Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

Woodrow Wilson calls it “absolute identity with one’s cause.”

In his book, Monday Morning Leadership, David Cottrell calls it “keeping the main thing the main thing.”

In today’s video, Simon Sinek calls it “leading from the why” or “start with why.”

Stephen Covey tells you to “begin with the end in mind.”

In my latest book, A Travel Guide to Leadership, I call it “GPS for Leaders.”

You see, we know but often forget that it is inspired leaders (and organizations) who think and act from this deeply personal and internal purpose who make the most profound changes in the world. 

Consider Simon’s questions in today’s video:

If you can’t answer these quickly and without hesitation, then it’s time to take a break and reconnect to your whys. 

If you’re feeling stressed, overworked or overwhelmed, angry, sad, or upset in any way, you may be disconnected from your cause, purpose, or why.  And I agree with Robert Holden, PhD, about how you define your successful why: “If your definition of success has little or no measure of love in it, get another definition.”

As President Wilson tells us, we must develop absolute identity with it.  It must be who we are.  We must work toward fully connecting to it at every level of our being if we’re ever to be successful leaders.

Bonus Video!

Watch: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership!

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

We are a results-oriented society and culture – one could even argue we’re a results-oriented species.  From the time we are born until we die; success is all about results. 

“Let’s take a look at what you drew, Johnny.”
“Did you get an A on the test?”
“How’d you do on it?”
“What percent of the fourth graders passed the STARS test?”
“Did he graduate?”
“What’s the score?”
“Did they win?”
“What are the sale’s figures for last quarter?”
“Here’s how we’re doing on our metrics…”
“What are the patient/customer satisfaction scores this quarter?”
“The percent of engaged employees for your department is…”
“What’s the net margin?”
“What legacy do you want to leave?”

While I realize and preach the importance of mission statements and setting goals, today’s quote from Mother Teresa challenged me to stop and think.  If you read this blog with any regularity at all, you probably consider yourself at some level to be or striving towards being a more consistently loving leader and you might be challenged, too. 

Like me, you entertain the notion that by loving those we serve, we can achieve greater results; both tangible and intangible.  So let’s explore her challenge just a bit.

Mother Teresa’s challenge is to let go of the results and live, lead, and love in the moment for its own sake.  That’s where she is saying success is found. 

Success has been defined in so many ways and too few definitions include elements of love.  In my latest book, A Travel Guide to Leadership, I quoted Robert Holden, PhD, “If your definition of success has little or no measure of love in it, get another definition.”  So first, our very definitions of success should include or be part of a loving response to a need.

So if our goals and metrics have some measure of love in them, we can now let go of the focus on the result and focus on the response in the moment.  We can focus on our call to lead and love.  It is in the act of loving – focusing on the here and now with love – that we succeed.  Easier said than done, for sure.

Let’s remember this week that the success of love is not in the results.  But rather, nurture the success of love; and, whether it turns out the way we want or not, know that the value of what we have done – loved – is in and of itself success. 

Bonus Video!
Watch: Here I Am

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership!

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

As temperatures soared over 100 degrees for a week this past month and summer is now in full swing, I’ve been thinking about what my electric bill will be next month.

Most of us would be hard-pressed to explain accurately what electricity is and how it works.  But we sure know how to use it!  Think about how much you use electricity – air conditioning, lights, coffee maker, cell phone, computer, and on and on.  Most of the time we simply take it for granted.  But do you ever see it?  Know what it is?  How it works?  What laws govern its use? 

You might answer, “I don’t really care, Alan; as long as it does what it’s supposed to.”

Exactly!  That is what Ernest Holmes is telling us.  You don’t have to see the forces or “the Force” in order to know they are there or to use them to help you move forward on your journey.  I don’t know about you, but I’m still learning. 

I can tell you what doesn’t work.  As you have read in in A Travel Guide to Leadership, thinking and praying from any sense of lack, desire, or want only brings you more of that.  “I need money.”  “I need to find Mr. Right.”  Í need a job.” 

Thinking and praying about what you want is expressing and vibrating with the feeling and energy of the lack of something.  We are basically saying, “I don’t have [fill in the blank] and I want it.”  This leaves you in an empty, hollow state that disempowers you to do anything.

Having, on the other hand, expresses and vibrates with a completely different type of energy and feeling.

In mathematics, a negative takes away from something else and a positive adds to it.  It's the same with thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and prayer.  It is imperative that you cut away and release negative feelings, thoughts, and beliefs and replace them with the positive thoughts and feelings associated with having and gratitude.  Move away from wanting and towards having.

As Mark quotes Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament:

This combination of confident faith and trust are tools that empower us.  We are energized with the confident belief that God (and me/we/us) can and will make “it” happen – and that propels us to positive action. 

The scientific study of belief, the placebo and nocebo effects, positive thinking and action, and gratitude and happiness all confirm this.

Another powerful tool that works is what is called a growth mindset  - the belief that people, teams, and organizations can develop, change, and grow.  Watch today’s TEDx video presentation as Eduardo Briceño explains a fixed versus a growth mindset (it’s a little longer than my usual featured video at about 11 minutes).

Sincerely put these ideas into practice and see what they do!

Bonus Video!
Watch:  The Power of Belief - Mindset and Success >>

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership!

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

When most of us think of stewardship, we think of taking good care of our own or someone else's financial matters.  While that is one part of the definition of stewardship, there is another.

Do you recall the story of Jesus and the washing of the feet from the Passion Narrative in the New Testament?  Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus was instructing his disciples on how to lead - to be stewards of people.

To be a steward also means to be "one who administers anything as the agent of another or others."  As a leader, this not only means being a good steward of the finances you have been put in charge of, but to also be a good steward of the individuals who report to you, are in your classroom or groups, or in your family.

On your leadership journey you are called to take good care of others, not only because it is inherently the right thing to do, but if you don't, your team will not thrive and therefore, your organization won't either.  And you know what that means, right?  You won't thrive as a leader.

After washing their feet, Jesus asked, "Do you understand what I have done to you?"

This week, I want you to think about how you can be a better steward of the people on your team, in your classroom, group, or family. 

Does this mean having that tough conversation with someone because ultimately it will help you both and the team? 

Does it mean taking more time with individuals to learn about their fears, strengths, and personal dreams?

Does it mean asking how you can help or what they need to be more effective in their role - and really listen?

Can you connect your relationship to God, your spirituality, or prayer to how you behave with individuals and teams?

How can you better adopt stewardship and create an environment of stewardship?

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days?

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan