Five Leadership Gifts from 2011

Photo by Mrskyce

In the spirit of the season, here are five posts from 2011 which I believe you will find helpful.

1. Prepare Today

This powerful guest post from Wally Bock is poignant on two different levels. First, it is a guest post for leadership blogger Dan Rockwell who recently suffered a terrible accident and now faces a lengthy recovery. Second, it features the story of Bishop Hanns Lilje, a man imprisoned in World War II Nazi prison camps. He is quoted in the post: "“When they knock on your door, it’s too late to prepare.”

2. Our Deepest Craving

I frequently write about how important it is for leaders to demonstrate gratitude and appreciation. Kevin Eikenberry offers a strong message in this vein, beginning with a quote from William James: "The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated."

3. Ten Time Management Tips

This post from Gayle Thorson is oriented toward busy nonprofit communicators, but the advice is straightforward and helpful for any developing leader.

4. The Top Ten Lies Leaders Believe

Earlier in the year before his injury, Dan Rockwell posted this excellent list of traps leaders can easily fall into.

5. The Science of Creating the Perfect Mentor: An 8-Step Process

Scott Dinsmore of Live Your Legend emphasizes the importance of mentors in your leadership journey. I appreciate this post because it reinforces how to find the right people to help you and how you can care for them in turn.

I hope you enjoy these posts and benefit from them as much as I have!

Take care,

David M. Dye

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David shares twenty years experience teaching, coaching, leading, and managing in youth service, education advocacy, city governance, and faith-based nonprofits. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Colorado UpLift and enjoys helping others discover and realize their own potential.

You Don't Have to Be a Genius to Motivate Others

Photo by David Blumenkrantz

Thank You

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for your shares, retweets, +1s, and emailing these posts on to others.

Thank you for leading - for the difference you are making in someone else's life.

Gratitude

I frequently write about the role of gratitude in effective leadership. 

We need the regular reminder. 

It's so easy in the urgency of our vision or the press of daily life to forget how much we are given.

Little Things

No one has to do anything for us.

Every act of service we receive...every kind word...every contribution of a team member...each of these is a gift for which we can be grateful.

Motivation

It is a simple thing - but most of us prefer to serve where there is gratitude.

I know of no source of motivation greater than the power of sincere thanks - it communicates respect, acknowledges another's dignity, and keeps the thanker humble.

Take care and Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. readers!

David M. Dye

Know someone who would benefit from this post or the entire blog?
Please retweet, like, share, +1, or email it on. Thanks!

Subscribe today or join the discussion at: http://davidmdye.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @davidmdye
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David shares twenty years experience teaching, coaching, leading, and managing in youth service, education advocacy, city governance, and faith-based nonprofits. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Colorado UpLift and enjoys helping others discover and realize their own potential.

Are You Throwing Away Influence?

Photo by kanko

Every day aspiring leaders have multiple chances to increase their influence, but these opportunities are often ignored.

These vital missed chances speak volumes about the leader and their sense of entitlement or ignorance of others. It can be an epidemic of lost leadership!

You can reverse the trend and increase your influence if you simply:

Show appreciation.

That's it! Effective leaders understand that no one owes them a thing. Even a parent taking care of their child, while clearly right and moral, is still optional. Leaders consistently take advantage of opportunities to demonstrate their appreciation for others.

People give their best effort when they want to do something. So go ahead - show some appreciation.

• Say thank you. Regularly. Whenever anyone does something for you...can we ever express enough gratitude?

• Celebrate accomplishment. Take time to acknowledge the things you want more of. If someone does an exceptional job, but it doesn't seem to matter to you - you're much less likely to see it again. Even the most internally motivated like to know they've done well.

• Find out how people like to be acknowledged. Some prefer a quiet thank you in private. Others are motivated by public recognition. Still others by an afternoon off, or lunch on you, or a dinner with their spouse. There are many ways to encourage and thank others - just be sure to do it in a way that matters to them.

• Celebrate values. If someone lives out an organizational value - even if the outcome isn't what they hoped - honor them. Tell the story! 

• The five bean technique. This one has been around a long time, but is a great system for developing a personal habit of encouraging others. Place five beans or other small objects in one pocket. Each time you encourage someone for something meaningful, transfer one object to your other pocket. Don't leave for the day until you've got all five objects transferred. Several weeks of this and you'll be a regular encourager!

How do you show appreciation for your team?

For more, read: It Never Gets Old

Thanks for reading,

David M. Dye

If you know someone who would benefit from this post or the entire blog, please retweet, like, share, +1, or email it on. Thanks!

Subscribe today or join the discussion at: http://davidmdye.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @davidmdye
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmdye
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David shares twenty years experience teaching, coaching, leading, and managing in youth service, education advocacy, city governance, and faith-based nonprofits. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Colorado UpLift and enjoys helping others discover and realize their own potential.

It Never Gets Old

Photo by HuNo

I recently spent time with a group of nonprofit leaders discussing a wide variety of issues relevant to the sector. When I reviewed their written evaluations of our time together, I was surprised at the frequency with which one concept was mentioned as their most valuable take-away.

The prized concept of the day? Saying thank you.

We had discussed how gratitude is so vital to everything we do and we had discussed practicalities - how to say thank you in ways that are meaningful to the person you're thanking. The reminder to be consistent and relevant with our gratitude was easily the most frequently cited material we discussed.

Some of the most lasting, fundamental, and impacting truths are also some of the most basic.

But sometimes these are also the most difficult to implement consistently. Do we let ourselves fall into habits of entitlement or do we recognize the miracle that is another person freely giving of their time, love, energy, or skills?

Effective leaders and managers are consistent and precise with their gratitude. Remember that "keeping a job" or avoiding being fired only produces a minimum amount of effort. Everything beyond the minimum - we do that because we want to.

When I am teaching leadership to young people, I encourage them to start with the basics. Surprise whoever cooks their food with a specific bit of gratitude: "This chicken is great - thanks for taking the time!" But the same goes for adults - is their any marriage that couldn't benefit from more frequent "thank you for washing the laundry or taking out the trash" ?

Basic appreciation - it never gets old.

Thank YOU for reading today and for sharing this blog with those who might benefit!

David M. Dye

If you know someone who would benefit from this post or the entire blog, please retweet, like, share, +1, or email it on. Thanks!

Subscribe today or join the discussion at: http://davidmdye.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @davidmdye
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmdye
****
David shares twenty years experience teaching, coaching, leading, and managing in youth service, education advocacy, city governance, and faith-based nonprofits. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Colorado UpLift and enjoys helping others discover and realize their own potential.

6 Ways To Not Walk Naked Down The Street

Photo by Eric Pakurar

Leaders and managers often need to make difficult and important decisions. In order to make the best decisions possible, we need to have as much meaningful information as possible. Unfortunately, people in positions of power often sabotage themselves and create environments where no one will tell them the truth - often difficult truths about themselves.

The old Hans Christian Andersen story of the Emperor's New Clothes is based on this unfortunate tendency of leaders to no longer hear truth. In this tale, the Emperor ends up parading naked down the street after two tailors take advantage of him.

Here are six ways to ensure you have the truth you need (and don't end up walking naked down the street):

1. Ask for the Truth - Regularly encourage dialog in your team. Ask people to teach you one thing you didn't know. Become a person known for caring what's really going on.

2. Say Thank You - When someone shares a hard truth, especially about you, thank them for having the courage, taking the time, and caring enough to share it with you.

3. Respond - If you ask for input, take time to respond. Even if not every idea is actionable, acknowledging that the ideas were heard and considered increases the likelihood of hearing more in the future.

4. Never Ever Shoot the Messenger - If someone has the heart and courage to bring you a difficult truth, even if you vehemently disagree, bite your lip. If you attack them, they probably will never bring you another concern.

5. Find Your Truth-Tellers - There are people who understand their team, environment, or processes and are willing to voice their observations. Find these people, keep in regular communication, and let them know you value their observations.

6. Look In the Mirror - If you suspect you are not hearing the truth from those around you, it is time to look in the mirror and examine how you are interacting with others. I would bet at least one of 1-4 above is not happening. If you are struggling to see it, ask others for input.

It may take time, but if you begin asking for the truth, showing gratitude for input, and responding to it, you will earn trust, gain credibility, and have the information you need to make the best decisions.

David M. Dye

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David shares twenty years experience teaching, coaching, leading, and managing in youth service, education advocacy, city governance, and faith-based nonprofits. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Colorado UpLift and enjoys helping others discover and realize their own potential.