– A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him

(DAY 11 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Every leader has an inner circle of people they trust and rely on. Inner circle people have great talents and vision of their own. Better than yours in some things. Start building your inner circle.

Dig into it:

• Nobody does anything great alone, nor do leaders succeed alone. What makes the difference is the leader’s inner circle

• As you consider whether individuals should be in your inner circle, ask yourself the following questions. If you can answer yes to these questions, then they are excellent candidates for your inner circle:

1. Do They Have High Influence with Others? – One key to successful leadership is the ability to influence the people who influence others. How do you do that? By drawing influencers into your inner circle.

2. Do They Bring a Complementary Gift to the Table? – Bring a few key people into my inner circle who possess strengths in your areas of weakness.

3. Do They Hold a Strategic Position in the Organization? – Some people belong in your inner circle because of their importance to the organization. If you and they are not working on the same page, the entire organization is in trouble.

4. Do They Add Value to Me and to the Organization? – The people in your inner circle must add value to you personally. They should also have a proven track record as assets to the organization. Seek for your inner circle people who help you improve.

5. Do They Positively Impact Other Inner Circle Members? – Team chemistry is vital. You want your inner circle to have a good fit with one another. You also want inner circle members to make one another better, to raise one another’s game.

• Once you’ve reached your capacity in time and energy, the only way you can increase your impact is through others. Surround yourself with high performers that extend your influence beyond your reach and help you to grow and become a better leader.

– Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand

(DAY 10 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Remember, without people there’s nothing there. Network and really connect with someone today.

Dig into it:

• For leaders to be effective, they need to connect with people. All great leaders recognize this truth and act on it almost instinctively. You can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion.

• “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” You develop credibility with people when you connect with them and show that you genuinely care and want to help them. And as a result, they usually respond in kind and want to help you.

• How do you connect with people?

1. Connect with Yourself – If you don’t believe in who you are and where you want to lead, work on that before doing anything else.

2. Communicate with Openness and Sincerity – People can smell a phony a mile away. Authentic leaders connect.

3. Know Your Audience – When you work with individuals, knowing your audience means learning people’s names, finding out their histories, asking about their dreams. When you communicate to an audience, you learn about the organization and its goals. You want to speak about what they care about.

4. Live Your Message – Practice what you preach. That’s were credibility comes from.

5. Go to Where They Are – Remove as many barriers to communication as possible. Try to be attuned to their culture, background, education, and so on. Adapt to others; don’t expect them to adapt to me.

6. Focus on Them, Not Yourself – Focus on others, not yourself. That is the number one problem of inexperienced speakers and ineffective leaders.

7. Believe in Them – It’s one thing to communicate to people because you believe you have something of value to say. It’s another to communicate with people because you believe they have value. People’s opinions of us have less to do with what they see in us than with what we can help them see in themselves.

8. Give Them Hope – French general Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Leaders are dealers in hope.” When you give people hope, you give them a future.

• Successful leaders who obey the Law of Connection are always initiators. They take the first step with others and then make the effort to continue building relationships. It’s not always easy, but it’s important to the success of the organization. A leader has to do it, no matter how many obstacles there might be.

• You connect with others when you learn their names, make yourself available to them, tell them how much you appreciate them, find out what they are doing, and most important, listen to them.

• There’s an old saying: To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart. That’s the nature of the Law of Connection. Always touch a person’s heart before you ask for a hand.

– Who You Are Is Who You Attract

(DAY 9 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Leaders attract people like a magnet. And good leaders always attract the right people to get the job done. What kind of people do you need to attract? Figure out how you can do that.

Dig into it:

• In most situations, you draw people to you who possess the same qualities you do.

• Who you are is who you attract. If you want to attract better people, become the kind of person you desire to attract.

– Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias

(DAY 8 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

With experience, you’ll build great instincts. Leaders go with their gut many times because they need to make quick decisions. Practice making quick decisions using your intuition.

Dig into it:

• The Law of Intuition is based on facts coupled with instincts plus other intangible factors, such as employee morale, organizational momentum, and relationship dynamics.
• The Law of Intuition often separates the great leaders from the merely good ones.
• Leadership intuition is the ability of a leader to read what’s going on. For that reason, I say that leaders are readers:

1. Leaders Are Readers of Their Situation – leaders pick up on details that might elude others. They sense people’s attitudes. They are able to detect the chemistry of a team. They know the situation before they have all the facts.

2. Leaders Are Readers of Trends – leaders discern where the organization is headed, often times they sense it first and find data later to explain it. Their intuition tells them that something is happening, that conditions are changing. Leaders must always be a few steps ahead of their people, or they’re not really leading.

3. Leaders Are Readers of Their Resources – leaders think in terms or resources and how to maximize them for the benefit of their organization. They are continually aware of what they have at their disposal.

4. Leaders Are Readers of People – Intuition helps leaders sense what’s happening among people and know their hopes, fears and concerns. Reading people is perhaps the most important intuitive skill leaders can possess.

5. Leaders are Readers of Themselves – leaders must know not only their own strengths and weaknesses, but also their current state of mind. Why? Because leaders can hinder progress just as easily as they can help create it.

• Without intuition, leaders get blindsided, and that’s one of the worst things that can happen to a leader. If you want to lead well, and stay ahead of others, you’ve got to obey the Law of Intuition.

 

 

– People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves

(DAY 7 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Loyalty and respect take trust a step further. Think about who you would follow no matter where they wanted to go. And why.

Dig into it:

• People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves. That’s how the Law of Respect works.

• People don’t follow others by accident. People who are an 8 in leadership don’t look for a 6 to follow – they naturally follow a 9 or 10. The less skilled follow the more highly skilled and gifted.

• Occasionally, a strong leader may choose to follow someone weaker than himself. But when that happens, it’s for a reason. For example, the stronger leader my do it out of respect for the person’s office or past accomplishments. Or he may be following the chain of command. In general though, followers are attracted to people who are better leaders than themselves.
• When people get together for the first time in a group, take a look at what happens. As they start interacting, the leaders in the group immediately take charge. But after the people get to know one another, it doesn’t take long for them to recognize the strongest leaders and to start following them.

• In time, people in the group get on board and follow the strongest leaders. Either that or they leave the group to pursue their own agenda.

• Top Six Ways That Leaders Gain Others’ Respect

1. Natural Leadership Ability – if you possess it, people will want to follow you. They will become excited when you communicate vision.

2. Respect For Others – when leaders show respect for others – especially for people who have less power or a lower position than theirs – they gain respect from others. If you continually respect others and consistently lead them well, you will continue to have followers.

3. Courage – Good leaders do what’s right, even at the risk of failure, in the face of great danger and under the brunt of relentless criticism. Can you think of one great leader from history who was without courage? A leader’s courage gives his followers hope.

4. Success – When leaders succeed in leading the team to victory, then followers believe they can do it again. As a result, followers follow them because they want to be part of success in the future.

5. Loyalty – When leaders stick with the team until the job is done and look out for their followers best interests even when it hurts them personally, followers will in turn learn to respect them.

6. Value Added to Others – Followers value leaders who add value to them and their respect for them carries on long after the relationship has ended.

– Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership

(DAY 6 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Leaders build trust. Spend some time today building or strengthening the trust that someone has in you.

Dig into it:

• Trust is the foundation of leadership. It is the most important thing. Leaders cannot repeatedly break trust with people and continue to influence them.

• Your people know when you make mistakes. The real question is whether you’re going to fess up. If you do, you can often regain their trust.

• How does a leader build trust? By consistently exemplifying competence, connection and character. People will forgive occasional mistakes on ability. And they will give you time to connect. But they won’t trust someone who has slips in character.

• Character Communicates – a person’s character quickly communicates many things to others. Here are the most important ones:

* Character Communicates Consistency – leaders without inner strength can’t be counted on day after day because their ability to perform changes constantly.

* Character Communicates Potential – weak character is limiting. Who do you think has the greater potential to achieve great dreams: someone who is honest, disciplined, and hardworking or someone who is deceitful, impulsive and lazy?

* Character Communicates Respect – When you don’t have character within, you can’t earn respect without. How do leaders earn respect? By making sound decisions, by admitting their mistakes, and by putting what’s best for their followers and the organization ahead of their personal agendas.

• No leader can break trust with his people and expect to keep influencing them. Trust is the foundation of leadership. Violate the Law of Solid Ground, and you diminish your influence as a leader.

(In the 2008 eddition it´s called: The law of Addition)

– Leaders Add Value by Serving Others

(DAY 5 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

This law is taken from the old commercials “When E. F. Hutton speaks, people listen”. Find someone who’s a stronger leader than you are. Now just listen.

Dig into it:

• Adding Profits by Adding Value – Costco’s CEO, Jim Sinegal, believes the success of Costco comes from treating his employees well.

* Costco employees are paid an average of 42% more than the company’s chief rival and they also receive generous health care coverage.

* Sinegal shows he cares and respects his employees – he has an open-door policy. He is on a first-name basis with everyone.

* Sinegal’s salary is well below what other CEO’s of similar size company’s make because he is more focused on serving his employees than making an exorbitant salary.

* The result: Costco has by far the lowest employee turnover rate in all of retailing.

• The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.

• There is one critical question: Are you making things better for the people who follow you?

* If you can’t answer with an unhesitant yes, then you likely aren’t.

* 90% of all people who add value to others do so intentionally. Why do I say that? Because human beings are naturally selfish. Being an adder requires me to think about adding value to others.

• Adding Value, Changing Lives – four guidelines for adding value to others.

1. Truly Value Others – effective leaders go beyond not harming others, they intentionally help others. They must value people and demonstrate they care in such a way that their followers know it.

2. Make Yourself More Valuable To Others – the more intentionally you have been in growing personally, the more you have to offer your followers.

3. Know and Relate to What Others Value – this can only come by listening to your people’s stories, their hopes and dreams. Learn what is valuable to them and then lead based on what you’ve learned.

4. Do Things That God Values – God desires us not only to treat people with respect, but also to actively reach out to them and serve them.

• The attitude of the leader affects the atmosphere of the office. If you desire to add value by serving others, you will become a better leader. And your people will achieve more, develop more loyalty, and have a better time getting things done than you ever thought possible. That’s the power of the Law of Addition.

– Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course

(DAY 4 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Setting goals is important. Navigation takes it one step further because you’re plotting a course of actions that take you to the goal. Define a goal for yourself and plot a course to reach it.

 

Dig into it:

• First-rate navigators always have in mind that other people are depending on them and their ability to chart a good course.
• Before good leaders take their people on a journey, they go through a process in order to give the trip the best chance of being a success:

Navigators Draw on Past Experience – every
past success and failure you’ve experienced can be a valuable source of information and wisdom. Success teaches you what you’re capable of doing and gives you confidence. However, your failures can often teach greater lessons, if you allow them to. If you fail to learn from your mistakes, you’re going to fail again and again.

Navigators Examine the Conditions Before Making Commitments – No good leader plans a course of action without paying attention to current conditions. Good navigators count the cost before making commitments for themselves and others.

Navigators Listen To What Others Have to Say – Navigating leaders get ideas from many sources. They listen to members of their leadership team. They spend time with leaders of other organizations who can mentor them. They always think in terms of relying on a team, not just themselves.

Navigators Make Sure Their Conclusions Represent Both Faith and Fact – A leader has to possess a positive attitude. If you can’t confidently make the trip in your mind, you’re not going to be able to take it in real life. On the other hand, you also have to be able to see the facts realistically. If you don’t go in with your eyes wide open, you’re going to get blindsided. Balancing optimism and realism, faith and fact can be very difficult.

• Charting A Course with A Navigation Strategy
  – here’s an acrostic that the author used repeatedly in his leadership.

Predetermine a course of action.

Lay out your goals.

Adjust your priorities.

Notify key personnel.

Allow time for acceptance.

Head into action.

Expect problems.

Always point to the successes.

Daily review your plan.

• The secret to the Law of Navigation is preparation. When you prepare well, you convey confidence and trust to people. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.

 

 

 

– Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day

(DAY 3 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Leaders use a process whenever they build something. It makes your ventures repeatable and scalable. Build a step-by-step process for doing something.

Dig into it:

• Leaders require seasoning to be effective. If you continually invest in your leadership development, the inevitable is growth over time.

• The relationship between growth and leadership: It’s the capacity to develop and improve one’s skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.

• Successful leaders are learners. And the learning process is ongoing, a result of self-discipline and perseverance.

• The Phases of Leadership Growth

Phase 1: I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know – few think of themselves as leaders and as long as a person doesn’t know the importance of leadership he isn’t going to grow.

Phase 2: I Know That I Need to Know – at some point we discover we need to learn how to lead.

Phase 3: I Know What I Don’t Know – if we don’t get better at leadership, our careers will eventually get bogged down. In this phase you develop a plan for personal growth on areas you need improvement.

Phase 4: I Know and Grow and It Starts to Show – when you recognize your lack of skill and begin the daily discipline of personal growth, exciting things start to happen. You start becoming an effective leader but you have to think about every move you make.

Phase 5: I Simply Go Because of What I Know – your ability to lead becomes almost automatic. You develop great instincts which results in incredible payoffs. But the only way to get there is to obey the Law of Process and pay the price.

• Benjamin Disraeli asserted, “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.”

• There is an old saying: champions don’t become champions in the ring – they are merely recognized there. That’s true. If you want to see where someone develops into a champion, look at his daily routine.

 

– The True Measure of Leadership is Influence – Nothing More, Nothing Less

(DAY 2 – The 21 Day Leadership Challenge)

Leadership is not about your title or position. It’s about leading. Can you lead in a situation where your title or position don’t matter? Practice some anonymous leading.

Dig into it:

• True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned.
• Five Myths About Leadership

1. The Management Myth – that leading and managing are the same. Leadership is about influencing people to follow, while management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. Managers can maintain direction; to move people you need influence.

2. The Entrepreneur Myth – entrepreneurs are skilled at seeing opportunities and going after them. But not all of them are good with leading people in their vision.

3. The Knowledge Myth – neither IQ nor education necessarily equates to leadership.

4. The Pioneer Myth – being a trendsetter is not the same as being a leader. To be a leader, a person has to not only be out in front, but also has to have people following his lead.

5. The Position Myth – leadership is not based on rank or title. It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.

• Several Factors That Make a Leader

a) Character – Who They Are – true leadership always begins with the inner person. People can sense the depth of a person’s character.

b) Relationships – Who They Know – with deep relationships with the right people you can become the real leader in an organization.

c) Knowledge – What They Know – information is vital. You need a grasp of the facts to develop an accurate vision for the future.

d) Intuition – What They Feel – leaders seek to recognize and influence intangibles such as energy, morale, timing and momentum.

e) Experience – Where They’ve Been – the greater your past challenges, the more likely followers will be willing to let you lead.

f) Ability – What They Can Do – the bottom line is followers want to know whether you can lead them to victory. As soon as they no longer believe you can deliver, they will stop following.