; while others judge us by what we have already done." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
5. Leaders must care for people before they can develop them.
• Too often leaders request commitment from people without showing them proper care.
• High achievers view subordinates optimistically, while low achievers showed a basic distrust of subordinates' abilities.
• High achievers seek advice from their subordinates; low achievers don't.
• High achievers are listeners; moderate achievers listen only to superiors; low achievers avoid communication and rely on policy manuals.
6. People developers look for opportunities to build up people.
• The following are actions that good leaders avoid:
1. Failure to give credit for suggestions.
2. Failure to correct grievances.
3. Failure to encourage.
4. Criticizing employees in front of other people.
5. Failure to ask employees their opinion.
6. Failure to ask employees of their progress.
7. Favoritism.
7. The greatest potential for growth of a company is growth of its people.
• According to William J.H. Boetcker, people divide themselves into four classes:
1. Those who always do less than they are told.
2. Those who will do what they are told, but no more.
3. Those who will do things without being told.
4. Those who will inspire others to do things.
• "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next time, we will look into the indispensable quality of leadership - VISION.


Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Developing the Leader Within You - People : Part 2

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your vision.

This chapter of Maxwell's book will focus on the importance of developing people to share in and assist you with implementation of your vision as a leader. 

Last time we discussed the first trait of Successful People Developers ... Make the Right Assumptions About People. In this lesson, we will discuss the remaining two traits.


Successful People Developers ... Ask the Right Questions About People

• Am I building people or am I building my dream and using people to do it?
• Manipulation is moving together for my advantage.
• Motivation is moving together for mutual advantage.
• Do I care enough to confront people when it will make a difference?
• Clarify the issue instead of confronting the person.
• The Ten Commandments of Confrontation:
1. Do it privately, not publicly.
2. Do it as soon as possible.
3. Speak to one issue at a time.
4. Once you've made a appoint don't keep repeating it.
5. Deal only with actions the person can change.
6. Avoid sarcasm.
7. Avoid works like always and never.
8. Present criticisms as suggestions or questions if possible.
9. Don't apologize for the confrontational meeting.
10. Don't forget the compliments.
• Am I listening to people with more than my ears; am I hearing more than words?
• What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood.
• The moment people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.
• What are the major strengths of this individual?
• Anyone who continually has to work in areas of personal weakness instead of personal strength will not stay motivated.
• Have I placed a high priority on the job?
• People tend to stay motivated when they see the importance of the things they are asked to do.
• The five most encouraging words in an organization are: "It will make a difference."
• Have I shown the value the person will receive from this relationship?
• People tend to stay motivated when they see the value to them of the things they are asked to do.
• "What's in it for me?"

Successful People Developers ... Give the Right Assistance to People

• I need to work out their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
• Some of the most capable people in an organization never utilize their greatest strengths. But they may never get an opportunity to do what they can do best. When this happens, everybody loses.
• I must give them myself.
• You can impress people at a distance but you can only impact them up close.
• Encourage the many; mentor the few.
• Be transparent with them.
• Develop a plan for their growth.
• Become a team.
• I must give them ownership.
• People want to be appreciated, not impressed.
• I must give them every chance for success.
• An excellent atmosphere to work in.
• The right tools to work with.
• A continual training program to work under.
• Excellent people to work for. Develop a team.
• A compelling vision to work toward.

Next time, we will explore the remaining levels of leadership.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Developing the Leader Within You - People : Part 1

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your vision.

This chapter of Maxwell's book will focus on the importance of developing people to share in and assist you with implementation of your vision as a leader.

Maxwell observes that there are three levels of people/work skills:

Level 1: The person who works better with people is a follower.

Level 2: The person who helps people work better is a manager.

Level 3: The person who develops better people to work is a leader.

Principles for People Development

Your success in developing others will depend on how well you accomplish each of the following:

• Value of people.
• This is an issue of your attitude.
• Commitment to people.
• This is an issue of your time.
• Integrity with people.
• This is an issue of your character.
• Standard for people.
• This is an issue of your vision.
• Influence over people.
• This is an issue of your leadership.

Successful people-developers:

1. Make the right assumptions about people.
2. Ask the right questions about people.
3. Give the right assistance to people.

Successful People Developers ... Make the Right Assumptions About People

• Your assumptions about people are what allows you to continually motivate and develop them. In fact, a leader having the right assumptions about people is the key factor in their continual development.
• Your assumptions about people largely determine how you treat them. Why? What you assume about people is what you look for. What you look for is what you find. What you find influences your response.

Assumptions:

• Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
• People want to feel important!
• Always help people increase their own self-esteem.
• Develop your skills in making other people feel important.
• Everyone needs and responds to encouragement.
• "If you treat people to a vision of themselves, if you apparently overrate them, you make them become what they are capable of becoming.." - Victor Frankl
• We do it through encouragement and belief in the,. People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become.
• People "buy into" the leader before they "buy into" his or her leadership.
• People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
• You've got to give loyalty down before you receive loyalty up.
• If people do not believe in their leader, anything will hinder them from following. If people believe in their leader, nothing will stop them.
• Most people do not know how to be successful.
• Success is really the result of planning. It happens where preparation and opportunity meet.
• Success is really a process. It is growth and development. It is achieving one thing and using that as a stepping stone to achieve something else. It is a journey.
• Success is learning from failure. Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

What De-Motivates People?

• Don't belittle anyone.
• If you have to give criticism, remember that it takes nine positive comments to balance one negative correction.
• Don't manipulate anyone.
• Build people up through affirmation and recognition, and they'll be motivated and loyal.
• Don't be insensitive.
• Make people your priority.
• Your interest in even insignificant matters will demonstrate your sensitivity.
• Don't discourage personal growth.
• Allow your staff to succeed and fail.
• Build the team spirit approach that says, "if you grow, we all benefit."

What Motivates People?

• Significant contributions.
• People must see value in what they are doing.
• Motivation comes not by activity alone, but by the desire to reach the end result.
• Goal participation.
• When people have given input, they have a stake in the issue.
• Goal participation builds team spirit, enhances moral, and helps everyone feel important.
• Positive dissatisfaction.
• Dissatisfied people are highly motivated people, for they see the need for immediate change.
• The key is harnessing this energy toward effective change.
• Recognition.
• People want credit for personal achievements and appreciation for their contributions.
• Clear expectations.
• People are motivated when they know exactly what they are to do and have the confidence that they can do it successfully.
• Motivation rises in a job when the goals, expectations, and responsibilities are clearly understood.

Next time, we will explore the other two traits of Success People-Developers: Ask the right questions about people and Give the right assistance to people.


Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc

Developing the Leader Within You - Attitude : Part 2

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

Great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere, which enables the right responses from others.

This chapter of Maxwell's book deals with attitude.

This session we will discuss ways to change your attitude. 

The following sections will help you to help yourself in changing your attitude.&

Review

• The Six Stages of Attitude Change
1. Identify Problem Feelings
2. Identify Problem Behavior
• What triggers wrong feelings?
3. Identify Problem Thinking
• "That which holds our attention determines our action" - William James
4. Identify Right Thinking
• Because your feelings come from your thoughts, you can control your feelings by changing one thing - your thoughts!
5. Make a Public Commitment to Right Thinking
• Public commitment becomes powerful commitment.
6. Develop a Plan for Right Thinking
• A written definition of desired right thinking.
• A way to measure progress.
• A daily measuring of progress.
• A person to whom you are accountable.
• A daily diet of self-help materials.
• Associating with right thinking people.

Resolve

• Whenever a leader needs to ask others to make a commitment of time, two questions must always be answered: "Can they?" (this deals with ability) and "Will they?" (this deals with attitude).
• Two other questions usually answer the "Will they?" issue.
1. The first is, "is the timing right?" In other words, are the conditions right to enable change?
2. The second question is, "Is their temperature hot?" Are right conditions accompanied with a red-hot desire to pay the price necessary for needed change?
• When both questions can be answered with a resounding Yes!, then the resolve is strong and success is possible.

Reframe

• Dennis Waitley says that the winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am.
• Reframing your attitude means:
• I may not be able to change the world I see around me,
• But, I can change the way I see the world around me.

Re-center

• As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become.
• Take action on the behavior you admire by making it your behavior.
• As Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner says, you're more like to act yourself into feeling that feel yourself into action. So act! whatever it is you know you should do, do it.

Repeat

• "Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thought. and can be acquired. An action repeated becomes an attitude realized." - Paul Meier
• First:
• Say the right words
• Read the right books
• Listen to the right tapes
• Be with the right people
• Do the right things
• Pray the right prayer
• Second:
• Do the "first" actions every day, not just once or only when you feel like it, and watch your life change for the better.

Renewal

• Fortunately, over a period of time a positive attitude can replace a negative one.
• The more that negative thoughts are weeded out and replaced by positive ones, the more personal renewals will be experienced.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc