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: Keys to solving the U.S. education crisis.

This marks the first post in the Monday Video series. The purpose is to help you guys start your week off with with some meaningful and thought-provoking stimulus.

Where the U.S. education system has failed us and what to do about it. 

Whether the term "education crisis" is appropriate or not, the data is clear. US teens rank among the bottom of developed countries on performance on the PISA. (Program for international student assessment). The percentage of kids from low-income families who graduate from college is 9%. 

What's the solution?

It's not about higher spending per pupil, smaller class sizes, or more teachers with masters degrees says Seth Andrew, the founder of Democracy Prep Charter School, the highest performing school in the City of New York consistently over the past five years. The answer according to Seth lies in the elements of South Korea's culture shift. (South Korea has the best educated population in the world). Here's a snippet of South Korea's transformation in the words of Seth Andrew:

"...they went from being Afghanistan to richer than the EU, from a OECD and UN aid recipient to a donor, from an agricultural economy to the leading knowledge economy in the world... They went from an autocratic system to having the head of the UN, IMF, a female president, all through democratic transition, from the 200th largest economy in the world to the 12th largest economy in the world with no natural resources, with no oil, no, you know, special trick. They did it through Grit." 

The three factors that Seth outlines for South Korea's successful shift? 

1. Grit -- overcoming adversity

2. Growth mindset. A deeply rooted, fundamental belief in their culture that hard work directly correlates with success, and that intelligence is not fixed but can be increased through effort. This mindset takes effect in the form of their "hagwan", private spending on supplemental education services like tutoring. South Korea has one of the highest spending rates on supplemental education services in the world. 

3. Korea has great teachers. Respect for teachers is rooted in their language and culture. The word for "Teacher" in Korean means "honored one"and "nation builder". It's like the equivalent of having the title of "Doctor" in the US. 

Skip to minute 6:50 in the video for Seth's explanation of each factor and how he implemented the South Korean model into Democracy Prep Charter School.  

If you are having trouble viewing the video, here is the original video link: https://vimeo.com/96055664

Welcome to Grit Weekly

     Welcome to my blog Grit Weekly. So what's with the name?? Grit is defined by University of Pennsylvania Researcher Angela Lee Duckworth as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals." In-depth research by Carol Dweck, Ph.D, Paul Tough, Angela Lee Duckworth et el, coupled with my personal experience has shown me that Grit is in fact the key to success. While it is not Grit alone that "brings home the bacon" per-say, it is, in my humble opinion, the most reliable building block upon which success is achieved. Grit is the key.
   

 Still not convinced? 

     Pick up a biography of one of the most successful and influential leaders of our time -- Steve Jobs. Look at any article or speech done by or about him and see if you can spot these elements: Passion, Resilience (overcoming challenges), or Determination. In fact, take anyone who has achieved a decent level of success in their life, and I'm sure that you will find that one or (most likely) more of the elements mentioned above came into play. The best news? Grit ensures success regardless of IQ. 

     Back to the name question: This blog is dedicated to providing you, the reader, with a few quick and useful tips for success to each week. Grit is the essential ingredient necessary for success in any field. I also started and run a series of summer programs for high school teens, set to launch this July of 2015. The program is called the Grit and Leadership Challenge and is dedicated to developing Grit within teens along with the #1 student leadership curriculum, The Student Leadership Challenge by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. You can check out more info on the program by clicking here.

In conclusion, that is why, instead of "Success Weekly", the blog is called "Grit Weekly."

If you're new to the blog, watch the video below and go to minute 1:30.

Want to take the same "Grit Test" that was mentioned in the video? Click here.

Enjoy!

Cameron