Thinking Out Loud!

Sunday, June 25, 2017

A leader’s honor can’t be taken but it can be relinquished!

Honor. That is a word you do not hear much these days. Years ago, a person’s honor or personal integrity meant everything to them. History is full of brave men and women who valued their honor above all else . . . even their own lives. Sadly, we live in a world that has become so cynical that people mock or are at least suspicious of the individual that strives to live honorably. I was recently thinking out loud that the good news is that your personal sense of honor can never be taken away, but the bad news is that you can relinquish it!

Allow me to explain further. I believe that the leader who has intentionally developed the habits and made the tough choices to become an honorable person, will keep that part of themselves forever. It does not mean that they are perfect, it just means that they continually live their lives and make decisions based upon what is honorable. Even when they make a mistake, they do the honorable thing by admitting their error and make whatever corrections are needed. The ONLY way, then, that you can lose your honor is if you let it go or relinquish it.

You see to stay a leader of integrity, we cannot take our sense of honor for granted. For honor to remain it must be maintained or it will dissipate. We see this time and time again. The leader in business, government, education, etc. that starts out their career with so much promise, so much potential, somehow loses their way and make career ending errors. Worse yet, instead of owning up to their actions, they rationalize or attempt to cover up their poor decisions.

For Honor to Remain, it must be Maintained!

So how can we maintain our honor? Jim Loehr, peak performance expert and author of the great book, The Only Way to Win, emphasizes that to Improve in this area of our leadership, we need to build our “Character Muscles”. This requires us to confront our Character Weakness and confront our Character Imbalances (e.g. we emphasize winning over integrity). Even in our quest to achieve success we can still build and strengthen our sense of honor. When we do relinquish our honor, it is because we have not focused on building the habits, attitudes, and life choices that build our capacity to live and lead with an ever-growing sense of personal honor. According to Dr. Loehr, we have to work on this EVERYDAY. Collapses of honor often come one inch or one small compromise at a time.

I agree that of all the things we can educate on, the most important form of training for leaders is in the honor spectrum. It is FOUNDATIONAL to everything else. If our sense of honor is weak or easily relinquished then our enterprise will eventually fail. We have seen this time and time again.

So, as always, I have a few questions for you to reflect on:

What does being an honorable leader and person mean to you?
What behaviors, attitudes, and words distinguish between those that hold their honor and those that do not?
What do you do well and what can you improve upon in terms of this aspect of your leadership and life?
What expectations do you have for others in terms of their sense of honor?
Who are you or can you influence through your sense of leadership?

In the words of journalist Walter Lipmann, “A man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so”. Carrying yourself with a sense of honor is by no means easy but it far outweighs the alternative!

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 email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! In fact, I am launching a new SPEAK FOR IMPACT training program that will help both novice and experienced leaders find their platform and increase their communication skills! 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 to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Do you even have a moral threshold?

I love college sports. I love the pageantry, the effort on the part of the student athletes, and the way it can unify both a college and a community. What I don’t like is when things “come off the rails” in terms of scandals, misconduct, and controversies caused, often at the hands of those coaches and staff charged with keeping the program on the right course. This is clearly a failure of leadership and has me thinking out loud if the individuals responsible for this malfeasance even have a moral threshold in the first place!

Just in case you don’t follow college sport news, in the past few weeks two major athletic programs have had allegations made against them by the NCAA in terms of specific violations. The University of Mississippi’s football program has been cited for academic fraud, inappropriate booster involvement, and certain players receiving special benefits not allowed under NCAA rules. At the University of Louisville, there have been allegations that the director of basketball operations knew of strippers and prostitutes being present during times when prospective recruits were hosted on campus. In each case, the head coaches and athletic directors have disavowed any direct knowledge of the incidents.

I guess the question for me is how accurate are pronouncements? Granted, they may not have known about the first incident, but patterns of repeated behaviors are hard to hide. In this day of social media and smart phones that allow the instant sharing of information, events, etc., secrets are almost a thing of the past. It still amazes me how a politician, celebrity, or sports star thinks that their words and deeds will not eventually become public! They are either just that arrogant or just that clueless.

But back to the point of this week’s blog. If you are leader, YOU set the moral threshold. You may not like it or it may be inconvenient for you to believe it. Too bad! Your words, actions, statements, etc. set the culture of your team, school, business, organization, etc. If you follow this blog, you have often seen me quote author and consultant, Dr. Henry Cloud who states, “Cultures are created by what we ALLOW and by what we CREATE!” So, if something happens and/or if you do not like what you are seeing, that is a YOU and YOU deal. In the final analysis regarding the two recent news stories I referenced above, it was the head coaches job to set the moral threshold of their team for BOTH their staff and players. Even better, it was their supervisor’s responsibility to do so. Even still, the ultimate responsibility rests on the President of the institution. I have had the pleasure to work for several great college and university presidents and I knew full well their expectations of me as a junior to more senior staff member and I ACTED accordingly versus to the contrary.

So back to my blog title, do YOU even have a moral threshold? Have you ever thought about what is and is not appropriate conduct among those involved in your enterprise? If not, why not? If so, great, but does EVERYONE know what your expectations are? Here’s the thing, I am sure that you are a leader of integrity that holds yourself to high standards on a consistent basis but it cannot end there. You can’t just assume that your down line team members are as well. They may be in some areas but not in others. As in the examples provided above, I bet in certain segments of their lives, those responsible for facilitating such misconduct are normally decent people. But sometimes values and priorities come into competition with each other. For instance, the value of integrity with the priority of recruiting/retaining the best class of players possible.

It is EXACTLY those times when such priorities collide that your team members know WHAT WINS! In other words, let’s assume you constantly communicate to your team the importance of doing business ethically but all of a sudden one of your team members has the opportunity to make sale of such proportions that it would change the trajectory of your enterprise, however, it would require a bending of those principals, what wins? Do they know what to choose (or what the threshold is) AND that they would be rewarded for doing so? That’s a tough call but it can be made easier if you would CONSIDER, RECORD, and then SHARE the following:

What are YOUR moral and ethical “non-negotiables” or absolutes?
In the gray areas (where, unfortunately, most issues and situations reside!), what values and principals “win out” among ALL others? In other words, what should everyone in the organization DEFAULT to in light of tough choices?
How will team be assured they will not be censured or punished for making the tough calls that align with your organization values?
How WILL you CONTINUALLY communicate what is important for EVERYONE, EVERY DAY, and ALL THE TIME in terms of your moral threshold?

One more thing to consider. As a leader, you have a responsibility to set the moral threshold but you also have the obligation to involve others in the discussion. You can always have veto power but as the old leadership maxim goes, people support what they help create!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Effective Leaders are “Warrior Monks”!

This week I had the opportunity to present to the Southeast Florida Apartment Association with my friend and teaching partner, business coach Frank Lind. SEFAA is comprised of property managers and associated vendors that work in the incredibly competitive south Florida apartment and home rental market. We had a great time and the focus of my presentation was on helping attendees discover their personal leadership style. This required them to turning off their normal leadership “autopilot” and introduce helpful information into the awareness of these usually very busy professionals. This got me thinking out loud that as leaders, we increase our effectiveness when we become “Warrior Monks”!

Let me explain further. Warrior Monks are special individuals throughout history and cultures that combine the discipline of martial skills with intellectual and spiritual study. Examples include Shaolin priests from China, European Knights Templar, and the Sohei who are Japanese Buddhist monks. If you need a very modern example, think of the Jedi from the Star Wars franchise!

In terms of the practice of leadership, it is my belief that the most effective leaders combine the attributes of continual study and growth of their skills with decisive action and focus. Specifically, leader warrior monks practice the following:

Deep Reflection – much like the warrior monks of old that would spend as many hours in meditation and contemplation as they would in physical training, effective leaders take the time to reflect upon their actions AND words to determine what worked well and what could be done better. They also study and consider the words of other thought leaders in leadership to see what concepts can be integrated into their practice and personal style. Ken Posner, co-author of The Leadership Challenge, in a recent webinar suggested the following 4 areas to consider:

Lessons – others have learned from you
Ideals – your personal values that are apparent to everyone you meet
Feelings – that you leave people with
Evidence – that what you are doing is making a contribution to others and the enterprise

True Devotion – warrior monks are incredibly devoted to both their own development as well as those around them. One monk is certainly a formidable opponent but when they combine their efforts with other like-minded officiants, they multiply their effectiveness! Warrior monks were also known for their acts of charity to strangers they would encounter in their journeys.

Intentional Replication – just like warrior monks, effective leaders replicate themselves. They INTENTIONALLY seek out candidates that they believe have the ability and willingness to grow as leaders and mentor them. Just like Obi Wan did for Luke Skywalker, effective leaders do not hold back information for fear they will be replaced or bested, they pour into their young apprentices teaching all that they know.

Decisive Action – the result of all this study, self-discipline and commitment is a leader who has equipped themselves to be ready when the time and situation calls for action. They have reflected on past experiences to inform new situations. They have devoted themselves to being prepared and have built a network of individuals who can assist them. They have made themselves better by helping others become so.

So, what would you add to my list? It probably depends on who you are and what you do but the point is this. To maintain our effectiveness in the day in and day out grind of making decisions, sharing recommendations, and guiding others, we need to be filling our own tank. As leadership expert John Maxwell shares, “you can’t give what you don’t have.” We need to turn off the auto-pilot and add to our awareness of who we are, what we are doing, and how we are impacting others through both our words and actions.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Leaders, Make Sure to Encourage the Right Part!

Kouzes and Posner have recently released a new edition of their outstanding work, The Leadership Challenge. Now in its sixth edition, the authors continue to explore and define what constitutes exemplary leadership behaviors. One of their factors that continues to hold relevance is that leaders Encourage the Heart. This got me thinking out loud about the important role leaders play in how they encourage their teams and how we can sometimes get it wrong!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love encouraging others! In fact, Mary Kay Ashford, founder of Mary Kay cosmetics, stated “people wear an invisible sign around their necks that reads, make me feel important!”. That’s poppin’ right?!?! I try to look for that sign in just about every interaction I have. We live in a very cynical world that offers impossible comparisons so it is critical that we lift up others where and when we can. The only problem, however, is that I believe that as leaders we often encourage the wrong body part!

Far too often our encouragement does more to inflate the head versus the heart. The danger in doing so is that such head-focused encouragement gives people an inflated or inaccurate perception of their abilities and talents. Instead, we should be encouraging the heart. Motivating others to strive to do and be more versus leaving the impression that they have somehow “arrived” and need no further improvement. Nothing can be further from the truth. We should and need to be constantly improving but most of our encouragement tells people that they are great just as they are with no need to go further. I swear if I thought I could get away with it, I would create a keynote entitled “Life’s Not Fair, You’re Not as Good as You Think You Are, and No One Pays for Average” (now you know why I am more of a trainer than a speaker - not the most encouraging of topics!!).

The body part we should be encouraging is the heart. Here the focus is on motivating others versus telling others. So, what’s the difference and how should we do this more effectively?

Focus on Potential over Past Performance
Highlight people’s Character more than their Knowledge
Inquire as to where people are GOING versus where they have BEEN
Identify effective Behaviors as opposed to Possessions

Dr. Posner offered a great supervisor/coaching question during a recent webinar sponsored by Flashpoint Leadership that captures this heart over head paradigm: “What have you done this week that has make you more powerful, able, and happy than you were last week?” The implication is that the team member IS capable of more but that their continued growth is important. The goal is to let people know that you believe in them even when they are not operating to their highest potential. It is important to understand that the intention of leadership is to BECOME something versus GET something.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Accountability: The Leader’s Mandate.

“Correction has to walk alongside Compassion”. Entrepreneur and entertainer Tyler Perry shared these wise words at the recent Leadercast event. He was pointing out how he had to correct a young employee who was in need of enhancing his professional demeanor. Mr. Perry went on to share how he had to have a frank and open conversation with the young staff member but that he also came alongside him and mentored him as to his expectations. The result was that the employee became a highly respected and valued member of his team. This Correction/Compassion approach got me thinking out loud about how as leaders, it is an imperative (not an option) to hold people accountable for their actions and performance.

The issue is, however, is that as leaders we usually train ourselves on the attributes we find most valuable and enjoyable. Competencies such as casting vision, organizing resources, mobilizing talent, and effectively communicating are the leader’s stock in trade. We enjoy doing such things because they are in our areas of strength. When it comes to holding others accountable, however, is where we falter. Accountability conversations aren’t “sexy”. They are not fun. They are awkward; thus, we avoid them. The result of such hesitation, however, is confusion, lower productivity, unnecessary staff turnover, and often hurt feelings . . . all of which can be avoided if leaders do the hard work on the front end and the important work on the continuing end.

First, we must get a clear idea of the imperative of accountability. According to author and organizational consultant Henry Cloud, accountability means to answer to a TRUST or to understand what we were entrusted to do. This places the concept of accountability in a new and empowering light. Accountability can no longer can be thought of as a word in the “human performance” vernacular, but a solemn responsibility to do the best job we can, what we have been entrusted to do! In other words, if someone has agreed to do a specific job and have accepted compensation and/or made a commitment to do so from an organization, then they are honor bound to do their best.

So how can we take the awkwardness out of holding others accountability and make it empowering and productive. Whereas not a complete list, here a few ideas.

Set Clear Expectations – In my practice as a higher education administrator, I was often perplexed from others who would become frustrated at the poor behavior of students, athletic teams, or other organizations. I would often ask their advisors if they had ever communicated expectations for these groups or individuals. Often the answer was that they had not. The point is this, how can you possibly expect staff members to act in a certain way if they have never heard what those expectations are in the first place! Such expectations can be powerful because they motivate people to meet and exceed expectations. A former supervisor once shared with me that in setting expectations, it is more motivating to stress what you are FOR versus what you are AGAINST!

Negotiate Metrics of Success – most people want to win! They want to know that their efforts are making a difference and contribute to the overall success of the enterprise. Research shows that when staff members have a clear AND mutually agreed upon scoreboard of what constitutes progress and success in their roles, they perform even higher. But take a very important note: This cannot be a one and done conversation. Every quarter, review both individual and organizational results with your team. If things are going great, it will be incredibly energizing and even if they aren’t, it can also energize folks to increase efforts since you are all in it together!

Pursue the Tough Conversation – when it is time to make a course correction, it is critical that the leader INITIATES the tough but necessary conversation. A practice that has helped me is to list out talking points in advance so that I am clear what I want to share. For some other strategies to take the sting of emotion out of it, try the following.

Address Behaviors, Not Personalities – start conversations with observations, not accusations. Statements such as “these are my observations” as opposed to “you have” or “you are” can de-personalize the interaction and keep it professional.
Provide Positives with Areas for Development – it is important that staff members know that any shortcomings are not permanent or pervasive. You goal is to address specific areas of performance and clearly communicate that is not a reflection of overall character. As Douglas Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup, shares, “be tough on the issues but soft on people”.
Determine the REAL Issue – before you even initiate an accountability conversation, be very clear WHAT you are addressing and WHY. Do a gut check and ask yourself if this is really your issue or theirs! I have often said there is more than right way to do things which is a tough thing for leaders to admit!

Leaders Go First – in the accountability process, the very first person a leader holds accountable is them self! As a leader, you must be both SEEN and HEARD holding yourself accountable for your performance. If you make a mistake, admit it. If things are going well, generously share credit. Whereas I do agree, that leadership is no longer the sole property of THE LEADER, you do have more influence than you can imagine. As leadership expert John Maxwell shares, “The best gift a leader can give is their good example!”

Truth be known, holding others accountable is not easy but it is necessary if you want your enterprise to thrive and succeed! Like anything to do with leadership, however, it is something that can be learned so it must be both rehearsed and practiced. If you are still unsure, rehearse your conversation with a mentor or coach beforehand to make sure you are handling things as professionally as possible. Regardless of how much you are prepared, how fair you are, or how justified in your efforts, be prepared for a reaction. Some people may appreciate the feedback but others, who may not have been held accountable for their behavior in the past, may still get defensive. At that point, the ball is in their court as to whether or not they will accept your feedback. At the end of the day, YOUR job is to deliver correction with compassion, the rest is up to them.

For a great resource on this topic of accountability, I highly recommend a book by executive coach Alan Dobzinski – The Buck Starts Here. www.accountabilityexperts.com.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Meaningful Work = Maximum Impact!

“You should not have to choose between making a living and making a difference!” Very wise words from young entrepreneur and philanthropist, Jess Ekstrom, founder of Headbands for Hope. This week I had the opportunity to hear Jess share those wise during the 2017 Leadercast event held live in Atlanta, GA but broadcast all over the world. It got me thinking out loud about how we could combine work and meaning more intentionally.

I think it is fascinating how two people doing essentially the same job can view their work so differently. Pastor and author Andy Stanley (the Leadercast opener for several years in a row now) shares a story about two homebuilders. One found little value in his work. He was just building structures that essentially kept people out of the rain and his focus was on all the negatives associated with the work such as staffing issues, client complaints, dealing with subcontractors, etc. As a result, his success was minimal because he was just building a house.

Another homebuilder, however, had an entirely different view. He helped the buyers envision a stairwell that would be the photo spot for the home come prom season and there would be spaces for entertaining friends and family during holidays and other special occasions. In other words, he saw his role as building a “home” where memories of a lifetime will be made. Who would you rather use? Of course, you would want to have your home built by the builder who saw value in his work which is why he was successful! Their problems were the same, their challenges were the same, but the difference is that one builder just stopped there but the other took the leap to the OPPORTUNITIES presented!

I have been blessed to be in professions where I truly believe in the value of what I am doing. I am not saying everyday was perfect that I never became frustrated, but what I am stressing is that when I focused on the OPPORTUNITIES and MEANING of the work versus just the problems, that provided me the strength and resilience to get past the tough times.

So, what do you do if you are in a role or place in your life where your job was just an END versus something of value or meaning?

Find the VALUE in what you do – every job has importance. The trick is to remember why you got in what you do in the first place!

Focus on the SOLUTIONS you provide – Your current job helps solves problems for someone at some time. Never lose sight of that. According to Jess, when you create solutions for others, you discover the value of your work!

Define your WORK versus the other way around – like the example of the two homebuilders above, YOU should define your work and not have your work define you! I recently met an individual who was clearly working above and beyond his job description. He would personally offer support and solutions to those in the organization on countless occasions. As a result, he was universally lauded by other members of the organization for his commitment and character. When I told him this, he seemed to be surprised by this. In his mind, he was just trying to do his job to the best of ability never knowing of the respect he had so deservedly earned!

You should not have to choose between making a living and making a difference! - Jess Ekstrom

The point of all of this is to LIVE and LEAD with PURPOSE. The point of Purpose according to Cheryl Bachelder, CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, is to determine how you will serve others. If you don’t plan to serve others then you don’t need a purpose! So, if you are still in a role where the point and purpose of it is still allusive, then pursue what will provide meaning to you. This will take courageous curiosity to pursue a new role or even an entirely new career path but the rewards will be worth it! Otherwise, you will always be asking yourself – what if?

To reflect further on the impactful statement of Jess Ekstrom that started this week’s blog, our work and purpose should NOT be mutually exclusive. Like Jess who built a career on designing and producing cool headbands for girls and women who lost their hair due to cancer treatments thus; restored their self-image, find a PROBLEM to SOLVE and a PURPOSE to FULFILL! Once you understand your IMPACT, EVERYTHING changes!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Nothing is Decided until YOU Decide it is!

You’re finished. Toast. Stick a knife in you because you are done! How many times have we heard that? More importantly, how many times have you said that to yourself?!?! Hopefully, you have never said that to anyone yourself. Recently I have been thinking out loud about this a lot and the power of NOT QUITING. For the past few weeks I have had the incredible experience of leading a Mastermind of John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership with a group of Beachbody fitness coaches and I have not met a more determined and empowered group of women! They have taught me an important lesson about resilience. You see, I have come to believe that nothing is decided until you decide it is!

I have had some powerful first hand experiences this week that proves my very point. A close colleague who has been battling lung cancer just received the great news that the treatments have been successful. Even though she was a long-time smoker and small in stature, she faced her treatments with a grit and determination that was truly inspiring to myself and many others. She exemplified this great quote from Winston Churchill that states, “Fear is a REACTION, Courage is a CHOICE.” In short, she made up her mind that nothing was decided until she decided it was!

That is the power of not quitting . . . of not giving up. Not accepting the first answer as the final one. The problem is that too often people give up in the first disappointment or the first failure. Unfortunately, the media and advertising industry have created the false narrative that success is instant and easy. If you at first you don’t succeed . . . then there is obviously something wrong with you! Nothing can be further from the truth. There is nothing instant about success and accomplishing anything worthwhile takes work and time.

So how can we develop a little bit of POSITIVE STUBBORNESS? This is not a complete list but here are a few of my ideas.

Don’t take the fist (or for that matter the second, third, and fourth) “No” for an answer! Sometimes the timing may not be right or the conditions optimal. But if you ask again, then the answer may be “Yes” or at least a positive maybe! I recently read a Facebook quote from a colleague where she emailed the CEO of a company she was wanting to do business with every week for many weeks. Recently, he emailed back stating that since she was not going to stop emailing him, then he might as well take a meeting and see what she had to say!

Work the problem! If something is blocking you or preventing success, look for alternatives. Too often, though, people who are hard workers are not always hard thinkers. You have to work the problem. In fact, the creators of the movie Toy Story shared that the final film that revolutionized animation and entertained millions was “a thousand problems solved!” There is always an answer to a problem. You just have to discover what it is! Try going over, around, or under whatever wall is facing you!

Stick with it! The statistics of individuals not completing graduate degrees is staggering. I believe the primary reason is not that people can’t grasp the intellectual concepts, it is they run out of steam because there as some parts that you just cannot make go any faster. I have often believed that the most successful people are ones that have staying power with their goals as long as their goals are worth it! These individuals decide when the goal is not viable, not circumstances, resources, etc.

Listen to Your BETTER Voices! I recently heard leadership guru John Maxwell share that “when average people try to talk you out of something, you know you are on the right track!” Listen to the better voices of those that encourage you to stick to your progress. Make sure that little committee in your head is also encouraging you. Again, NOTHING is decided until you decide it is!

The point I want to you reflect, no obsess over, is this: What and Where you are NOW is NOT what or where you will always BE. You are NOT done yet. This is NOT your final destination. In fact, you are just getting started! Again, nothing is decided until you decide it is!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

For more information on the John Maxwell Team, please visit

http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner/

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc