DO YOU LOVE LIFE AND SHOW PASSION?
I choked up and just plain cried out at work when I learned that a quiet, world-class leader and hero, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, was stabbed in the heart in a freakish seaman-meets-stingray accident. Mr. Irwin loved life and showed passion for all of God’s creatures. Brimming with energy on the public airwaves, he was nevertheless a leader of the highest caliber—the type of leader I admire…quiet, confident and true, and always working behind the scenes for causes bigger than himself. I bet he’s a man loved much by his beloved wife and two small kids.
NOISY LEADERS GO BOOM
Noisy leaders, in contrast, are just that—noisy, bombastic excessively confident, enthralled in anger attacks, at odds with loved ones and prone to booming out, bellowing, name calling, character smears, posturing and threatening. A quiet leader is a role model, a man or woman who demonstrates what courage and passion, faith and hope, love vs. hate and conquering fear are all about. Perhaps YOU are a quiet leader in your neck of the world, too, and like Mr. Steve Irwin you may need to realize that you TOO are a quiet leader who is quietly admired. Are you the leader of your own life…a life you love?
10 GREAT TIPS TO TIP THE SCALE TO GREAT LEADERSHIP
What are some great tips to tip the scale to great leadership? Make no mistake about it – you are the leader of your own life. BUT how do positive talkers flex their leadership muscles in the workplace and home space? Do you use these quietly self-confident “qualities” that sculpt yourself into a good manager?
1. BETTER YOURSELF WITHOUT BEATING YOURSELF UP. Seek to better your best performance without being a perfectionist—one who doesn’t beat yourself up or down into the ground.
2. ‘CAN TOO’ TALK. Pick up a few little ways each day to show you can change “can’t talk” into a “can-too talk” attitude!
3. FIXATE ON THE SMALL FIX. The fix that nets the biggest results often is the small fix. A hotel card key that opens a locked door is an example.
4. MAKE THE POINT. Say what you mean…mean what you say…and do what you say you mean to in order to mean something to your followers.
5. TELL THE TRUTH. Telling a white lie is still telling a lie…just of a different color.
6. STOP OPTIMIZING. Confidently holding court but rationalizing the poor results you’ve been getting is wasteful.
7. ADOPT-A-STRENGTH. Pick out the strength of a hero leader you admire; adopt it and demonstrate that very strength in your life to accelerate the positive change you seek.
8. LISTEN AND LEARN. Listen to good audio books when traveling on the road in your car classroom – or use the tips your kids and co-workers toss out so casually to you.
9. STOP SPINNING LIKE A TOP. You have all the time in the world to get good things done, so why be a spinning top? “Slow down you move too fast, you’ve got to make the morning last!” can be your hit song.
10. GROW ON. Grow as a professional…grow as a person…grow as a partner…grow as a parent and grandparent…grow spiritually.
DE-FEAT COMES FROM NOT USING DE-HEAD OF COMMON SENSE
Hey, you can’t buy love or ethics or respect. Sure, you can get results and wield tremendous power and influence…and people will work for you but not go the extra mile with you. But who cares? The golden rule of unethical (but sometimes effective) leadership styles is, “We’ve got to get the job done at ANY cost.” The power hungry golden rule reads: “He or she who has the gold has the power to set the rules!”
LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF, SO OTHERS CAN
Caring and compassionate souls believe that love is all that lasts, SO the true golden rule is a guide to, “Learn to love yourself, SO others can.”
You don’t have to improve yourself daily…freely and willingly in a fun spirit. You don’t have to have the facility to look back at you through the eyes of a beholder…to walk in the moccasins of someone who feels intimidated by you. You don’t have to do anything. You can just always do it YOUR WAY and fail at the task of role modeling what makes a good leader into a great one. What’s a good leader? Being someone who demonstrates the virtues that others wish to emulate. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, did just that, and we should all try to emulate his vision, leadership and the fun he brought to everyone’s life.
Dennis O’Grady, founder of New Insights Communications, is at that strange phase in life where he likes to think he’s a great and effective leader, the co-head of the O’Grady house, but with three teen-age and pre-teen girls co-inhabiting his life, his leadership abilities are constantly called into question by inquiring and typical adolescent minds. He knows they’ll realize in a few years just how great a leader he really is (and was all along…they just have to grow up to realize it!). He’s also author of the recently published TALK TO ME: Communication Moves to Get Along With Anyone.
Previous New Insights Communication Polls have included “What Makes A Good Leader Great?” “Does Your Attitude Work To Make You A Better Leader?” “What’s Up With Your Confidence Level?”… “When You Argue, Are You Always Right?” … “Are You Shy or Stuck Up?”… “How Do You Handle Anger?”…“Are Men or Women Better Communicators?” “How Easily Are You Frustrated?” Read more about these challenging, growth producing topics, and other topics of personal and relationship interest here four minutes every day of the week to make change happen fast and last.
Dr. Dennis O’Grady provides executive coaching and professional development training in Ohio and surrounding states. Dennis is the author of “Talk to Me: Communication Moves to Get Along with Anyone” which is a leadership training and positive relationship workbook.