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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Tag Archives: Effective Communication

May 15, 2014 Leading With Humility Strengthens Your Organization

A recent study found that across the board, the most effective leaders demonstrated the following characteristics:

1) acts of humility, such as learning from criticism and admitting mistakes

2) empowering followers to learn and develop

3) acts of courage, such as taking personal risks for the greater good 

4) holding employees responsible for results

In other words, it is crucial to lead with humility. You may feel pressured to always have the right answer and to always take the reins, which is understandable. After all, the buck stops with you. But if you never allow your team room to find solutions in their own way, you’ll miss out on some amazing collaborations. I’ve witnessed some truly incredible things when I gave people room to learn, grow, ask questions and trust both me and one another.

In other news, the Star Tribune did a great piece on me. You can read it here.

Have a great week, all!

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April 23, 2014 4 Tried And True Follow-Up Tips For Business Prospects

In the big, bustling world of business, it is absolutely crucial that you make a memorable impression (the good kind of memorable!) right away. This is as true for job seekers as it is for veteran business people hoping to make big waves in their career.

The key, I’ve found, is prompt and consistent follow-ups. Here are some principles that have given me success:

1. Hang on to the contact info of business prospects. Whatever works best for you. I know folks who keep a case for business cards. I like to write down the contact info in my planner on the same day that I met them. Either way, keeping track of who you meet and how you can get a hold of them is a sure-fire way of optimizing your chances of success.

2. Contact prospects sooner, not later. A rule of thumb is within the first couple days of meeting them. You want to keep their memory of you fresh in their minds as that ideal option for them to take advantage of.

3. Remember first names, and use them. People respond well when you use their first name. It shows you view them as a unique individual, not just another business lead. Do you best to get their name the first time. It can be tough, but think about how you’ve felt when someone has said to you, “I’m sorry, what was your name again?” That’s never good for business.

4. Never burn bridges. Many leads turn out to be dead ends, but don’t let this get you down. You never know when a prospect who has turned you down in the past may approach you in the future, but they certainly won’t do so if they had a negative experience interacting with you. Stay positive, hang on to their business card, and keep that door open.

Good luck!

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April 4, 2014 What Drives You To Do Great Things?

I caught a great snippet on the radio in the car the other day. The TED radio hour showcases a wide array of innovative and interesting ideas, and in this case, the program talked about how we define and achieve success in our lives.

Life coach Tony Robbins gave a TED talk asking us to identify our inner drive in life. If you have the time, it’s worth checking out the full talk here.

 

Otherwise, here are a few stand-out points he makes:

-Don’t think about life in terms of success and failure. Think about what brings the most meaning and value to your life, and chase after that.

-Don’t settle. If you don’t like where you’re life is headed, make a change.

-“Lack of resources” is not an excuse. What it really boils down to is a lack of resourcefulness.

Stay tuned for the month of April, as I’ll take a deeper look at what success is, and how we attain it.

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