Leadership

Stories are powerful. Parents tell stories to help their children find their place in the world. Coaches tell stories to inspire their players. Leaders tell stories to rally their teams to tackle a project or navigate a change. Jesus is widely recognized as a great teacher. While he certainly had "lectures" that he delivered to audiences, he is perhaps best remembered as a master storyteller. Religious or not, many people can retell the basic meaning of parables (stories) such as the Good Samaritan or Prodigal Son. Jesus understood the power of stories. A good story is more than entertainment; it has the ability to shape and form the hearer. It has the ability to introduce a new perspective or challenge an outdated one. Stories are also sticky. A well-told story can stick with us long after we first hear it. Given the power of stories, I find it interesting that…

When a team is functioning well, it's a blast. When it's dysfunctional, well, it can be a blast, too ... just a different kind of blast! Every well-performing team shares certain characteristics. These characteristics must be embraced and empowered by their leaders. Number Four - Practice Your Hand Off It just so happens that I'm writing this blog post while watching Peyton and Eli Manning host Monday Night Football. Living in Denver, I've been impressed with Peyton Manning off the field as much as when he led the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory. What makes watching the Manning brothers so much fun is that both of them were top-notch quarterbacks. They not only love the game but they see things in a game that a normal person does not. In between breaking down defensive coverages, one of the teams fumbles. The quarterback and running back were out of sync.…

In this series of posts, we're exploring what teams need from their leaders. These are the leadership qualities that attract and retain quality team members. They are skills that can be developed with intentional effort - and they will be worth the effort. Number Three - The Freedom to Fail Teams form and come together for many reasons, but one of the most common ones is this: they want to win. Success might be defined in terms of sales numbers, awards, or transformed lives, but regardless of the definition, the desire is the same. They want to do well. In order to do succeed, you must learn how to handle failure. No person, team, or organization will execute perfectly one hundred percent of the time. The ones who value continual improvement will have a system for processing mistakes, missteps, and misunderstandings. Everyone will make a mistake; not everyone will learn…

This is the second post in a series of posts about what every team wants from their leader. In the last post, we talked about the importance of communication -- good communication. Without good communication, teams will break down. When a football breaks the huddle, they must have a clear understanding of what the next play will be. Number Two - Develop Your Players In most organizations, staff and employees represent one of their largest investments. In many, it will be their single largest line item. Yet in many organizations, leaders don't spend much time investing in their top investment. In other words, they're not actively developing the people around them. In seems obvious, but a team member who is not growing will eventually slow down the growth of the organization. When a leader helps a team member improve their skills, everyone benefits. Output increases, attitudes improve, and people enjoy…

To paraphrase John Maxwell, if you think you're a leader but no one is following you, then you're just out taking a walk. Whether you are leading a team, an organization, or a movement, how do you avoid just taking walks? Over my years in leadership, I've discovered a several factors that are key to attracting, keeping, and developing good team members. I'll be sharing these over the next few posts. Number One - Good Communication Every good leader that I have worked with has been a good communicator. This is much more than being a good presenter. It involves listening skills and the ability to be empathetic. Poor to mediocre leaders do more talking than listening. That's usually a sign of insecurity. I once worked with a person who would start filibustering whenever he didn't want to give an honest answer. He thought he was talking his way out…