The Tripping Point in Leadership

I recently read The Tripping Point in Leadership – Overcoming Organizational Apathy by David Byrd, a book that is all about overcoming apathy. David defines apathy as a natural, human instinct common to us all that consistently encourages us to seek a comfort zone in which nothing ever changes.

This definition of apathy goes great with SOS Co-Founder, Bill Moyer’s message. As stated in a previous blog, Bill has presented a certain fact many times, “If you don’t grow, you go!” SOS Leadership's main goal is to help companies and individuals break out of their comfort zone and tap into their untapped potential. When meeting with potential clients SOS always asks, “What would just a 10% increase in productivity mean to your organization? How about a 10% increase in your untapped potential or your sales?” I encourage you to ask yourself these same questions when you are faced with a decision.

Although it is easy to revert back to the comfort zone, there is a reason it is called the comfort zone. It does not make us challenge ourselves, which in turn doesn’t allow us to grow. Before working with SOS Leadership I went through their Protecting Goals programs. I learned one thing that I needed to do was clearly define my goals. I made a list of my top ten goals and realized in order to accomplish every one of them I had to break out of my comfort zone. Most of them involved some sort of investment, mainly financial, and even though the costs scared me away, if I wanted to accomplish those goals I needed to invest in them and myself.

My main question to you is, are you willing to invest in yourself? Are you apathetic? Do you continually go to your comfort zone? If so, why? Remember as Bill states, “If you don’t grow, you go!” I encourage you to strive for greatness and not let your comfort zone hold you back. As SOS has stated many times this year, let 2012 be your best year ever! Don’t let apathy keep you from reaching out and reaching your goals.

To Lead is to Serve...Characteristics of a Servant Leader - Part 1

I began this blog series about servant leadership by sharing my own leadership mantra:

To lead is to serve.
To serve is to lead.

Click here to read the first post in this blog series.

Servant leadership isn't a new concept. Its earliest roots can be found in religious texts from many world religions. The modern understanding of servant leadership comes from Robert Greenleaf, who is often called "the father of servant leadership." The Center for Servant Leadership at the Pastoral Institute in Georgia defines servant leadership as "a lifelong journey that includes discovery of one’s self, a desire to serve others, and a commitment to lead."

Servant leadership resonates with us at SOS Leadership because it aligns with our mission of "developing leaders that make a difference." Servant leaders exhibit a steadfast commitment to making a difference, to leaving this world better than they found it. Servant leaders also seek to enhance the growth of all individuals who follow them. In an organizational context, this means that they are eager to invest in staff at all levels, recognizing the value of both personal and professional development. Servant leaders also understand that the "enemy of growing is knowing," and they are constantly looking for opportunities to learn and grow.

Larry Spears, who served for 17 years as the head of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, created a set of 10 characteristics of servant leaders after carefully studying Robert Greenleaf's original writings. These characteristics include: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building community.

As this blog series continues, we will explore each of these characteristics of servant leadership and challenge ourselves with tough questions about our own leadership. Stay tuned!

Reflection Questions:

• How do you define servant leadership?
• Is there a leader in your life who models servant leadership for you? What do you respect and admire most about this leader?
  

Retreat in this not so new year!

Can you believe it is already February 17, 2012? The new year is well upon us. It really isn't new anymore. A lot has changed already this year, but much has stayed the same. One thing that is the same is the pace we continue to attempt to keep. We are always running! We are always so busy doing everything that we do not get anything done. But that is life…

Or is it? Why is it that we are so busy? Do we really have that many things on our To-Do lists? Or are we just trying to be perfect? Why are we moving so fast? Why did we say yes to all of those new projects when we are already over-committed?

The answer to all of those questions is that we must slow down! We must go on a retreat. In this not so new year, why not commit to slowing down? Go on a retreat by yourself or with your spouse. Spend some time in quiet thinking about your goals for the year. Ask yourself or maybe even journal about the following questions:

- What’s right in my life?

- What’s wrong?

- What’s missing?

Reflecting on these questions will help you find clarity. You can realize that all of the stuff on your To-Do list is not that important. You can truly focus on what matters most! As you slow down, you will realize that you do not have to say "yes" to everything, just the important things. You will realize that every "yes" to something is a "no" to something or someone else. Make sure you are saying "yes" to the right things and the right people.

The time is now for you to slow down. Maybe a retreat is the answer. If you don’t have time for a real retreat, why not go on a mini-retreat every day? What if you spent 15 minutes each day in quiet reflecting on your life, your goals, and your purpose? I encourage you to make slowing down one of your 2012 goals. If you do, 2012 truly can be your best year ever!

The theme of this blog comes from our new book, Retreat to Success: Living Your Life on "Purpose." This book was written by Bill & Billy Moyer and Amber Fogarty. It will be released within the next two weeks! Pre-order your copy today.

A Day for Gratitude

Happy Valentine's Day! Don't worry, we're not going to get all sappy on you and tell you how much we love you (although we do). The purpose of today's blog is to remind you that Valentine's Day isn't just about love. It's also about gratitude. It's about being thankful for the people in your life who support and encourage you.

It is a day to say "thank you" and to articulate your gratitude to those who have made a difference in your life.

Take a few minutes to write down the names of the people in your life who matter most, those who have affirmed you, those who have challenged you, those who have helped you to become a better version of yourself.

Now think about a special way you can thank them today. Maybe it's an unexpected phone call or simply a text message. Whatever you do, don't let the opportunity to express your gratitude pass you by.

On that note, thank you for reading this blog, for supporting SOS Leadership, and for being a leader who chooses to make a difference! The SOS Leadership Team appreciates you.

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
~G.K. Chesterton

If You Don't Grow, You Go!

On Friday SOS Leadership had the honor of being a part of the Williamson County HR Management Association's "Creating a Positive Organizational Culture" event. SOS Co-Founder Bill Moyer was the keynote speaker and Partner Amber Fogarty was the panel moderator at an event that sought to show HR professionals how they can become active and effective business partners to their companies through values-based leadership. Bill focused on the importance of organizations building a development culture, focused on the personal and professional growth of employees at all levels.

A key theme of Bill's message was this:

"If you don't grow, you go."

This theme ties in nicely with this Chinese proverb:

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."

It is an important reminder for all of us. No matter where we are in our careers, in our lives, there is always room for growth. At times our growth is rapid and life-altering. At other times it may be painfully slow, an uphill walk (in the snow) that seems to take a lifetime. But we should never stand still.

Change is never easy, but it is necessary, especially if we seek to lead at a higher level. Are you choosing to grow? If you don't grow, where will you go?

Overcoming the "Yeabuts"

Every so often I run into someone with a negative attitude. Sometimes they have a negative attitude towards life in general or just one towards setting goals or striving to be better. “Why set a goal” they might say, “when you will probably just fail?” Great attitude, huh?

Do you ever wonder where that negativity comes from? I often wonder because hearing negativity bothers me so much. Where does it come from? The answer is simple. Negativity is passed down. People become like their leader. If your parents were negative, chances are you are as well.

Were any of your parents Yeabuts? Maybe you would talk about something you wanted to do and they would respond with, “yea but your grades aren’t good enough to get in there.” Or “yea but people from our family can’t do that.” We all have Yeabuts in our lives. Maybe it’s our friends or colleagues or someone else that has influence over us. My advice is to rid your life of the Yeabuts!

Sometimes though, when the Yeabuts are family, we are stuck with them. In that case, develop a “yea but I CAN” attitude. This will be difficult, but you CAN overcome the Yeabuts! Don’t let what other people say, think, or do get in your way!

Don’t just overcome the Yeabuts in your life though. Don’t become one yourself. We are often our own biggest Yeabuts. This happens when we are told we can’t do something enough by people we look up to. You can overcome this with positive affirmation. Remember how awesome you are! You CAN do anything! We all know how challenging it is when people stomp on our dreams with a Yeabut or with some other form of negativity. Don’t make someone else feel that way. Be supportive. It is okay to provide caution, but do it in a positive way.

As leaders, we are called to build people up, not tear them down! No matter what leadership role you have, always build people up! This goes for CEOs, husbands and wives, parents, or any other leadership role you might have. Leadership is an AWESOME responsibility! Don’t blow it by being a Yeabut. And don’t let a Yeabut get in your way! Success is just a “YES I CAN” away! Go for it!

Persistence Pays

A special thanks to today's guest blogger, Scott Ingram, the Founder and CEO of NetworkInAustin.com. Find over 6 years worth of networking and business advice on his blog: Business Networking Tips.

In a world where the average person sets a handful of goals or resolutions at the beginning of a new year that are typically forgotten by the end of the first month and almost certainly by the end of the first quarter, success belongs to those who commit and stick with things. Maybe that's not fair. In reality the truly average person probably doesn't even write down any tangible goals in the first place.

From what I've seen and experienced, real success rarely happens in only a year. Yet in our "get rich quick society," the propensity to get bored, discouraged, and ultimately give up is incredibly high. People tell me that networking doesn't work after attending a half-dozen networking events. They say that cold calling doesn't work after stopping at 20 or 30 dials. They say that social media is a waste of time after a single 3 month campaign.

It's like quitting a Marathon after the first quarter mile because your legs didn't feel quite right when the reality is that they're just not warmed up yet, and after another mile or two you probably would have felt amazing. When I speak I often talk about positioning yourself in the top 10%. What's amazing is how little you actually have to do to position yourself in that top tier.

The most successful people I know have been at it for years, and often decades. That's not to say that it doesn't happen quicker, though that's rare and often times short lived. Most typically these individuals have been doing the right things and working hard for quite some time (perhaps this is why it's so important to enjoy the work).

Are you willing to do the work to achieve your goals? To persist through the ups and downs, the highs and lows? To be open and recognize that the way you thought you'd get there is likely very different from the way you'll actually get there?

If you are, I expect you'll wake up one day and be amazed at exactly how far you've come.

To Lead is to Serve...A Leadership Mantra

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant."

- Max DuPree

A number of years ago, I wrote down my leadership mantra. A mantra is defined as "a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of 'creating transformation.'"

My mantra read:

To lead is to serve.
To serve is to lead.

The idea that a mantra can facilitate transformation appealed to me. My highest aspiration is to be a servant leader, someone who recognizes that service of others is the ultimate act of leadership. If I am leading only because I want people to follow me, because I crave the spotlight, I am not really a leader at all. I can identify times in my life when I led for all the wrong reasons. My motivation to lead has evolved over the years, and I believe that I truly became a leader when I learned to serve without expectation.

In The Servant as Leader Robert Greenleaf wrote, “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant—first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test is: Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”

In the weeks to come, I'll be blogging more about my leadership mantra, exploring the ten characteristics of the servant-leader, as identified by Larry C. Spears based on the writings of Robert Greenleaf.

I agree with Spears assessment about servant leadership, which he says "truly offers hope and guidance for a new era in human development."

What is your leadership mantra? What is your highest aspiration? Are you a servant leader?

Motivation Precedes Habit Change

I've written about habit change on this blog before. Then today I came across this quote from Jim Rohn:

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."

It got me thinking more deeply about habit change. Of course, it goes without saying that if you want to change your habits, you have to know which habits need to be altered. But it goes deeper than just an awareness of the need to change. You actually have to be motivated to act.

SOS Co-Founder, Bill Moyer, often reminds our clients that insight precedes change. What does that really mean? At what point does the insight we have create a motive to action? The answer to this question is different for each of us.

Some of us are motivated by the benefits of habit change, while others will be more motivated by the losses to be avoided. When we lead our clients through the goal setting process, we have them identify the benefits to be gained and losses to be avoided for each goal. Ultimately, this process helps us to determine the WHY. Why is this goal important to me? Why am I committed to achieving it?

In Zig Ziglar's new book Born to Win, he writes, "If you are unable to answer the 'why you want something' question in one simple sentence, it probably isn't a true desire of yours."

In order to change, we need a clear motive to action. That motivation comes from the why. You will gain clarity about the reason you want and/or need to change by answering the WHY question. If you can't answer it, you're not ready to change.