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What Is Your Greatest Asset as a Leader?

October 5, 2014 By

It’s interesting the answers you get to this question. Some will say that the leader’s greatest asset is the authority bestowed by the job title, the corner office, the position power. Others will respond that it’s the leader’s ability to change things for the better; to improve systems. Still others will cite tangible assets such as cars, houses, investment portfolios, and the like. Great Leaders know better. They will tell you that all of these things are frills; not great assets.

Great Leaders know that their greatest assets are the people that they have been given the privilege of leading. Great Leaders will be the first to tell you that, without dedicated and committed team members who willingly choose to follow, they can accomplish little.

Great Leaders will also tell you that their greatest investment is the time they spend with their team members; time invested in learning about each team member’s wants and needs; time learning about each team member’s values and priorities. Great Leaders do not use this information to manipulate people. Rather, they use this information to help each individual grow, to showcase each individual’s talents so that they are given the opportunity to excel and advance.

Have you had the opportunity to work with someone who saw you as a great asset? Share your story by clicking “comment”.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

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How Do Great Leaders Inspire Hope?

September 22, 2014 By

Great Leaders know that, in a perfect world, we would live enchanted lives where everything works exactly as we expect it to; where plans always yield the ideal outcomes; where obstacles are few and easily overcome. However, reality has shown us that we do not live in a perfect world. Things don’t always work as we expect them to. The best laid plans can and do go awry and yield less than perfect outcomes. We will encounter obstacles, some of which will not be easily overcome.

This is when the Great Leader is given the opportunity to shine. Great Leaders inspire hope. Inspiration and hope are their “stock in trade”. How do they do this?

  • They see the opportunity – Setbacks only become impediments to progress when we allow them to do so. Great Leaders see that every challenge presents an opportunity for creativity, innovation, to bring the special talents of a team member to the forefront where all can see it.
  • They look for solutions, not who to blame – Great Leaders are not interested in playing the blame game. In many ways, who is responsible for creating the problem is unimportant; who can solve the problem is the key.
  • They encourage – Anyone can be a critic. It takes no real talent to criticize the work of others. Great Leaders, on the other hand, encourage team members to try new things, to be creative, to innovate. Even if an idea does not work, the Great Leader praises the individual for being willing to try something that is “outside the box”.

While people can be forced to follow a mediocre leader due to that individual’s title or position, they choose to follow a leader who maintains a positive and hopeful attitude no matter how discouraging the situation may appear. They choose to follow a leader who inspires them and gives them reason to believe that the best is attainable. Great Leaders inspire such hope.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Who Made You the Leader?

September 14, 2014 By

As children, we often had the experience of someone telling us what to do and how to do it. We wondered and often asked, “who made you the leader?” or words to that effect. If the person telling us what to do was an adult, hopefully, we were wise enough to not ask that question. But, if the person telling us what to do was another child, a peer, we usually asked the question loudly and with great conviction. Today, I believe we have a much clearer picture of who made you the leader.

The dictionary defines a leader as, “1. a person or thing that leads. 2. a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group”. Please note that nowhere in this definition does it say that a leader holds a specific management position, political office, or designated job. Rather, it tells us that a leader is a person who leads, guides, or directs others. So, how does a leader do these things.

  • Leaders inspire others to dream. No great thing is accomplished by dreams alone. But, great accomplishments require big visions, big dreams of what might be possible “if only…”
  • Leaders encourage others to learn. Consider the Wright brothers. They had the dream of one day flying. But they knew that they did not know enough yet to make that dream come true. So, they studied birds and the shape of their wings and noticed what we now know as an airfoil, the shape that creates lift and enables the birds to soar.
  • Leaders motivate others to do more. Great achievements require great effort. When many are tired and tempted to give up, leaders help them keep the vision in sight and put forth the extra effort needed to turn that dream into reality.
  • Leaders empower others to become more. A young man facing an Eagle Scout Board of Review stated that a leader inspires someone to achieve things that he/she never thought could be done. It is still one of the best definitions of a leader I’ve heard.

Who made you the leader? If you did any of these four things, you made you the leader by doing so. If you did all four, you are well on your way to being a Great Leader.

Have you known a leader who inspired you to become more than you already were; to do more than you had previously done; to learn more and grow; to dream of the possibilities? Click “comment” and share that experience.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Where Were You, Really, When You Said You Were “There”?

August 17, 2014 By

I recently received a picture from a friend showing a hand holding a “smart phone”. On the screen of the phone were the words, “Putting your phone away and paying attention to those talking to you? There’s an app for that. It’s called RESPECT.” This photo reminded me of an incident that I was involved in many years ago as well as a meeting I attended a few years ago.

In the first instance, I had just been appointed to manage a branch office by my first agency manager, Ray. Ray had come to Tucson to meet with me; to review my actions over the first 60 days in my new office; and, to help create a plan that would grow the branch office in the coming months. As we talked, my telephone rang and I answered it. (Keep in mind that this is well before “Caller I.D.” told us who was calling) Ray sat patiently and waited while I spoke with the caller. When I hung up the phone and turned to resume my conversation with Ray, he fixed me in a firm stare and said, “Son, do you realize that when you interrupt a conversation you are having with one person to answer the phone, you are essentially telling that individual that while you don’t know who is calling, anyone is more important than the person you are talking to? Don’t ever do that to me again!”

Many years later, I attended a meeting with two other individuals, John and Joseph. John had been working on a research project assigned to him by Joseph and was now to deliver his findings. When the project was first given to John, Joseph repeatedly stressed how the information was urgently needed; how the findings of John’s research could play a huge part in determining the future success of the company.

On the morning of the meeting, John confidently walked into the meeting room and took his place at the conference table and awaited Joseph’s arrival. Joseph arrived late to the meeting, sat down at the head of the table and drew his cell phone from his pocket placing it on the table in front of him. “Tell me what you found,” he told John.

As John began his report, Joseph’s cell phone vibrated on the table and Joseph picked it up and read the message on the screen. “Go on, John, I’m listening,” he said. A few minutes later, the phone rang and Joseph answered it as if John was not talking. John stopped and waited for Joseph to end the call which, based only on the half that he and I could hear, was clearly a casual conversation and not an urgent matter. When the call ended, Joseph turned to John and said, “Well, go on, what are you waiting for?” This pattern of behavior continued throughout the meeting. At meeting’s end, John and I left the office and I heard him mutter, “I wonder if he even heard a word I said?”

Great Leaders do not treat associates in this manner. Great Leaders show the same level of respect for their associates that they expect from those associates. Great Leaders make certain that they are present when an associate asks for time with them. Great Leaders give the person(s) that they are with their total and undivided attention … they are truly present when they are “there”.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Must a Great Leader Have Humility?

July 22, 2014 By

This past week, I had the chance to talk with a man who I knew and respected; but, I had never considered him to be a leader. Our conversation changed my mind on this point.

He shared a story about a situation in which he had recently found himself; a situation in which he disagreed with an associate. As he recounted the incident, it became clear that, while the disagreement had been resolved, it still bothered him … a lot. When he finished his story, I told him that I sensed the incident was still bothering him even though, by his own admission, the disagreement had been resolved and the incident had been put behind them. It was his response that changed my opinion of him as a leader. He said,

“I was put in charge of this project because my judgment was trusted; because people believed that I could separate my personal feelings from the position and its authority and do what was right and best for the group. In this case, I failed … I allowed my personal feelings to override my judgment and create conflict where I should have been preventing it. I handled the whole thing badly.”

I asked him what he thought he should have done; or, were he to find himself in that situation again, what would he do differently. After a few minutes of silence, he shared with me what he thought he should have done; what he would do differently; how he should have responded to his associate.

Great Leaders recognize that they are imperfect human beings; that they will sometimes make mistakes. Rather than ignoring their imperfections, they review the event that they feel could have been better handled, they reflect on it and look at the options that they did not initially consider. Great Leaders have the humility to acknowledge that they can still improve their leadership skills. They see these errors in judgment as opportunities to learn and to grow, to become better leaders. This conversation made me realize that this gentleman was, in fact, a leader who was well on his way to becoming a Great Leader.

The odds are that you, too, have had this kind of opportunity to improve your leadership skills; to become a better leader, perhaps a Great Leader. Click comment and share your experience.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Is Never Making a Wrong Decision a Sign That You Are Not Making Enough Decisions?

June 30, 2014 By

Helen was recently promoted into a leadership position. She was happy with her new job and new title and recognized that she was going to be making decisions in situations that she had never had to face before. She also knew that her new supervisor, Victoria, was going to be judged by her bosses since she had promoted Helen ahead of more senior and experienced people. In fact, Helen’s old manager would now be reporting to Helen.

When facing situations requiring a decision during the first few weeks, Helen would analyze the facts and personalities involved; consider all of the options that were available to her; and then, she would sit down with Victoria to review all of the facts, the options, what she thought her decision should be and why. In most cases, Victoria would endorse the course of action that Helen proposed. But, occasionally, Victoria would point out facts or background considerations that Helen was not aware of that needed to be considered.

Victoria understood that Helen wanted to make the right decision. However, she also knew that vacillation and delays in decision making made Helen look indecisive and weak; like a follower rather than a leader. So Victoria had a heart-to-heart talk with Helen, telling her

“Helen, I chose you for this job because I believe you are intelligent and have the ability to reach logical conclusions based on facts and the personalities involved; to examine evidence and available options and reach the best possible decision. Make decisions. Right or wrong, I’ll back you in public. If you make a poor decision, we’ll talk privately and determine what might have been considered and what might have been done differently. Be decisive and understand that if you don’t make a wrong decision from time to time, you aren’t making enough decisions.”

As a result of this “pep-talk”, Helen became more decisive. She made good decisions for the most part and, in the end, she became a Great Leader who mentors others to become the Great Leaders of the future.

Have you had the privilege of working with someone like Victoria who helped you to become a better leader? Share your story here by clicking “comment”.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?

June 15, 2014 By

Over the years, I’ve listened to many individuals talk about the type of leader that they would prefer to follow. While they cite many different leadership traits, they usually come back to one trait that seems to be almost universally desired. They want a leader who “walks the talk”.

Perhaps this was best expressed by one of the great entrepreneurs of the late 19th century, Andrew Carnegie, who stated, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”

Make no mistake. People can and do listen with their eyes. All of the well spoken platitudes from someone whose plan is to “fake it ’til you make it” vanish like a puff of smoke in a breeze when the behavior of the speaker is at odds with the spoken word.

Great Leaders know this and live their lives in such a way as to make certain that their behavior and their words are congruent.

  • When asking that they be treated with respect, Great Leaders treat others respectfully.
  • Desiring to be treated courteously, Great Leaders treat others with the same courtesy that they desire.
  • When speaking, they want others to listen. Thus, when others speak, Great Leaders give the speaker their undivided attention and actively listen, asking questions to better understand the speaker’s intent and meaning.
  • Asking others to arrive on time, Great Leaders arrive early and stay late.
  • Wanting a 100% effort from others, they devote their entire being and effort to the task at hand.

Great Leaders know that their actions will speak far more loudly than their words. They lead by example and demonstrate the character and traits that they desire from others. Who are the Great Leaders in your life that set the examples that you choose to emulate? Share your story by commenting below.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Can You Impact the Life of Another and Not Even Know It?

April 15, 2014 By

I recently attended an Eagle Scout’s Court of Honor and heard the Eagle Scout give credit to those who had helped him along the way. He presented what is known as an “Eagle Mentor Pin” to several individuals, citing what each had done to help him reach Scouting’s highest rank.

As the young man talked about one of his Mentors, he related how, when he was only 11 years old, this individual had made a comment to the effect that the young man really had no choice but to become one of the few who attain this honor, that it was his destiny to become an Eagle Scout. The young man went on to tell that whenever he thought about quitting, he would remember this comment and it kept him working toward the goal.

Later that evening, I got to talk with the Mentor and I asked him about that comment. Had he really told the young man that he was destined to become an Eagle; that he had no choice; that it was something he had to do? The Mentor smiled and shook his head from side-to-side saying, “You know, I have no memory of that conversation. I don’t remember telling him that. Clearly though, it made a big impression on him.”

Great Leaders often say and do things without really thinking about the positive impacts they are making on others. They may offer encouragement when it is needed most; guidance without realizing that the recipient is feeling lost; an encouraging word to someone who is feeling down; and, they don’t even realize that what they’ve done could be making all the difference in the world to that person.

Perhaps what is most encouraging about this is that the impact the Great Leader has made does not stop there. Like the ripples on a pond spreading out from where a tossed pebble breaks the surface, that impact is passed from its original recipient to others with whom that original recipient interacts for the rest of his or her life. Someday, somewhere, that original recipient will recall how his or her life was changed for the better by someone who took the time to care and will pass along that encouragement to another. Great Leaders make the lives of others better and oftentimes don’t even know that they’ve done it.

Who was the Great Leader that made your life better? Have you passed it along to someone else yet? Perhaps the opportunity to make a life changing impact is still in your future. Perhaps you have already made it. There are many opportunities in the world for you to do this.  Look around and you will find them.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

An Eagle’s Eye View of Mentoring

February 23, 2014 By

Not every boy who joins Boy Scouts becomes an Eagle Scout. In fact, statistics tells us that fewer than 5% of Scouts will attain this rank. What I find especially interesting is the fact that every Eagle Scout I’ve ever met has stated that there was always at least one individual who played a key role in helping them attain the highest rank that Scouting offers; someone who served as a mentor and helped the young man achieve his goal.

In recent conversations with three gentlemen who, as youths, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, I asked them to talk about their mentors and what made those individuals Great Leaders and Great Mentors. Here are the characteristics that they cited. Unsurprisingly, each of the young men cited the same trait first …

  • They lead by example – The way great mentors live their lives and conduct themselves in all that they do constantly reinforces the values that they preach and the desire to achieve the goals that they set.
  • They want to be a mentor – Mentoring is a lot of work and the truly great mentors know it. Mentoring is not something that is done for a few minutes every now and then. It’s a full-time job because the mentor never knows when he/she is going to say or do something that rocks the mentee’s world and changes that world.
  • They are great listeners – Oftentimes, the mentee will tell the mentor what he/she needs at that point in time. It seldom is an outright statement of, “what I need today is…” Rather, the need is usually buried between the lines and the great mentor sees/hears it and determines how best to meet that need.
  • They are supportive and want to help the mentee grow – When a great mentor sees someone struggling or doing a job incorrectly, they do not criticize or make fun of the person’s struggles. Rather, great mentors see the mentee’s struggle as an opportunity to help that person grow, to become more proficient, and help is given in an encouraging way. The great mentor “catches the mentee doing something right” and then builds on that foundation to foster improvement.
  • They hold themselves and others accountable – Great mentors accept their responsibility as a mentor and hold themselves accountable for their own actions or inactions. Likewise, they hold the mentee accountable and guide the mentee to the desired outcomes by holding up a mirror of self-evaluation and asking the mentee, “what did you do well; what can you do to improve; when will you make the improvements?”
  • They often ask; they seldom tell – The truly great mentors seldom tell the person that they are mentoring what to do or how to do it. Instead, they guide them through the use of questions. They help the person discover the answers for themselves. The great mentor knows that it is not necessary for the mentee to always answer every question correctly; but instead, knowing that there is a better answer, asks more questions that lead to the better answer, the more effective solution, the best decision.

These Eagles also pointed out that Great Leaders are often great mentors, but not always. They observed that Great Leaders seek out those who have the potential to become great mentors and provide them with the opportunity to fulfill their promise and potential.

Have you had a great mentor; or, have you been a great mentor? Click “comment” and share your story of mentorship here.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Integrity, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Will the Leader You Follow Nurture Your Talents and Help You Grow?

February 9, 2014 By

The great entrepreneur, author, and speaker Jim Rohn remarked, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.  And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

Normally, I agree with nearly everything Jim Rohn says. But, in this case, I believe that someone who is working for a Great Leader may be able to take exception to this quote.

Great Leaders have the unique ability to implement their plans for the attainment of their goals in ways that promote the growth and advancement of their followers. They recognize that with the privilege of leadership comes the responsibility to nurture the talents of those that they lead and to help the individuals on their teams grow both personally and professionally.

A Great Leader of my acquaintance used a method he called “Demonstrate/Alternate” to nurture and cultivate the skills of those he lead. He would first demonstrate how to handle a situation, encouraging the person that he was training to ask questions when they later reviewed the situation and how it was handled. Then, he would have the person he had trained deal with that situation the next time it arose. When he critiqued how the person had dealt with the situation, he would begin by asking “what do you feel you did well?”; “what would you do differently if you could do it all over again?” Only then would he offer his comments of what went well and what might be done differently.

If you want to be a Great Leader, seek out opportunities to help the members of your team grow. Provide those who choose to follow your lead with opportunities to learn by doing and promote their achievements to others who can help them grow and advance.

If you are one who follows the lead of another, you are not absolved of responsibility for your own career growth and advancement. Help your leader become a Great Leader by asking for chances to learn; first, by watching and then by doing. Take the initiative, set your goals, and create a plan that will help you reach those goals. If you do … and if you help your leader become a Great Leader … you just might find that, together, you accomplish far more than either of you thought possible.

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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