Right Wisdom

Yesterday we looked at how prayer can help you become a better leader. When you make prayer a top priority in your leadership role you will see changes and you will end up leaving a leadership legacy. The second way to solidify a leadership legacy with your faith is through praise. You have heard it said that sometimes the best thing to give an employee is praise. Praise for a job well done, this is true. Most people love to hear their boss tell them they are doing a good job. They want to hear that praise. It motivates people to then do a better job and keep working harder at what they do. A leader needs to make sure s/he is giving praise.It can't be insincere praise and a leader can't just give praise all the time. Employees can tell when someone is disingenuous. Make sure you make your praise count. That however is only part of the praise puzzle. There is someone else you need to praise and you need to praise Him daily. Psalm 146:2 "While I live I will praise th...

Leaving a positive legacy isn't an easy thing to do. You want to make sure that you do some things that are life changing. Not just life changing for you but life changing for those around you. The biggest impact you can make is to touch the lives of those you come in contact with. One of the most important things you can do toward leaving a positive legacy is to pray for your employees and pray for your company. James 5:16 says: "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." We all have passion and we need to turn that passion to our prayer life and pray for our employees. They don't even need to know that you are praying for them. Pray for their jobs and their personal life. If you are effective and fervent in your prayer then you will see changes. You will see the fruit of your prayers in better employees and more grateful employees. There is a caveat ...

After a weekend of relaxation it is time to get back to talking about leadership. I would like to continue looking at leaving a legacy as a leader. As part of this look at leaving a legacy I am going to create a special page just for leaving and creating a leadership legacy. This week I would like to discuss the spiritual aspect of leaving a legacy. The three things we looked at last week were Vision, Direction and creating future leaders. Those three things are vitally important in creating a legacy for your leadership. However without the spiritual element all of that can become lost. There are three P's that I would like to use to look at the spiritual side of leaving a leadership legacy. They are Prayer, Praise and Progress. Each day we will focus on one of these important pieces of the spiritual leadership legacy puzzle. What I would like to do is highlight some bible verses that will support the case. If you combine the spiritual portions with the ones we looked at last...

Do you enjoy cooking? Many people find escape from the world by cooking and relaxing over the stove with a new recipe. I am not much into cooking but I am into eating those wonderful dishes that my wife cooks up. I also like watching cooking shows and seeing what wonderful dishes they are preparing. Take some time this weekend to enjoy cooking. Cook for yourself, family and friends. There are also many cooking websites that give insight into cooking and they also include recipes. Cooking and creating can be very relaxing and then being able to taste what you created is a big reward. If you are an avid cook I would like to hear some of your favorite things you have cooked up. What has worked for you with regard to cooking? Do you have a favorite recipe book or website that you find many tasty dishes. Maybe you blog about cooking, share with me and I'll post a link to my blog. My wife likes to try new recipes and she made Moroccan Stew not too long ago and it was del...

It is the weekend again and time to take a respite from your leadership responsibilities and relax. Relax so you can refresh and be ready for another gruelling week of leadership again. Last week we looked at Hobbies and activities you might like to do that releive the stress of your leadership role. This weekend we are going to continue with the themee of hobbies and for today we are going to stay outside. How many of you love to garden or do yard work? I know it is still winter and in Minnesota where I live you can't do too much yard work this time of year. Spring is just around the corner and it is time to start thinking about your garden and your yard. I love planting and watching things grow but I do not like the weeding portion of gardening. I also like determining what I want to plant and making sure I have everything I need to plant and grow those flowers or vegtables. I really enjoy mowing my lawn. It is a big lawn and takes a while but the rewards for the look after...

We started this week examining how you could leave a leadership legacy. Don't be one of those leaders that the company wants you to leave. You want to make sure you are a difference maker someone who became a change agent and also turned over your leadership post to competent well trained people. I showed you three ways you can be sure you are making a positive impact on your position. Creating a vision and communicating that vision. Giving good directions and teaching by example. Molding and growing future leaders. Following these three things will help you build that legacy. You want to be comfortable leaving the place in good hands. The final thing you want to make sure you do is to be a difference maker. is there something you have done that people will look back and applaud you for. Did you create a new product? Come up with a process improvement that was cost saving and efficient? We all want to make an impact whether it is in our job, community or world. That is ...

The role I like as a leader is the ability to help shape future leaders. Managing people is much different than leading people. Managing is making sure everything is done correctly and making sure the place doesn't break out in chaos. Leading on the other hand is showing others how to do what is right and letting them flex their independent muscles by trying out new things. What are you doing to help grow new leaders? Are you making sure that if one of your people has a skill and a passion that you encourage that and help them find ways to utilize that skill within your company. It is important that to keep employees engaged and excited about what they do that they get ownership of projects and opportunities to be leaders. Here are some ways you can help grow future leaders. Help them find ways to lead projects. Help find ways they can tap into their passion and work in areas they desire to learn more about. Encourage, Encourage and Encourage. Make sure you are grooming a...

It used to be that if you were planning a trip you would get a map and figure out a route. Everyone had a road map in their car and would pull it out if they were lost or needed to know how to get to the next town. You would have to have a state map and a local map and sometimes multiple states if you were traveling across the country. Now days if you want to get somewhere you can check Mapquest, Google Maps or if you have a GPS you can use that. This will give you precise directions on how to get to your location. So what does all this have to do with leadership? As a leader you have to give directions to those around you. Just like finding your way to a destination in your car has changed giving directions to the people you lead has also changed. People learn differently so as you give direction you need to make sure everyone understands exactly what is expected of them. Training people do do their job is a role you as the leader must play. It is important that you train them to ...

Leadership requires vision but you can't keep the vision to yourself. A good leader is able to clearly convey their vision to their followers. The vision must also be relevant. Followers want to follow a leader who can give them a vision they can buy into. It can't just be a vision for the leader but the whole team. Many companies have a vision and a mission and usually that vision and mission is displayed to everyone in the company. If you are a leader of a department within that company does your department have a vision? Have you let your people know what that vision is? Here are some things to do that will help you as a leader create and convey your vision for your company or department. Have a vision creation session. - This will allow everyone to have a say in the vision. Let the department or the company create the vision. - They will have ownership of the vision if they can create it. Once created display it for all to see. - Everyone needs to see it so they ca...

Being a leader can be a difficult position to be in. A leader is someone who others look toward for vision, direction and of course leadership. How do you do as a leader who conveys a vision that others can get behind and follow? How are you at giving direction? Do you micromanage or do you allow your followers some independence? How do you do at leading? How do you show your followers the way to success? Over the next several days we are going to examine ways to step up ways to tweak and convey your vision to your followers. We will also look at ways to give direction to your followers while empowering them to reach their goals. We will also look at ways to lead while showing your followers how to be successful. Today we are going to look at the one thing that will tie them all together. It is a legacy, you don't just want to be in a leadership position without making an impact and leaving a legacy. A legacy is something others will remember you by. You want to leave the...

Do you love the outdoors? Do you walk or jog outside regardless of the weather? Do you head to the lake anytime of the year to enjoy what the seasons have to offer? When I worked two summers at a Bible camp I had the opportunity to teach intermediate canoeing. I loved getting out on the water and hearing the waves lap against the side of the canoe. I also enjoy the paddle slicing its way through the water as you move across the placid lake. Yesterday we looked at escaping to the great outdoors and doing some fishing. Lake fishing, ice fishing or deep sea fishing, pick your pleasure and enjoy. Today I encourage you to stay outside but find something else to do. Do you like hiking along the many trails your area has to offer? Maybe you like biking those trails instead. It doesn't matter what time of year it is if your hobby is enjoying the outdoors you will find something to do whether it is 40 below or 100 above. If you enjoy the outdoors but don't like winter it can be ...

Life is not just about leadership. You can't make leadership your life. Leaders need time to relax and renew and the weekends are your opportunity to do so. Over the past several weekends we have looked at enjoying the arts, music, sports, and family time. This weekend we are going to look at hobbies. What hobbies do you like to do? There are a number of things you can do that constitute a hobby. I probably won't be able to cover all of them over the next two days but we will revisit this topic some other weekend. Here is a list of just some of the hobbies you could enjoy each weekend. Find your hobby and embrace it this weekend as a release to all of your leadership duties. Hunting & Fishing Outdoors - Walking, jogging, camping, and backpacking Collecting - Stamps, coins, cards or antiques Gardening Scrap booking Cooking Where I live it is fashionable this time of year to drill a hole in the ice and fish to your hearts content. If this is your hobby (ice fishi...

A leader must grow to be successful. The problem becomes how does the leader grow? It is not always easy trying to evaluate your own shortcomings. The best way to approach growth then is to create an overall growth schedule. Find things that will help you grow in all areas. Find specifc things that will help you grow in each area thus creating a stronger leader. It is like going to a liberal arts college. You were expected to take classes that were not in your major, why? To become a well rounded citizen. Learning and growing outside your comfort zone helps strengthen your growth and will strengthen you as a leader. The past ten days we have looked at things you can do as a leader to streghten and grow as a leader. Here they are again in summary. I suggest you go back and read each of these or ones that may be of interest to you. Communication - Grow in your communication, speaking and listening are essential to good leadership. 2/9 "Growing Up" Mentor - Find s...

Being a leader can be very rewarding especially when you can help others become leaders. Leading can also be a very difficult role and it has many challenges. That is why it is important that leaders continue to grow and find ways to grow. It is through growth that leaders become better. You may find yourself being a leader at more places than just on your job. You may be a leader at home or at church. In all those areas you can find ways to grow your leadership skills. The best way to grow your leadership skills is through your higher calling. Each of us have a higher calling through God and it is your faith in him and your spiritual life that will help you grow exponentially. You need to find out what your higher calling is and become a leader in that area. Your faith is the most important aspect of your leadership role. You cannot be leader on your own you need to lean on the power of God. If you try to go it alone you will burn yourself out and you will end up making some...

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend the morning in a 4th grade classroom teaching the 4th graders about business. I participated in JA (Junior Achievement) in a Day. This is a day many of the people from the company I work at spends the morning in a local elementary teaching kids about business. The teacher really appreciates the program because it is skills and ideas that she is unable to teach because of time constraints. Another way that a leader can grow is to pay it forward, Be a philanthropist in all that you have. Not necessarily money but also your skills and knowledge. Share with the future generations everything you have learned and you can already start to influence the future leaders. If you can donate money to worthy causes then please do so. It is another great way to support the issues you care about. Maybe you have a passion for the United Way, get involved in their donation campaign at your company. If they don't have one then thi...

Thank you for allowing me a respite yesterday as I was much under the weather. Sometimes the leadership game can knock you out for a round or two. It will not knock you out permanently. Especially if you follow quality leadership practices. Growth and leadership go hand and hand. Without growth leaders do have the potential to be permanently knocked out of the game. We have looked at communication through being actively involved in a group like Toastmasters to grow your communication skills as a leader. We looked at mentoring and being mentored as another way to continue to grow as a leader. Today we are going to look at an unusual way to help you as a leader grow. That is to surround yourself with capable and aspiring followers. If the leader can hire quality workers. Then train and encourage those workers to be the best that they can be. Doing this will help produce future leaders and will help you grow as a leader. It will help you grow because it will show others that you can...

It would be nice if we never got sick. However that is not true. I promised myself that I would blog everyday of the year in 2012. As I write this I am under the weather and not too excited about expounding on the virtures of Leadership. Even leaders get sick and have to take a break from their leadership duties. Maybe it is the leadership duties that have allowed them to get sick. Sleeping long hours may be just the cure for the leadership blues. If I am feeling better later today I'll write what I was really going to write about.

From Monday - Friday we all put on our game faces and wear the uniform of a leader. A leader who is guiding others in business. Guiding them to be the best that they can be. A leader who is willing to roll the dice and take risks all for the success the followers.  The name of this game is leadership. It is the weekend and that game is in an intermission it is time to play a game of leisure. Yesterday we looked at taking some time out and playing a family game with your kids. This weekend maybe you can also find time to play a game with your friends or even by yourself. What is the name of the game that helps you relax. Maybe you enjoy the pursuit of trivia, or challenge your mind with Cranium. What is the latest adult board game, maybe that is the one of choice. It is possible you like playing cards, bridge, 500, cribbage what is your card game of choice. You might prefer playing something by yourself. Maybe you like to escape in the world of video games and you have a Call of...

It may often seem that sometimes being a leader and playing that leadership role is like a game. It is a tough game to play and can be very exhausting at times. That is why it is important to spend your weekends relaxing and doing things you enjoy. Then you will be able to jump back into the game with a fresh perspective and win those leadership battles. This weekend take some time out of your busy leadership life and go back to playing those kids games. Set aside one of these evenings to have a family game night. Let your kids pick the games and enjoy some quality time with the family losing yourself in a game or two. What is your favorite game? Are you a Monopoly fan, how about Risk or maybe even Jenga. Whatever your pleasure or in this case your child's pleasure is enjoy playing those games. When you play these games with your kids be sure they assume the leadership roles. Let them be banking, or explain the rules. This will be an opportunity to start to shape the leaders ...

We are spending a few days looking at ways that leaders can continue to grow even when they become leaders. Once you become a leader it is not the time to relax. You must continue to grow and learn that is the way you become a better leader. It is the only way to stay ahead of the game and improve your leadership skills. Once you become a leader you need to make sure you find someone to mentor. You can mentor one of your employees or someone from another department or even a peer. Besides finding someone to mentor you need to continue to be mentored. It is always good to have someone who you can talk with and bounce things off of. What are the benefits of mentoring. Gives you someone you can teach leadership skills that will help them be successful leaders. Allows you an opportunity to learn about a person's passions and vision. Helps you focus on leadership. Leadership isn't about managing people or bossing people around it is about leading others to do great things. ...

There are many people who believe that to be a leader you have to do all of your growing before you become a leader. That is how you become a leader you learn the tools of the trade and then you get the big break and become a leader. There is the saying "grow or die". When it comes to our learning or education it is important to grow and learn every single day. Even if you obtain that leadership role you have always wanted it is not time to sit back and relax. If you don't grow in that role you will die. What we are going to look at over the next several days is ways that a leader can grow. Things you can do as a leader that will help you grow in your role. An organization I am involved with is Toastmasters. I have been for six years and it has helped me grow as a leader. A key part to being a good leader is being a good communicator and listener. Toastmasters can help with all those areas. What are some benefits of Toastmasters: These apply to current and future ...

We are going to change our focus a little bit in the next couple of days. We just finished looking at leadership styles. We didn't look at every leadership style we did look at a handful of them. We will revisit leadership styles again and look at some other types. I would like to focus now on what it takes to stay fresh as a leader. Leadership isn't a destination it is a journey. Once you become a leader you can't sit back and think "okay I'm done". Leadership is something that must be worked at and improved upon every single day. We are going to spend some time looking at ways you can help yourself to grow as a leader. To kick it off I found this great article that you should read. "If You Want To Lead You Have To Grow" Ken Blanchard Article Lead on and continue to grow.

Have you ever taken a hot air balloon ride? I haven't but I hear you can see for miles on clear days and it is a fun and exhilarating experience. I would like to tell you about two leadership styles that I came up with based on the following story. This story is not my own I found it on-line and unfortunately I do not remember where I found it. I took a hot air balloon ride and there I was floating over the landscape and enjoying the scenery when I realized I was lost. Fortunately I saw a man on the ground so I reduced my height so I could speak to him. I got closer to him and I shout "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" The man on the ground replies "You're in a hot air balloon hovering thirty feet above this field." "You must work in Information Technology." I reply back to him. "I do," says the man "How did you know?" "Well," I said back, "everything you told me is technically correct, but it...

We spent the last week looking at various leadership styles. We will continue to do so this week as well. I would like to try to focus on ones that I have come up with and given names to. Exemplary leadership is part of a speech I gave on leadership. It is similar to a servant leader however it isn't all about serving it is about setting examples and then making sure your followers are guided by your examples, integrity and unselfishness. Being an exemplary leader means you forge a path through the storm. You are the front runner setting examples for your followers and through it all maintaining a high level of integrity and honesty. An example of an exemplary leader are those people who were willing to sacrifice it all to help those devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. They went to Haiti and gave of their time and money unselfishly. They lead by example carrying with them the following principles. ·          Exemplary leaders set the...

It is Superbowl time again. For leaders all over the world it is an opportunity to relax and enjoy the biggest game of the season for the NFL. But it isn't just about the game it is also about the experience. In Indianapolis they have what is called the NFL experience for the fans to enjoy some activities. You don't have to be in Indianapolis to enjoy the NFL experience. Create the atmosphere wherever you enjoy the game. Today take some time out of your busy leadership week to enjoy the Patriots and Giants in SuperBowl XLVI. If you can't go to the big game then create the atmosphere at your home. Here are some suggestions to give yourself the the ultimate at home SuperBowl experience. Big screen high definition television - You have to make sure it looks like you are there. Decorations - Decorate your house in the colors of your favorite team. Food and Beverages - Make sure you have ample supply of your favorite snacks and beverages. If you are making a meal mak...

It is the weekend again and as usual it is time for all the leaders to take a break from the rat race of leadership and find something relaxing to do. Regardless of the type of genre you like everyone must admit that taking in a good movie is always a great way to escape. What is your pleasure when it comes to movies? Do you like the old black and white classics. Are you a music man or woman and you love a good musical. Maybe you like the an action packed film, a comedy or a drama. Possibly a chick flick meets your needs. For me I like the old Hitchcock movies but I also like all the super hero movies that they have been making. Now that you have found your movie of choice where are you going to watch it. Some people love to hit the theatres for the current releases and see the movie on the big screen. Other people have designed movie rooms in their homes and getting a DVD or blue ray and watching it at home is a wonderful alternative to the big screen. Now that you have the movi...

Today we will look briefly at People-oriented leadership. We have looked at a number of leadership styles already this week and will continue to do so next week. There are billions of people in the world and each one is confronted with a leadership role sometime in their life. Many will not have that role in their careers but may be confronted with leading in the community, church or activity. Whatever the position is those people need practical information that will help them discover the right leadership style for their role. People-oriented Leaders are focused on developing their team and the members of their team. they take an active role in making sure their members are successful in their jobs. This type of leadership style really helps with the building of the team and the growth of those within the team. It is a good style to use if you want to bond a team together on your quest toward a goal. If this style is used exclusively you may run into problems with the team being a...

Autocratic Leadership is a style that is not conducive for most situations. The autocratic leader is someone who really controls the workers. It is almost like a dictatorship in which the leader tells the workers what they have to do and it better be done. If you are in an office setting this style of leadership may lead to worker despair and high turnover on the job. Majority of people do not want to be controlled by an autocratic leader. The workers end up looking for something else because they cannot work under those oppressive situations. This style also will not allow the workers to have a say in their jobs. The motto "It's my way or the highway" is adopted by the leader. Following them and respecting them becomes a difficult task. However, not all is bad in certain situations where routine is king and unskilled labor is present it may be necessary to implement this style of leadership. This style can be used but in small doses and under very controlled circum...

I believe that being a servant leader is the ultimate leadership style there isn't one particular leadership style that should be used all the time. Depending on the situation you might find it necessary to employ different leadership styles. There are many different kinds of leadership styles and I won't examine each one. Today's selection is Transformational Leadership. A transformational leader is someone who can transform a company, team or project. they can inspire others to do great things. If you are a transformational leader and you are able to inspire your followers they will work at a higher level. A transformational leader is someone who is able to get their vision and mission communicated to the team and inspire them to follow. The transformational leader tends to have some charismatic elements to their leadership style. It is that charisma that helps them become the engaging leader that motivates the team. Many politicians can be categorized as transforma...