Tag: Personal Leadership

Only Going to Say This Once

Please listen carefully.  This simple fact about public speaking may be the key to becoming a more effective leader.

But only if people listen very carefully, and not rush through this.

Here’s the truth about being a Professional Speaker:

  • If you look out at your audience and they look bored, you’re boring them
  • If you look out and they are on fire, you lit it

Leaders hate to admit they sometimes stink are not highly effective. This makes them look bad and feel horrible. Who wants that?

But the simple truth is, if the people around you don’t seem passionate about their work, their mission, their customers, guess what?

PS.  If your team is on fire with passion, mission, service, guess what?

Seth Godin’s Top Book Picks

Seth Godin announced his November Top Book picks. Click here.

Most people, like I was three months ago, are clueless who Seth Godin is.

If you are serious about your career, and committed to becoming better at your leadership performance, and especially your leadership thinking, you better should become familiar with Seth Godin.

I first read Purple Cow (about being remarkable) and now Tribes (about, well, stay tuned).

Seth Godin is also on You Tube and you can start to see how refreshingly different, and amazingly brilliant, his thinking is.

But wait. I almost forgot. Most humans (like 90%) are not proactively seeking change.  Leaders say they embrace change, but how often do you see leaders transforming themselves and others?

Conformity Leadership Insight

“The reason they want you to fit in is that once you do, then they can ignore you.” — Seth Godin

Bet most of you have never seen it from that vantage point before. Have you?  Not me.

Until today.

Standing out, or being remarkable, usually makes others uncomfortable. Everyone’s so competitive.

When was the last time you saw people rushing to become the most homogeneous?

Usually 50% At Best

Trust. Distrust.

Like.  Dislike.

Do you trust your leader?  Do you like your leader?

Take President Barack Obama, or any President for that matter.  Usually, at best, a President receives between 50-60% of the popular vote.  More or less half. Stay with me here.

What this means is the other half don’t like and don’t trust the President, relatively speaking.

And it’s the same in large organizations and small businesses. Seriously, it is.

Why do we try so hard to be liked, when in reality, the best we can ever hope for is about half.

Take Simon Cowell, from American Idol (yes, many of you hate Simon and the show), while many people do not like him, everyone trusts that he will tell the truth.

And the reason we know Simon will always tell the truth, is because he always does. Sounds simple, but Simon is consistent to a fault. He’s honest even if it’s “bad news”.

And yet, he’s crystal clear about his mission – select the very best singer. Period. Determine the “Gold Medal” winner. Select the next American Idol.

Most don’t like him. Most absolutely trust him.

If trust is the most important leadership characteristic, who gives a flip about being liked?

Passion Trust Vision Decisiveness

Passion Trust Vision Decisiveness.

Wait, jungle jeff is going to change his top leadership characteristic again. First it was Trust, then Vision, and finally Passion.

Now you’re saying it’s decisiveness?

Well, maybe.

Just kidding.  Passion.  Number one leadership trait. Passion.

Can you imagine trusting someone without passion? Can you imagine a vision not inspired by passion?