In my days observing leaders, I have identified four main groups.
Cop-outs
These people set no goals and make no decisions.
Holdouts
These people have beautiful dreams, but they are afraid to respond to challenges because they lack the self-confidence to overcome difficulties.
Dropouts
These individuals clearly define their goals, and, in the beginning, they work hard to make their dreams come true. However, when the going gets tough, they quit.
All-Outs
These are the stars. They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. Once all-outs have set their goals, they never quit. Even when the price gets high and the challenges mount, they're dedicated. Their can-do attitudes carry them to greatness.
Here are 10 keys to cultivating a can-do attitude.
Key #1: Disown Your Helplessness
Can-do people aggressively pursue solutions, and in the process, uncover creative solutions others never even try to find. Can-do leaders take responsibility for the future, whereas lesser leaders blame circumstances or other people when facing roadblocks. Rather than wallowing in helplessness, can-do leaders search diligently to overcome the obstacles in front of them.
Key #2: Take the Bull by the Horns
Can-do people are fearless. They go straight to the source of their solution. Their every effort commands attention as they wrestle a problem to the ground with expediency. I have discovered that people with a can-do attitude have an aggressiveness about them. They take the bull by the horns. When they enter into the arena of action, they don't wait, they initiate.
Key #3: Enter the No Whining Zone
Can-do people abstain from complaining. They recognize its futility and guard their minds and mouths against indulging in this time-wasting activity. As George Washington Carver observed, "Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses."
Key #4: Put On Another's Pair of Shoes
Can-do people empathize with others. They attempt to see any predicament from the other person's perspective in order to make the best decisions. In my book Winning with People, one of the 25 People Principles is the Exchange Principle, which says that instead of putting others in their place, we must put ourselves in their place.
Leaders see the world from their perspective and others' perspectives. They use their own perspective to give direction, and they use others' perspectives to forge relational connection. Both direction and connection are indispensable to taking the team on a successful journey.
Key #5: Nurture Your Passion
Can-do people are immune to burnout. They love what they do because they've learned how to fuel the fire that keeps them moving. In leadership, the prize is not given to the person who's the smartest, nor to the person with the advantages in resources and position, but to the person with passion.
Key #6: Walk the Second Mile
Can-do people exceed expectations. While others settle for an acceptable solution, they aren't satisfied until they have achieved the unimagined. They set expectations for themselves higher than what is dictated by the people or situations around them.
Key #7: Quit Stewing and Start Doing
Can-do people take action. While others are crippled by worry, fear, and anxiety, they have the fortitude to press forward. The perfect moment when all is safe and assured may never arrive, so why wait for it? Can-do leaders take risks.
Key #8: Go With the Flow
Can-do people can adjust to change. They don't get caught griping about an unexpected curve in the road. They accept transition with an optimistic outlook. They realize it's less important what happens TO them, than it is what happens IN them.
Key #9: Follow Through to the End
Can-do people not only initiate, they finish. They are self-starters with the capacity to close the deal.
Key #10: Expect a Return as a Result of Your Commitment
If you make an all-out commitment with a can-do attitude, expect a return. Passionate commitment is contagious, and resources follow resolve. Committed leaders will reap rewards and find open doors as others are drawn to the excitement and energy emanating from them.
Monday, September 6, 2010
8 ways to be a more positive leader
1. Combine optimism and perseverance.
The apostle Paul provides an excellent model of optimism and perseverance. He expanded Christianity to cities that could be hostile and unwelcoming. Yet, Paul remained faithful, confident, and patient. In Acts 20:22, 23 he explained the difficulties he faced, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city . . . hardships are facing me.”
2. See everyone as a diamond in the rough.
There are no poor performers, only poor leaders who fail to find ways of helping others succeed. They fail to see the potential in every person, leaving that potential untapped.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach once spoke to members of Manhattan’s Diamond Dealers Club. During a question-and-answer period, Carlbach was asked why he wasted so much of his time with people who were homeless, unemployed, addicted to drugs, and mentally ill. Carlbach responded by asking whether anyone there had ever accidentally thrown out a million-dollar diamond in the rough. “Never!” shouted the group. “An expert would know the worth of a stone he held in his hand.”
Carlbach then educated his audience: “I’ll let you in on a little secret, my friends. I’m also an expert on diamonds. I walk the streets every day, and all I see are the most precious diamonds walking past me. Some of them you have to pick up from the gutter and polish a bit. But once you do, oh how they shine! So you see, the most important thing you have to know in life is that everyone, everyone, is a diamond in the rough.”
3. Be a source of inspiration.
Follow the example of Job, who described himself this way: “I rescued the poor who cried for help. . . . I made the widow’s heart sing. . . . I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger” (Job 29:12-16).
Reach out to those who are struggling. When appropriate, share your wisdom. Offer insights you have gleaned along the way. Nurture those around you so they expand, enlarge, grow, and do more than they ever thought they could do.
John Erskine was a highly regarded educator, musician, and novelist. Erskine said he learned one of the most valuable lessons of his life when he was studying piano at age 14. His teacher asked, “How many times a week do you practice and how long do you practice each time?” Erskine said he tried to practice one day for an hour or more.
“Don’t do that,” she responded. “When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them—five or 10 before school, after lunch, between chores. Spread your practice throughout the day and music will become a part of your life.”
Erskine acted upon this advice and became a concert pianist who performed with the New York Philharmonic. Later he served as president of the Julliard School of Music and director of the Metropolitan Opera Association. He also went on to teach literature at Columbia University and wrote 45 books. His most famous, The Private Life of Helen of Troy, was written as he commuted to Columbia.
4. Remain balanced.
Sadly, some leaders operate with inflated egos. These types demand rather than command respect. No matter how high you rise or how important you become, remain a balanced person. The Bible reminds people to lead with a sense of humility. “It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor” (Proverbs 25:27).
Joey Cheek won an Olympic gold medal for speed skating. When asked what he learned from winning the gold, his answer was instructive: “Keep things in perspective. I’ve seen the world and met amazing friends through my sport. But it’s not that big a deal. I mean, I skate around the ice in tights. What is important is what I do off the ice.”
5. Show respect for people around you.
Paul advised, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” (Romans 15:2). Always speak and act respectfully to those around you. Your words and actions will show how much you value their contributions.
Consider the example of Katharine Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post. Although she led a powerful and influential newspaper in the nation’s capital, she did so with compassion, kindness, humility, and sincerity. Graham was highly regarded for the humble, respectful way she treated the paper’s employees.
Post columnist Richard Cohen tells of a hot, humid Sunday in July when he had just returned from the beach and took a taxi to the newspaper office. A tent had been erected on the Post’s parking lot. “It was for a company party, given for people whose names you never hear—those unby-
lined, non-TV-appearing types who take the ads or deliver the paper or maybe just clean the building.”
In the wrenching heat he saw Graham making her way toward the party. “She was old by then, and walking was difficult for her. She pushed her way up the ramp, moving in a laborious fashion. She had a farm in Virginia, a house in Georgetown, an apartment in New York, and most significantly that hideously hot day, a place on the water in Martha’s Vineyard. Yet here she was.” One of Graham’s great legacies was the way she treated everyone with respect, whether they were famous and powerful or unacknowledged and anonymous.
6. Give more than is expected.
Many people are looking out for No. 1—themselves. Be the person who looks out for Nos. 2, 3, and so on. Ask yourself, How can I give a little more to the people around me? What can I do to lighten their workload? Whom can I mentor? How can I provide the best effort? Go the extra mile on behalf of others.
This is the direct teaching of Jesus. “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. . . . If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:39, 41).
Consider the approach of David Morris, owner of Dillanos, a small Seattle-based coffee roasting company. Once when the United Parcel Service went on strike, Morris rented a truck and drove 2,320 miles to deliver an order to a small client in Southern California. That small client has since grown into a large franchise and continues to expand. He has become Dillanos’s largest customer and has remained loyal to Morris because he went the second mile years earlier.
7. Express appreciation; accept responsibility.
Sadly, some leaders are quick to accept credit and even quicker to assign blame. The best leaders reverse that pattern.
President Richard Nixon advised, “A leader must give credit to a staffer for a job well done both personally and if possible, publicly as well. The best rule: Be generous in sharing credit with subordinates when an initiative succeeds and be prepared to take the blame if it fails.”
8. Maintain a sense of humor.
No one enjoys being around someone who is humorless, heartless, rigid, and unable to laugh or enjoy all aspects of life. People who take themselves less seriously are far more pleasant to associate with. No matter how daunting or serious your work, do it with a sense of lightness, merriment, and playfulness.
An Air Force sergeant was interviewing a young man whose military term was ending. The sergeant asked if the airman would consider reenlisting. “I wouldn’t reenlist if you made me a four-star general, gave me a million dollars and Miss America for a roommate!” the man seethed.
Obviously the sergeant had a sense of humor. On the form the sergeant simply wrote: “Airman is undecided.”
________
The apostle Paul provides an excellent model of optimism and perseverance. He expanded Christianity to cities that could be hostile and unwelcoming. Yet, Paul remained faithful, confident, and patient. In Acts 20:22, 23 he explained the difficulties he faced, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city . . . hardships are facing me.”
2. See everyone as a diamond in the rough.
There are no poor performers, only poor leaders who fail to find ways of helping others succeed. They fail to see the potential in every person, leaving that potential untapped.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach once spoke to members of Manhattan’s Diamond Dealers Club. During a question-and-answer period, Carlbach was asked why he wasted so much of his time with people who were homeless, unemployed, addicted to drugs, and mentally ill. Carlbach responded by asking whether anyone there had ever accidentally thrown out a million-dollar diamond in the rough. “Never!” shouted the group. “An expert would know the worth of a stone he held in his hand.”
Carlbach then educated his audience: “I’ll let you in on a little secret, my friends. I’m also an expert on diamonds. I walk the streets every day, and all I see are the most precious diamonds walking past me. Some of them you have to pick up from the gutter and polish a bit. But once you do, oh how they shine! So you see, the most important thing you have to know in life is that everyone, everyone, is a diamond in the rough.”
3. Be a source of inspiration.
Follow the example of Job, who described himself this way: “I rescued the poor who cried for help. . . . I made the widow’s heart sing. . . . I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger” (Job 29:12-16).
Reach out to those who are struggling. When appropriate, share your wisdom. Offer insights you have gleaned along the way. Nurture those around you so they expand, enlarge, grow, and do more than they ever thought they could do.
John Erskine was a highly regarded educator, musician, and novelist. Erskine said he learned one of the most valuable lessons of his life when he was studying piano at age 14. His teacher asked, “How many times a week do you practice and how long do you practice each time?” Erskine said he tried to practice one day for an hour or more.
“Don’t do that,” she responded. “When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them—five or 10 before school, after lunch, between chores. Spread your practice throughout the day and music will become a part of your life.”
Erskine acted upon this advice and became a concert pianist who performed with the New York Philharmonic. Later he served as president of the Julliard School of Music and director of the Metropolitan Opera Association. He also went on to teach literature at Columbia University and wrote 45 books. His most famous, The Private Life of Helen of Troy, was written as he commuted to Columbia.
4. Remain balanced.
Sadly, some leaders operate with inflated egos. These types demand rather than command respect. No matter how high you rise or how important you become, remain a balanced person. The Bible reminds people to lead with a sense of humility. “It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor” (Proverbs 25:27).
Joey Cheek won an Olympic gold medal for speed skating. When asked what he learned from winning the gold, his answer was instructive: “Keep things in perspective. I’ve seen the world and met amazing friends through my sport. But it’s not that big a deal. I mean, I skate around the ice in tights. What is important is what I do off the ice.”
5. Show respect for people around you.
Paul advised, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” (Romans 15:2). Always speak and act respectfully to those around you. Your words and actions will show how much you value their contributions.
Consider the example of Katharine Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post. Although she led a powerful and influential newspaper in the nation’s capital, she did so with compassion, kindness, humility, and sincerity. Graham was highly regarded for the humble, respectful way she treated the paper’s employees.
Post columnist Richard Cohen tells of a hot, humid Sunday in July when he had just returned from the beach and took a taxi to the newspaper office. A tent had been erected on the Post’s parking lot. “It was for a company party, given for people whose names you never hear—those unby-
lined, non-TV-appearing types who take the ads or deliver the paper or maybe just clean the building.”
In the wrenching heat he saw Graham making her way toward the party. “She was old by then, and walking was difficult for her. She pushed her way up the ramp, moving in a laborious fashion. She had a farm in Virginia, a house in Georgetown, an apartment in New York, and most significantly that hideously hot day, a place on the water in Martha’s Vineyard. Yet here she was.” One of Graham’s great legacies was the way she treated everyone with respect, whether they were famous and powerful or unacknowledged and anonymous.
6. Give more than is expected.
Many people are looking out for No. 1—themselves. Be the person who looks out for Nos. 2, 3, and so on. Ask yourself, How can I give a little more to the people around me? What can I do to lighten their workload? Whom can I mentor? How can I provide the best effort? Go the extra mile on behalf of others.
This is the direct teaching of Jesus. “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. . . . If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:39, 41).
Consider the approach of David Morris, owner of Dillanos, a small Seattle-based coffee roasting company. Once when the United Parcel Service went on strike, Morris rented a truck and drove 2,320 miles to deliver an order to a small client in Southern California. That small client has since grown into a large franchise and continues to expand. He has become Dillanos’s largest customer and has remained loyal to Morris because he went the second mile years earlier.
7. Express appreciation; accept responsibility.
Sadly, some leaders are quick to accept credit and even quicker to assign blame. The best leaders reverse that pattern.
President Richard Nixon advised, “A leader must give credit to a staffer for a job well done both personally and if possible, publicly as well. The best rule: Be generous in sharing credit with subordinates when an initiative succeeds and be prepared to take the blame if it fails.”
8. Maintain a sense of humor.
No one enjoys being around someone who is humorless, heartless, rigid, and unable to laugh or enjoy all aspects of life. People who take themselves less seriously are far more pleasant to associate with. No matter how daunting or serious your work, do it with a sense of lightness, merriment, and playfulness.
An Air Force sergeant was interviewing a young man whose military term was ending. The sergeant asked if the airman would consider reenlisting. “I wouldn’t reenlist if you made me a four-star general, gave me a million dollars and Miss America for a roommate!” the man seethed.
Obviously the sergeant had a sense of humor. On the form the sergeant simply wrote: “Airman is undecided.”
________
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