That’s right.  You are a leader.  Not because of your title. Not because of your position on the Deacon board neither because you have father 3 wonderful children.  You are a leader because you are.  Independent of all the accomplishments around you, independent of your natural leadership talents you are a leader.

Maybe for some this idea of your ability to be a leader seems unrealistic.  Maybe you have shied away from any activity or opportunity that would thrust you into the sphere of leadership.  And then there are others of you that whole heartedly concur with the premise that you are a leader.  You probably see yourself as a leader in many different areas of your life, whether at home or at the “office”.

The reality is that all of us have the ability to be a leader.  Leaders aren’t born leaders; they are born little babies that have all the fundamental needs of a pinkie (a newborn mouse).  When was the last time you saw a pinkie leading a charge against anything.  Just like that little pinkie, we have to grow, learn and be nurtured.  The reality is that we can all develop into leaders; leaders in all areas of our lives.  Sure some of us may never lead a charge against the opposition but most of us will have a chance to demonstrate influence in multiple areas of our lives.

Now for those of you that do see yourself as a leader…Awesome!!!  But bear with me as I ask you why.  And before you answer the question please don’t tell me it’s because you have some title of authority or you have achieved success academically.  True leadership never comes from a title or because of gained possessions.  Have you ever met a manager that couldn’t manage well or a parent that struggled as a parent?  The hard reality is that if you consider yourself to be a leader, you are because you worked at.  And as much as I would love to give everyone an “Easy Button” there is no such thing for leaders.  Being a leader will take time and energy and determination and persistence, practice and patience.  And unfortunately promotions of epic proportion, good genetics or a nurturing environment (helpful though they may be) are not strong predictors of your leadership potential.

And here is the good news; our ability to be a leader and not just a leader but a good leader lies completely in our ability to understand what skills it takes to be a leader and pursue after it as if your life depends on it.   Maybe your life will not depend on you being a good leader, but someone else’s life may.

So for those of you that are leaders, congratulations keep doing what you do and for those of you, who have not quite unleashed that leader inside of you, go for it, you can do it we believe in you and we need you.

Leadership is your ability to inspire and influence the people.  Although some may be born with nature leadership traits, true leadership comes from learning and can be practiced by anyone who has the willingness to put aside his or her personal interests for the best interests of the team. Great leaders know that everyone on their team has a significant role to play in achieving the goal.  It’s a leader’s responsibility to facilitate bringing out the best effort of those around them.

When applied consistently, following principles will help you achieve continuous success as a leader:

You Matter.  Lead now because your leadership is needed now more than ever.

Set challenging goals and expect the best from your team. Goals will help create a sense of purpose and urgency.

You go first.  Lead by example.  Your team needs to know which way to go and that the way is clear.

Hire the right people and assign tasks based on individual strengths and capabilities. Each team member needs to know their role.

Let your team know you care.  Show them with both word and actions.

Help your team create a set of ground rules describing behaviors they want and don’t want as they work together.  A self-regulated team frees up the leaders time to plan and create vision.

Build trust along the way.  You can’t do much of anything on your own.  Trust can be hard to achieve and easy to lose.  Be a person worthy of another’s’ trust.

Don’t de-motivate your team by over-managing their efforts, but do give them both positive and constructive feedback on their performance.  You hired them to do a job now let them go and do it.

Listen to your team’s ideas and suggestions, as well as their concerns and complaints. Take their comments seriously and act upon their input.  Every member of the team has a voice that needs to be heard.

Celebrate your team’s successes. Recognize individuals, as well as the team collectively for their efforts and accomplishments.  Don’t wait for permission to recognize your people, even if you have to sacrifice some of your personal resources to do so.

Finally always remember that good leaders are constantly growing and learning.  Take the time to read, learn what it takes to be better at leading and then go make a difference for you and your team.

Keep it Simple

There is profound beauty in the simple.  A lone flower bursting through an early spring snowfall, a group of geese flying south for the winter or a single rose on an otherwise ordinary bush.  The power of simplicity should never be lost in anything that is to be done.  Some of the most lasting and powerful messages are conveyed through simple means.

When designing presentation for any size audience the ability to communicate a powerful message simply, is a skill we should all strive for.  I have been guilty of trying to make my presentation “intellectual or slick” in an attempt to impress those that have opportunity to hear me speak.  However, what I have learned time and time again, my attempts at anything other than simple often come up short.  Sure I may have used big words and impressive charts and graphs, and even threw in a few timely and sometimes humorous videos to impressed my audience, but and the end of the presentation I still see that many in the audience have not taken away any information of significance.

What I have found is that for me to be at my best and to convey powerful messages during a presentation, I have to keep it simple.  What are the 3-5 points that I want my audience to take home?  To many points can make in difficult for me and the audience to stay focused.  What is the best imagine or case that I can use to convey each of those points.  Can I create a compelling story at the conclusion of my presentation that reinforces my points and leaves a lasting and powerful message with my audience?

If my goal is to be profound, to say words or convey ideas that will make the deepest impact in to my audience I must keep it relatable and I must make it memorable and I must keep it simple.

Have you ever sent an email to someone that is right across the hall from you when it would have been better to just walk to their office, down the hall? Have you ever received an email notifying you of a meeting cancelation just as you were preparing to go? Have you ever sent an email devoid of greeting or signature to convey a feeling? How about sending an email that you were supposed to forward but instead you hit the “reply all” button? Maybe you’ve sent an email to clarify a process or procedure.
Email is truly magic and it’s hard to imagine life without it. Yet just a few years ago (well maybe more than a few years ago) we didn’t have email and for the most part we got along just fine.
Email has made communication more accessible, timelier and more far reaching. An email can be sent from my office to colleagues around the world in the time it takes me to finish writing this sentence.
There should be no doubt that email is a powerful tool that speeds the time of business, keeps us closer connected and is relatively easy to use. Quick communications, reminders, clarification and many other forms of communication are used quite successfully with email.
As with any powerful tool, it should be used appropriately. I would even dare say we should probably be trained to use email to its greatest benefit. Imagine being like me and having a top of line food processor yet only use it to make pesto. Taking the time to learn all the many valuable uses of email will give us a better grasp of the tool to use it to its fullest benefit.
Even the best of us can at times use email inappropriately.
The list below includes a few selected gems on the effective use of emailing:
• Don’t send an email when a face to face conversation would be better
• Don’t send an email if you are too angry to craft it carefully
• Don’t send an email without checking for spelling and grammar
• There’s no shame in having an email proofread, sometimes 4 eyes are better than 2.
• Don’t send an email to the wrong person, check your addresses.
• Email in its simplistic form, is an extension of you, don’t try to be someone you’re not
• Email can be a huge time trap, dedicate certain times of the day for reading and replying.
Take the time to master the art of email; it can be one of the most powerful tools in your communication arsenal.