Right Wisdom

The weekend is here again and it is time to work on your leisureship. It is time to relax and get away from the stress and responsibility of leadership and do something you enjoy. Maybe that something is photography. Perhaps you are an amateur photographer and love getting outside and taking pictures. When I was in high school one of my favorite classes was photography. We not only took picture but learned how to develop them in a darkroom. Back then it was old school with the cameras. I owned a SLR with a removable lens so you could attach a larger lens to it. It also had a removable flash and a manual light meter and focus. It was difficult to take those quick spontaneous pictures but it was a lot of fun. I still own that camera but in this day and age of digital photography it is quicker and easier to use a small digital camera. I would like to own a digital SLR some day with all the bells and whistles. If you are like me and enjoy taking pictures spend some time this w...

Appearance can be an important part of leadership. Appearance is also an important part of being a superhero. Most superheroes have a costume of some sort that hides their identity. As the superhero goes around the city fighting crime and saving lives they want to do it anonymously so they wear a suit of some sort. Tony Stark as Iron Man had a great suit to wear when he was Iron Man but he didn't just wear the suit to hide his identity he also wore the suit because it saved his life. He found that not only did it save his life but it gave him the power he needed to fight evil. In the 21st century leaders don't always wear suits. It used to be that leaders of companies could be seen wearing a suit everyday to work. Now days it is business casual unless there is an important meeting. The way a leader dresses is very important to the well being of the leader. It could essentially save their life but it also is about perception. Just like Tony Stark who became a different p...

Today I am going to continue with my superhero theme. Two days ago I talked about responsibility and used Spiderman as my example. Yesterday I discussed weaknesses and my superhero focus was on kryptonite, Superman's weakness. Not every superhero has super powers that help them be successful. Some have to depend upon gadgets and helpers to fight crime. Batman was just such a superhero. He had a cool black bat suit, a special bat signal, a bat phone, a bat belt that was like a Swiss army knife on your waist. He also had a sidekick named Robin and one of the coolest cars in superhero history, the batmobile. He used all of these things to his advantage to make sure he was able to protect the citizens and fight crime. How does this relate to leadership? Leaders have gadgets that they can use to help them be successful leaders. Today I would like to discuss some of those gadgets that you can use as a leader. You might not really think of the following as gadgets, they are more...

Let's stay with the superhero theme and talk about weaknesses that leaders might have. All leaders have strengths and weaknesses and while strengths will help you be successful weaknesses can be used to help improve your leadership. In one of the greatest good versus evil contests in superhero stories we find Superman pitted against his arch enemy Lex Luthor. We know in every battle Superman eventually wins but it doesn't come easy. In fact, Lex Luthor knows Superman's weakness, kryptonite, and he makes every effort to get some kryptonite to render Superman's powers useless. Do you know your weaknesses as a leader? Maybe it is communication, organization, empowerment or many other traits that just isn't one of your strengths.  Other people may know your weakness and use it against you in your role as a leader. Be sure you know your weakness so you can do something about it. Superman knew his weakness and would avoid it at all costs. Sometimes leaders don...

"With Great Power, comes great responsibility" As a leader sometimes you are asked to be a champion for the cause. Be the champion for the policies and decisions of the corporation. Unfortunately whether you like it or not leaders are expected to share with their employees the expectations of the company. It is your responsibility to be the leader you want to be and also abide by those same policies. Be a champion by living by the policies of the company. Don't shirk your responsibility or think you are above the law and don't have to abide by those policies. It is every one's responsibility to abide by the company policies. As a leader you have greater responsibility because it is up to you to hold the feet to the fire of those who report to you. If they aren't abiding by policy then please call them on it and educate them on what is right. If you don't do these things you will just be giving leadership a bad name. Leaders need to lead, be champio...

Once you become a leader opportunities will present themselves to you. Opportunities to share your expertise in your area of knowledge. Opportunities to make sure your company is shown in a positive light. Opportunities to be a leader among your peers. Have you ever been asked to speak at a conference or a workshop? If you have were you prepared? Did your company allow you to speak? Is speaking a passion of yours or do you feel like a fish out of water when you are in front of a group? I often hear people who are offered speaking engagements yet they are horrible speakers. They use too many filler words and their voice is boring. They are offered those roles because of the position they hold, that doesn't mean they are good speakers. Leaders need to recognize their strengths and tap into them. If speaking isn't one seek help before accepting a speaking engagement. Here is a list of things you should do before you accept any speaking engagement. Make sure you have exper...

Are you a leader from Monday - Friday but a starving artist on the weekend?  Painting, drawing or sculpting is a great way that you can relax on the weekend and forget about the leadership duties you have during the week. I grew up in a family of artists. My dad loved to draw and my two sisters are very good artists. My oldest sister even attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Unfortunately I didn't receive that artistic gene. I do however enjoy art and appreciate those who can paint, draw or create. One of my daughters is a very good artist. I remember my dad always enjoying drawing because it relaxed him and allowed him to express himself with his pastels or ink. If you are a leader and enjoy creating art you can spend your weekends expressing yourself and drawing things you love. On these beautiful days you can also sit outside and draw in your own yard. One summer my dad held neighborhood art class and had people in the neighborhood sitting in our yard c...

Are you a writer? If so maybe you could spend some time journaling this weekend. If you enjoy doing it it is a great way to relax. There are people who journal every day and write about things they love. In this day and age of technology writing with a pen and paper is old school. Instead people are tweeting about what they are doing and many people use a blog to convey their message. The nice thing about journaling now days is that you can share what you love with others. It doesn't have to be sealed away in a book and hiding in your secret hiding place. You can write it on a blog and share your favorite things with others. If you have hobbies or some passion you can write about that on a daily basis. It is a great way to escape the leadership grind and share the things you love with everyone who reads your blog/journal. This year I said to myself I was going to blog everyday about something I love. I have a passion for leadership so I share information and knowledge about lea...

Do you remember the 80's band The Culture Club? Today's blog has nothing to do with that band. But just like a band has to work together to make the music necessary to be successful a company has to provide a culture that is consistent to create a successful atmosphere. That is where the leader comes in. Leaders within the company need to convey and communicate the culture to the people around them so everyone can understand if they are a good fit for the company or not. Cultures may not be the same in each and every company but I believe there are some aspects of a culture that are in every company. Just like every band may play different style and type of music there are some parts of bands that are consistent across the music industry. Almost every band has a guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. What are the aspects of a business culture that is consistent throughout the business community? Honesty/Integrity - Most companies want to conduct business honestly and with integ...

Another important aspect about being a leader is making sure you institute an open door policy with your people. They should feel comfortable being able to come and talk with you. It is part of the leadership language. You need to convey a sense of concern and empathy to your people so they feel comfortable speaking with you. Make sure if you do have an open door and you receive those visits that you listen intently and you stop what you are doing and spend some time really understanding the concerns of the person. It is possible there is a conflict and you need to act as the mediator to resolve the issues. Remember leadership isn't about you it is about everyone else. You are leading them and you want to show them that you have the leadership qualities that will help them be successful. The open door policy also encourages collaboration and allows everyone to speak freely. It fosters a sense of idea sharing and creates an atmosphere of success. If you close the door and tr...

Many sports require a proper follow through to make sure the job is accurate and complete. In golf and baseball without a good follow through the ball will probably not go very far. When you throw you need to complete your follow through to make sure your throw is accurate. Every day leaders expect follow through from their people but the leader doesn't always follow through. That is a poor example of leadership. Leaders need to make sure that if they expect something from their people that they also should be following their own rules. Far too often leaders will say they need an item done by tomorrow. Then when the item is finished and given to the leader for review it isn't returned for weeks. If a leader has a sense of urgency of their people they must display that same sense of urgency. Part of the leadership language is leading by example and doing what you say you are going to do. Use the following guideline when determining what you will present to your peopl...

Do you love meetings? It seems a day doesn't go by without a meeting on the schedule. As you climb the leadership ladder you find yourself immersed into more and more meetings. Meetings for this project, meetings for that projects, even meetings to discuss the meetings. It can get tiring attending meetings. Sometimes they are also not necessary. Today as part of the leadership language series I would like to look at meetings. Meetings are part of the leadership language. It is a way for the minds to come together and share ideas and brainstorm. Knowledge exchange is good and helps in driving the success of the ideas. Meetings are also held unnecessarily. Some people schedule a meeting when a simple phone call or email would suffice. Here are some guidelines on determining whether a meeting is necessary or not. Does your idea or project require brainstorming or knowledge exchange? (You should have a meeting) Do you need to present an idea or results of a project. (You should...

Have you ever played one on one basketball? When you do you have to know the skills of the person you are playing or you will definitely lose the game. You need to understand their moves and their go to shot. A leader needs to understand the people who work for them. They need to understand their skills, moves and what their go to project is. Understanding your people doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and effort. It probably takes some one on one time. If you are new to your leadership role you need to spend some time learning your people's jobs and duties. I used to be the director of a learning center and before I even started on the job I met individually with the people who would be working with me and discussed their passions, desires and duties. It helped me going in to have a good knowledge of those I would be leading. Leaders should have one on ones with their people and they should use that time to communicate their vision. They should also use it to listen t...

Spent the day today with the family at the Mall of America. I really like that place. Great place to walk and get some exercise as well as shop, eat and play. Going to a mall is a great way to relax with the family and get away from all of your leadership responsibilities. Every weekend leaders should spend their time relaxing and enjoying life. Maybe you enjoy leadership and that is great but having a change of pace is important. That is where I come in with my weekend blogs. I like to give you ways you can relax and escape from your leadership role. The Mall of America is a great place to do that. Any mall is a great place to do that. Maybe you have had some great successes at work recently and want to reward yourself. Go shopping and find just the right gift for yourself. If you aren't a shopper a place like the Mall of America offers theaters, restaurants, an indoor amusement park and an aquarium. You can find something for everyone at a place like the MOA. However this is ...

Leaders need a break every now and then and March is a good time for that break. It is March Madness time and whether you are a basketball fan or not you must admit it is exciting to watch those college basketball games. This weekend escape from your busy week of leadership and enjoy some basketball. Everyone loves the cinderella story and millions of people fill o8ut brackets to see how well they can predict the champion. Leaders need that break and enjoying good competiton and watching quality basketball is always a great way to relax. This tournament is already living up to the excitement. Day two has seen two number twos go down against two 15s. Lehigh took down the might Duke and Norfolk slew the Mizzou Tigers. Just like we see the leaders of college basketball take it on the chin when the big game comes. Leaders in business can also take it on the chin. You need to have a good gameplan to prevent losing your cool during those big game leadership decisions. Part of your game...

In this day and age of communication e-mail has exploded as a way to send messages and ask questions. Sometimes I think that there is an email overload. Too much email and too much time spent answering e-mails. As a leader how do you handle the email overload? Email is part of the leadership language. It is a way that leaders communicate on a daily basis with those that work for them and those they work for. It is a challenge to be able to manage all of the emails that come into your box. You need to start to get selective with how to manage the emails or you will spend all your time answering and no time being a leader. Here is a list of ways you can manage your emails. · Create folders to move emails and organize them. · Create forwarding messages to automatically move them to folders. · Flag important messages. · Only answer e-mails twice a day. · Delete unnecessary emails (The kind where someone responds back with a thank you) Once you have done these thi...

Have you ever heard a leader say the words "We've tried that, it doesn't work". Are these the words of a true leader. I don't think so. I have heard that phase used a lot by people in influential positions. I have never understood why they would utter such defeat. A leader needs to utter encouragement and use gentle guidance. Today we are looking at leadership language and how words can shape your leadership role and shape the future leaders. Uttering negative comments will defeat those around you and they won't want to offer up suggestions in the future. Your leadership and the group you lead will plateau and become stagnant. A leader needs to offer up hope and even if an idea was tried before and didn't work that doesn't mean you don't have the players in place now to make it work. What if in baseball the manager called for a suicide squeeze (That is when a runner on third takes off during the pitch and the batter bunts the ball to hopefully ...

How is your leadership language? Do you talk the talk but not walk the walk? There are many people out there who talk a good game but when it comes to producing results they fall flat. Leadership is no different. There are many leaders out there who do a good job pretending to be leaders but they have nothing to show for all of their talk. It is not about how good you look in that leadership role it is all about whether you can get the job done or not. This holds true for political leaders, business leaders, family leaders and church leaders. It doesn't matter what your leadership role is you need to get the job done. There are many leaders out there you have made a great living leading groups of people down an imaginary primrose path. The whole time they collect the big bucks but the others do all the work and the leader has had no vision except to line their coffer with the sweat of those they lead. Don't just talk, be a leader of action. Do what you say you are going t...

You might be wondering what I mean by the title, leader ledger. Are you a list maker? Do you write important things down so you don't forget? Do you keep a to do list for yourself and schedule all of your meetings? If you do you will like the leader ledger. A leader ledger is a list but not a to do list. It is a list that contains three things. The first thing a leader ledger contains are your successes, the second thing it contains are ideas and the third thing it should contain is an action plan. Here is how it should break down for you. Every time you have a success in your leader life mark that in the first column on your leader ledger. For example: I am involved in Toastmasters and this year I have served as the Area 21 Governor. I would write that success down for myself. Any time you come across an idea or a goal you want to achieve then write that down in the second column of your leader ledger. For Example: If I want to hold another office in Toastmaste...

Innovation is the final aspect of the heart of a leader. We are reviewing the five aspects of the heart of a leader as defined by Ron Edmondson. I really thought the five aspects he defined were definitely true to having the heart of a leader. Today we are on the last aspect and that is innovation. Five Aspects of the Heart of a Leader Are you an innovative leader? Do you find ways to do things that others hadn't thought of. Are you an outside the box thinker looking for ways to make your leadership better. Innovation is key to great leadership because it shows you have vision to see things others don't. To be innovative though you can't just have the vision you have to be able to implement your innovation. You need to make sure you have a plan in place to make sure your innovation is completed and finalized. What have you been innovative with? Have you come up with a new idea, process or product? Apple seems to be the innovative kings when it comes to technology,...

Today in the Twin Cities it was 66 degrees today. That was a record high for this area on this day.  I am going to make this blog post my Saturday and Sunday post. With the weather so nice all of you leaders need to take some time to go and spend it outside. Take a walk, go for a drive whatever you do get out there and enjoy the weather. Now if you live somewhere where the weather isn't cooperating then wait a day or two. Spring is a time when weather changes frequently and we have to grab a hold of those beautiful days when we can. Enjoying the outside on these early spring days can be a great relieve from the stressful week of leadership. Today I was outside cleaning my driveway of the lake that forms from the melting snow. While I was out my son had to come out and he immediately started hitting the baseball of the tee. For a four year old he can hit it pretty hard. Another great way to escape the stress of leadership on the weekend is to start to think abou...

We have been spending the week looking at Ron Edmondson's "Aspects of the Heart of a Leader". The fourth of five aspects is Intentionality . People can be intentional in a positive way and intentional in a negative way. Leaders need to be intentional in their pursuit of their dream. Do you have a dream you are pursuing, a leadership dream? Be intentional in seeking God for clarity and focus for your dream. Pray frequently about that dream and if it is God's will for your life. Be intentional with the things you do to reach your dream. I have a dream to be a trainer in the area of leadership. I have been intentional in the things that I have done in pursuit of that dream. I joined Toastmasters to become a better speaker and leader. I earned my MBA in leadership and I started this blog. All part of my dream to be a full time trainer. Leaders need to be intentional with the plan for success. What will make you successful? You need to be intentional in the thing...

On my blog this week we are unpacking a great article on the 5 aspects of the heart of a leader. It is a blog written by Ron Edmondson. Here is a link to the original blog please check it out. 5 Aspects of the Heart of a Leader We are looking at each aspect a little closer. Mr. Edmondson uses the story of Joseph from the old testament to show each aspect. I am expanding on those aspects and challenging you to look at your own heart to see if you do have the heart of a leader. Today's aspect is Investment. This investment isn't an investment of money but instead is an investment of time and and investment in people. In Edmondson's blog he shows examples of how often Joseph helped people. Investment in others will make you a better person. By investing in those around you it empowers them to be successful. Who are you investing in? Setting up a mentor/mentee relationship and sharing your wisdom and knowledge with future leaders will strengthen you as a leader. Inves...

We have been looking at Ron Edmondson's five aspects of the heart of a leader. Yesterday we looked at imagination. Today our word is integrity. Ron Edmondson is using the story of Joseph from the old testament to show how Joseph had the heart of a leader. On my blog this week I am looking at each aspect and doing a deeper dive on each one. I really think what Ron Edmondson has presented is so true. If you want to be a true leader you need to have a heart for it these aspects truly define a leader a leader who has a heart for God and a heart for leadership. 5 Aspects of the Heart of a Leader Integrity is defined as "a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values". Integrity is about values it is about adhereing to those values. Be careful however because values can be good or bad. I think most of us think about values as positive and that is what we are thinking about here. Adhereing to a code of ethics that are honest and trustworthy. A leade...

The link I sent yesterday to Ron Edmondson's blog about the 5 aspects of the heart of a leader had five great aspects. We will spent the next five days unpacking each of those aspects to see how you can change your heart or if you have the heart to be a leader. 5 Aspects of the Heart of a Leader Leadership isn't for the weak of heart. It is for those who have a heart for people and leading others to success. Today's aspect is Imagination.   It is the imagination to dream big and to fulfill those dreams. It is the imagination to think outside the box. The imagination to dream of ways to do things differently, use your imagination to accomplish great things. Mr. Edmondson used the story of Joseph who was a dreamer to illustrate all of the aspects. As Mr. Edmondson said Joseph saw the big picture and he also dreamed big. Let's take it a step further. Imagination is about dreaming and dreaming big but it is also about having a vision and creating a mission to mee...

The weekend is over, and it is time to get back to your role as a leader. This week we are going to look at the heart of a leader. There is this great article that I would like to share that highlights the 5 aspects of the heart of a leader. 5 aspects of the heart of a leader For the rest of the week we will unpack the five aspects of the heart of a leader.

Are you a collector? As a hobby do you love collecting things? There are many different things you can collect, it really becomes a personal preference. Collecting is also a great way to relax and escape from the busy life of a leader. It can be therapeutic to pull out your collection and look at what you have gained. There is also a joy and a pleasure in spending the weekend looking for that elusive piece to your collection. It might be that you enjoying reading about your collection. Looking up those pieces that are very rare, those pieces that you only hope could be part of your collection, the famous Honus Wagner card, or the double eagle $6 gold piece. Whatever it is that you collect or desire in your collection try to spend some time this weekend looking at your collection and enjoying it. I collect baseball cards even after all these years. I enjoy seeing who I get when I purchase a pack of cards. Since I am from Minnesota I always hope for the T...

It is the weekend again. Time to focus on the leisure side of leadership. It is time to look at things you like to do that might get you away from your role as a leader. Leadership can be a mind numbing role. It taxes your brain all week while you organize projects, create vision, lead people and serve others. When the weekend comes it might be beneficial to do things that are totally opposite from the mind work you do all week. Are you the type of person who loves to come home and spend the weekend tinkering with machines, building things with your hands, or renovating your house. If you are you are not alone there are many people who find relaxation and relieve in doing some type of physical work with their hands. they love to burn that physical energy after spending all week in the mental exertion of leadership. I listed a few things above that people like to do on the weekends. Personally I enjoy working with my hands on the weekend. I like cleaning and fixing things arou...

Over the past two weeks we have looked at some ways you can leave a leadership legacy. Today I would like to summarize the six things you can do to help you leave a positive leadership legacy. Vision - You must have a vision for your company, yourself and others. You need to convey the vision to others. Pray - Pray for yourself to be a strong leader and pray for those around you to find success and be great workers. Directions - Give good directions to your employees so they will find success in their jobs and they will fell confident doing a good job. Praise - Give praise to God for the gift of leadership. Praise those workers when they do a good job. In both cases make sure the praise is sincere. Show your leadership - Do this by growing future leaders. Make sure when you leave your leadership post that you leave it in good hands. Progress - Make progress everyday by strengthening your faith and growing with God. Also make progress by growing as a leader and encouraging you...

I have stated many times that being a leader isn't a sit back and relax role. It is one you must continue to work at and grow if you want to be successful. If you want to leave a leadership legacy then you must also continue to progress spiritually. Your faith is important to your success and the success of those around you. Today it is your spiritual progress that we will look at. How are you progressing spiritually? There are a number of things you can do that will help you grow spiritually. Read God's Word - You should do this everyday Spend time at church learning - You should at least go once a week Serve - Serve in your church or at other charities. Volunteer your time and you will reap great reward. How does this help you leave a leadership legacy? When you progress spiritually you are more fulfilled and when you are fulfilled you do a better job. Make sure you are progressing in your spiritual life. Then if you want competent employees follow this verse with...