Willingness to listen

Great leaders know that what THEY know is a small part of their ability to lead.  

While they should think like a leader and have strategic knowledge a leader would, they don’t know it all and don’t pretend to.

The body of knowledge that other people on the team have is far greater than their own.

Great leaders are willing to ask questions and willing to listen.

Are you?

"He liked people and it showed"

Leaders who are loved, have power when they need it, and leave a legacy are ones who like people.

Not just “their people”.  Not just “people like them”.  Not just the top performers.  Not just people that can do something for them.

They like people. They are for people.

Do you like people? 

Would people say so?  Do they?

Go for Win-Win-Win!

Yesterday we talked about your ability to solve problems.

One easy way to solve problems for you or your client is to create another problem for someone else.

You could borrow money and kick the can down the road for someone else to worry about.

You could negotiate hard and make a better deal for yourself, but a bad deal for someone else.

You could use your positional power to take something away from someone in your charge to “solve a problem” while creating one for someone else.

People that solve THEIR problem but make one for someone else aren’t loved for long, and their acts will be remembered.  Instead, find solutions that are good for ALL parties involved.  

Sometimes this has all parties jumping up and down for joy.  Most times though one party is happy, and one party is not thrilled, but glad it wasn’t worse for them.  Maybe they don’t even know what a bad deal they could have received, but you didn’t allow it. 

Be fair.  Make things better because of your presence – for everyone.

Can you solve problems?

People are attracted to your ability to solve problems for them.

Everyone has problems and they are looking for who can take them away.

Leaders are the person of last resort in an organization – you get the problems others can’t solve.

Are you that valuable someone who routinely solves problems?

Do less better.

Every choice requires time, energy, life force, opportunity cost, mind share, etc.

Lots of things can move the needle some….

Pick the things that move the needle MOST and focus on them – and do them well.

What is that for you?

What do your customers want?

Putting aside what you offer, what result or benefit do your customers really want?

Have you asked them lately?

Juice it up!

Putting aside “I can’t”…

What could you add to your product or service that your customers would absolutely love?

Always have a notebook or journal

I have to write things down, otherwise, I will drop the ball on things.  Even if it’s scratched on a napkin shoved in my pocket.  This is part of establishing a reputation of reliability.

Also, good ideas are slippery things.  If you don’t write them down, they get away.  And by writing them down, for the idea to go through your brain, through your arm and fingers and onto paper, it becomes a part of you.

I have hardcover journals on all my vehicles and all around my house and office.

Capture the ideas.

Creative quitting

I’m the “I don’t quit” guy, but today I’m going to talk about quitting.

Sometimes we get involved in something that is not right for us.  It will take too much of our life force and resources otherwise to make it a success, and we are not enjoying it.

It’s not so much that we are quitting when we quit, but that we are fixing a mistake because we have new information by trying it.

If the horse is dead, get off.

What else can you do with that time/resources that you can be far more productive at?

Face "IT"

That big problem you are avoiding…

Whatever you fear and don’t face will control you.

Whatever you fear and take steps to face – you will control it, or at least you will get better at how you interact with it.

What is IT?