Commitments

Not keeping their commitments

– I think most leaders have every intention to follow through on their promises, but the problem lies in our eagerness to make the promise without having a clear idea on what it will take to deliver.

Leaders tend to be problem-solvers and when a problem presents itself, leaders spring into action to marshal the resources, develop an action plan, and get the problem solved.

 It’s important to carefully chose your language when you make commitments with other people because although you may not use the word “promise,” others may interpret your agreement to take the next action step as a promise to accomplish the goal.

Be clear in your communications and set the proper expectations for what you are and aren’t committing to do.

Confidences

Not keeping confidences

– Integrity is the hallmark of trustworthy leaders. If someone tells you something in confidence then it should never be shared with someone else.

 Gossip, hallway conversations, or speaking “manager to manager” about something told to you in confidence should not happen.

Above all, you should protect your integrity as a leader. At the end of the day it’s the only thing you have.

Taking credit for other people’s work

Taking credit for other people’s work

– Leaders can easily fall into the habit of taking credit for work of their team members. Because it is work produced by their team, the leader rationalizes that it’s OK to take credit for it personally.

Trustworthy leaders do the opposite. They call out the good performance of team members and credit those individuals for doing the work. Taking credit for the work of others is another form of plagiarizing.

 It sends the message to your team members that you don’t value their work and it’s more important for your ego to get credit than giving it to someone else.

Remarks from some of our drivers on a past post- Successful People..

The REAL successful people around you have some thing you did not mention....Support...That's simple,Everyone around you contributes to your success.We can't succeed without help,and we need to look to thank others as to why it works...At Arpin,it's the family,I might point out just one of many,that helps me every day,Deb Lee...Always happy,always willing to help,ALWAYS,leaves me with a better attitude....LOVE talking to her....Trish Manchester is another....



I think that people deceive themselves by not understanding that you must be successful at being and finding who you are first in order to be financially successful. Most think money , money , money ...
You need to truly become the best person you can be first in order to become successful at what you do. And if you can achieve that, you can and will become successful at your craft, financially and most importantly as a person...
And just like the Road Warrior says, we all need friends... It would be sad to be successful and alone at the same time...

How you look at things

Below is a story form a elite household goods driver-


I have to tell you a little story...
About 2 years ago my grandson Ayden started to play baseball. Well me wanting him to be the next Mickey Mantle, I went out and bought him a glove , bat and ball. I was so anxious to teach him how to catch and bat.

Well the weekend comes, Ayden comes over and we go in the backyard to play ball. As expected, he wanted to bat first. I throw many pitches at him and he hits a few and the says , OK pappy, your turn to bat. So I grab the bat and let him pitch. The very first pitch to me, all I do is stick the bat out and make contact with the ball and the ball goes over the fence, ball lost, game over.

I felt horrible. Can't believe I just lost his new ball , I ruined it for him and didn't know what to say.
To my surprise, Ayden looks at me a yells, that was awesome pappy... You hit a home run !!!
Moral of this story is my 6 year old grandson taught me it is all about how you look at things.
And yes, he hopefully will be the next Mantle...

Absoluetly no follow up

The biggest problem I see in business today is people have NO FOLLOW UP-

And that is in all walks of life and in all businesses.

Is it because people just do not care? or are lazy? or both?
The crazy part is a lot of these people are in the sales or communication business.
I understand if you just do not want to be bothered enough to follow up and help other people but choose a job more like a assembly line type of work.

Most problems I come across is because someone in the food chain did not follow up and because of their lack of work ethic others suffer.- It is just not fair.

It is not that difficult- just care enough to finish the job or at least attempt to do your job.
Why should others suffer because of people just decide to not care ?

I work with all kinds of people with all kind of titles and who hold good jobs making good pay and it astonishes me on how they not only got to be where they are but they even are able to hold a full time job.

If we have a problem with our country slipping behind other countries in the world it is because we are losing our work ethic.

Just Care about what you do and follow up....dang it people...come on..where is your pride?

Conflict..

Makes Us Understand Others – Conflict is usually the stark differing of viewpoints, values, or vision. When we get outside of our views to see the other side, or as Stephen R. Covey stated “seek first to understand,” we will find out what the other party holds close to and begin to work towards a more common ground.

Builds Relationships That Were Previously Non-Existent – In finding common ground, we may discover a shared value, thus starting down the road to a more solid team, better working relationship, or a business partnership that otherwise would have been left undiscovered.

Pushes Us To Overcome Fear – Fear in conflict stems from stress of the conflict itself, the element of the unknown, or the potential loss of control or loss of something we hold dear. When we work through these times and stay mindful in overcoming those fears, we find freedom to more actively pursue resolutions rather than being on the defensive.

Teaches Us How To Be Better Communicators & Listeners – How many times have we put our walls up when a conflict is about to ensue? These walls prevent us from listening or understanding, both of which are very detrimental to our pursuit of growing our leadership influence. If we are cognizant about learning how to improve our communication, we will see the opportunities the situation presents to us.

What Are My Passions ?

What are my passions?

This is not a question that seeks to understand if you’re passionate about food, wine, football or skydiving, nor if you’re passionate about that attractive new member of your tennis club. The understanding of passion that’s essential for you to lead well requires deep insight into the passions that you express as a result of the purpose that drives you.

After years of working with leaders around the globe, significant research has revealed 10 core passions that operate in everyone. They are codified as the following passion archetypes: Builder, Transformer, Teacher, Connector, Healer, Altruist, Conceiver, Creator, Processor and Discoverer. Knowing that you are a passionate Builder, for example, will drive you to achieve huge goals and dream big dreams.

 But, if you are managing someone with a Processor passion, you’ll need to slow down and lay out a detailed plan if you want to gain their support and benefit from their expertise. Understanding your own passions and how they interplay with those of others empowers you to leverage both the skills and the passions of the people on your team to get the best results.

Conversation

How are you with holding a conversation?

A true conversation, one that you listen as well as talk.

Most people in business, in politics and in life have lost the simple art of conversation.

Maybe the internet and email and social media has a lot to with it ?

The only way to learn is to listen and to try to understand other positions.

Most people make their minds up and rather then really listen in a conversation they are more trying to listen for points to back up what they already " think " they know.

It is ok to disagree, Sandra Day OcConnor a past Supreme Court Justice said the secret is to disagree agreeably.

If you listen , truly listen, you may walk away and absorb some of it and decide their may have been some validity in the other side.

Change can only happen if we move forward together rather than one pushing the other.

Try it..have a true conversation..like our fore fathers once had.

Strong Leaders

Strong leaders say things like “Great job!” and “Please” and “Thank you.”
They say things that healthy people with normal self-esteem say every day.

Cowardly managers can’t say “Thanks” or “You blew me away with that presentation today.”
It’s impossible for them to choke the words out, because in a cowardly manager’s twisted world, when an employee looks good the manager looks bad.

Fearful managers can’t share credit, but they know how to ladle on the blame!
That’s the most obvious characteristic of a fearful weenietized manager. They spread bad news as fast as they can. They are super conductors for blame and punishment!

Good news only travels up. They’ll  be happy to share your triumphs with the higher-ups as long as they can claim credit for your work.

Who Am I ?

Who am I?

This is more than a “name, rank and serial number” kind of question. Knowing who you are means you deeply understand why you’re here and the unique contributions you intend to make — not just to the organization, but also to the larger world. It means having a profound sense of purpose in your life and the capacity to articulate it well, so that you engage and inspire others.

 You should be able to fill in the blank in the sentence “My purpose in life is to ___________. “

If you can’t, it’s time to start working towards that answer, because your success as a leader depends upon it.

 Authentic leaders are able to visualize the sight line between their own purpose and the mission of the organization to such a profound degree that their work is more than a job — it’s an extension of who they are.

The Past or the Future

The Past or the Future

Like fear, the past and the future are products of your mind. No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future. Successful people know this, and they focus on living in the present moment. It’s impossible to reach your full potential if you’re constantly somewhere else, unable to fully embrace the reality (good or bad) of this very moment.

To live in the moment, you must do two things:

1) Accept your past. If you don’t make peace with your past, it will never leave you and it will create your future. Successful people know the only good time to look at the past is to see how far you’ve come.

2) Accept the uncertainty of the future, and don’t place unnecessary expectations upon yourself. Worry has no place in the here and now.

 As Mark Twain once said,

“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.”

Negativety

Negativity-

Life won’t always go the way you want it to, but when it comes down to it, you have the same 24 hours in the day as everyone else does. Successful people make their time count.
 Instead of complaining about how things could have been or should have been, they reflect on everything they have to be grateful for. Then they find the best solution available, tackle the problem, and move on.
When the negativity comes from someone else, successful people avoid it by setting limits and distancing themselves from it.

Think of it this way:

“If the complainer were smoking, would you sit there all afternoon inhaling the second-hand smoke?”

Of course not. You’d distance yourself, and you should do the same with all negative people.

 

A great way to stop complainers in their tracks is to ask them how they intend to fix the problem they’re complaining about. They will either quiet down or redirect the conversation in a productive direction.

Fear

Fear-

Fear is nothing more than a lingering emotion that’s fueled by your imagination. Danger is real. It’s the uncomfortable rush of adrenaline you get when you almost step in front of a bus. Fear is a choice. Successful people know this better than anyone does, so they flip fear on its head. They are addicted to the euphoric feeling they get from conquering their fears.

Don’t ever hold back in life just because you feel scared. I often hear people say, “What’s the worst thing that can happen to you? Will it kill you?” Yet, death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you...

“The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while you’re still alive.”

Toxic People

Toxic People

Successful people believe in a simple notion: you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Just think about it—some of the most successful companies in recent history were founded by brilliant pairs. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of Apple lived in the same neighborhood, Bill Gates and Paul Allen of Microsoft met in prep school, and Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google met at Stanford.

Just as great people help you to reach your full potential, toxic people drag you right down with them. Whether it's negativity, cruelty, the victim syndrome, or just plain craziness, toxic people create stress and strife that should be avoided at all costs.

If you’re unhappy with where you are in your life, just take a look around. More often than not, the people you’ve surrounded yourself with are the root of your problems.

“You’ll never reach your peak until you surround yourself with the right people.”

What other people Think

What Other People Think

When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own destiny.

While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you don’t have to hold up your accomplishments to anyone else’s, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within.
Successful people know that caring about what other people think is a waste of time and energy. When successful people feel good about something that they’ve done, they don’t let anyone’s opinions take that away from them.

“No matter what other people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain—you’re never as good or bad as they say you are.”

Persistance and Patience

There is no true overnight success.

 Persistence works hand-in-hand with patience.

 It typically takes 10 years of working toward your goal to achieve success. For example, "Steven Spielberg had the rights to 'Schindler's List' for 10 years before he felt ready to make the movie that won him the Oscar for Best Director,".

And it's important to keep in mind that failure is inevitable — whether it's making mistakes or facing blatant rejection. How you deal with it can be the deciding factor.

"Failure can be heartbreaking, and when it happens you have a choice,". "You can let it be your school or your funeral."

The right choice, of course, is using failure as a stepping stone and building off it. Once you do, it's all about relentlessly moving forward.

Always Improving

Someone who achieves great success is always improving, "whether it's their career, project, product, or service." Continuous improvement means getting good at something, then getting better, and then aiming to be our best.

The old saying goes "practice makes perfect," and repetition was a key part of legendary basketball coach John Wooden's philosophy.

It's also important to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. It's fine to be bad at a lot of things, -  as long as you're really good at one thing.

Successful people

Successful people are passionate about what they do.

Passion tops the list because "if you love what you're doing, it will be so much easier to develop the other seven success traits,"

He says there are two types of people: strivers and seekers. Strivers know what they want to do early and can go for it from a young age, like Tiger Woods. The majority of people, however, are seekers. They have to discover what they love.

 There's one easy question you can ask yourself to determine if you've found your passion: "Would you do it for free?" If the answer is yes, then you've likely found it.

"Do what successful people do and follow your heart, not your wallet,"
 "In the end, your wallet will be happy you did."