You are here: Home / 0 / Archives for May 2014

Remembering Great Leaders on this Memorial Day

May 26, 2014 By

In the darkest days of the first half of the twentieth century, as desperation, tyranny, and brutality ran rampant in the world, Great Leaders came to the fore and shared their visions of a better world; a world in which desperation was overcome by hope and prosperity; a world in which tyranny was defeated and the forces of democracy were victorious; a world in which brutality gave way to kindness and a spirit of sharing. Great Leaders such as …

  • Franklin Roosevelt – In the darkest days of the Depression, President Roosevelt stood before the American People and acknowledged the truths and economic realities of the times. He then reminded them of all the blessings this country enjoyed and shared with them his vision of a better country, a better economy, and a plan to achieve these results. Nine years later, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, this same President stood before the Congress and the American People and shared his vision of victory declaring, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory … With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph.” In both cases, the American People responded and gained the victories he foresaw.
  • Winston Churchill – As the island nation of Great Britain stood alone against the Nazi onslaught, Prime Minister Churchill boldly told the British People that he had “nothing to offer but blood, sweat, and tears.” When asked what his wartime policy would be, he stated plainly, “You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.” Churchill shared his vision of ultimate victory clearly, concisely, and inspired his nation and its empire to persevere against all odds; and, in the end, the people responded with dedication, determination, and shared sacrifice until the ultimate victory was won.

The visions articulated by these Great Leaders inspired the people of their nations. Many citizens stepped forward to serve in the various branches of the military; and, many of these citizens made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the survival of our way of life and the rights that we hold dear. As we celebrate this Memorial Day, let us pause to remember those who have sacrificed so much over the centuries to protect and preserve the freedoms that we enjoy. May God bless them and comfort them and their families.

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, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Which Leader Would You Rather Follow?

May 18, 2014 By

Two individuals, Joe and Mary, were hired into sales positions for the same company. They had different sales managers, Travis and Ray, who also served as their sales trainers. They completed the basic sales training courses in the classroom which taught them all about the company’s products and the company’s basic sales presentation. They received the same scores on their product knowledge tests. Now, it was time to venture out “into the field” where they would be meeting with real customers under the watchful eyes of their respective sales managers. Joe and Mary agreed to meet for a light dinner after their first day of “field work” to compare notes. When they met for dinner, they found that they had experienced very different days.

Joe had worked with Travis. After each customer meeting, Travis pointed out everything that Joe had done wrong. Travis told Joe everything he had to “fix” before they went out on more sales calls the next day. Joe concluded by stating that he had made no sales, was disappointed and frustrated, and was questioning his future in sales.

Mary, on the other hand, had spent the day working with Ray. After each customer meeting, Ray asked Mary to identify the things that she felt she had done well. Ray then pointed out things that he felt Mary had done well but she had not mentioned. Ray then asked Mary what she felt she could improve on and, through a series of questions, guided her as to how she could make those improvements. Mary concluded with the statement that, while she had not made a sale either, she was eager to make more calls the next day and was confident that would make sales.

Great Leaders understand that a major part of their role is to help team members discover their skills, their competencies, and what they do especially well. Rather than tearing down team members, they help build the team member’s confidence while building their skill sets as well. This does not mean that Great Leaders ignore those things that need to be changed and improved; but, Great Leaders help the team member identify those things for themselves and discover, for themselves, what must be done to become better every day.

If you will be a Great Leader, ask yourself who you would rather work with … Travis or Ray; then, model the behaviors of the leader you prefer and build the people you have been given the privilege of leading.

Click “Comment” and share your experiences of working with a “Travis” or a “Ray” type of leader.

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, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How Much Supervision Does a Great Leader Really Need to Provide?

May 11, 2014 By

Have you ever worked for a manager who felt it necessary to micromanage your every task? Did you consider that manager to be a Great Leader? Probably not.

Mediocre managers and mediocre leaders have little or no confidence in the team members that they have been given the privilege of leading. They have the belief that, without their personal supervision, their attention to every little detail, no one can do the job properly.

Great Leaders, on the other hand, provide team members with the ingredients needed to get the job done … get it done right … and, get it done on time.

  • Great Leaders provide the parameters with clear and understandable directions. Team members know what is expected and what the desired outcome is. Team members also have confidence that if there is something that they do not understand or know how to do, they can ask for clarification or help knowing that they will receive what is needed … not derision and accusations of incompetence.
  • Great Leaders provide the tools required to accomplish the task and attain the desired outcome. If the tools are not readily available, they help the team obtain what is needed.
  • Great Leaders give team members room to get the job done. Great Leaders don’t hover over the team members and constantly interfere, critique, and kibitz. While they may be close at hand and available, they afford each team member, and the team, the opportunity to find the answers and solutions for themselves.

Great Leaders take pride in the ability of team members to work efficiently and effectively with a minimum of supervision. While always available to assist where it is needed, Great Leaders do not see their own presence and micromanagement as a necessary ingredient of success.

Share your story of working with a Great Leader 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: Uncategorized

A Great Leader Genuinely Cares!

May 5, 2014 By

One of the hallmarks of a Great Leader is a caring attitude. Great Leaders genuinely care about the people that they have the privilege of leading. Not long ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and working with a Great Leader that I’ll call Katie.

Katie is the Human Resources Manager at a company. Like many companies today, Katie’s company offers a number of benefit options that allows each employee to select benefits from a “menu” empowering each employee to “tailor” a benefits package that best fits the employee’s needs and the needs of his/her family.  Part of Katie’s job is to make certain that all of the employees complete their benefits sign up.

Like many HR Managers, Katie conducted an employee meeting to distribute the most current benefits book. Like most HR Managers, Katie told the employees the first day and the last day on which they could submit their choices. At this point, Katie had completed the responsibilities delineated in her job description. This is also the point at which she began going “above and beyond” her assigned tasks.

First, she took the time to make sure that she fully understood each of the benefit options and what differentiated one from another. She took the time to answer employee questions. She asked questions to better understand the employee’s family situation. She offered suggestions without ever telling the employee what he/she should do. She followed up with employees to make certain that they had made and submitted their choices.

I was fortunate enough to witness these things and had an opportunity to talk with Katie. As we talked about her obvious care for the people she worked with, she made a comment that demonstrated how much she cared.

“The benefits the company provides are a big part of each employee’s compensation. If I don’t do everything I can to make sure that each person gets the best benefits for their family needs, it’s the same as me not giving them every paycheck they’ve earned.”

In these two sentences, Katie summed up the caring attitude of every Great Leader. Great Leaders genuinely care about the people that they have been given the privilege of leading; want the people to receive all of the compensation, all of the recognition, all of the honor that they have earned. Thank you, Katie, for providing this example of great leadership in action!

Have you had the privilege of working with a Great Leader who similarly demonstrated how Great Leaders care about the team members that they lead? Click “Comment” and share your story.

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: Uncategorized