Month: May 2022

6 Ways to Make Leadership Meaningful

Dedicated leaders tend to lose themselves to work. They end up frustrated, drained, and burned out.

Take the helm of your leadership journey. Don’t let others drive your life.

Life is too precious to squander it on things that don’t matter to you.

#1. Align definitions:

Define how you make leadership meaningful for yourself. When your definition of meaningful leadership collides with your boss’s definition:

1. Discuss and explore options.
2. Redefine ‘meaningful leadership’.
3. Find a job that brings fulfillment.

#2. Include how:

The deliverables of your job aren’t negotiable:

1. Reach the numbers.
2. Communicate vision.
3. Recognize achievement.
4. Provide feedback.
5. Challenge apathy.
6. Expose elephants.
7. Move the agenda forward.

You make leadership meaningful when you control how you do your job.

#3. 6 ways to make leadership meaningful:

1. Create growth opportunities. How will you deliver results and grow at the same time?
2. Shift from commander to coach. How will you help others grow and achieve results?
3. Open your door and your heart. How will you create and strengthen relationship?
4. Clarify purpose. How will you bring your story to work?
5. Maximize strengths. How will you spend most of your time doing what you do best?
6. Express values. Work you don’t value leaves you drained. How will you clarify your values?

Added resource: It’s the Manager

#4. Results when you make leadership meaningful:

You know you’re doing something meaningful when:

1. You want to do it again.
2. The joy of improving outweighs dissatisfaction.
3. People are drawn to you.
4. Feeling tired at the end of the day is fulfilling. You’re glad you did what you did.
5. People find focus when you show up. Meaningful leadership energizes you and others to do the ‘right’ things.

You’re engaged in meaningful leadership when life is more about get-to than have-to.

Meaningful leadership brings satisfaction – even when it’s difficult – to you and value to others.

How might leaders make leadership meaningful?

What drains leadership of meaning?

The Simplest Way to Have a Meaningful Day

3 Things that Make a MEANINGFUL Vision

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5 Awesome Ways to Energize Your Day

One of the five factors of well-being is energy to get things done.

You die a slow death when you don’t energize your day. Vacation might help but those who neglect their energy insult their potential.

You are responsible for your energy.

Problems seem smaller, people seem less irritating, and the future looks brighter when you feel energized.

Arrogance and fatigue:

Arrogance believes it’s above the rules. The cycle of depletion and renewal cannot be ignored. The unalterable law of energy cannot be violated.

The person who neglects their energy dissolves resolve and dilutes opportunity.

5 ways to energize your day:

#1. Shift your thinking about challenges.

Nagging problems never end.

1. Avoid setting random deadlines.
2. Determine what progress looks like today.
3. Adapt to changing situations. Failing to reach an irrelevant goal is success.
4. Choose what matters to you.

#2. Establish a routine.

Predictability strengthens focus. Develop morning and evening routines.

#3. Break a routine.

You’re stuck when you don’t alter routines.

#4. Finish everything on your to-do list.

A thousand to-dos drain you. Finish stuff.

“The key to getting through challenges is to not worry about tomorrow but to win today.” John Gordon

Create a to-do list you can complete today.

#5. Reject frivolous optimism.

Life isn’t Disneyland and leadership isn’t a walk in the park. Some days you’ll wonder if it’s worth it.

Many things that suck the life out of you aren’t worth it.

Expectations that drain you:

1. Things should be easier. Things that matter are usually harder than you think.
2. Happiness and fulfillment aren’t the same thing. You can be sad and fulfilled at the same time.
3. People should appreciate you. People don’t appreciate how much work it takes to excel at any meaningful activity.

Personal energy is more important than skill, talent, or resources.

What simple daily practice might energize your day?

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24 Ways to Challenge People Without being a Jerk-Hole

Performance is about rigorous standards, high expectations, clear goals, and providing support.

Challenge people and be tenderhearted.

“The best leaders are toughminded on standards and tenderhearted with people.” Doug Conant

24 ways to challenge people without being a jerk-hole:

1. Like people. Leaders who dislike people become self-affirming jerk-holes.
2. Build on progress. Don’t nitpick success. Challenge people to press forward.
3. Notice strengths and encourage growth. Challenge people by committing to growth and development. Be supportive by noticing strengths.
4. Respect contribution and set high standards. Don’t tolerate drifting. Say, “You have more in you.”
5. Build momentum by honoring wins, not complaining. Chronic complainers drain people.
6. Fight-for more than you fight-against.
7. Listen attentively. Judge slowly.
8. Inquire about meaningful issues. Get beyond the weather. Explore dreams and aspirations.
9. Correct optimistically. Challenge people to challenge themselves.
10. Set high standards and pull-with.
11. Brag about others. Bragging is good when it’s about others.
12. Receive help. People love to be helpful as long as it’s appreciated.
13. Forget about small irritations.
14. Don’t make excuses for yourself or others.
15. Practice self-love and challenge yourself. Self-love gone bad is self-indulgent and hypocritical.
16. Exude quiet confidence. Don’t put yourself down. Centeredness makes you inspirational.
17. Tell the truth with kindness. Don’t dance around issues.
18. Remember names.
19. Notice when people light up. People learn about themselves when you say, “Your eyes just lit up. What’s going on for you?”
20. Seek the best interest of others.
21. Don’t speak with defensiveness.
22. Laugh. Humor is attractive and contagious. Laugh at yourself. Laugh with others.
23. Teach your face to express your heart. It takes more muscles to frown but it’s usually easier than smiling.
24. Open the blinds. Let yourself be seen, warts and all as long as you’re committed to improve. Share a little about yourself. Engage in friendly banter.

Which of the above practices could you implement today?

What would you add to the above list?

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