Are you a consistent leader?

With Easter upon us I want to share a short yet meaningful message with you. I love learning about the leader that Jesus was while on Earth. I want to reflect on him today because there is no better leader example to learn from. (more…)

I had a great discussion with one of my leaders in her growth review a couple weeks ago. She told me she wanted to get better in her consistency, that is, she wanted to be sure she was treating the employees she was leading equally.

It turns out that what she was referring to was fairness. I blogged on the topic of fairness a few years ago. When we treat our employees fairly, we allow every one of them the opportunity and freedom to perform by providing them with training, coaching, and candid feedback.

If I let you leave two hours early for an appointment one day without taking PTO because you have an appointment and you’re caught up on your work, then I’m fair. And if I don’t permit you to leave early without taking PTO because you’re consistently behind on your work, then, again, I’m also being fair. (more…)

Last week I blogged on what our inconsistencies really say about us. While our own perspective might just be that we’re a big flighty or crazy busy, our teammates might see us as undependable or worse, untrustworthy.

I also linked to a post I wrote a few years ago where I highlighted four areas that we should always strive for consistency: in our decision making, in our emotions, in how we handle conflict, and in how we spend our time.

Today I want to highlight three additional areas where leaders should strive for consistency: (more…)

In our typically hectic lives, consistency often seems like an admirable but unrealistic character trait. Sure, we grin at the endearing consistency of generations before us. My grandparents were of a generation that you could set your watch by! But in today’s world? Nah! Consistency simply isn’t realistic! Or is it? (more…)

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down with the executive leaders of one of my client companies. We were discussing the topic of empowering others, and I asked the question, “What does a person need to possess before we as leaders feel confident to empower them with an important project or assignment?”

 

We had a great discussion, and it didn’t take long for these leaders to agree on five elements in response to this question. These insights aren’t specific to any one organization; they are great traits for how any individual can better serve and lead up to their leader. (more…)

I recently had a great conversation with a group of leaders each making their transition from player to the role of player/coach. These individuals are learning to find the balance between producing and leading, and they shared with me the most surprising and difficult lessons they’re learning in their player/coach season.

1. Delegation is difficult. “Will it be done as good as the way I’ve done it?” These coaches quickly learned that once they did let go, everything continued to work well. Letting go is hard, but we have to let go to allow ourselves and our teammates the opportunity to grow.
2. Managing different personalities requires flexing. These player/coaches quickly learned they couldn’t lead everyone the same. Some teammates require more attention. Some just need quick instructions and they’re ready to run. Different people need to be led and
   managed differently.
3. It’s okay to not have all the answers. At first these leaders felt like they needed to always be ready with the answer. They’re now realizing that it’s okay to have to find out the answer or facilitate a discussion that allows their teammates to think through and learn from the issue rather than always being the person with the answer.
4. Listening requires concentration. Listening, especially in a fast-paced productive environment, means that we must slow down and really focus on what our teammates
   are saying.
5. Consistency is essential. We must be consistent with our decisions, our moods and with our coaching. As a player, we might have had our favorite teammates, but as a player/coach, it’s important that we coach and grow everyone on the team.

I believe we are who we are because of the people God sends in our lives. My character and person are formed from all the people that have influenced me from birth to my “mature” current age. One of the greatest influences in my life is the inspiration behind today’s blog post.

Diane Brown started as my executive assistant four years ago. We finished our “business” season together two months ago, and this weekend she moved back home to Amarillo, Texas. During our tenure together we’ve had many people ask us how we developed such a productive working relationship. That question has always made me grin as I tried to figure it out myself.

So, I decided to dig into it. (more…)

I frequently play golf with my executive assistant, Diane Brown. We make a great team at the office, and our opposing talents complement each other on the golf course, too.  She plays consistently, and I play risky. She hits it down the middle while I take short cuts through the trees. I think my strategy is more exciting, but after 18 holes her score is more exciting!

The other morning I was giving her some “trash talk” about how I was going to beat her in our upcoming game. I kept on and on, thinking I was getting inside her head.  Finally, after hearing all she wanted to hear, she calmly said, “You can’t intimidate consistency.”

BAM! That stopped me in my trash talking tracks. She was right! You can’t intimidate consistency. I couldn’t wait to blog about her powerful statement. (more…)