“Whatever you are, be a good one.” –Abraham Lincoln
I love people who push themselves to perform at the highest level possible.
Because I’m a child of the 80’s, where we proudly rocked mullets and tight rolled our jeans, I think about Michael Jordan. The game was over and you’d find him in the gym shooting 500 free throws. He had an internal drive to do better. He wanted to be the best he could be.
Because I can actually hear your staff and students banging on your door right now, and because no one really has the time to read an overwritten piece anyways, I’ll be brief and share some simple reminders for leading well. It will translate to any position you may be in as you read this article.
4 Quick Thoughts on Leadership:
1. Be an aggressive learner! “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John F Kennedy
You should attend the Boost Conference every year. Attend others too that will leave you inspired. You have everything you need inside of you to lead well! If you are inspired, your effectiveness will reach it’s full potential. Learn. Be inspired!
“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made like anything else, through hard work.” Vince Lambardi
2. Be the best at your craft
“Your level of brilliance will determine the size of your opportunities in life.” The Power of Focus
What do you love? Do more of that. What makes you feel fulfilled? Well, that’s your sweet spot. What three things do you bring to the table in your job? They are effortless for you, give you energy, and push the organization forward. Identify those things and you will begin to be the best possible “you” you can be. Try reading Strengthfinders 2.0 and taking the Strength Assessment at the end of the book. It’s a tool that will assist you in discovering your top five strengths.
3. Eliminate bad work habits
Business Consultant Danny Cox said, “If you’ve got a frog to swaller, don’t look at it too long. If you’ve got more than one, swaller the big one first.”
Don’t let anything hold you back from being the best leader you can be! Socrates said that a life which is unexamined is not worth living. Examine yourself and grow. You’ve got this!
4. Invest into your leaders
What have you done lately for your leaders? They may be gifted students or a paid staff that are around you. Believe in them. Pull out the best inside them. Give them personal time and energy. Show them genuine appreciate for their efforts. Train them. Invest into them. Love them.
Breakfast this morning was a cup of coffee. No bacon. No pancakes. Nothing but coffee. And my office is beside The Hash House here in San Diego where they pump out their “breakfast smell” to the community from a chimney that looks like it belongs to a power plant. The houses and cars are dripping with grease as the line around the Hash House wraps their building. This morning I should have had more than a cup of coffee-
Enjoy your life.
Love your work.
Serve others.
Be great.
Author Profile: @chadfurlong