Leadership "ions"

Leadership is a high-calling.  It is a position many individuals strive for. That is a good thing.  The desire to become a great leader will help us all to become better individuals.  We are all leaders.  However, we don't all do it well.  Whether you lead a family, team, business, church, volunteer organization or other groups there are several essential qualities that all leaders must possess.  Your leadership will greatly improve if you can grow in these three key areas:

1.)  Organization - Leaders must be able to organize.  They need to first organize themselves.  They must be able to know where things are, how to find things and have a system in place to get things done.  Nothing is as frustrating to followers than leaders who are constantly losing things, not planning well and have a general air of dysfunction.

Organization is a state of mind.  It allows all other tasks to flow more smoothly.  It creates a winning environment.  The ability to organize a personal desk flows into organizing an office which then allows you to organize a group.  There are too many important things a leader must do each day to be worrying about where they put things or having to search for needed materials.  Organization flows outward from a leader.  If the leader is organized and on top of things, then their followers will also have to be organized as well.  If you want to take a concrete step to improve your organization today, try clearing the clutter in your workspace.  That one small step will hopefully spur you on to organize something else tomorrow. Your life will soon flow with increased efficiency.

2.)  Communication - Leaders must be able to communicate.  A very frustrating experience for a follower is having a leader with poor communication skills.  Your followers will never be quite sure of the expectations.  They will constantly be off balance wondering if what they are doing is correct.  Communication needs to be clear and concise.  It does not have to be overbearing.  You don't have to email/call/text three times a day to master communication.  Leadership communication that is clear up-front saves much time later.  Followers know what is expected of them, how to meet those expectations and what resources are available.  Good, clear communication will save the leader much time in the long run.

3.)  Vision - Vision is probably the most important leadership tool.  Vision takes a person from being a manager to being a leader.  Vision is the ability to see what needs done and then provides the steps to get it done.  Vision is the ability that inspires the followers to do more than they ever thought possible, to accomplish things that "couldn't be done."  Dr. Jerry Falwell had the gift of vision in greater quantities than anyone else I have ever been around.  He was a given a "God - Sized" vision to accomplish great things in Lynchburg, VA.  To see his 50 year old vision coming to fruition through Liberty University is truly amazing to me.  He dreamed big and inspired his followers to make it happen.

Practice your "ions" this week.  Make an improvement in each area and you will see amazing dividends in your life and in the lives of the people who follow you.

Kirk Cousin's Big Ten Speech

The Washington Redskins recently named Kirk Cousin's as their starting Quarterback for the upcoming season.  I have been a huge fan of his since hearing a video of his speech at a Big 10 Conference Event.  Just thought I would share an excerpt.  We need more men like him in sports.  You can youtube "Kirk Cousins Big Ten Speech" to watch a video of his entire speech.  It will likely be the best 8 minutes of your week.

"-- Being a college football player in today's culture is a privilege . . . a privilege that brings much responsibility.

-- We, as players, have a responsibility to give our all for fans who spend hard earned money to watch us play.

-- We have a responsibility to represent the name on the front of our jerseys, on and off the field, in such that a way that our fellow students, faculty, administrators and alumni have good reason to say . . . He's one of ours.

-- We have a responsibility to represent the name on the back of our jerseys in such a way that our parents, brothers, sisters, and family members have good reason to say . . . He's one of us.

-- We have a responsibility to work hard in the classroom, as good stewards of the education that has been given to many of us free of charge.

-- We have a responsibility to treat, with respect, the people who cover us in the media.

-- We have a responsibility to use the platform we've been given to provide a true example of what it means to be a young man to those 10- and 12-year-old boys who see us as bigger than life. I know this to be true, because just a few short years ago, I was one of those 12-year-old boys . . . and I remember well how I looked up to the players whose position, by God's grace, I'm standing in today.

-- We have a responsibility to develop and use our God-given talents to their fullest potential and to do so in a way that honors God and benefits others. I don't believe it's too far-fetched to think that we as college football players could make a significant positive difference in the youth culture of America, simply by embracing the responsibilities that accompany our place of privilege.

We could redefine "what is cool" for young people.

We could set a new standard for how to treat others.

We could embody what it means to be a person of integrity.

We could show to young people that excellence in the classroom is a worthy pursuit.

We could show that it's more important to do what is right, than to do what feels right.

While I believe we as players, do not deserve the platform we have been given . . . we have it nonetheless. It comes with the territory of being a college football player in the Big Ten.

May we as players have wisdom to handle this privilege and the courage to fulfill the responsibility we've been given.

Thank you and GO GREEN!"

Never Ask Them...

Never ask your followers to do things you are not willing to do yourself.  Don't delegate all of the unwanted and un-fun tasks off on someone else.  Be willing to pitch in and help out with the dirty work.  Stay later than everyone else, get there earlier.  Lead by doing.  I am blessed to work with leaders who are turning on the lights in the morning and turning them off in the evening.  They work harder and longer than anyone else.  That sets the bar pretty high for me as a follower.  I can never take it too easy.  I can never pass on menial jobs.  My leaders are doing the nitty-gritty, so I better get my hands dirty as well.

As a leader that doesn't mean that you should never delegate or never pass off tough jobs.  Make sure you are spending your time doing things that only you can do.  But at least every once in awhile pitch in after the meeting to tear down tables and chairs, clean up the gym after practice, sweep the floor if someone left it a mess.  When I see my boss cleaning or setting something up, it sends a very clear message to me:  No one is above anyone or anything around here.  Get to work to accomplish the mission.

That example of "whatever it takes, for as long as it takes" is a very powerful message to send to your followers.  Also, just being present with the ones you lead, performing manual labor, or some other task, allows you to get to know them better.  It teaches your followers that you value them and gives you great time to pour into their lives and allows you to learn from them.  The times that there is real honest to goodness hard work to be done are times that a leader can find out what type of staff they have.  Hard work reveals character.  The leaders and the followers.