Time for some Freshmen wisdom!

Time for some Freshmen wisdom!

I get to do many great things in my “day job” as a university administrator. One of those things is to teach a leadership class for incoming freshmen who were competitively selected for a four-year leadership program I was given the opportunity to create.

One of my first assignments asks the students to think about what they need to leave behind and what do they want to keep as they transition from their old life to this new chapter as a college student. I get a lot of great responses but a student recently wrote this below:

"The path you choose to lay behind your footsteps is the path you choose to create."

Obviously this student is scary smart. I know I was not that articulate when I was a freshman in college! Perhaps she was not doing so intentionally but that very quote speaks to both the POWER and RESPONSIBILITY of CHOICES.

Our ability to CHOOSE our own destiny at any point in our lives is powerful. Unfortunately many feel they have lost the power to choose but it really never leaves us. At any given moment, we can change directions, set a new course, and take a leap of faith. It just requires us to trust in our selves more than our fears.

With every choice, however, we have a responsibility. We have to “own” our choices and their consequences . . . good or otherwise. The choice is yours, and we define ourselves by the choices we make!

So what choices have you been waiting on? What’s holding you back? What do you need to Keep? What do you need to Leave Behind?

As always, if I can help you work through those choices, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

Zombie or Robot, what's your leadership style?

Zombie or Robot, what’s your leadership style?

As you may know, I am not only a practitioner of leadership, I am also its student. I read about leadership, study leaders and leadership in depth, learn from the masters in the field, and even have conducted my own research in leadership. All that scholarship and observation has let me to this conclusion: In terms of leadership style, people resemble either Zombies or Killer Robots. Yes, with such conclusions and insights, I will soon be considered a GIANT in the field of leadership and management studies! It’s just a matter of time before this blog is considered required reading a Wharton or Harvard!

Obviously, I am attempting be humorous about such conclusions but let’s look at the two as a metaphor when it comes to effective leadership traits. For starters, with Zombies, slow and steady wins the race (if not a human snack!) but they are easily distracted by shiny objects (and if you stood in line for more than an hour for an IPone6, you know what I mean!) Killer Robots on the other hand, are incredibly fast and efficient though they do have trouble with simpler tasks like making copies or negotiating stairs!

How about communication, a key leadership trait? Zombies are very earnest but tend to just mumble and groan incoherently (which makes them great at 1:1 meetings but lousy public speakers!). Killer Robots, on the other hand, possess a neural network that allows for instantaneous communication but they do tend to come across a bit impersonal and very directive!

How each style approaches the relational aspects of leadership is very different, too. Killer Robots are not what you would consider “people persons”. They shoot death rays without any consideration for people’s feelings in the matter. Zombies, well, they just love people . . . . mostly as entrees! (sorry, I just could not resist!)

Seriously, discovering your leadership style is incredibly helpful in improving your personal effectiveness as a leader. If you would like to experience the entire Zombie/Killer Robot leadership style workshop (it’s actually a lot of fun and a good conversation starter), contact me and let's set something up! I also can connect you with other more serious inventories that will provide powerful insights on how you prefer to lead others.

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

Huge achievement is not possible with "yes, but . . ." team members

Huge achievement is not possible with “yes, but . . .” team members

In my work in higher education, I have the opportunity to advise student government associations. They are fascinating “leadership labs” to observe and participate in as a guide and advisor. This year (like many others) started out with a group of key leaders excited for the year and determined to make sure everyone else is as committed as they are. Things started out well with everyone on the same page then one of their peers started missing important events and activities. They are a “yes, but . . .” member. In other words, YES, they want to be committed and make a contribution BUT as soon as something more important or more aligned with their eventual goals comes along, that commitment goes out the window.

Meanwhile in the older adult world, we see this all the time in our businesses, churches, non-profits, etc. The Gallup organization paints an even starker picture in their research on employee/member engagement that involves millions of employees across thousands of organizations. Gallup reports that in terms of employee engagement in the workplace:

• 12% are ACTIVELY ENGAGED (very committed to the organization and its goals)
• 60% are  NOT ENGAGED (just punching the time clock)
• 17% are ACTIVELY UNENGAGED (purposely undermining the goals and aspirations of the company or organization!)

These results are incredible! Well over 70% of the workforce or membership is not engaged with their organizations! YES, they are there, doing an average job with average results BUT they are really wishing and waiting for something better or more fulfilling to come along. You can just imagine the millions of dollars and other resources lost in low productivity that is a direct result of disengaged team members!

So how can this be turned around? Consultant and author Jim Haudan wrote an excellent book called The Art of Engagement. In that work he highlights the Roots of Engagement which are:

• People want to feel they are part of something bigger than themselves
• People want to feel a sense of belonging and connection to their organization
• People want to go on a meaningful journey with others
• People want know their contributions make an impact and that they are recognized for doing so

If you have any level of leadership in your business, school, church, non-profit organization, etc. you should be asking yourself if these four “roots” are present. Better still, ask your team members. This will take a lot of courage but it could also start turning things around!

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

The problem with GIFTS!

The problem with GIFTS!

As my good friend and mentor Rick Miller says, “Everyone is good at something!” The same is true when it comes to leadership. I believe that if you make honest attempts to be the best leader you can be, then you have LEADERSHIP GIFTS! Much like the results from the Clifton StrengthsFinder^TM instrument, we all have a core set of leadership strengths or gifts that we use to lead others in our own unique way. By the way, if you have never taken the Clifton StrengthsFinder^TM instrument, I encourage you to purchase this inexpensive book and take the inventory using the computer code provided at the back of the book.

These strengths or gifts can include attributes such as persuasion, strategic thinking, responsibility, identifying talent or attention to detail. The problem with such gifts, though, is that sooner or later we have to use them! I know that sounds incredible but I know people who are so gifted but they do not use their leadership strengths. The reasons for this vary but it can run the gamut from:

• Fear of success.
• Fear it may mean more work.
• They lack confidence to use these gifts.
• They are not in an environment where such gifts are valued and appreciated.
• Or simply, they do not believe they are so gifted in the first place!

In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned I had the opportunity in August to participate in a four day training in Orlando as part of my certification with the John Maxwell Team. It was an amazing experience where I and other team members got the opportunity to have over 12 hours of teaching time just with John. He spoke on many things but one included this very topic. John stated that your leadership gifts are an integral part of who you are. So if you are not who you are or should be . . . who will be?

When you HOLD onto the blessings God gave you, you will eventually lose them but the paradox is what you lose, you KEEP! I once heard a speaker say this a different way, “You never have anything until you give it away.” You are never a leader until you lead!

In the end, the question is how will you use your GIFTS? There are people out there just waiting for you. Identify and maximize your leadership gifts and become the leader we all wish we had!

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

Why a leadership mindset is just not enough . . . .

Why a Leadership Mindset is just not enough . . .

The leadership and personal development literature often speaks to the importance of a leadership “MINDSET” or the mental/cognitive qualities that effective leaders must possess. Such qualities include the normal cast of characters like Vision, Strategic Thinking, Anticipation of Environmental Changes, Identifying Opportunities, etc. All of these are critically important and the best leaders are constantly performing the mental olympics that provide them and their organizations competitive advantage. However, I would argue this is insufficient for those wishing to take their leadership to the next and truly transformative level.

Transformational leaders need the right “HEART-SET”! This is the emotional difference maker that differentiate average leaders from great ones. This includes attributes such as Passion, Drive, Boundless Energy and the sheer Joy that those who truly enjoy what they do possess.

Finally, transformational leaders need to have the necessary “SOUL-SET” that will keep and sustain you in good and bad times, growth and challenge. I believe the human soul is the gift we are given that makes you, well, you! It is the spark that ignites our physical and emotional responses to the world around us. For leaders, this may include the Conviction of the importance of your life’s work. The sense of Urgency that what you have been summoned to do must be done. Accordingly, it is the Belief that what you are doing matters to those around you.  

To adopt Simon Sinek’s work (of Ted Talk and Leadercast fame), mindset, heart-set, and soul-set satisfies the three attributes of the most successful organizations and individuals.

Mindset = answers the WHAT of your leadership. What do you do? Seriously, what is at the CORE of what you DO?

Heart-Set = answers the HOW of your leadership. How do you lead yourself and others? Is it with detachment or with sleeves rolled up passion?!?!

Soul-Set = answers the WHY of your leadership. Why do you lead? What is it that gets you out of the bed each morning? What is of such critical importance that you are willing to risk, strive, sacrifice and enlist others to help you?

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

You Need to Get in the Game!

You need to GET IN THE GAME!

I love lots of things in life . . . I know, it’s good to have goals! 

Seriously, this time of year I get to experience two of my loves. The first is my love of leadership, leadership development, and personal growth along with equipping people in all those areas. The second is my love of college football. This week’s blog kind of combines both!

As you may know, I am privileged to be an independent and certified speaker, trainer and leadership coach with the John Maxwell Team. If you do not know who John Maxwell is, just google him! He is currently the leading authority and writer on leadership development and personal effectiveness. He speaks literally all over the world and was recently recognized by Inc. Magazine as the #1 Leadership Expert.

This past weekend, I joined over 700 new and alumni team members in Orlando to participate in a live training event with John and his executive team as well as JMT faculty. It was an incredible time of growth and challenge that included over 12 hours of teaching time with John live and in person! Add that to the fact that college football season is just a couple of weeks away and LIFE IS GOOD!

I will be sharing many “nuggets” in future blogs but I want you to reflect on this quote from John:

Exceptional people GET in the Game and STAY in the Game!

This speaks to exactly the notion that inspired the name of my firm, Out Loud Strategies. Specifically, if you have responsibilities. If you have a big “WHY”. If you have something that is of higher value to you. Then you have to GET IN THE GAME and LEAD OUT LOUD! There is just no other acceptable option. But just getting in the game is not enough, you have to STAY there. This requires you to be resilient when leadership stops being fun and starts just being hard work. You have to be persistent even in the face of setbacks and challenges. I think you get the picture but so many do not and regret doing so.

So the big question for this week is:

Are you in the game or on the sidelines?

You may be in the game but are struggling to stay there or just hoping the coach will call you off the field?

What are the consequences to you and those around if you are not sure?

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

Hold the Date: 

John Maxwell will be hosting a ½ day live simulcast from Atlanta called the

L2 – John Maxwell Simulcast Event. It will be held on 10/10/2014 from 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM.

To find out more or to find a local simulcast site near you, visit www.L2johnmaxwell.com

When Being Contagious is a GOOD thing!

When Being Contagious is a Good Thing!

On my last blog, I mentioned something about calm being contagious. I actually learned that phrase at the 2013 Leadercast event. For those not familiar, Leadercast is a one day speaker event held live in Atlanta, GA but is simulcast to communities and cities all over the world in May. It is an incredible event that has featured prominent “thought leaders” such as John Maxwell, Angela Ahrendts, Jack Welch, and Bishop Tutu on the topic of leadership and personal effectiveness. (Please see Leadercast weblink below for more information.)

During the 2013 event, former US Navy SEAL turned author and actor Rorke Denver spoke. He stated that during his exhaustive SEAL training, a veteran Chief Petty Officer shared an incredible piece of leadership wisdom with him. Simply put, calm is contagious!

In other words, whether we like it or not or think we deserve it or not, your team members will take their cues from you! If you are calm in a crises or challenge, they will be calm. If not, then things quickly turn into a hot mess! Sometimes in the leadership literature world, you hear comments that leaders should be vulnerable. I respectfully but totally disagree! When things are coming off the tracks, I do not want my leader to be vulnerable and fragile. I want them to be decisive, confident, and hopeful!

Think about what you would prefer. If you or a relative was to undergo life-saving surgery and something happens during the procedure, do you want the doctor to be vulnerable and emotional?!?! How about an emergency responder? I bet you want these professionals to be emotionally strong and able to deal with a variety of challenges calmly and effectively. Now you may be thinking, I am not in such an industry so we do not have those kind of crises. Really? I bet when the economy took a nose dive several years ago, people in your industry were not so calm. Those companies and organizations that weathered the financial storm and came back stronger, however, had leaders who understood this very principle. That being contagious was a good thing when it came to setting a positive and ambitious tone for the organization. 

So if calm is contagious, what else could be? How about courage, joy, hope, and enthusiasm? In a weird way, you as a leader spread the “social contagion” you exhibit. Look around at your team environment, do you like what you see, hear, and feel? If so (or even if not!), it is a you and you proposition! Don't think that even for a minute you are not capable of creating the environment you want. 

So here’s my encouragement and my challenge for this week. Model the environment you want! Do so with absolute intention and see if you notice a difference.

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Tell me about your experience with spreading a positive contagion. 

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

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

Leadercast link – leadercast.com

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner