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Simplifying the Complexities of Your Leadership Journey
Episodes
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Episode 53: Three Goals of an Aspiring Leader
1. Develop Strong Communication Skills.
Leaders must understand that effective communication is a crucial skill, no matter their industry.
Communication helps:
Convey their ideas & vision
Build trust
Resolve conflict
Inspire others
QUESTION: Are you practicing active listening skills?
Active listening means you are engaged completely in what somebody is saying, not formulating your response.
QUESTION: Ask yourself, “Do I really hear my people when they are talking?
Learn how to speak clearly and confidently.
Be good, be brief, be gone!
Use simple language
Maintain eye contact
Emails & Text Messages - Do you know how people receive it?
Seek feedback. Don’t assume that everything you say is received the way that you intended it. Ask!
Ask those you communicate with what they heard you saying.
Ask those who observe you, how you come across.
Ask those above you and below you what they need from you communication-wise.
Communicating effectively is your responsibility.
2. Create a Positive and Inclusive Work Environment
Encourage teamwork
BOOK: Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin
Fostering collaboration between the people that work underneath you will help them support one another.
Make sure that you recognize and appreciate each person on your team for their contributions.
If you do not recognize them for the things that they do, they are either going to start working not as hard or, even worse, they are going to leave your team and go work hard for somebody else who appreciates them.
Lead by example. It's your behavior that matters the most.
3. Develop Strong Leadership Skills.
Leadership skills are essential for running teams, setting goals, and achieving the company's desired outcomes.
Practical Tips:
Read Books. A LOT of books!
Surround yourself with good leaders to learn from and receive correction from.
MO’s Final Thoughts:
My encouragement is that you take a look at these goals, see which one you need to do the most work in, then reach out to a couple of the people on your team that you trust to give you some constructive criticism. Always be talking to our mentors—those in our lives who give us the council that we need to hear even when we don't want to hear it. Especially when we don't want to hear it!
Amazon Book Links:
Team of Rivals, Doris Goodwin - https://amzn.to/3lTFLrr
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Monday Dec 13, 2021
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 52: Leaders Inspire Greatness
1. Define Greatness
- If there is no culture defined, that’s where you have to start.
- QUESTION: What is that culture? What are the things that you like and what are the things that you wish that you could change?
- If you wanted to change culture to the core, you would have to strategically do so.
- QUESTION: What does it take for your team to succeed? What is success? What does that look like?
- There’s no shame in bringing people along to help answer the questions that you don’t know. .
- I need to bring people alongside me to hit the goals that I want to hit.
- QUESTION: What are the goals that you are trying to hit at your company?
- Companies themselves are only the sum of its people.
- “Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward.” - Victor Kiam
- Make the choice today to move forward at all costs. Your team is counting on it.
2. Offer Greatness
- When you are the leader, it is not your job to be the one in the spotlight.
- Never think that you have to be the hero in the story.
- The greatest assets in your company are the people.
- Your people are on the team for a reason.
- “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” - Donald Rumsfeld
- QUESTION: Who is the Army that you have? Are you offering them a chance to shine in the spotlight and do what they do best?
- If you feel like you are tired and are doing too much, my challenge would be that you figure out what you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing.
3. Pass on Greatness
- If you cannot pass on greatness you will never be much more than a good performer.
- “Leader’s lasting value is measured by succession.”- John Maxwell
- QUESTION: Ask yourself, “if I left tomorrow, how good would my team really be?”
- Every time you do something at your place of work, you need to be thinking, “is this adding to the ultimate succession?”
- You’re not going to be your company forever. Somebody will eventually succeed you and your leadership.
- “All the perks, all the benefits and advantages you may get for the rank or position you hold, they aren’t meant for you. They are meant for the role you fill. And when you leave your role, which eventually you will, they will give the ceramic cup to the person who replaces you. Because you only ever deserved a Styrofoam cup.” Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek
- All great leaders pass on greatness.
MO’s Final Thoughts:
I hope that you are always looking to make your team great. You have the team that you need right in front of you. Everybody has greatness inside of them. It’s our job as leaders do for that greatness out.
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Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 51: Leaders Make it Count
1) Leaders Live in the Future
Leaders are the ones that think big and are willing to take chances.
QUESTION: Are you living out your purpose with passion and reaching for new heights?
Leaders look into the future and see something that almost seems unattainable. They thrive on that and know they can get it done. It’s a mindset. It’s who they are. Do you have that?
QUESTION: Are you willing to enter the process of growth and development?
If you want your team to be able to see into the future, you have to be willing to come to grips with the fact that you don’t know everything.
You have to be able to see the big picture and then bring other people along to realize that vision with you.
Failure is necessary if you want to reach the bigger goals in life.
“The future depends on what we do in the present.” - Gandhi
QUESTION: What are you doing right now that is going to affect the future?
You need to get people who are futuristic around you.
2) Leaders Live in the Opportunities
The status quo is not where leaders live.
Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.
You really can’t hide your leadership ability, whether good or bad or somewhere in between, during something like the pandemic.
The more you can look for those opportunities, the better you will be equipped to handle them.
QUESTION: What are the opportunities that are in front of you right now? What is something that you know to be an opportunity to grow you and your team, but you have decided not to act on that opportunity?
3) Leaders Live in the Effort
It really comes down to one thing and one thing only. The effort that you put into the process.
“Hard work wins.”
QUESTION: Are you willing to put in the effort to put yourself in a position to be successful?
Success - Nobody can guarantee it. You can only work hard enough to deserve it.
If you are willing to outwork the people on your team, and do it for them and for the success of the team, they will rally behind you.
You can only give 100% out whatever you are doing at the moment.
You are the one that controls your effort. You don’t control the outcome.
MO’s Final Thoughts:
Leaders, it is up to you to make everything that you do count. If you can do this, people will follow you. They won’t follow you because they think that they are going to win no matter what, but they will follow you if they know that you are dedicated to excellence. If you want your team to be great, and be successful, you have to decide right now if you’re going to make it count. Leaders make it count. Always.
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Monday Nov 22, 2021
Monday Nov 22, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 50: Leaders Find A Role
“The star of the team is the team.” - John Wooden
If you want to be a good leader, you have to know both your role, and the role of each person on your team.
1. Know Your Role
If you don’t know your role, then it is going to muddy the waters for everybody else on your team.
QUESTION: What is it that you can do that nobody else can do that only you can do?
You are a unique individual and bring specific leadership abilities and qualities to the table.
2. Know Their Roles
I would have to say that one of the most frustrating circumstances for anybody to be in is when they lack clarity.
Once you know your role, it’s time to get people around you with the gifts and skill sets that complete whatever you’re doing.
What if you are not a vision person? What if you are really good at leading in the practical everyday stuff? Get people on your team who have a high vision quotient.
You have to be secure enough in your own leadership abilities to realize that not only are you going to have people on your team who do stuff better than you, but that you need those people.
QUESTION: What kind of people do you need to have around you to make you better? What people do you need on your team to do stuff that you are not able to do?
3. Know the Success Path
You have the ability to simplify whatever situation you are in with your people.
When people know the success path, and what they need to do to be successful, it really opens them up to flourish and get things done.
QUESTIONS: What is it that you need to focus on in your role, and the roles of your people, to increase the success factor at your place of work? What is the missing ingredient?
All of us need guidance. All of us have blind spots.
“It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. ... If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” Jimmy Doogan (Tom Hanks), A League of Their Own
If it were easy, everybody would do it. But, if you want to be the kind of person that creates a success path for your people, you have to focus on the stuff that others will not.
MO’s Final Thoughts:
Leaders are always frustrated, because, leaders are never really satisfied with where things are. We want to go to other places and be better. But, it’s always important for you to know your role, know the roles of everyone on your team, and get that team on the right path. When you begin to do this, people will rally behind you and run towards whatever goals are in front of them.
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Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 49: Leaders Foster Emotional Stability
Today what we want to talk about is the way that leaders should approach the emotional stability of both themselves and the people on their teams.
1. Leaders Promote Genuine Emotion.
Sports is a great metaphor for life. If you want to find out the way somebody is to their core, just put them in some kind of competition situation.
We have to learn as leaders that emotion should be a genuine part of who we are. Sometimes using emotion can be tricky and messy.
QUESTION: What are the emotions you display on a daily basis? What is it that you do best to be the best version of yourself? Are you a person who uses emotion to get your point across?
A lot of us are feeling stuff in our lives, and we don’t always want answers from somebody. But what we do want is for someone to listen.
2. Leaders Employ Emotion Properly.
I do not understand when people try to will themselves to win a competition. Meaning, sometimes people don’t put in the preparation to get things done, but they think that if they are emotional enough, and can feel spirited enough, then they can get the job done.
Hard work wins.
You have to teach your team to play with emotion, but not let them be emotional. That’s going to end up getting in the way of them doing what they prepared to do. We don’t want them to overexert themselves, or put an effort in ways that they have not trained to do. They will not be able to sustain it.
QUESTION: Are you promoting standards and expectations that are able to be handled by your staff?
As leaders, the responsibility falls on us.
“Everything rises and falls on leadership.” - John Maxwell
It’s up to us to help people use genuine emotion, and employ that emotion properly.
Never say something that you can’t take back.
QUESTION: In your own life right now, how do you need to reign in your emotions and employ them more properly?
3. Leaders Take Responsibility for Emotion.
Whether you are the person who wears their emotions on their sleeve, or you are on the other side of the spectrum, it is still important to know what those emotions are. This is where journaling comes in handy.
The reason that we Journal, or talk to other people, or think back on the stuff that we do, is to make sure that we can get better.
Sometimes we get upset or frustrated with something, but we bury those feelings. And the reason we do that is because we don’t know how to deal with them or express them. Leaders have no room for failure in this department.
The businesses that put a high premium on helping people take responsibility for their emotions, and walking through the different hardships of life, will continue to grow and thrive.
The men and women in your care deserve your very best. You have to first take responsibility for your own emotions, and when you are modeling it, then you will be able to help others by encouraging them to do the same.
QUESTION: What are the emotions that you have that make you a better leader? What are the emotions that you have that hinder you in leading others?
You have to take responsibility.
When you take responsibility for your emotions, it will open up a ton of new possibilities in your leadership.
MO’s Final Thoughts:
Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. When you are able to know when the good and bad emotions are coming on, it will set you up to deal with those emotions, and use them in a positive way, both for yourself and those who look to you for your leadership.
Special thanks to:
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Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 48: It’s the Little Things
1. Break Down the Vision
I think most of us have a lot more conversations with ourselves in our own head than we actually communicate to others on our team.
Everything comes back to communication.
If you want to be an effective leader, you have to work on your communication skills on a daily basis.
If you just let your people come to work and don’t give them a purpose for what they are doing, why would they think to move the vision of the company forward?
“Leaders are dealers and hope.” - Benjamin Disraeli
Breaking down the vision gives people clarity on the here and now.
2. Lay Out the Puzzle
What is the best way to construct the puzzle? You lay out the pieces and then you start from there.
When you lay out the puzzle for your people, it gives them something to look forward to.
There will be a lot of times in your business where the uncertainty meter is high. And when the uncertainty meter is high you have to be able to play up the puzzle, point to the places where you need them to work on, and that allow them to work on the little things.
QUESTION: Do you continually lay out the pieces of the puzzle and point them out to your people and work on stuff with them?
Your people are counting on you, lay out the puzzle, and help them start to construct the important parts of their jobs for the betterment of the company.
3. Empower Your People
Focusing on the little things does not give you license to micromanage your people.
“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan
Empower your people and don’t get in their way.
Allow your people to fail. The more they fail, and you have conversations in teaching moments with them, the more they will move forward.
MO’s Final Thoughts
Just remember that the little things always lead to the big things. We always want to get through the menial tasks that we think are not important and do big things in life. But, when we focus on the little things, big things happen. Remember, the shortcut to the process is the process. And the most important part of the process is focusing on the little things. That’s what matters.
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Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 47: Become a Lifelong Teacher
1. Commit to Yourself
Before you do anything that is worthwhile for anybody else, you have to put in the time to become the best version of yourself.
Everybody is going to have the chance to lead. The question is, are you going to be ready when you are called on to do that?
You need to have good teachers in your own life.
QUESTION: Are you continually learning, and how are you doing that?
A practical way to make this a reality would be to read books.
The secret to success is not really a secret at all. Because every person who has ever had a great deal of success has written a book about it.
If you want to be great at whatever you do, you have to be able to be good at relationships.
If you want to get better, you have to commit to taking criticism.
It’s about opening the book, reading it, and applying it.
QUESTION: What are you studying for the rest of your life?
You need to have people who are asking you the hard questions.
If you want to get better you have to commit to taking criticism.
2. Commit to Your People
Whoever is looking to you for leadership needs to know that you are on their side.
QUESTION: Are you committed to the success of your people?
Does your team know that you are doing everything in your power to make their lives better?
As the leader, people expect you to make good decisions.
Leaders who are committed to their people end up fostering a culture where their followers are committed both to one another, and the leader as well.
REFLECTION: If I were to take a survey of the people who look towards you and your company, will they say that you had their best interest in mind? Would they say that you put them above their own personal goals?
3. Commit to the Process
Start with your own goals and values. Then from those goals and values you figure out the principles that are important to you.
Your personal beliefs have to coincide with the culture of the company, which is why you probably want to be somewhere that you like working.
When you clearly define your goals and objectives, and apply them to the vision and mission statements of the company, there is no room for ambiguity. As a leader you need to make sure that the clarity meter is at least as high as the uncertainty meter, if not higher.
“It's not the will to win that matters-everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters.” Hall Bear Bryant
QUESTIONS: Are you willing to do what it takes to prepare to win? That’s what the process comes into play.
MO’s Final Thoughts
Committing to being a lifelong teacher is no small feat. It means living with purpose every day, and not straying from what is important. And, you have to be able to be committed to your own mission statement and the mission statement of the company and your people all at the same time. That’s how you will make yourself an indispensable part to whatever team that you are on, or ever will be.
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Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 46: A Key Ingredient to Success
“It’s never going to be easy, but the pain that you’re gonna go through is what makes it all worth it. The joy and true happiness I have found is actually going throught the struggles, through the pain and through the challenges of achieving my goals. It’s always in the journey for me. That’s where I believe the happiness lies and that’s where the success lies, because that’s where the growth is.” Zara Abdulrehman, Pastry Chef
That key ingredient is LOVE. If you can learn to lead from the premise of loving and caring for the people that look to you for your leadership, it will really change everything you do for the better.
1. Leaders Model Respect
You really have to get out there and show people what it means to model respect.
Learning to add to my values set had a lot to do with me learning how to treat others with respect.
QUESTION: Do you model respect? Do you give respect and at the same time earn the respect of your people?
“You have to give respect to get respect.”
Leaders really never have a reason to be disrespectful.
2. Leaders Show Encouragement
“I think it’s important just to love. Me as a leader, the only thing I try to do is to love. To be there for somebody and show support and not show any dislike or any sign of hate or anything of that nature.” Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
So, with everybody getting constantly pushed down, as leaders, we need to be people of encouragement.
QUESTION: Do you encourage your people?
HOMEWORK: Send somebody a handwritten note.
This will set you apart as the person who adds value to others.
3. Leaders Effect Transformation
Leadership is all about transforming lives. My job is to help my people see and achieve a better version of themselves.
QUESTION: How does that look in your line of work?
You see, the difficult part about leadership is that we cannot think about ourselves and other people at the same time.
"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar
Your job as a leader is to find the passions of the people on your team, and help them achieve those goals and dreams.
QUESTION: Who is it on your team that you know the least about? This is a person that you should focus on this week. Be intentional about your conversations with them and let them know that you sincerely want to get to know them.
Relationships are the most important thing for a leader, which will bring about transformation of the entire person.
MO’S Final Thoughts
Love is a very key ingredient, and dare I say, the ingredient for leading others. Take this week to assess yourself in each of those elements of loving others. The more you look introspectively regarding this task, the more you will set yourself up to take your leadership to new heights.
Special thanks to:
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Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 45: Promoting Good Values (Part 2)
Part 1 Recap:
- What are my values?
- How do my values shape decisions?
Part 2:
3. Where do my values need to be adjusted?
As leaders, we are committed to meeting the goals of all shapes and sizes.
You have to find your role within that team and do what it takes to be effective. That’s where your values come into play.
Are you a person of passion? Are you a person of resolve? Are these values driving your decisions to be able to face adversity and get things done?
a. Identify
If you don't first know what your values are, you really can't go very far from there.
QUESTIONS:
- What are your values?
- What are the things that you allowed to drive your belief system?
- What makes me feel most comfortable, and when am I at my best?
Moving away from your values:
- When do you feel like you are lying to yourself or moving away from success?
- What are the things that make you feel out of whack and that you are being inauthentic?
b. Activate
So, if you want to activate what you are already good at, I would encourage you to take StregnthsFinder 2.0 assessment.
Assessments don't define who you are or put you in a box, but I will tell you this. They will help you find out a little bit more about yourself, and what is important to you.
Ask yourself, “who do I admire?” If you really want to understand what you hold dear and value, looking at people that you want to emulate is always a great place to start.
ACTION ITEM: Write down these steps to think about the qualities and values and people that you admire.
- What is it specifically about each of these people that you admire? One or two attributes.
- What behaviors do you want to mimic and take action to make your own, on your journey?
c. Evaluate
Anything worth doing is worth evaluating. If you don't continue to evaluate the things that you do in life, they will not help you get better. The same goes with your values.
The values themselves never change in their entirety. But, you are at the same time learning to add to those values, so that you stay dedicated to the resolve that a leader needs to have to tackle those problems. Allow obstacles to motivate both you, and your people. This is the energy that becomes infectious and will drive your team.
Focus on your team, lead from your values, and empower others.
Communication is your best friend and worst enemy at the same time.
Empathy for your people in all situations is going to shape the way that business is done.
MO’s Final Thoughts
My final encouragement would be that you build a culture of respect. Build a culture that places a premium on knowing values, and applying values to whatever they do in the company. The benefit of this kind of culture is that when you run into opposing views, the values system will allow the company to bend, but never break. This is what’s going to keep you more and alignment, and again, set your team up for success.
Special thanks to:
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Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Visit Our Website: https://www.rtclc.com
Episode 44: Promoting Good Values
How do we set ourselves up to build good people, good teams, and that culture? It all starts with your personal values.
1. What Are My Values?
Your values are the things that you believe that guide your life.
People of influence have to have another level of values, a subset that guides the way they make decisions and take action when leading others.
A person can only lead as far as he or she sets their ability to do so.
QUESTION: Have you decided what your values are in life?
If you want to be an effective leader, you have to be transparent in the way that you believe and what you believe in.
2. How Do My Values Shape Decisions?
Leaders are all about making decisions.
Your values shape two kinds of decisions:
A. Your values shape YOUR decisions.
-
- C.S. Lewis - “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking about yourself less.”
- Leaders have to be consistent.
- To have a receptive posture, one has to be humble.
QUESTION: What are the areas of your life where you need to seek advice from others who are more experienced?
B. Your values shape OTHER’s decisions.
-
- You need to be able to connect with others in a way that they know what you’re thinking, so that they can make good decisions, both for themselves, and for the company.
- Emotional Intelligence: Self-awareness and humility factors are key leadership skills.
MO’s Final Thoughts:
The bottom line is, you have values. You know that you have values, and you can probably articulate them. But until you write those down, they will not be as effective as they can be. Take the time to put them on paper, and then share them with some people that you trust pretty well. You will be amazed at how this will begin to shape new conversations that will take your leadership to new places. Lead well.
Special thanks to:
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Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/l_work-it-out
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