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Posts Tagged ‘Taking action’

Intentional Leadership — D1, W4, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on July 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As this is our fourth, and last week focused on Legacy, it’s time to get serious about what we can be doing to ensure we are developing a sustainable legacy.

Yes, I’m talking about not just developing a positive, long-lasting legacy in terms of what people remember and say about you when you are gone. I’m talking about developing successors who will carry on the work and culture you put in place while you were the leader.

John Maxwell talks about this in the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, when he talks about leaders developing leaders rather than developing followers. It’s about helping others grow, along with your business.

You can see this in real life when you study businesses or other organizations after a particularly effective leader moves on. One example you might read up on is Southwest Airlines. Beyond building a successful airline, Herb Kelleher left a legacy of developing leaders within his organization. He had a unique style and developed a unique culture within the organization, and he didn’t want it to just be a cult. He wanted it to survive him and continue to thrive.

To make that happen, he brought in strong, talented people and helped develop their skills and leadership abilities. You see, it wasn’t all about Herb; he wasn’t doing what he did just so he could stand in the spotlight alone; he enjoyed training others so they could shine, too. It was intentional on his part.

The technical training is important, but it’s not what will allow people to step confidently into their potential. It takes much, much more than that.

To build the foundation for a lasting legacy, one must embed mission and culture in the lives of their successors.

Your action for today: What can you do to convey the mission and culture of your organization to its future leaders?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W3, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on July 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Good morning and Happy Friday! It’s been another fast and busy week and I can’t believe we are in week three of month seven! It’s been a full week. Had a few coaching sessions, participated in a day-long off-site meeting related to a major project I’ve been involved with over the last 18 months — lots of examples of growth over time, increased awareness, and still opportunities for growth in the future. Taught a really powerful lesson on the Terror Barrier for my Empowerment Mentoring participants — along with a few guests. I have to say, that group of people are so often the highlight of my week because they are so open to and hungry for growth. And had a really good call with my coach, Maureen McIntosh, — working on focus, scheduling, and productivity; this process is so powerful and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with her. I’ve also had some really good work-outs with a new fitness program I’ve committed to (who knew I’d be stretching myself emotionally, spiritually, and literally physically all at the same time?!).

As I said last Friday, I’ve been working hard to be more focused to ensure my time is spent productively, and not just busily. It’s paying off! It truly is a process and will not change completely overnight, but I see progress and it feels good. As with each week, I have some writing to do, preparation for next week’s Empowerment Mentoring lesson on Gratitude . Still have some preparation for some trips coming up in a few weeks. And clean up my house!

With respect to building my legacy, I can honestly say I think about this every day and do my best to be mindful of the short- and long-term effects of my words and actions. I want them to be positive effects; I want to be a + in other people’s lives, not a -.

What about you? What do you have planned for this weekend?

Who will you spend it with?

What do you need to do to set yourself up for success on Monday?

What’s going on in your life in the coming weeks and months that you need to spend some time thinking about and planning for?

However you spend it, make it intentional!

Remember…whatever it is you’re doing, it’s building your legacy!

“See” you on Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W3, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on July 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Let’s take this week’s discussion to our teams / organizations. Gather your team together, and share the PepsiCo story with them. Then, ask them what they’d like the team’s legacy to be.

As a team, discuss your desired legacy and what you need to do together to pursue and achieve it. Know that you may need to reallocate your time, energy, and resources in order to accomplish your dreams.

Take some time to put together a list of the ideas you have for how you will hold this meeting. The more prepared you are, the more successful you will be.

I look forward to hearing what you come up with.

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W3, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on July 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We’ve all heard it said, “just because we can does not mean we should.”

So, so true! And it holds true in leadership, as well. And how we handle this will greatly influence our legacy.

Think in terms not only of what you are doing, but also give some time to thinking about what you should not be doing — those things that may be taking valuable time and resources away from making the impact you desire.

Time to get out your journal, and on a clean, fresh page, draw a line down the middle so you have two columns — one on the left and one on the right. In the left column, make a list of the ways in which you are investing your time, energy, and resources that are showing substantial return. In the right column, make a list of the ways in which your investments are bringing only a weak, or no return.

Once you have clarity around this, you may choose to do things differently, to invest your influence, focus, time, energy, and other resources in higher-return pursuits.

Then, take it one step further…What will you do differently, now?

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Intentional Leadership — D5, W2, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Good morning and Happy Friday! It’s been another fast and busy week. I’ve been working hard to be more focused to ensure my time is spent productively, and not just busily. It’s paying off! I started a big project I’ve been putting off for some time, and took care of a couple of other things that have been on my to-do list for some time. It feels really good, very satisfying.

Monday night, I drove up to the Akron-Canton area and spent some time with several other members of the John Maxwell Team. It’s always great to spend time with these folks — energizing, supportive, encouraging, and like-minded when it comes to growth and development. Taught this week’s Empowerment Mentoring lesson on Attitude on Tuesday. Had a meeting with a woman interested in coaching last night. A good week, a productive week, and I am really tired and looking forward to this weekend!

I have some proposals to work on, some writing to do, preparation for next week’s Empowerment Mentoring lesson on the Terror Barrier (oooh, this one is sooooo powerful!). I am treating myself to a pedicure tomorrow, will get lots of sleep, will spend some time preparing for some trips coming up in a few weeks. O.h, and time on my bike and yoga (have to say, it feels good!).

What about you? What do you have planned for this weekend?

Who will you spend it with?

What do you need to do to set yourself up for success on Monday?

What’s going on in your life in the coming weeks and months that you need to spend some time thinking about and planning for?

However you spend it, make it intentional!

Remember…whatever it is you’re doing, it’s building your legacy!

“See” you on Monday!

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W2, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on July 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I’m guessing you’ve spent a considerable amount of time, energy, and effort achieving whatever level you’ve attained in your life to-date. And while I’m certainly not suggesting you are close to being done, I do believe there is no time like the present to start thinking about, planning for, and taking action toward whatever legacy you want to leave.

What is the biggest need you see within your organization, your community, your family?

What skills, talents, experience, gifts do you possess that would be of benefit in this situation?

How could you give back in a meaningful way, in alignment with that need?

If the idea seems overwhelming, it needn’t be. Start small. Do something relatively easy for you to do, with a short-term commitment. Work your way up to taking bigger steps each time. You might be amazed at how impactful something is that you considered to be very small.

And if you’re not already a “giver,” I guarantee you will like the way you feel when you do give…selflessly.

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Intentional Leadership — D3, W2, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on July 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Spend some time today thinking about someone who has given back to you or your organization. There are lessons to be learned here, if you are open to them.

Who was the person and how were/are you connected to them?

What did he/she do for you or your organization?

What lesson did you learn from their action?

How did you show your appreciation for their contributions?

If you haven’t done anything, yet, how can you show appreciation?

What impact will your showing appreciation to the person have on you today?

What example will you be setting for others?

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Intentional Leadership — D2, W2, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on July 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As you are no doubt aware, building a legacy takes time. In fact, it takes intentionality, hard work, time, commitment, and the willingness to simply give — to be unselfish.

As we discussed yesterday, giving back is a critical component of building a legacy. Today, I encourage you to spend some time giving this idea some serious thought. Get your journal out and make two columns; the left side can be narrower than the right.

In the left column, make this list, running down the page: Time, money, ability, example, “stuff”, influence. Next to each item, leave some space for ranking.

In the right column, leave space for writing out examples of each item that you have to give.

Now for the ranking – rank each item in order of how much you are doing to build your legacy, with 1 being little or nothing and 6 being a lot. Then go back and write out what you are already doing in each area. Then, in a different colored pen, write out what you could be doing that would be more meaningful in each area. If you’re willing to really commit, put down some specific actions and deadlines, and then share your list with someone you trust, who will be willing to support you in this endeavor, and who will encourage you to hold yourself accountable.

I would love to hear what’s on your list; use the comments box below to share your thoughts!

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Intentional Leadership — D1, W2, M7 — Legacy

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , on July 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I don’t mean to start this week off on a depressing note, rather, more so to wake you up. Each of us has a limited time on this planet; while we don’t know exactly what it will be, each of us has a definite “end date.” I assume, because you’re reading my blog, you have some interest in growth, leadership, and discovering your purpose in life. Well, as we talk more and more about legacy this month, I would suggest that part of your purpose — part of each person’s purpose — is to give back.

To share one’s talents, one’s wealth, one’s experience, one’s wisdom…After all, you can’t take it with you when you go, so why not make the most of it while you are here? Perhaps you might consider what it means to be a river rather than a reservoir.

If you need some examples, they are more than abundant, but here are a few you can look into:

Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own brand of dressings and salsas. While the business was started as sort of a joke between Paul and a friend, it turned out to be quite successful and a boon to a number of selected charities. Clearly, Newman didn’t need the income and there were (still are) plenty in need of what he had to offer. 100 percent of the proceeds from the Newman’s Own brand goes to a list of charitable organizations, and as of 2011, the brand had donated more than $250 million. Nor did he give just money; for years, Newman spent his summers with terminally ill children at his Hole in the Wall Gang Camps.

Bill and Melinda Gates are well known for many things, not the least of which is The Giving Pledge — an effort to enlist the wealthiest to pledge to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. The list of people who have made the pledge certainly reads like a “Who’s Who…” of the world’s rich and successful people: Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Michael Bloomberg, George Lucas, Barron Hilton, and the list goes on and on and on…

This is not to suggest each of these people are perfect or performing on a higher plane. I share these thoughts only to get you thinking about legacy; clearly each of them (and numerous others not mentioned) has given it serious thought and they’ve taken action to ensure they leave a lasting legacy in some way that speaks of their passion and commitment, and desire to make a difference for someone, in some place, at some time.

My question to you today is this: How are you giving back to society?

If you aren’t already, are you thinking about it and considering a plan?

What causes speak to you?

What methods and models of giving are a good fit for you?

I discovered “anonymous acts of kindness” a few years ago, and take many opportunities to provide gifts and kindnesses to others. My recent trip to Guatemala was, in essence, a mission trip…fueled by my passion to teach leadership principles to those who yearn for change and growth. We make a number of charitable contributions throughout the year. I’d have to say, in my experience so far, that giving money is the easiest (unless you don’t have any!) but I find sharing my talents, knowledge, and experience with others far more rewarding…

I encourage you to find a need that pulls at your very soul, and find a way to feed it.

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Intentional Leadership — D4, W4, M6 — Perseverance

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , on June 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Do you have your journal handy? Let’s spend some time today in reflection.

What are the three hardest aspects of your job? Write them down.

Next to each one, list the reason for the difficulty.

Then, imagine yourself persevering through each of the three areas, and write the rewards you will earn by enduring.

Now that you have greater clarity, what actions will you take to make them reality and move forward, intentionally and confidently, into your future?

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