done, which was to not waste my time and energy on coaching her to be better because I felt it may not be worth the time and energy, and that it would be just too difficult to do. This experience taught me that everyone is worth taking the time needed for improvement and advancement.
Stay in the Game
I live by the advice I give to many: “Be easy to coach or people will stop trying.” Willingness to learn and change takes discipline, modesty, and, most of all, hard work. Think about it. It is much easier to continue doing things the same way you are doing them today than to have to take time to learn a new system. However, the gain from doing things the easy way is short-term.
What if everyone remained short-sided in their efforts? What if doctors and the medical community stopped being willing to learn and advance medicine? Would we still treat an infected wound by cutting off the patient’s limb? No, of course not! We expect doctors and scientist to find new cures and treatments.
So, with that in mind, what is to be said about the leader who has been leading people the same way for the past 20 years? Are they doing a good job by today’s standards?
Over the past decade alone, we have learned a lot about leadership and leadership skills. I encourage you to look back over what you have learned and what you have implemented to make you a better coach and leader. I challenge you to take some ideas and programs from this book, and implement them to improve your leadership today.
Being a Leader: 20% - Ability to Act
Take calculated risks. What is a calculated risk? Based on the information you have (that means you have to work to get as much information as you can), make an informative decision and then go from there. Numerous books have been written about executing a plan and getting the job done. Even Elvis had a slogan which he lived by: TCB with a lighting bolt – meaning: Take Care of Business in a Flash.
As a leader, one of my rules for my team was to call a peer some where in the country every week and share best practices. In every new team I would lead, when I first started asking my managers to do this, they often acted concerned and defensive. Some of them thought I must not believe what they were doing was working. So, I would have to explain to them that I wanted them to share best practices with their peers because they can learn from each other.
Once, a manager announced to me that he did not think we should share our best practices. He explained that, if my goal was for them to be number one, by sharing what they were doing, everyone would do the same things therefore preventing anyone from being number one. My response to him was this, “The difference that will make us number one is our discipline and ability to take action on the best practices.”
There is a saying: “Knowledge is power.” Well, I for one disagree. If that was the truth, then librarians would be the most powerful people. They have access to tons of knowledge contained within the pages of books (of course, this is not to say there are no powerful librarians in the world). However, knowledge is only power when you have the discipline and the motivation to do something with it. You must be willing to take action.
Being a Leader: 20% - Confidence
A leader must be confident. If a leader is confident, the followers will presume they are competent. There will always be times when a leader is not exactly sure of what to do. Whatever happens, the team should not feel this. Let them know when times are tough. Let them know you are reviewing options, but do not let them feel it. Always be confident in yourself, your team and your decisions.
If you got on a plane traveling from Los Angeles, California to Dallas, Texas, and, as you were walking onto the plane, you asked the pilot, “What do you think about our flight today?” And he responded, “Well, I think we will make it. I mean we have done it before.” Do you think you would feel confident about his ability to get you to Dallas? I would say probably not. Perhaps you might feel compelled to run back up the runway and find another flight!
Flying Leap
Here is a true story about flying and confidence. In January of 2007, my wife and I were flying back to Dallas, Texas from a speaking engagement in Las Vegas, Nevada. We absolutely had to get to Dallas this same night because we had another speaking engagement at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. The weather in Dallas was terrible with severe ice storms and snow (it should be noted that winters are not normally too severe in Dallas; so, this was unexpected). All previous flights had been canceled and this flight was the last and only one out.
Before I go on, let me also tell you that, although my wife flies all over the country, she is terrified of flying. I mean terrified. She even takes a prescription medication in order to relax her enough to fly.
So, as the story goes, we begin to board the flight. Honestly, we really thought even this flight was going to be cancelled, but were grateful it was not. As soon as we reach our seats, the flight attendant gets on the intercom system and starts with this truly motivational speech:
“Welcome to ABC airline. As you know, we may be the first flight to land in Dallas today (please note the key word being ‘may’). Now folks, we cannot control mother-nature. So, please understand. And hopefully, we will arrive safely in Dallas.”
What was she trying to say? Not only did her words sound terrible, but her tone, loaded with 100% doubt, assured us that we were doomed!
At this point, my wife is trying to grow wings herself and fly to Dallas. To make matters worse, the passengers next to us begin talking about how we might not make it too! As you can imagine, my wife was having a complete “come apart” (that is Texan for panic attack).
The pilot must have overheard this less than reassuring speech given by the flight attendant because soon thereafter his voice was heard resonating through the cabin.
With a calm tone, which emanated 100% confidence, he said:
“Folks, thank you for flying ABC airline. I want to let you know we just came from Colorado and we are now going to Dallas. We will be flying above most of the weather; so, please relax and enjoy your flight. We don’t expect any other delays and we will be landing in 3 hours and 30 minutes.”
Now, I do not know how he felt inside, but he sounded very confident. Therefore, we felt that he was competent, which brought an end to the grumblings. In the end, the flight ended up being just fine with only a few bumps and an extra glass of wine for my wife.
This story clearly shows the impact a leader’s confidence can have on his followers. Now, granted, we had no choice, but to follow because we were on his plane. However, we felt safe and assured that the pilot knew what he was doing.
Take a moment and think about the many ways a leader in the workforce affects their employees. First, they are responsible for their team’s livelihoods. They also contribute to their job satisfaction and a major part of their overall success. So, how important is it that the leader be confident in their decisions and direction? The answer is – very. An employee must believe their leader is going to show them the way to success,
