If you are a regular reader of this site, then you know from time-to-time I go through my old files to clean up clutter and provide you with a number of lessons which will help you lead your teams better.
The following are a series of insights which will improve your leadership:
USA Today, March 2nd
- Successful Leaders Sense Opportunity – Dougray Scott was originally casted to play the iconic character Wolverine in the X-Men movies in 1999. However, he chose to play the primary antagonist in Mission Impossible II instead. The role then went to Hugh Jackman.
- Then Successful Leaders Seize Opportunity – After the movie’s opening, Jackman’s wife Deborrah-Lee Furness said to him, “I think this is going to change everything.”
- Don’t Chase Big Paychecks. Chase Recurring Paychecks. – If you play the villain in a Tom Cruise movie, the reality is you will not survive. This will be a one movie deal. However, the Wolverine would allow for a franchise and series of great paydays. It appears Scott made a short-term decision. Jackman was the long-term beneficiary. For my review of the incredible movie Logan, click HERE.
- Smart Leaders Count What Counts – Too many leaders prioritize things which do not impact the bottom line. McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said, “We must grow guest counts. It’s as plain and simple as that.” Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Business Development Lucy Brady added, “We have to attract more customers, more often. We lost hundreds of millions of visits from our core customers – students, teachers, construction workers.”
- If You Want To Get Better As A Church Or Business Start By Getting Better – To attract customers, McDonald’s is doing more than talking about it. They are improving the quality of their food and introducing products like coffee which provide opportunities for growth and people want.
- Honoring The Past Allows You To Move Into Your Future – We are all standing on someone else’s shoulders. Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper said, “The biggest thing that bothers me with these young kids is that they don’t know the tradition of the game…and that’s absurd to me.”
- A Leader’s Greatest Ability Is Their Availability – Harper added, “I feel like everybody goes through aches and pains during the season. You can’t make excuses. What’s the point? You’re still playing. That’s just part of the game. Part of sports. You just play through those. I feel I should be out there every day, playing hard for my team.”
- A Leader With A Positive Attitude And Vision For The Future Instills Confidence In People – Facing widespread criticism and skepticism, President Donald Trump recently delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress. ICMA-RC Chief Investment Officer Wayne Wickmer said, “I think investors were set up for hearing a real negative speech, which is more indicative of Trump’s style. Just having a positive tone suggests to investors that his fiscal policies might have a better opportunity to move forward.”
USA Today, March 9th
- Hiring A Coach Makes Even The Best Leaders Better – Several years ago, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki hired Holger Geschwindner as his personal shooting coach. The results – earlier this month Nowitzki became the 6th player in NBA history to score 30,000 points.
- Focusing On The Fundamentals Is Critical To Your Success – Mavericks Director of Player Personnel Tony Ronzone said, “It shows that you don’t have to be the most athletic player in the world, but if you’re fundamentally skilled, you can have success and make it in the league.”
Other
- The Power Of A Great Idea – “A man’s mind, [when] stretched by a new idea…never shrinks back to its former dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
- Smart Leaders Create Multiple Options For Themselves – Steve Fortunato, manager of classically trained guitarist and former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams, said of him, “[Baseball] essentially just interrupted his music career.”
Sports Illustrated, October 10, 2016
- Great Talent Cannot Overcome Sub-Par Personality – After being traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning, star player P.K. Subban noted, “People said it was a hockey trade. I think it’s the furthest from that. I think it was a personality trade.”
Sports Illustrated, November 14, 2016
- You Never Have To Recover From A Good Start – Missouri Tiger head football coach Gary Pinkell said, “On defense, as always, try to generate a negative play on first down, which remains the best way to kill a drive.”
Sports Illustrated, December 12, 2016
- Trying To Be Someone Else Leads To Failure – Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis said, “We’re not Ohio State; we’re not Michigan. We stated attain success because we tried to become Michigan State, not somebody else, about a decade ago. If you start to sway back to ‘We need it because they have it,’ you quickly become put into a position of failure.”
- Leaders Become Great By Hanging Around Other Great Leaders – Hollis noted, “If you surround yourself with greatness,you become a better individual over the long run…You can be the greatest athletic department in the world, and if you’re the only one, what does that do for you? Your value comes from your interactions with other institutions, other programs.”
What is one lesson from the list above which if you apply, will make you a better leader?
Click HERE or on the image to the left and as a free gift for subscribing to this site, you can receive my new Ebook 1269 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2016’s Top Christian Leadership Conferences. Featured are the Johnny Hunt Mens Conference, ReThink Leadership, Orange and Leadercast Conferences among others. If applied, these insights will make you an exponentially better leader. Enjoy!!!