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Great Leaders’ Views of Helping Others Varies With Their Personality Type

January 25, 2015 By

Two weeks ago, I shared with you a friend’s view that committing even small acts of kindness required courage, risk, and sacrifice. We’ve had several conversations during the past week and he made a very valid point. It was that, “what does the individual person view as a sacrifice?”. He went on to cite how an outgoing person might view interaction as opposed to how a person who is not outgoing might view the same interaction with another person.

WOW! Has he made a good point. Consider the personality traits of the four COREMAP personality styles.

The Extroverted personalities, the Commanders and Entertainers among us, are very comfortable with interacting with others. In fact, interaction with others energizes both Commanders and Entertainers so much so that they will look for and create opportunities to do so.

  • Commanders tend to be interested in possibilities. For the Commander, helping another person is a step toward a brighter, more productive future. They see a situation requiring action and are born to be action takers. Reaching out to help another satisfies their need to affect outcomes.
  • Entertainers are friendly and tend to be curious about the unknowns. They are very adept at reading people and are excellent communicators and motivators For the Entertainer, that small, helpful, interaction is a chance to learn more about the other person; a chance to see what adventures their action can lead to; an opportunity to help another person reach their true potential.

Introverted personalities, Organizers and Relaters, are drained of their energy by interaction with others. For these individuals, interacting with others requires the commitment of a great deal of energy and for this reason they much prefer to stay quietly in the background

  • Organizers are very observant of details and abhor disorder and chaos. They tend to be good team players and will do what is necessary to ensure the success of the team. For the Organizer, the act of helping another presents the chance to bring order out of confusion; to learn facts and details that will help them solve problems; to take actions that promote the success of the team as a whole.
  • Relaters are very observant and tend to focus on the needs of others. For the Relater, committing a “random act of kindness” is all about meeting the needs of another person; resolving a problem with the aim of promoting the common good. Because these things are uppermost in their minds, Relaters are able to overcome their natural tendency to hang back in order to achieve these goals.

As my friend pointed out, in the final analysis, Great Leaders do not see that small act as a sacrifice. Rather, they see it as a part of their responsibility as a leader … to resolve problems; to take the actions that are required to create the desired outcome and lead the team to success; to help team members reach their full potential.

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, How personality type impacts leadership, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , ,

DO GREAT LEADERS SACRIFICE THEMSELVES OR INVEST IN OTHERS?

January 11, 2015 By

A friend recently posted a quote from an unknown source on his social media page. It stated that a person who cannot give up anything can change nothing. In the comments that followed, he explained his reason for agreeing with the original author stating that even a small act of kindness required courage, risk, and sacrifice.

This got me thinking about how Great Leaders view small acts of kindness. They do not, in my opinion, see them as a sacrifice; of time, of resources, of value. Rather, I believe that Great Leaders see these acts as investments in others.

Great Leaders take the positive point of view that they do not pay the cost of something; that they somehow have lost value or been diminished for having helped another. Great Leaders recognize that the giver in these situations is also enriched; been made to feel good about their act. Even better, Great Leaders know that they made a difference in the life of another. They do not need to know whether the difference was large or small; just that someone else benefited from their action.

Lest we think that the Great Leader has provided this act of kindness for purely selfish reasons, ask yourself these questions …

  • When someone complimented you on a job well done, did it make you feel that your effort had been noticed and appreciated?
  • When someone offered you a word of encouragement, did it make you believe in yourself just a little bit more?
  • When someone helped you do something without being asked to help, did it help you believe in the goodness of others just a little more than you did before?

While there are many more questions that could be added to the list above, I believe that you can see how you benefited from the act of another. Odds are, you may have, in that moment, crossed paths with a Great Leader or someone who is on the road to becoming a Great Leader. Please keep this in mind the next time you see an opportunity to commit a small act of kindness. It could make a far larger impact on the life of another than you can ever imagine.

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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GREAT LEADERS WELCOME 2015 WITH GOALS SET!

January 4, 2015 By

The great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said that, “A goal properly set is halfway reached”. As we welcome the new year, Great Leaders will ask themselves these questions …

  • Are the goals I’ve set clear in my mind? Great Leaders recognize that, first, they must have a clear vision of the future that they want to create. This cannot be a collection of vague ideas. The Great Leader must have the clarity of thought to know precisely what they desire the future to look like.
  • Am I communicating my vision clearly and with specificity? Great Leaders understand that, having been given the privilege of leading a team, they now have the responsibility to deliver specific goals and objectives. They cannot allow team members to wander aimlessly in the wilderness of generalities that is populated with only the current industry buzzwords. The Great Leader must communicate their vision with clarity and in sufficient detail that team members can see themselves turning that vision into a reality. In essence, they empower the team members to feel the warmth of the goal attainment sun on their faces long before they complete the journey … they can smell the sweet smell of success that beckons them onward.
  • Do I have a road map in my mind that tells me what steps must be taken in order to traverse the path between vision and reality? If the Great Leader is to guide the team, he or she must know how to get from Point A (the vision) to Point B (making that vision a reality). Like the captain of a sailing vessel, the Great Leader must be able to identify the correct route and ensure that it is taken. There must be a specific course set and adhered to; no orders to the helmsman to set a course “thataway”.
  • Have I delegated tasks to the people most qualified to perform them? COREMAP shows us that each personality type has strengths and weaknesses that can significantly impact job performance. For example, if the job requires close attention to detail, it is probably best to assign that responsibility to an individual who has an Organizer personality (lives for policies and procedures that make certain that the job is done right) rather than to the person with a Commander personality (sees the “big picture” and prefers not to deal with details) or the person who has an Entertainer personality (may or may not know where to find the details). If the team has a number of clashing personalities, the Great Leader knows the importance of including a person who has a Relater personality, someone who is skilled at helping team members find common ground and building consensus.

Great Leaders will ask and answer these questions; make adjustments as needed, and then, monitor progress toward the goal. With these questions answered, the Great Leader has taken the all-important first steps toward reaching the goals and turning the vision into reality. Make 2015 your best year ever!

Have you set your goals? Care to share? Click “comment” to share your goals for 2015 and how you will turn those goals into reality.

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, Goal Setting, Great Leaders, How personality type impacts leadership, Integrity, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, Personality Assessment, Personality types Tagged With: , , , ,

What Are the Key Ingredients When a Great Leader is Setting Goals?

December 28, 2014 By

Great Leaders face the end of the current year with a mixture of emotions. They feel a sense of nostalgia as they look back at the year that is ending. They feel pride in the accomplishments that have been recorded. They feel humbled by the recognition that, perhaps, not every goal has been reached (yet). They feel gratitude for the efforts of others that made goal attainment possible. They feel optimism that the coming year will bring new accomplishments and achievements. They feel excitement for the challenges ahead.

As we anticipate the coming of the New Year on Wednesday night, let’s take a few minutes to look at the goals we’ve set and the key ingredients that are needed if we are to reach the goals that we’ve established.

  • Have the goals been written down and made public? Great Leaders know that goal attainment requires some form of accountability. A quick search of the internet will yield a multitude of websites designed to help us set goals.  Some tell us to write them down on a piece of paper.  Others instruct us to record them in a page on-line.  Still others will suggest that we post them on one or more of our social media pages.  Whichever method we choose, the important thing is that we have them written down someplace so that we can see them regularly.  Making them public doesn’t necessarily mean that they must be posted to social media; but, it is important that others know about them and will hold us accountable for them. Remember that every Great Leader is accountable to someone or somebody; a Board of Directors perhaps. For our accountability partners to be able to hold us accountable for the goals we set, they must know what those goals are.
  • Are the goals we’ve set believable? For a goal to truly motivate us, we have to believe that we can achieve it.  W. Clement Stone wrote that, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.  To believe, we must be able to visualize ourselves reaching the goal and feeling the satisfaction that will come with the achievement.
  • Are the goals we’ve set specific? Goals that are vague aren’t really goals.  They are vague suggestions that provide no ultimate end point. To be truly motivating, the goals we set must be very specific. If the goal is to purchase a new car, the goal should specify not only the year, make, and model. It needs to specify the color, the options, the interior finish; everything about the car down to and including that “new car smell”.
  • Is the goal measurable? For a goal to truly motivate us, we have to be able to see how we’re progressing toward it and to know when we’ve reached it.  Let’s assume that the goal is to create an emergency fund that has 2 months of actual living expenses in it.  Since we know that our basic living expenses are $2,000 each month, we know that we need $4,000 in the fund.  Each month, we deposit $167 into the account and, when we get our bank statement, we can see the balance increasing by not only the deposits we make but by the addition of interest as well.  Viewing the increasing balance each month allows us to measure our progress toward reaching the goal.
  • Does the goal challenge us? Our goals need to be big enough to make us stretch.  Doing just enough to get by may keep our heads above water, but it won’t help us grow.  The sales person who knows that by doing the same thing every year he/she can reach his/her quota won’t grow and advance.  But, the sales person who challenges himself/herself to increase sales by an amount that requires a bit more effort is the person who rises to the top of the organization; both in terms of professional responsibilities and financially.
  • Does the goal inspire us? As the great motivational speaker Jim Rohn once suggested, setting the goal of earning enough money to pay our bills may be a goal, but it seldom inspires anyone.  Goals that inspire us to “go the extra mile” lead us to greatness.
  • Does the goal have a deadline? My first agency manager, Ray, told everyone that “goals are simply dreams with deadlines”. “Someday” is not a deadline.  “Someday” is a dream … an illusion … a mirage that may appear to be leading us somewhere we want to go; but, is really leading us to nowhere. Goals with specific deadlines help us see exactly where we are and how close we are to reaching the desired end-result.
  • Do we have a plan for reaching the goal by the deadline? Great Leaders know that goal attainment requires more than wishful thinking and hope. Reaching the goals that we set requires that we have a plan that details the actions that must be taken to reach the goal by the deadline. Whether the goal is a personal goal, a professional goal, a short-term goal, or a long-term goal, we need a plan, a road map if you will, showing what must be done to reach the goal. This road map must include “way points” along the way that we can check off and say “got it” because the more often we get to check off a way point reached, the more motivated we become to reach the ultimate goal. There is a real sense of achievement each time we check off a way point and get to say the words “got it”.

One year from today, each of us will look back at what we have accomplished in 2015.  Will we like what we see; or, will we look back with regret for what might have been?  Only you can determine what you will see. Make 2015 your best year yet!

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, Goal Setting, Great Leaders, Lead by Example, Lead from strength, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , ,

GREAT LEADERS SET GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

December 23, 2014 By

Soon, the curtain will fall on 2014; and, one second later, the curtain will rise on 2015. Great Leaders have a vision of what the coming year will look like and they share that vision in the goals that they set. I had the privilege of working with a coach a while ago and she shared these goal setting techniques with me.

  • Decide what you really want. Great Leaders know what they really want. They know … they don’t think they want something … they know what they want. That want is a passion that drives them forward. It motivates them every waking hour of their day.
  • They believe that their goal is attainable. The belief of a Great Leader is strong; so strong, in fact, that they cannot imagine that the goal won’t be reached. Not only is the goal a part of their vision of the future, they envision themselves having already attained it.
  • Their vision is specific. Ask Great Leaders about their vision and they will tell you all about it. If you listen closely, you find that the vision is very specific … they know exactly what the final outcome will look like; what it will feel like to reach it and mark the goal “got it!”
  • Their goals have timetables. Great Leaders know that time is of the essence and they apply this knowledge to their visions and their goals. “Someday” is not an appropriate timetable; “by December 31st, 2015” is a very specific timeframe for a goal. Great Leaders establish a timetable and then measure their progress toward the goal against this timetable. On any specific day, Great Leaders can tell you if they are “on track” to reach their goal by the end date; if they are ahead of schedule; if they are behind schedule. Knowing their status in reference to the timetable helps the Great Leader determine if more work must be done faster or if they can reach the goal sooner than anticipated.

Next week, we’ll take a closer look at goal setting and establish the parameters for setting meaningful goals that lead to accomplishments that may be greater than you have ever foreseen.

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

Even Bad Leaders Can Be Great Role Models

December 14, 2014 By

In the article titled, “Let Great Leaders Pause to Give Thanks”, we talked about the importance of Great Leaders taking time to give thanks. Reflecting this past week, I realized that there were a few thank you’s that I had neglected to offer. While Great Leaders are usually the result of the wonderful examples set by other Great Leaders, it occurred to me that, sometimes, bad examples are also instrumental in the development of a Great Leader.

This realization was prompted by a short time spent at the counter of a diner I ate at while traveling. It was late Saturday morning and the diner was relatively busy. The manager was standing at the “pass out window” where the cooks would set the plates that were ready to be delivered to the patrons at the tables. His job was to organize the various meals by ticket so that the server could pick up a tray and all of the meals for that table would be on the tray. While the manager was doing this, he was constantly yelling at the cooks and berating the servers. The overall attitude of the staff was very negative and it was reflected in the service that they provided. This incident brought to mind a time when I worked as a cook in a coffee shop and the manager, we’ll call him Larry, was a crude, rude, and verbally abusive drunk. I remember watching the way he treated everyone and thinking, “I don’t ever want to be a manager like him.” Through his bad example, he made me realize the importance of treating others with courtesy and respect regardless of their position in the company’s hierarchy. Thank you, Larry, for setting that example of how NOT to treat employees.

While I’ve frequently cited the great leadership skills of my first agency manager, Ray, I also recall the behaviors and actions of several agency managers that I met who belittled their agents, questioned the agents’ potential to “ever amount to anything”, treated staff members with disdain, were deceitful, and were generally rude to everyone. One of the agents who transferred to my agency after working for one of these other managers remarked, “I learned a lot from (former manager). I learned what I don’t want to be like.” Thank you, (former manager), for showing me why agents left other agencies to work for a different manager.

Great Leaders, today and always, learn from everyone around them. On some days, they see an example of how they want to lead, an example that they want to emulate. On other days, they see, first-hand, behaviors that they want to avoid at all costs. Regardless of which day it is, Great Leaders see and learn from everything and everyone around them. For this, we should all give thanks.

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, Leadership, Leadership Qualities Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Great Leaders on a Day in Infamy

December 7, 2014 By

On “December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy,” as President Roosevelt called it, the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor was attacked. Today marks the 73rd anniversary of that attack.

As President of the United States and leader of the American People, FDR made no effort to hide the fact that extensive damage had been sustained and many lives had been lost. He united the country in its resolve to undertake the hardships and sacrifices required in wartime. But he was not the only Great Leader on December 7th and the days that followed.

Men and women in the armed forces stepped up and organized efforts to fight back; led efforts to rescue individuals whose lives were in peril; and, cared for those who were injured and wounded.

Civilians volunteered to serve in  the military; organized and led to scrap metal drives; planted “victory gardens” in which they raised fresh fruits and vegetables; participated in “bond drives” so essential to the funding of the war effort;.

In the days following Pearl Harbor, the American people demonstrated that there is the potential to be a Great Leader in each of us; that, when circumstances require it, each of us is capable of leading others to do what is needed. Let us pause today to remember all of the “unsung leaders” of the Greatest Generation.

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

Let Great Leaders Pause to Give Thanks

November 23, 2014 By

Leaders who would be Great Leaders know that few become who and what they are alone; with no help. It is only fitting then that we as a people, and especially those among us who are leaders, should pause this week to give thanks for the many blessings we have received; and, for those individuals who have shared the knowledge and experiences that helped shape who we are today. Here are a few of the people and things for which I am thankful this year.

  • The love, encouragement, and support of my family – For me, it all starts here. Without the love and support of my family, I could not do what I do. I am especially thankful for my wife, Lin, who supports and encourages the work I do in the Scouting Community to help shape the character and values of the next generation of leaders.
  • The examples set by my parents – Without a doubt, my mother and father set an example of unconditional love and acceptance; honor and integrity; justice and fairness. I recognize today that they did not “preach” these values but rather provided the example by living them every day of their lives.
  • Friends and associates I call “Talent Scouts” – I have been blessed with a number of friends and business associates who have seen talents in me that I never suspected were there; and, they encouraged me to use those; to let them “come out and play”. Even when I questioned my own ability, they were steadfast and encouraged me to exercise and grow those talents. They are far too numerous to mention each by name; but, you know who you are and I hope you know how much I appreciate the encouragement and support you have provided.
  • The selfless men and women of Scouting – A standard and running joke among Boy Scout Volunteers is that “it’s only an hour a week”. For most of these dedicated leaders, volunteering entails far more than a single hour a week; yet, they continue to give of their time and talents … some for many years after their sons graduate from high school and even college.
  • The country in which I live – I am thankful that I live in the United States of America, a country in which I am free to make my own choices and succeed or fail on my own merit and effort. Ours is a country in which a person’s opportunities are not governed by the class into which they were born; not limited by a government that determines the education that they will be allowed to obtain or what job they will enter. I pray that the people of this nation will not cast aside these freedoms to pursue the mirage of “safety and security” wherein someone else makes these choices for them.
  • Finally – I am thankful that I am free to write what I believe and to give thanks for the blessings I enjoy without fear of reprisal from someone who does not agree with what I believe or how I offer up my thanksgiving. May God Bless the USA and all who reside here.

Those who are Great Leaders and those who would choose to become Great Leaders will take time this week to look around them, see how blessed they are, and offer up thanks. For what are you thankful? If you care to share, click “Comment” and tell others what you are thankful for.

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, Uncategorized, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , ,

Great Leadership Requires Teamwork, Right?

November 16, 2014 By

It’s a funny thing about Great Leaders. Their alphabet seems to be missing a letter. The alphabets of Great Leaders also seem to have a letter or character that appears to be missing from the alphabets that many people use. Have you figured out what letter is missing and what letter has replaced it?

Great Leaders seldom use the letter “I”. Listen carefully and you soon realize that you seldom hear, “I did this” or “I did that”. In fact, Great Leaders use the letter “I” so seldom that it is only natural to assume that it has been removed from their alphabet. Instead, they’ve added the letter (character?) “we”, as in “we did this” and “we did that”.

Assembling and using the talents of a team is one of the great talents of true leadership. It is the abandonment of the concept that one must do everything oneself in order to have it done right. It is the mark of a Great Leader to embrace the realization that together, we can do so much more that we could ever hope to accomplish individually.

I remember, as a child, hearing a story told by the great singer Tennessee Ernie Ford. He told of a father watching his son try to move a large rock. The boy tried pushing, pulling, rolling … everything he could think of. Still, the rock remained unmoved. Finally, the boy stepped away from the rock and declared that he could not move it. The father asked if he’d tried everything that could be done and the boy responded “yes”. The father thought a minute and then asked, “are you sure you’ve tried everything?”  Exasperated, the boy affirmed that he’d tried everything. The father waited a moment and then suggested that there was one more thing the boy could do. “What is that?”, asked the son. The father replied, “You could ask me to help.”

Great Leaders do not believe that they must be capable of doing all things well. Great Leaders recognize that there are people who have talents and strengths that they themselves do not possess. Great Leaders willingly accept this fact and ask those others to join a team that, together, will accomplish so much more than any one individual can achieve. And, in the end, when the goal has been met, the Great Leader gives credit where credit is due … to The Team.

Have you had the joy of being part of a team that accomplished more than its individual members could have done individually? Click “Comment” and share what made the leader of that team a Great 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 by Example, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Leaders See Greatness All Around Them

November 9, 2014 By

Do Great Leaders instill greatness in their followers; or, is the greatness already there and the Great Leaders find ways to draw the skills, talents, and greatness out of the team members for all the world to see? I would suggest that it is the latter and here is how they do it.

  • They believe – Great Leaders believe in the members of their teams. They have faith that the team can rise to any occasion and any challenge.
  • They demonstrate confidence – Great Leaders allow their faith in the team to be evident for all to see; especially for the members of the team.
  • They encourage – Great Leaders provide encouragement. If they can see that something is not working, or is not going to work, they do not discourage effort. Rather, they provide encouragement and guidance that leads the team in a direction that will work.
  • They provide praise – Great Leaders deflect credit for success away from themselves and direct credit to the members of the team that made the success possible.

Great Leaders see talent and potential greatness all around them. They attract that greatness in others. These people choose to follow someone who expresses faith, confidence, encouragement, and praise. Great Leaders do not fear that surrounding themselves with talented people will diminish them. Rather, Great Leaders know that their own star will reflect the brilliance of the teams they assemble … and they give credit to the team for making them look good.

Have you experienced the joy of following a Great Leader? 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 Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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