LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I'll say NO to some good things so I can say YES to some really good things". *Russ Cline

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Well, I had a birthday milestone this past week and turned 60 years old. I don't think it's that traumatic, however being whisked away to a beach in Mexico by my wife for a few days helped a lot!

60 Years.

This month, I want to share some things that I've learned over the years by sharing some interpretations of some great quotes. I realize that nothing is really new, we just share ideas in new and fresh ways and it cycles around again and again. There is still much to learn from these ideas that have been around for a long time, so I'm going to share my top 4 quotes/ideas that I keep coming back to over and over again.

I've heard the message of saying NO from a few of my mentors: Jim Burns, Ron Cline & Guy Adams, just to name a few. I've heard this concept taught by John Maxwell, Patrick Lencioni and Michael Hyatt, also influencers in my life from a distance through their writing. The idea isn't new, but in my mind, this is what it looks like.

Every day I am forced to make decisions. This is a part of my leadership, a part of my daily routine, and these decisions keep coming at me. How I respond in these decisions impacts my life.

I learned early on that I can't say yes to everything. There's no way to do it, even though I tried.

So, from a large collection of voices over the years, I've learned to say NO to some things, even when they're really good things.

Think of the filters you use to make a decision, YES or NO? What are those filters?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible." Robert K. Greenleaf

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Today I'm finishing a number of weeks looking at SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

When we started this series, I introduced you to Robert K. Greenleaf, who has been defined as the first person to articulate the theory of servant leadership.

I really like 2 of his other quotes because they are so simple. Greenleaf says:

"The servant leader is servant first."

and

"Good leaders must first become good servants."

Greenleaf wrote a number of papers that were pretty counter-cultural in the era of "big companies, big leaders". His simple message to leaders to focus on serving first as the highest priority.

Greenleaf also acknowledged that Jesus modeled this kind of leadership, but that the idea of servant leadership is for everyone. It's not a faith-driven theory, but an effective leadership principle that should affect people in all aspects of leadership.

Greenleaf died in 1990, having impacted leadership models for all time. The epitaph on his tombstone reads:

"Potentially a good plumber; ruined by sophisticated education."

How are the principles of servant leadership evident in your life and in your leadership?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"A leader is best when people barely knows he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." Lao Tzu

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month we're going to do a dive into SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who was born in 571 B.C.

This thought is an interesting one, because we often promote leadership as being a visible and prominent position, but the idea that "a leader is best when people barely knows he exists" is interesting.

I think the part of this quote that most resonates with me is the closing comment, "we did it ourselves."

One of the challenges of leadership is to help people take ownership and take responsibility, and many times the reason this is difficult is because we have a prominent leader who is constantly taking ALL the ownership and ALL of the responsibility, and we don't allow others to be a part of that.

Leaders have to know when to step back and when to step up. We'll talk about that next week, but in this thought from Tzu, the goal of leadership is to be somewhat invisible.

2 Questions: First, have you ever worked with someone who modeled this kind of leadership? Second, have you ever tried this? What did you see and experience?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Bosses push, Leaders pull. Real leadership is servant leadership." Dave Ramsey

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month we're going to do a dive into SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

Knowing when to PUSH and when to PULL is often a challenge for leaders. Ramsey reminds us that servant leadership IS "REAL" leadership, and the posture should be one of PULLING not PUSHING.

However, there are times in leadership when you need to do both.

There's a management style that's called PUSH & PULL. To simplify it, it's basically this:

To Drive for Outcomes, Leaders PUSH

To Inspire & Motivate Others, Leaders PULL

Harvard Business Review shares an article by Joseph Folkmann where he talks about the value of both, but the article doesn't really connect with servant leadership.

The real challenge in leadership is to know when and how to both push and pull. Walking that line is what separates a good leader from a great leader.

What do you respond to best: Being PUSHED or being PULLED?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month we're going to do a dive into SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

What a great thought from Maya Angelou. This connects to the Servant Leadership Theme because when you serve someone, genuinely serve someone, they remember it. It makes them feel valued, appreciated and loved.

Ottawa University shares "5 Proven Characteristics of a Servant Leader".

1) Listening: Listen receptively and nonjudgmentally

2) Appreciation: Value people and appreciate them for who they are.

3) Humility: Put other people first.

4) Trust: Give trust to others.

5) Caring: Have people and purpose in their hearts.

That's a pretty good list of where we all need to focus, but as I was looking at different articles around Servant Leadership, they all seemed to start with LISTENING.

Maybe this is where you need to start.

Ryan Arshad writes on Forbes.com and article entitled: The Importance of Listening For Organizational Success and in this article he summarizes:

"Listening is really about empowering employees. Leaders who focus on listening build an organization focused on inclusivity and wisdom while creating a more open, trusting relationship between themselves, their employees and the company."

How are you using your listening skills to communicate to your team that you value them, you hear them and you want to empower them?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you." Anonymous

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month we're going to do a dive into SERVANT LEADERSHIP. You can see past blog posts on leadership and a variety of topics HERE.

Robert K Greenleaf is considered the "father" of servant leadership as he posted in his 1970 essay saying:

"The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to satisfy a strong power drive or to acquire material possessions. The leader-first and the servant-first are two exreme types. The leader who is servant first ensures that other peoples highest priority needs are being served."

Powerful words that "flipped the script" on leadership for many people.

In an article written on this topic, Jilinda Lee provides this simple test to see how others might view you. Answer these 10 questions:

1) Do people believe that you want to hear their ideas and will value them?

2) Do people believe that you will understand what is happening in their lives and how it affects them?

3) Do others tend to come to you when their tanks are low and options are few, especially when something traumatic has happened in their lives?

4) Do others believe you have a strong sense of clarity and keen insight into what is going on?

5) Do others follow up on your requests because they want to, or because they have to?

6) Do others contribute their ideas and vision for the good of the group when you are around?

7) Do others have confidence in your ability to anticipate the results of decisions and their consequences?

8) Do others believe you are preparing them to make a positive difference in the world?

9) Do people believe that you are committed to helping them learn, grow and develop as a whole person?

10) Do people believe that you are willing to sacrifice self-interest for the good of the group?

Before you even think about being a Servant Leader, take a look in the mirror. How do you think others view you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"People will resist change when it's done to them, not with them." Ken Blanchard

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This last look at organizational culture this month comes from Ken Blanchard. You can catch up on the past posts HERE.

I was doing some digging into Ken Blanchard and his thoughts on Servant Leadership for next months theme, and I found this quote from him and thought it would end our CULTURE theme this month.

This thought rings so true for any team and any organization who is addressing change, which is all of us.

Often as leaders we focus on communicating change to our people because we've all been told that we don't communicate enough, so we try to overcompensate with straight communication, and this isn't the only thing people want... They also want to be a part of the conversation.

I say "they" but I mean "we". We want to be heard, we want our opinion to matter and we don't mind change as long as it's not a complete surprise. Bring us into the conversation and let us be a part of it.

There are some simple steps you can take to help your team members embrace change, and it's really a Change Management Model which ultimately defines your culture.

1) BE UPFRONT ABOUT THE CHANGE

Don't surprise people. Talk about it, let them know you're thinking and working towards something.

2) LISTEN TO THEIR FEEDBACK

Give your team an opportunity to feed into the decision and into the change. You'll learn some things that will help you!

3) MAKE THE DECISION & COMMUNICATE IT

Don't drag it on, but when it's time to make the decision, communicate it clearly.

4) ADDRESS PEOPLES CONCERNS & PAIN POINTS

Help people to understand, answer their questions, help them adapt, and reward them for their efforts to dive into the change.

5) CONTINUALLY EVALUATE AND TWEAK THE DECISION

You won't get it all right the first time. Adjust it, respond to your team members, and invite further feedback.

Change comes to us all. How do you develop a culture in your organization that can react and adopt change in a healthy way?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture." Edgar Schein

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're talking about the importance of organizational culture this month and you can catch up on the past posts HERE.

Today I'm sharing this quote from Edgar Schein (Thanks Connie for the tip and feedback). I've read his theory before but didn't know it came from him. Schein was a business theorist and psychologist who was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

His quote above really sums up much of what we've been talking about. However, there's another line that is often added to the quote above. It says this:

"The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture. If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening."

O.C. Tanner shares:

"Leaders are the first line of defense for your company culture. They are in charge of living and enforcing your company's values, ideals, and policies. If employees don't see your company's cultural goals embodied in their immediate leaders, your culture will suffer."

Think of some of the organizations you've worked in over the years. Can you articulate the CULTURE?

When you think about that culture, was there someone who was "creating and managing" that culture? Was there someone who was "protecting" that culture?