Author Archives: bren7515

Servant Leadership

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“Lead out of what you do for people. Become a true servant leader for that is really the leadership of the future and the future of leadership.” (Louis Tice)

 

The best kind of leadership is something called “servant leadership”. These people are effective because while they lead, the also serve. Sometimes, they are almost invisible and the only time they really become visible is when they leave. They are the glue that keeps things together.

 

 Frequently they stay in the background and let others take the credit. They don’t need applause or power or whatever. Their power comes from within and from heir willingness to help others. They are willing to do almost anything for their company or their community or their colleagues.

 

The servant leader encourages authenticity in those around them so that there is a commitment to telling the truth, keeping your promises, and staying true to your innermost values. It’s the opposite of working for someone who ducks and dives, changes their stance according to who they’re talking to, and keeps you guessing so you won’t get too close.

 

When you live like a servant leader, you live from your heart, your soul and your spirit in simple unaffected ways. Your authenticity shines through like “the grain in your wood”.

 

 

Does She Know How to Lead?

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The study of leadership only began seriously in the early twentieth century; therefore, most of the research, which has been conducted in the leadership field, is less than seventy-five years old. Even less research has been conducted specifically on women in leadership. There are many definitions of leadership, “Kotter (1988) defined leadership as visioning, strategizing to reach the vision, and mobilizing cooperation and teamwork to accomplish the strategy.”

 

My own definition of leadership can be summed up as follows: “A process in which followers are influenced to willingly and enthusiastically work toward personal and organizational goals.”

The role of the leader in business environments or governmental agencies is an awesome task. A leader’s personal attitude, behavior and leadership practices have a direct critical impact on the employees of her own and other groups as well. This person must thoroughly understand that leaders accomplish work through others. She must inspire cooperative decision making by creating an environment that ultimately promotes success for all; her actions and enthusiasm should encourage employees to discuss the organization’s goals and not feel threatened when a controversial issue requires open communication.

 

Even as leaders influence others to accomplish certain tasks, they also have responsibilities to the employees they supervise, to their peers, and to their own superiors. These responsibilities include treating all employees fairly, making sure that employees are aware of and have sufficient, timely, and accurate expectations, motivating them to succeed, and providing them with the resources they need to get their jobs done properly. Most organizations have performance standards in place; therefore, the leaders should regularly discuss the standards, how employee work habits affect performance, and even invite employees to get involved in developing standards that are realistic, fair, and beneficial to everyone.

 

Barriers to Advancement for Women Can Be Overcome

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If you are a career woman planning to move ahead in your career, you may be challenged from time to time. The challenges may be internal and even on the news and opposition to women desires.  Women must tenacious in moving forward. Sometimes, the internal strife might make you decide against leadership positions; but if that is your dream, your have to be as tough and determined as your male counterparts.

 

We do realize that there are external barriers such as laws and internal barriers like rejection to move past, but there is no reason why you cannot overcome them. In the book, Stand Up and Be counted Now, the author talks about propelling women in management into equal levels with men in senior positions. By the way, Stand Up and Be Counted Now was not intended as male bashing, but instead should be read by everyone to learn about themselves, their spouses, their significant others, and their co-workers.

 

The author examines how communications, power, politics, and other skills can be used in developing strategies to move up the organizational ladder. If women want to embrace leadership: they will have to remove the blindfolds and make informed decisions based on global issues and in some cases not so pleasant developments that may affect the status quo. Women are very capable of achieving any goal they set out to reach; they just need to raise the bar higher.

 

Thanks to the likes of Ursula Burns, Hillary Clinton, Indra Nooyi, Oprah Winfrey, Meg Whitman, and many other female leaders were able to crack the glass ceiling.  But cracks are not enough, the current and further leaders will have to shatter the glass ceiling. Now is the time for women to stand up, be counted, and take the next step—with passion, dignity, and determination—toward extraordinary leadership.

Women In Leadership

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There is hope! In 1990, women held about six percent of the top executive positions in major organizations. Today, that number has climbed to approximately 16 percent. This is not a major leap in 20 years; however, women are moving forward. What it took was determination and a desire to find the formula for success. In the book, “Stand Up and Be Counted Now”, you will have the opportunity to look both at what women who came before you and what your contemporaries have been able to accomplish. There are discussions on the barriers women had to overcome and the rewards associated with achieving their dreams. Because it is already within you, the formula for success is not difficult. Hopefully, the various topics will help you determine how to bring out your very best.

 

What makes business and career challenges more difficult for leaders today is the impact of the ever-evolving social and economic climate. Compared to 20 years ago, the changes and disruptors are almost mind-boggling. For example, global issues, cultural differences, immigration, and phenomenal interventions continuously challenge the conventional wisdom of today‘s leaders. The ability to think outside of the box in order to pull off amazing feats is more important today than ever before. Not to mention, the role and expectations of the family have also changed; and yet, change is inevitable.

 

Women now have opportunities that they have never enjoyed before. Long gone are the images of the dutiful 1957 wife with the high heel shoes, pearl necklace, and vacuum cleaner. Instead, look forward to images of a Claire Huxtable (from the Bill Cosby Show) who is making major career strides, while influencing the stability of the family. She exemplifies the 21st Century woman. Women today have made an earth shaking decision to overcome their fear, embrace their strengths and chose a career in management and other professions. In this book, women who would like to move up the corporate ladder or who are running their own businesses will learn valuable lessons on the importance of progressing into leadership positions through careful planning and guidance.

 

Women are no longer expected to stand behind a man, but like the Jo Dee Messina, country western lyrics, more of them are likely to ―stand beside him. Research has shown that when women are included in leadership, the quality of decision-making improves and there is more of a synergistic environment. Opportunities for women today are boundless; they merely have to take the bull by the proverbial horns and ride it out. We do realize that there are external barriers such as laws and internal barriers like rejection to move past, but there is no reason why you cannot overcome them.

Friendliness in Leadership is a Necessity

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Last week was something to be remembered.  I travelled to Martha’s Vineyard for a week of rest and relaxation and to work on my 2013 business plan.  Well, what an eventful eight days!  There were 39 women residing in four homes rented by Constance Portis of Pittsburg, PA.  The women gathered in the homes travelling to this small island outside of Boston, MA from as far west as California and south from Georgia. 

 

I had the opportunity to present an inspirational discussion on my book, “Stand Up and Be Counted Now.” The presentation was so well received that it inspired me to write this blog about the friendliness of the women.

 

Not only did the 39 guests attend the brunch and presentation, but many local women from the island stopped by and listened as I shared my take on how important it is to celebrate when you reach a level of success, but also remember that you “must” reach back and help someone else reach their goal. What an epiphany!

 

What made this experience so great was, I did not know 37 of the women in the 4 homes.  You often hear of the cat fights between women living together for more than one day or the alpha mentality, but these women showed me that “friendliness” is not a thing of the past.  Instead, friendliness is an essential requirement for great results. 

 

You see, I often tell women that we are challenged in our careers because we sometimes create our own limitations, that we can be self-serving and often overfriendly.  But, efforts were made at this event to make everyone feel welcome.  These leaders were there to get results.  Most possessed a friendliness attitude that required gentleness, kindness, helpfulness, and were cordial even when there were moments of stress (someone forgot to put the coffee on at 7am).

 

I believe that people respond favorably to friendliness and the results will be happiness.  The friendliness I witnessed created the bonding that was needed to ensure the great results.  Everyone had the opportunity to win using the friendliness agenda. There were a few that started with a different agenda, but friendliness won.

 

Now, we know that you can not be friendly 100% of the time, but when the opportunity presents itself, it is beautiful and meaningful and also get results in the bargain!

Mindset of the Million $ Leader -HABIT

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H-A-B-I-T…When 95% of people hear this word, a negative thought pops up in their minds. Typically, most people think of a habit being negative. The secret to your future lies in your daily habits so ask yourself right now, “Are my habits today going to help me achieve my WHY in life?” This is a life-empowering question if you truly ask it and listen for the answer.

 

One of my daily habits is spending 45-60 minutes each and every morning feeding my body physically by exercising and feeding my mental spirit by reading or listening to a motivational message. This habit warms me up for the day ahead.

 

Everyone washes their physical body and feeds their body every morning, but 95% of people will find an excuse about why they can not find the “TIME” to invest in a habit of feeding their MINDS! This parallels the statistic that 95% of people are dead or dead broke by the age 65. I consider this particular daily habit of mine to be the driving force behind my ability to consistently maintain my intense focus on the journey of success and living a dream life. The mindeset of the millionaire leader is that you have your most powerful force in your daily habits-positive or negative. You have to decide what habits you will begin with that show your determination to succeed.

Leadership Is Action

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People respond to good leadership!  Period! It is in all aspects of our lives, not just business.

A woman is a leader  in her home, she may be a leader of a team sport or a daughter, the leader of the debate team. A group relies on the person in charge to actually lead them to success. A true leader is highly ethical, honest and respected

 

In our society we have leaders and followers. Are we born to one or the other? No!  Can you hone your leadership skills? Absolutely!

The leaders that I admire have these traits:

1.) They think big.

2.) Their goals are firmly set.

3.) They make it known to all the results to expect.

4.) They can get compliance to orders; and

5.) When goals are met, then they raise the bar.

A good leader rewards the team and will off load someone who consistently hinders the group or is just not a team player!

The Difference Between Boss and Leader

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Every leader is a boss, but not every boss is a leader. The biggest difference between a boss and a leader is as follows. The boss is respected and obeyed because of his/her seniority while a leader is not only respected and looked up to because of seniority, but mainly because of the qualities of character and ability.

 

Those who aspire to become a leader must lead by example. The team must always have a firm belief that the leader will be there during crisis. Not to fix the blame, but fix the problem.  If the team members find that the leader does not follow what he/she preaches, they will have no respect for him/her. They may obey, but the respect will be missing. Leaders gain this respect by their actions. They look and act sincerely. There is no mismatch between words and actions. They look the part, are approachable and lead a winning team! That’s a leading boss.