Why should I care as a Leader??; Book to read for the month of June; A Thank You Note

Leadership and Caring, what do they have to do with each other?

     Think of the prototypical example of a quote on quote "leader" or boss. Big, tough, get-er-done types with the all-to-familiar "tough guy" approach. They boss people around and don't let anyone stand in their way. They're about results.

What's the problem with these types of bosses?

The answer is simple, when employees, students, or kids are treated as nothing more than cogs in a results-driven machine, the only message that they perceive is "I don't care about you." It's as simple as that. 

"Not caring is not tough, it's weak. It stems from fear, not strength."

The above quote comes from this article by author and founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of Giant Leap Consulting, Bill Treasurer. He found that "the most effective leaders know that the surest way to get results is to treat people respectfully, equally, and kindly."  Make sure you go to the article and scroll down to the final paragraphs in the article to find out how you can develop the courage to "care dangerously." 

Introducing the Book of the Month: June

LeadersOpenDoors.com

My father is very adamant on reading. I take that back, he's a fanatic. (In a good way). To stay on the cutting edge of his industry as a business consultant, he has to be learning constantly. The one rule that I got from him was to read at least one significant book each month. That is why, once a month, I will be recommending a book that I feel will provide you with significant learning that will in turn help you be more successful. 

I'm not sure who said it, but it's true: LEADERS ARE READERS. Example: Mark Cuban reads 3 hours/day. The good news is that you can relax. Not everyone is Mark Cuban, and you only have to get through one book a month. 

Without further ado, let me introduce you to this month's book: Leaders Open Doors by Bill Treasurer (does the name ring a bell?)

One the simplest and straight-forward books on Leadership in recent years, Leaders Open Doors provides a very simple and highly effective framework for leadership. Each chapter provides easy-to-implement tips so you can start changing how you lead for the better from Chapter 1. Needless to say, I recommend this book because it is simple and I noticed the improvement right away. Thank you Bill, with this book, you have saved countless hours of our time studying advanced leadership theories, frameworks and models that try to decode but ultimately complicate leadership. 

Speaking of Thank-You's...

Last Wednesday (just twenty-two days ago) the blog surpassed the 1,000 pageview mark, and I wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who has been following and supporting the blog by telling their friends and sharing by Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc...It really helps, so thank you again!

Leadership and Football: Don't let your team get Deflated; Peyton Manning's best Leadership wisdom

Don't let your team get Deflated

In a recent blog post, leadership expert Kevin Eikenberry shares four things that leaders often do (both intentionally and not) that "deflates the spirit, energy and engagement of their team members."

Parents/Educators: These are actions/habits that can have a 'deflating' effect at home or in the classroom as well.

The four common  things that leaders do to 'deflate' their team are:

1. Giving no Positive Feedback
2. Giving all Negative Feedback
3. Not Trusting your Team (or kids, students, friends, etc...)
4. Not Caring

Take three minutes and scroll through the article to learn how to avoid these leadership mistakes and maintain an inflated (inspired and motivated) team! 

Peyton Manning's Leadership Wisdom

In the midst of all that is happening in the NFL regarding deflated balls, other, more worthwhile news seems to have fallen somewhat between the cracks.

This article, for example, titled "7 Winning Leadership Ideas from Peyton Manning's Playbook."

The article outlines what, according to Peyton Manning, are 7 key skills that leaders in any field need to be obtain and work to develop. The article also does an awesome job of connecting the on-field examples that Peyton Manning gives to practical, real-life examples that are key to leaders.

Most notable skills (in my opinion)

• Learning to thrive on being uncomfortable. Needless to say, expanding your comfort zone is a must-do if you are seeking any significant growth, professional or personal.

• Finding a new way to do the old job. AKA: Innovation. Being adaptable and your ability to innovate is something that is of vital importance in today's exponential world. Things are moving fast and constantly changing with new tech disrupting so many industries. If you stop innovating, you fall behind. 

• Aligning your personal goals with team goals. In 2013, Peyton Manning didn't set out to break records. He set goals that he knew would help his team score more points and thus win more games. He focused on pass completion percentage and number of touchdown passes. As the old saying goes, there's no "i" in "team", but there is no "i" in "goal" either. 

Here's the link to the article: http://www.inc.com/ilan-mochari/peyton-manning-leadership.html 

Bonus Video

While looking for some funny photos criticizing deflategate, I found this hilarious video. Enjoy!

So what do you guys think of deflategate and the punishment handed out by the NFL? Leave your comments below! 

Monday Video: The Journey Across the High Wire

Start your week off with with some meaningful and thought-provoking stimulus.

Philippe Petit's Journey from card tricks to high-roping between the Twin Towers. 

     As early as the age of six, Philippe Petit was performing. He started off by learning card tricks. Not just any old card tricks however, Philippe found himself inspired to master the hardest card trick manipulation in the book (literally, it was the hardest trick in a book of card tricks he was given for Christmas). After years of practice, he was able to perform the trick perfectly, completely hiding the card in under one second. Philippe goes over the trick in minute 2:25 of the video below.

Long story short, after stints with street juggling and years of practice as a tight-rope walker, nobody would hire him. So what did he do? He starting putting tight ropes wherever he saw fit, walking across monuments such as Notre Dame and the Twin Towers, tightrope walking himself to international fame.

Set aside 20 minutes and watch the inspiring video below, where Philippe describes his journey and the aspects that drove him to success and happiness. (The aspects are highlighted below).

Original Video URL: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3zZVQPaKKQ&feature=iv&src_vid=xYemnKEKx0c&annotation_id=annotation_927634)

Aspects that drove Philippe to success and happiness, in his eyes:

Passion: "Passion is the motto of all my actions."

Tenacity: "How I kept at it against all odds."

Intuition: "A tool essential in my life...instead of listening to the teachers I am my own teacher."

Faith: "Faith is what replaces doubt in my dictionary."

Improvisation: "Improvisation is empowering because it welcomes the unknown."

Inspiration: "By inspiring ourselves we inspire others."