How Are You Leading Yourself?

Part of being a great leader is constantly looking in the mirror and seeking self-improvement, both personally and professionally.  As we approach the end of the year and quickly move into the New Year it’s a perfect opportunity to look at our lives and see where we are congruent and where we could improve our congruency.

What is congruency?

Congruency is when your thoughts, words, and actions are in total alignment.

To become more congruent you must set intentions that are realistic, show gratitude, and set action steps that are specific, measureable, and have a timeline.  It’s best to set intentions for 90 day time periods. For Example, if you want to lose 20 pounds within 90 days being congruent may look like this:

1)      Set an intention  (I AM 125 pounds)

2)      Show gratitude (I AM so grateful that I am healthy, my body is nourished, and I’m able to walk and conduct physical activity)

3)      Action Steps – Remember, action steps have to be specific, measurable, and have a timeline and at first will be uncomfortable. (I commit to working out at 6:00 am 5 days a week for at least 20 minutes)

You MUST write it down and DO IT! Basically, walk to walk you talk.  We all know this is the most important action leaders can take.

Life happens and sometimes we lose sight of ourselves and what’s important to us.  I challenge each and every one of you to pick ONE THING that’s important to you and determine whether you are making it a priority and staying congruent.

Some of my favorite people and websites I continue to use are:

At www.Shiftand WakeUp.com Mir Lynne Pietrzyk provides so much valuable information about personal and professional self improvement and keeping yourself accountable!  Check it out…

One of my favorite books ever is Slow Down, The Fastest Way to Get Everything You Want, by David Essel.  It helps me Slow Down and remember what’s important to me and helps in my own congruency so that I’m better able to embrace all that my life has to offer, regardless of the circumstances or how busy I am! You can find this book at www.DavidEssel.com

Remember to lead yourself first so you can better lead others!

Until next time,

Michelle A. Jones, MBA

Executive Vice President

Adventure Training Concepts

Phone: 239.285.9142 /Fax: 239.220.5138

www.AdventureTrainingConcepts.com

http://demo.everythingdisc.com/

Top 10 Leadership Mistakes to Avoid

Leadership is the fundamental element in every endeavor. It comes with responsibility and you have to own it in good and bad situations. Here are the top 10 mistakes that leaders make: 

1.   Failure to Take Charge on Day 1. When you are assigned to a leadership position, whether it’s a promotion or from outside the organization, you must take charge. Hold a meeting with your direct reports and introduce yourself. Describe your leadership style. Explain how your monthly performance-counseling program will work. In addition, talk about a mentorship program.

2.      Failure to Conduct Productive Meetings. Most people walk away from meetings wondering why they were there and why there was a meeting in the first place. You should prepare for a meeting by notifying attendees in advance. Be sure to announce the purpose of the meeting and let each attendee know what they are responsible for discussing. As a rule of thumb, meetings should never exceed one hour.

3.      Failure to Realize Perception. Leaders have a tendency to believe they are perceived as “great” and everything is well within the team. It may not be. Awareness of how your team perceives you as a leader is the key to becoming a real “great” leader. Perceptions can be changed given the right tools and the right attitude.

4.      Failure to Realize Strengths and Weaknesses Within a Team. Knowing the true strengths and weaknesses within a team allows a leader to place people in the right role. Knowing the intensity levels of the personality traits of each individual is a good first step.

5.      Failure to Mentor. A great leader is never content with the level he or she is at. We want to move forward. Professional development is instrumental in developing your direct reports. A good leader includes development in monthly counseling. This is your opportunity to prepare them to take your place as you move to a higher level of leadership.

6.      Failure to “Lead from the front,” Leading from the front is essential to every leader. It means setting the example, doing the right things, and taking responsibility for your actions. Leading from the front earns respect, not only from direct reports, but from those you report to as well.

7.      Failure to Hold Accountability. Great leaders hold accountability. The pitfall is that leaders tend to hold their direct reports accountable, but then it stops there. Hold yourself accountable, hold your peers accountable, and make sure your peers hold you accountable.

8.      Failure to Act in Fairness. Here is a difficult one. All of your team members may have a different idea of what fair is in every situation. When you have to make a call (and you will), on a situation take time to understand what happened. Get perspectives from your team members about the situation. Don’t act out of anger. Take your time. The most important thing to remember is that the final decision is yours. Do what is best for your organization first and what is best for your team second. Every team in your organization has the same vision and mission.

9.      Failure to Make Good and Timely Decisions. The decision making process is one of the most important attributes of a leader. Their decisions have to be good and timely. Decisions are the measuring stick of a leader. You must know how to reach a decision before you make one. Start with a quick analysis. Involve your direct reports and peers. Let them have ownership in it. Next, create three courses of action and choose the best one.

10.    Failure to Be Dependable. Great leaders are always on time, but that is just a start. Great leaders are always the first ones there and the last ones to leave. When ATC conducts a Team Training event, there is a lot of work to do before and after. I make it a point of being the first one at the site. After the event, when everything is recovered and put away, I watch every trainer depart, and then I check the perimeter. Leadership at the top can be lonely, but those moments alone are priceless. Before I depart, I whisper to myself “all clear”.

Written by Brian Jones, CEO, Adventure Training Concepts

 Brian Jones is a decorated war veteran who served in the most elite forces of the U.S. Army for over 20 years.  He has led and trained thousands of teams and leaders around the World.  He is the founder of the ATC Leadership Development Program and continues to help executive level leaders reach their full potential every day.  To learn more about Brian read his full bio at http://www.adventuretrainingconcepts.com/