Nonprofit Leadership, Innovation, and Change

Believe in others more than they believe in themselves

On this blog I talk a lot about the role and job of a leader.

Well,
Here’s another one!

I believe that the role and job of a leader is to help people to see what they are capable of.

If you asked a room full of people, “Who here has achieved something that you never thought would be possible because someone else believed that you could? I guarantee that a majority of the hands in the room would go up.

One of the things that have had a significant impact on my life are the several people who believed much more in me than I have believed in myself at certain times.

They believed in me when I didn’t, and as a result I often did more to serve and help people than I ever thought I could.

Often a word of encouragement or acknowledgment of a job well done is all that it takes.

In your role as a leader, remember that sometimes you're called on to believe in others. See their potential and help to draw it out of them.

How to be Mentored

Currently I have two official mentors in my life. One is a mentor for achievement and life skills, the other is a mentor for me specifically on leadership. Both relationships have been extremely valuable in my growth as a leader.

In an effort to help young leaders who want the benefits of a mentoring relationship, I’ve put together a list of four things I believe will help people who want to be mentored:

1. Seek out a mentor – Make sure you find a mentor that fits well with who you want to become. In Mark Sanborn’s book, You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader he says, “Find role models worthy of your attention, those who lead their lives and organizations in the manner you aspire to lead, those who have made a difference to others as you would like to.” – Well said Mark!
2. Be teachable – Once you find the right mentor, you need to become teachable. Be aware that your mentor knows more than you, and he only wants to help you. Have a mindset where you are ready to learn and try new things.
3. Be vulnerable – Part of the mentoring process involves you receiving some self-criticism from your mentor. A great mentor will help to point our your weaknesses and offer his help to improve those weaknesses. It’s your job as a mentee to be vulnerable and open-minded to accept what he says.
4. Be a Doer – If your mentor suggests that you do something, make sure you do it. If he recommends a book, go buy it and read it as soon as possible. If he asks you to do something for him, do it for him without complaining. Make sure you take action on this advice, because if you don’t take action he will stopping giving advice to you.

Mentors often can help us get where we want to go faster because they have already been there. They have their map for success that will help us in our journey.

To learn more on mentoring, take a look at my post, Who Needs a Mentor?

Walking with people who are great

One of the things I’ve worked extremely hard on the last year is to surround myself with people who are the best at what they do. Whether it be athletes, speakers, leaders, coaches, or writers, I’ve done whatever I could to put myself in situations where I had the opportunity to spend time with the best of the best.

As a result I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with, and working with Jason Womack over the last year. Just being in his presence has made me sharp when it comes to productivity and managing what I do with my time (not managing my time).

There are several people in my office who admire how easily I manage projects and complete tasks. They wonder how I can send, receive, and process emails without ever having to touch the mouse.

This is just a byproduct of spending time with Jason. It’s that simple, I didn’t have to pay $5,000 to attend a weeklong conference on time management. I just spent some time with him one-to-one, I helped him put together two workshops, and I’ve read his blog for a while now.

Several years ago I read a great book by Claude M. Bristol called, The Magic of Believing. In the book Claude stated, “If you want to be great, you have to walk with people who are great.”

Surround yourself with the best, and even though you might not become the best, you will become better.

What Not to Do (or say)

Recently while reading Grassroots Philanthropy by Bill Somerville I realized that knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. In his book, Bill says, “In other words, I couldn’t have received any better preparation for my subsequent career as a foundation executive. I knew exactly what not to do.” He is referring to his young years digging through piles of paperwork and miles of bureaucracy while applying and keeping up with grants.

In my new eBook I talk about mentors and how important they are. I also explain that you can learn just as much from people who are bad at what they do, as you can from people who are good at what they do.

Start by listening to what successful and unsuccessful people say. You’ll be surprised at their difference in words and attitude towards other people.

Before you know it, you will know exactly what not to say.

It's Getting Longer

If you’ve read my writing on this blog for a while then you’ve probably noticed that the length and content of my posts are getting longer. This is something that I’m very excited about not just because there are more words, but there is more I have to share about leadership.

When I first started writing my posts where very short, small, and quick. The truth being that I didn’t have very much to say. Over the last several years I’ve learned and grown so much as a leader, and it’s such a great joy to be able to share what I’ve learned about leadership with you.

Who needs a mentor?

I need one and you need one.

Mentors are great because they teach us what they’ve learned and they increase our learning curve. They help us get to where we want to go faster because they have already been there.

So, who needs a mentor?

• CEOs
• Writers
• Dads
• Homeless
• Speakers
• Moms
• Leaders
• Youth
• Teachers
• Coaches
• Secretaries
• Middle Managers
• Pastors

I’ve been very fortunate to have several mentors in my life. These are people who were kind enough to share their years of knowledge and wisdom with me. Because of them I’ve been able to push harder and go farther.

Zig Ziglar talks about his Wall of Gratitude which he has in his office. It features the pictures of 27 people who have made a dramatic difference in his life.

Just a little piece of advice when looking for a mentor: make sure your mentor is good at what he will mentor you on. When I first started writing I met a lady who called herself a “writer.” We exchanged business cards and I called her later that week to set-up a date and time for us to talk. I was very excited to learn more about writing from her in hopes she could help me to improve me writing. When I met her for coffee, I quickly realized that I had done more writing than her. 

Ask any successful person and he will tell you that he has went further in life because someone else believed more in him than he believed in himself. A mentor has the knowledge, experience and belief to help you go farther in life than you think you can.

A mentor doesn't have to be someone you have met him in person. A mentor is someone who you can read about or watch speak. It’s someone who you can learn from and adapt his ideas and way of thinking into your own life.

I recently read an excerpt from the Hall of Fame Baseball player, Reggie Jackson who stated:

"A great manager has a knack for making ballplayers think they are better than they think they are. He forces you to have a good opinion of yourself. He lets you know he believes in you. He makes you get more out of yourself. And once you learn how good you really are, you never settle for playing anything less than your very best."

If you don’t have a mentor, go find one!

Who can you insult?

I came across this interesting post tonight as I was reading some of my favorite blogs.

Michael makes some great points about how we need to be "insulted."  I've always thought that we need someone to come along and rock our boat.  There have been many times where I had a mentor come by and give me a kick in the butt and let me know I needed to get my act together.

As I think back on those times they are some of the turning points for me as a leader.

So,
Check it out and see who you can insult!

Leaders are Always Preparing

Everyday as leaders we are preparing.  We are preparing to pass or fail, preparing to do better or worse, preparing to lead others more effectively or ineffectively.  We prepare by dedicating our lives to continuing to grow, develop and learn.        

• Read as many positive, informative, encouraging books as you possibly can
• Attend as many positive, informative, encouraging seminars as you possibly can.       
• Surround yourself with as many positive, informative, encouraging people  as you possibly can.

Because this is what will prepare you to lead others and take your nonprofit, business, or church to the next level.

Leadership as a Noun and Verb

While sitting down for dinner with my friend and mentor Jason Womack we began to brainstorm about leadership.   As we were exchanging ideas, beliefs and viewpoints Jason said, “There are two parts of leadership; there is the ‘noun’ and the ‘verb’.” 

I had to take a second to reflect and think, because what he said was very true and insightful. 

On Monday and Tuesday I will explain more thoughts on the noun and verb of leadership.  For now, here is a sneak peak. . .
- - - - - - - - -
I can’t make either of these posts without defining the words, noun and verb:

• Noun: Word used to name a person, place, thing or concept
• Verb: Word used to indicate action, a state, or an occurrence

Digging a little deeper I realized that what Jason said was true, there is the noun and the verb of leadership.  The noun are the qualities that a leader has, and the verb are the actions that a leader performs.  More on this Monday and Tuesday.