Priorities and Leading Ourselves

As we have discussed over the past several months, the first step in being a good leader is to Lead Ourselves well. We must be able to lead ourselves before we can ask others to follow us as Leaders.

Leading Ourselves starts with today and focusing on things that are surrounding what is happening today. People create success in their lives by focusing on today. It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It’s too late for yesterday. Yesterday ended last night. You can’t depend on tomorrow—you don’t know what tomorrow holds. That’s why today matters.

The Fact Is…
* We exaggerate yesterday.
* We overestimate tomorrow.
* We underestimate today.

How Does Today Impact Tomorrow’s Success?
The way you choose to invest your time today directly affects your future.
Consider this: you will become what you are becoming right now. If you take a faulty approach to today with a faulty view of success, you won’t capitalize on today’s potential. Let’s examine some common misconceptions regarding success.

Common Misconceptions and Reactions:
1. We believe success is impossible—so we criticize it.
2. We believe success is mystical—so we search for it.
3. We believe success comes from luck—so we hope for it.
4. We believe success comes from productivity—so we work for it.
5. We believe success comes from opportunity—so we wait for it.
6. We believe success comes from power—so we leverage resources.
7. We believe success comes from connections—so we network for it.
8. We believe success comes from recognition—so we strive for it.
9. We believe success is an event—so we schedule it.


What do Successful Leaders do?

1. Effective people make right decisions early, and then manage them daily.
2. Making right choices may go against the trends of popular culture.
3. The secret to your success is determined by your daily agenda.
4. When opportunity arises, it is too late to prepare for it.
5. You never change your life until you change something you do daily.
6. Decisions help us start. Discipline helps us finish.
• Discipline: refers to the training that one gives to one’s self to accomplish a certain task or to adopt a particular pattern of behavior, even though one would rather be doing something else.

Managing My Attitude, Priorities and Health
Our Attitudes: Today’s Attitude Gives Me Possibilities
My attitude today gives me possibilities. Is it possible for a leader to be successful without a good attitude? Yes, it is. However, their attitude will determine how much they will enjoy the success.
a. A Positive Attitude (Leaders believed they can do almost anything.)
b. A Servant Attitude (Leaders generously served others.)
c. A Determined Attitude (Leaders worked persistently and would not quit.)

Here is why your attitude matters to your leadership:

1. Your attitude at the beginning of a task affects its outcome.
2. Your attitude toward others often determines their attitude toward you.
3. Your attitude can give you a winner’s perspective.
4. Your attitude—not your achievements—provides you happiness.
5. Your attitude is contagious.

Our Priorities: Today’s Priorities Give Me Focus
Given the choice, would you rather save time or money? Most people focus on money. However, time may be more valuable than money. You can always get more money when it is lost, but you can never get more time. Consequently, effective leaders focus on establishing priorities in order to get the most out of their time.

“Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing.” We must learn to focus. The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

1. Time is our most precious commodity.
2. We cannot change time, only our priorities.
3. Leaders can do most things but not everything.
4. We choose our life by how we spend our time.
5. Priorities help us to choose wisely.

Making the Decision to Choose and Act on Our Top Priorities

1. Ask yourself three questions:

a. What is required of me? (What tasks must I assume in light of my work?)
b. What gives me the greatest return? (What produces the most results?)
c. What gives me the greatest reward? (What is most fulfilling to me?)

2. Remain and work in your areas of strength.
3. Evaluate and follow your priorities daily.
4. Delegate whenever possible.
5. Invest in the right people daily.

Our Health: Today’s Health Gives Me Strength
Leaders often neglect this issue because of their busy schedule. To spend time on our health, whether it is eating right or exercising or resting, seems so selfish.

Why Your Health Should Matter to You

1. Your health impacts you emotionally, intellectually and drives our attitude.
2. Health often determines quality as well as quantity of life.
3. It is easier to maintain health than to regain it.

Making Decisions to Follow Healthy Guidelines

1. Eat healthy foods as often as you can.
2. Have a purpose worth living for—do work you enjoy.
3. Find your pace in life.
4. Get physical exercise regularly.
5. Accept your personal worth.
6. Laugh often.
7. Handle stress effectively—communicate well, delegate well.

Lead On,
Sutton

Follow me, I will help you get better - Add Value to those you lead.

Because effective 360 Degree Leaders lead through influence, not position, they invest time and effort to earn influence with their followers just as they do with those over them and beside them. At the heart of this approach is the desire to add value to those they lead. The 360 Degree Leader helps those below him or her discover and reach their potential. This lesson covers several principles to follow in this process. 

1. Walk Slowly Through the Crowd

Relationship building is always the foundation of effective leadership. One of the best ways to relate to your people is to approach your task informally. When you see people in the parking lot or in the hallway, stop to chat with them. Arrive early for meetings and spend time talking informally with your team.

Always ask about their families.

To help you develop this skill successfully, here are a few suggestions:

1. Slow down. To connect with people, you must travel at their SPEED.
2. Express that you care. Offer words of ENCOURAGEMENT.
3. Show interest in their personal lives. Don’t see them as employees only, see them as  FRIENDS.
4. Pay attention when people start avoiding you. SILENCE, not distance, is what separates us.
5. Tend to the PEOPLE, and they will tend to the business. Leaders who tend only to business often end up losing the people and the business.

2. See Everyone as a “10”

The 360 Degree Leader respects and values people—leaders, peers and followers. The optimistic, uplifting attitude of an effective leader creates a positive working environment where everyone on the team has a place and purpose – where everyone shares in the win. If you want to be highly effective in building up people and encouraging them to reach their full potential, here are some suggestions:

1. See their potential—who they can BECOME.
2. BELIEVE in them.
3. Commend them for even small ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
4. Build them up by ENCOURAGEMENT.
5. Treat them with RESPECT and DIGNITY.

Discussion:

• What potential do you see in your team?          
• Who do you envision them becoming?          
• How can you encourage them in their potential?

3. Develop Each Team Member as a Person

When you equip people, you teach them how to do a job. When you develop people, you are helping them to improve as individuals. You are helping them acquire personal qualities that will benefit them in all areas of life, not just their jobs.

Here are some keys to developing people:

1. See DEVELOPMENT as a long-term process.
2. Discover each person’s DREAMS and desires.
3. Help each person discover his STRENGTHS.
4. Lead everyone DIFFERENTLY.
5. Model good LEADERSHIP.
6. Provide leadership TRAINING and resources.

The Law of Process in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership states: “Leaders develop daily, not in a day.”

Discussion: 

• What are several steps you can take to develop your team?

4.  Place People in their Strength Zones

In The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, the Law of the Niche says, “All players have a place where they add the most value.” John Maxwell adds, “The number one reason people don’t like their job is that they are not working in the area of their strengths.”

Successful leaders find the strength zones of the people they lead.

Here are a few suggestions for placing people in their strength zones:

 1.  Provide TOOLS for self-discovery.

 2.  Give them the right JOB.

 3.  Identify SKILLS they need to improve.

 4.  Provide TRAINING to improve these skills.

Discussion:

• Are your team members serving in their strength zones?
• What steps can you take to move them to their strength zones?

5. Model the Behavior You Desire

You will reproduce what you are, not what you want! Leaders need to be what they want to see in their followers.

Here’s how this works:

1. Your BEHAVIOR determines the culture of your organization.
2. Your ATTITUDE determines the atmosphere.
3. Your VALUES determine the decisions.
4. Your INVESTMENT determines the return.
5. Your CHARACTER determines the trust.
6. Your WORK ETHIC determines the productivity.
7. Your GROWTH determines the potential.

Followers tend to become like their leaders. If you don’t like what your people are doing, first take a look at yourself.

Leaders can reproduce only what they have become themselves. The Law of Reproduction in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership says, “It takes a leader to raise up a leader.” We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.

Consider the following truths about leaders:

• It takes one to know one.
• It takes one to show one.
• It takes one to grow one.

Discussion:

What plan do you have to continue to grow as a leader and to grow other leaders?

6. Transfer the Vision

A 360 Degree Leader will rarely be the inventor of the vision, but he or she is almost always involved in communicating it to their team.

Here are suggestions for how 360 Degree Leaders interpret the vision of the top leaders and fire up their teams to accomplish the dream.

1. Present it CLEARLY and concisely.
2. Connect it to past, present and FUTURE.
3. Explain the PURPOSE of the vision.
4. State the specific GOALS to be reached.
5. Present it as a CHALLENGE.
6. Put a human face on a challenging vision by telling STORIES.
7. Communicate with PASSION.
8. Share it CONSISTENTLY.

Discussion:

• How do you communicate the top leader’s vision to your team?
• What stories do you use to put a face on the vision?

7. Reward for Results

Whatever actions are rewarded will get repeated. That is why it is important for leaders to reward positive actions and results. When you reward results, you inspire your people to work hard and to feel better about their job. To reward results effectively, follow these principles:

1. Give PRAISE publicly and privately.
2. Give more than just PRAISE. Talk is cheap.
3. Don’t REWARD everyone the same.
4. Give rewards other than MONEY.
5. PROMOTE when possible.

Discussion:

• Have you recently complimented one of your team members?
• Did you do so publicly and privately?

Assessment and Application

Assessment:

Of the seven principles in this lesson, which one is your strongest? 

Which one is your weakest?

Application:

Name three steps you can take to become more effective in leading your team.

Lead On!
Sutton