Change The Way You LEAD, Change The Way You SUCCEED!

Even challenging leaders can get stuff done! I was following with interest the saga surrounding a former athletic director. Whereas I have no first-hand knowledge, press reports do not paint a flattering picture! This got me thinking out loud about what effective leadership really is and what success really means.

Now on the task side of things, leaders that struggle can accomplish. They set goals, state expectations, make decisions, implemented strategy, and do many of the things good leaders do to a certain degree of success. On the other hand,some leaders fail in the relational side of leadership which can be much more challenging but in so many ways is far more important! Can you have one without the other? Sure you can and it happens every day but at what cost and for how long? Yes, a leader can do many things but if the cost is a scorched earth of hurt feelings, resentment, and strained or broken relationships, then it is a pyrrhic victory at best!

What if we as leaders started to change our paradigm of what success really means? I propose it should certainly mean getting the important things done and done extremely well. But it should also mean that your team members, partners, vendors, and clients feel energized, supported, and valued while you are all doing it. Any success I have had in my life would not have been possible without other people. As John Maxwell states. “No leaders is truly successful unless a lot of people want them to be!” 

The point is, success can be a “both and” versus “either or” scenario!

With that “end in mind” as Steven Covey encouraged us to hold close, then it calls for us to lead differently than maybe the way we had before. It calls us to do some of the following:

• Demonstrate Care first then Candor when giving feedback
• Asking more and Telling less
• Striving for Win-Win Solutions as opposed to Win-Lose
• State Expectations Clearly and Constantly
• Recognizing Effort that aligns with Goals or Expectations
• Keeping Faith vs Keeping Score
• Focusing on Significance more so than Compliance

I know this is aspirational and much easier said than done (trust me, I learned these lessons the hard way!) but I firmly believe there nothing to lose and everything to gain by changing how we lead to obtain the success we and our followers want. In an earlier blog, I wrote about living versus just leaving a legacy. How would you like you to be thought of at the end of the day?

As always, if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

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