Leadership

In this series of posts, we're exploring what teams need from their leaders. These are the leadership qualities that attract and retain quality team members. They are skills that can be developed with intentional effort - and they will be worth the effort. Number Three - The Freedom to Fail Teams form and come together for many reasons, but one of the most common ones is this: they want to win. Success might be defined in terms of sales numbers, awards, or transformed lives, but regardless of the definition, the desire is the same. They want to do well. In order to do succeed, you must learn how to handle failure. No person, team, or organization will execute perfectly one hundred percent of the time. The ones who value continual improvement will have a system for processing mistakes, missteps, and misunderstandings. Everyone will make a mistake; not everyone will learn...

This is the second post in a series of posts about what every team wants from their leader. In the last post, we talked about the importance of communication -- good communication. Without good communication, teams will break down. When a football breaks the huddle, they must have a clear understanding of what the next play will be. Number Two - Develop Your Players In most organizations, staff and employees represent one of their largest investments. In many, it will be their single largest line item. Yet in many organizations, leaders don't spend much time investing in their top investment. In other words, they're not actively developing the people around them. In seems obvious, but a team member who is not growing will eventually slow down the growth of the organization. When a leader helps a team member improve their skills, everyone benefits. Output increases, attitudes improve, and people enjoy...

To paraphrase John Maxwell, if you think you're a leader but no one is following you, then you're just out taking a walk. Whether you are leading a team, an organization, or a movement, how do you avoid just taking walks? Over my years in leadership, I've discovered a several factors that are key to attracting, keeping, and developing good team members. I'll be sharing these over the next few posts. Number One - Good Communication Every good leader that I have worked with has been a good communicator. This is much more than being a good presenter. It involves listening skills and the ability to be empathetic. Poor to mediocre leaders do more talking than listening. That's usually a sign of insecurity. I once worked with a person who would start filibustering whenever he didn't want to give an honest answer. He thought he was talking his way out...

From where I sit, it seems obvious that our world needs more empathetic people. These are the people who have the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others - often when we do not have the same thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In short, it's the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Instead of empathy, much of our modern discourse is filled with antipathy. Without actually saying it (most of the time!), people with antipathy towards other have this attitude: "I don't like you and I'm not even going to try to understand your position or idea or feelings." Personally, although there is a dire need for more empathy, I don't believe most people are filled with antipathy. I believe the problem is actually apathy. I don't want to be bothered with having to understand you. Why? It might laziness, self-defense, or the result of information...

In terms of financial health, the equation is fairly simple: don't take out more than you put in. Unless you're the federal government, most banks require you to have the money in your account before you can spend it. That's one reason why credit card debt is so high - it's easier to charge it now and pay later than to pay for it now. Unfortunately, what we end paying later is much greater than the original cost. When our girls entered high school, we created checking accounts for them. The bank representative strongly encouraged "overdraft" protection. Why? Because teenagers are likely to spend more than they have in their account. The maturing process involves learning to make responsible decisions. To put it another way, immature people continue to make irresponsible decisions. While this basic math makes sense financially, it also translates to other areas of our lives. Learning to...