One of the greatest leadership qualities is being able to see the little things and do them without notice or need of accolades or recognition. This is the true mark of a Servant Leader. Most of us see the big things. In fact, people are often promoted and congratulated for the big things they do. We applaud the … More Leadership Quality: Little Things
What do you see when your team members talk to you about a project, in a meeting, about a goal, what they’re working on, or anything for that matter? Maybe that’s not the right question. Maybe the question is what are you not seeing? What is passing you by? Are there things you are not observing? Why is … More The Eyes of a Leader
One of the qualities in a leader that people crave is selflessness. It’s hard to be a leader and be selfless. Let’s face it, people hang on your every word, and you are the center of attention. But when a leader puts their attention on another—team member or customer or random person—it is a sign of … More Leadership Quality: Selflessness
Humility is one of the qualities of a servant leader. Yet there is some confusion about what humility is. Some, when they hear this idea put forward don’t make the connection. They think humility is weak, frothy, sunken, and unassertive. They see humility as the mark of a loser. They don’t see how humility and leadership can co-exist. Leaders are … More Humble resolve
Dear Leader, Let me ask you a question: who have you pushed forward lately? So much of leadership is seen to be viewed from a “power” perspective. Leaders make decisions, give out orders, correct mistakes, direct, control, and hold the purse strings. The power leaders have is often desired and coveted for those who are upwardly … More Push Leadership
There is yet another culture creator we don’t consciously employ, and it’s called tribal knowledge. Tribal knowledge are those unique things about a people group that are taken for granted. Things that that they “just know” but those on the outside of the tribe don’t know or understand. Things that make the tribe who they are, nuances that … More The Culture Creator, part V
There is an element of culture hardly talked about in organizational circles because it’s so basic and so simple it gets overlooked: Time Simply put, the more time you spend together, the more you become like each other. That’s why your Mama told you: “watch out who you hang out with because you’ll become like them.” We … More The Culture Creator, part IV
Now develop habits within your organization that amplify your MVV. In fact, we need to talk about behaviors (aka: habits) more than numbers. It is our behaviors that help us accomplish our MVV, not metrics. Metrics is a thermometer to take the temperature of an organization. Behaviors or habits are they way we get to the numbers we need. Thus, the living out … More The Culture Creator, part III
Once you’ve got a method and strategy for repetition now you must also hire according to your culture. Look for people who are passionate about your MVV. (Mission, Vision, and Values) Beware of the false idea you can turn them around. It’s like the relationship where the girlfriend sees the flaws in her boyfriend and agrees to marry him … More The Culture Creator, part II
Words, phrases, and nicely phrased mission statements need one thing to insure they are inbred into the culture of an organization: repetition. Your mission, vision, and values are not worth much unless they are lived out in the lives of those within your organization. Mission, vision, and values (MVV) are not goals, they are who you are. Goals … More The Culture Creator, part I
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