Everyday Leader

Priceless leadership principles that connect to everyday life for the everyday leader

Frank Boudreau

• Publisher: Elm Hill
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781400326693
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Nonprofit Organizations & Charities
• Index: Business

This book is a collection of leadership thoughts and principles that I know you will connect with in some way. But it wasn't intended to be read cover to cover in one sitting. I recommend you consider it like a devotional that you pick up and read a couple of times a week. For things like this I generally set a repeating calendar notice to remind me to spend a few minutes getting a bit of a leadership nugget or shot in the arm, so to speak. You could pick it up daily and read the book in a little over three months. Or you could schedule a couple days a week and spread it out over a year. So that each nugget or morsel has some time to really sink in as you apply the principle within. Whatever your style is, I know you will get some value out of this book and I trust it will have a positive impact on your ability to lead your team.

I have been a student of leadership for a very long time. I first read John Maxwell's book, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership", in 1998. At the time I was a 30-year-old manager just a couple of years into my first leadership role. That book shifted gears for me and certainly had an impact on my ability to lead. Since then I've read so many good books on leadership and other related topics and benefitted from them. I've learned many approaches, habits, techniques, etc. on how to lead effectively. But then I had to learn how to apply those things to my circumstances and situations. So, for 2 decades I continued to read and apply, learn and apply, hear and apply and I continue to do so. And as I have learned I have always made it a priority to share what I learned with those around me. First as a peer, then as a boss, then as a certified life coach, and more recently as a certified leadership coach and teacher. With every opportunity I pour into anyone who showed a desire to learn and grow. I share my personal experiences of how I applied the principles that I had learned and would often recommend some of the books that helped me. But I never found the book that I was looking for. The book that would help people connect the widely written about principles to their everyday situations. It was the day-to-day application that only comes from experience and is best shared by stories and examples. For that reason, I wrote this book. It is a collection of many of the stories and illustrations I have shared over the years to help those hungry to learn and grow in their ability to lead. If you happen to be one of the many who read my blogs or social media posts over the years I want to thank you for listening and I pray that it encouraged you in some way to continue to grow and give your best to those who you were leading. If this is your first time reading my work, I pray that it will impact you in the same way.

 

SECTION 1 Leading Yourself

Pull the String

“Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.”

—Dwight D. Eisenhower

Of course I’m not saying that the people we lead are strings, but what a mental picture when it comes to leading effectively. Think about it, the term “leading” itself infers being out in front.

So many leaders, when the pressure is on, try to “push” the team to get more or better results. Now there might be some temporary desired results, but those are rarely sustained at any level. People will only allow themselves to be “pushed” for so long before they start to either push back or walk away. The best employees will tough it out for as long as they can. They will give you the benefit of the doubt, extend grace and understanding, and do their best to be loyal. They will tell themselves, “Once we get past this rough spot it’ll be OK.” But even the best have a breaking point. And if you don’t start picking up on the signs, you lose them, too.

So get out there in front. Be an example, walk the walk, engage with the team, be the change.

Lead to learn, and you will learn to lead. Be blessed.

Take Action

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving.

They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”

—Conrad Hilton, executive

Are you an initiator? Are you constantly on the lookout for opportunity, or do you wait for it to come to you? Are you willing to take steps based on your best instincts? Or do you endlessly analyze everything? Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca said, “Even the right decision is the wrong decision if it is made too late.”

“If you haven’t pushed yourself lately and gotten out of your comfort zone, you may need to jump-start your initiative.”

—John C. Maxwell, author

Be aware of your surroundings. Be alert for what needs to be done and be ready to initiate the action needed to make it happen. If you wait for opportunity to knock on your door, it might be a very long wait. If you think your people need more training, be the first to start working with them and teaching them. If you think your area needs to be reorganized, take that first step and start sharing your vision with your people. If you feel morale is a little low, be the first to smile and say hello in the morning. If you wish your folks would be more helpful to each other, be the first to offer a helping hand. If you see a problem, start today taking steps to correct it.

Don’t wait for someone else to do it.

Let’s work toward being great leaders and start initiating the kind of actions and activities we would like to see in the people we lead.

Be blessed.

Dare to Dream

“I would rather fail at something I love than succeed at something I hate.”

—Mark Batterson, author

Why do we continue to do what we hate to do? Is it obligation? Is it duty? Is it, “I got to do what I got to do”? Maybe we just didn’t know we wouldn’t like it when we started but it’s, “Too late to change now.” Maybe we can’t afford to make the change.

There are countless reasons why we continue down life’s highway doing what we don’t like or even hate to do. But is it really worth continuing on that way? The fact is that we pay a hefty price for it. Typically the results are frustration, stress, dissatisfaction, less than excellent performance, unhappiness, drained at the end of the day, and the like. At the very least we simply aren’t enjoying life like we had hoped.

Can you put a price tag on happiness? Can you imagine a relatively stress-free life? No matter what you do there will always be difficult times regardless of your occupation or income. The difference is your state of mind when those times come your way and whether or not you are still standing when the storm is over. Are you able to withstand the winds of the storms? Or do you sometimes just run out of energy and collapse in despair and just pray for it to end?

We spend more than half of our waking hours doing the “job.” Some say we spend more time with coworkers than family. If that is really the case, wouldn’t it make sense to pursue a “job” that is personally rewarding and satisfying? Maybe it’s at the same company you work at now but just in a different capacity or position. Does it really matter what your “title” is? I mean at the end of the day, isn’t it more important that you were productive and actually got some satisfaction out of what you did for the day?

When you are doing a “job” that you really enjoy doing, the picture is much different. Typically the results are satisfaction, productive, enjoyment, positive influence, excellence in performance, good relationships, energy at the end of the day, and so on. The truth is, you would be adding value to your employer, your life, and the lives of those around you all at the same time.

I’m not telling you to quit your job today. It might take a long time to make a change like that. It could take many decisions over months or even years to put yourself in a position to do what you love to do. But hey, why not try? Even if it took years to get there, at least you eventually get there. If you don’t start making small changes and decisions, you’ll still be in the same position years down the road. But you’ll still be doing something you don’t like to do.

Perhaps you aren’t sure what “it” is that you would like or enjoy doing. Start trying to figure that out.

Dare to dream and dare to pursue that dream.

Be blessed.

You Get What You Pay For

“No one can do the minimum and reach his maximum potential.”

—John C. Maxwell

Have you ever heard the saying, “You get what you pay for”? I’m sure we all have. I also imagine you can recall a time when that loudly proved to be true. I remember standing in the middle of Walmart in front of a row of vacuum cleaners, trying to decide which one to get. Trying to keep a budget I didn’t want to spend too much but wanted a good one that would last a while. Hmmmm. You’ve been there, haven’t you? So I’m staring back and forth between the $79 one and the $109 one. $109 was a little more than I wanted to spend but was obviously better quality. As you can imagine I bought the $79 vacuum and I’ve regretted it ever since. One of these days when I feel I’ve gotten my $79 worth of use out of it I’ll definitely go buy the better one. I sure got what I paid for.

Here is one for you gear heads. Years ago I was building a 455 for my ’68 Pontiac and needed to decide on internal parts. I could buy cast pistons for $179 for the set or buy forged pistons for $379 for the set. Once again I opted for the “less expensive” parts. Within three weeks the nearly twelve-to-one compression in that massive engine destroyed two of the pistons. I replaced the two bad pistons and about four weeks later two more were destroyed. They were literally breaking between the compression rings. I sure got what I paid for. Finally I spent the $379 and bought the good pistons. I never had a problem after that.

The muscles in our bodies are designed in such a way that when we push and stretch close to the limit; they resist and get sore. But then something amazing happens—they actually grow and get stronger. A good athlete will work hard, but the great ones will work even harder and push themselves to the limit because they understand to get the maximum results they have to put in the maximum effort. And you get what you pay for. If you pay the maximum price you will get the maximum results.

Those basic principles apply to leadership as well. It takes effort, work, and sacrifice to grow as a leader. If you want maximum results from your leadership, you have to put forth maximum effort as a leader. That doesn’t mean you do all of your teams work yourself. But it does mean that you will have to do all the things a great leader has to do. Ultimately you will get what you pay for. You will reap what you sow.

If you want to be your best, you have to give your best.

Be blessed.

Good Ole-Fashioned Hard Work or Pursuit of Happiness

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work. Work is not a curse; it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to man-hood and the measure of civilization.”

—Calvin Coolidge

We all have a desire to increase in some way. Perhaps you desire to increase financially. You might want to increase in rank or position. What about an increase of joy in your marriage? Maybe you would like to increase in physical fitness. If we really think about it, there are likely many more ways we would like to increase. For example, you might want to have more influence in your leadership. Here is a good one: how about increase in wisdom? I know I could sure use that. Giving it more thought, perhaps you desire to increase your ministry. Maybe you want to increase your skill level in your favorite activity, like sports or writing or painting. There are many ways that we desire to increase that are good and healthy and wouldn’t be considered greedy at all. Of course that really depends on the true reason for the desire for increase, which is a matter of the heart.

Well, if you really want to see increase in any of these areas, I’m going to have to break the bad news to you. You’re going to have to work. Yes, that’s right. It takes good ole-fashioned hard work. Sure there are a lucky few who didn’t have to work for something to increase, but just how lucky are they really? I believe that if you work hard for something you will appreciate it much more and you will be willing to put in the daily maintenance needed to maintain it.

If you will put in the work, you will experience increase. It’s a basic principle. But there is something I must add, and that is “servant leadership.” A good leader understands that to see increase in leadership influence or relationships, there has to be a balanced level of servant leadership. You have to be ready to serve and work hard. If you serve those you lead, they will be willing to serve each other under your leadership. If you can lead a group of people to the point where they truly serve each other, you will see increase in your leadership influence. And that’s going to make great things possible.

Teaching Is a Gift, Learning Is a Skill

“In the Western tradition, we have focused on teaching as a skill and forgotten what Socrates knew: teaching is a gift, learning is a skill.”

—Peter Drucker

Th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Section 1: Leading Yourself
• Section 2: Developing Your Character
• Section 3: Developing Others
• Section 4: Developing Relationships
• Section 5: Managing Your Time
• Section 6: Others Developing You
• Back cover