Effective Leaders Rise to the Challenge (Ep. 14)

Episode 14: Effective Leaders Rise to the Challenge

Effective leaders rise to the challenge. They love the challenge. They take on the challenge. 

 

1. Effective Leaders Anticipate Problems

Anybody can see a problem once it is there. Leaders anticipate problems before they come. 

If you do not like problems, then you are in the wrong business. Leadership is about problems. It’s about tackling the hard things. That's what leaders do... we solve problems. 

By anticipating these problems, you will put your people in the best position to make correct directional decisions. 

“If you are asking the wrong questions you will be solving the wrong problems”. Patrick Lencioni

Failing Forward, John Maxwell. It’s not, you win some and you lose some. John Maxwell says, “You win some and you learn some.”

QUESTION 1: Are you asking questions as a leader? 

“To paraphrase Peter Drucker, effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity-minded.” ~Steven Covey

QUESTION 2: Are you giving your leaders and opportunity? Are you putting them in the right position to win?

Attitude is Everything, Jeff Keller

When we have the right attitude, we may not be completely ready, but we will be resilient.

 

2. Effective Leaders Accept Reality

Andy Stanley - Picking up the rock and looking at all of the squiggly things. Then, having the sense not to put that rock back down and forget all about it.

The first thing is to realize that it's okay to feel like everything is gross and nasty and unfixable. But if you are a leader, at some point, and relatively quick, you need to change that thought process and start helping your team provide solutions for what is in front of you and what is in front of them. 

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Eat That Frog, Brian Tracy  

Procrastination - Let's face it, when it comes to stuff that we don't want to deal with, we are really good at procrastinating. So, you just need to get started.

QUESTION 3: What are the gross, nasty and tough things you have to deal with that you have been procrastinating on. 

“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” - Desmond Tutu

The problem with most people is they try to tackle the entire problem all at once. We need to break it down into small pieces and tackle the problem one part at a time.

“If the team is not working on the real problems, they often make up work to justify their existence.” - Cheryl Bachelder

 

3. Effective Leaders Apply the Big Picture

This is where leaders really have a chance to separate themselves from the pack. Meaning, you need to learn what it means to view your team in your situation from a higher altitude. 

 

Thirty Thousand Foot View: Leaders have a keen ability to see both what is going on, on the ground, and from a higher level. They have thought things out, and have a better sense of what is to come, based on what they have already seen. This is where experience and intuition come into play. 

“When we are not engaged in thinking about some definite problem we usually spend about 95% of our time thinking about ourselves.” - Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

It's impossible to think about yourself, and your people at the same time. 

QUESTION 4: What is best for your team? 

 

MO’S FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you are not waking up every day and understanding that leading your people is a privilege and that you should be thinking about how to serve them,  then I would really encourage you to ask yourself, “What can I do for my leaders today?” 

They are looking to you. They are looking towards effective leadership. 

You need to be putting more and more time in every day to understand what it means for you to be an effective leader. 

Amazon Book Links:

Eat That Frog, Brian Tracy  

How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie

Failing Forward, John Maxwell

Attitude is Everything, Jeff Keller

 

Special thanks to:

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