General: A Healthy, Happy Leader

As a leader, you are not only more active than others, but you have more responsibility than others. This means you need to do what you can to stay healthy and happy.


St. Jude was one of four institutions world-wide asked by Washington, D.C. to help create vaccines for H1N1. Here is a release from St. Jude with some H1N1 prevention tips...

It's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. The portals of entry are the eyes, nostrils and mouth/throat. Contact with H1N1 may not be as much of a problem if you can avoid proliferation.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand washing

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. That doesn't mean just your eyes, nose and mouth. Resist all temptations to touch any part of the face (unless you are eating or bathing).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (or use Listerine if you don't like salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Use of a Neti Pot can help wash away proliferating viruses. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down the viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Goal Processing: T-COIN Time Management

A quick time management strategy that will save you a ton of time:

Spend your time with T-COINs: Take Care Of It Now.

If you are presented with a small task that will take 2-minutes or less to do (entering a business card into your digital rolodex, washing a dirty dish, making a quick phone call, sending an email, etc.) do it right now. Every little thing you think of that you either don't do or don't purposefully put on an action list weighs on your mind and bogs down your ability to focus on larger tasks.

Clear up your mind by spending your time with T-COINs.

The Purpose Must Match the Challenge

All great challenges must be matched with a great purpose.

As a leader, you are probably asking others to give more, do more and be more - to rise to the challenge. Their performance is directly influenced by your ability to develop, frame and sell the purpose behind the challenge.

The Challenge's Purpose

1. Make it personal to them. Not for the company's benefit or your benefit, but for their benefit. Use their language, their stories, and their outcome.

2. Make it simple, especially if you are communicating to a large group. Some of the biggest decisions we make in life are based on the simplest of truths.

3. Make it timely. I am going to be more equipped to give a ton of energy today if it helps me solve a problem or accomplish a goal I have today - not miles down the road.

4. Be Authentic, Believable and Compelling. The mechanics of effective selling (whether it is a machine or a message) include both content and delivery.

Teaching PLI: How to Run Your Initial PLI Curriculum Sessions

This post is primarily for our wonderful teachers and facilitators of the PLI curriculum, but is also a good read for anyone teaching leadership. Following are a few tips/suggestions on how to run your initial sessions (i.e. – your sessions before you start going through the Vision Essential.)

1. Pick one of the five breakdowns of the PLI Essentials in the opening section of your Navigator (PLI Essentials Defined, PLI Natural Laws, Basic Questions, Heroic Acts, Team Needs) and use it as a basis for group discussion/overview of the ten Essentials. The purpose here is to get everyone enrolled in the ten Essentials, as well as get a very specific conversation going about leadership behaviors.

2. Take the breakdown of the PLI definition (on the page in your Navigator that is titled Understanding PLI), and have the group member’s go around and read each element out loud. Either after each piece is read or after the entire breakdown is read, have a discussion about the group members’ thoughts. The purpose here is to get a very general conversation going about leadership.

3. Ask each of your group members to peruse the PLI blog and come to the session armed with one blog post that resonated with them and that they would like to have the group discuss the merit of. The purpose here is to get them started using the blog, as well as engaging them in the session very quickly by having them bring something of value to the table.

4. Pick anything on the Locator’s pages 6-7 (their intro pages) to use as fodder for group discussion.

5. Ask each group member to pick either a historical leader or a leader they personally know and prepare a short explanation outlining: why they picked that person and which of the PLI Essentials that person demonstrates at an expert level. Again, the purpose here is to get the group members immediately engaged in the session by having an assignment to bring. They will also have to study up on the Essentials to know which one(s) to tie to their selected leader.

Let us know how it goes!

A Leadership Skill List that Roars!

The town I grew up in is called Laverne, OK (Population:  1,200).  I rarely make it back to Laverne, it is in far Northwestern Oklahoma, but I made a special trip this past weekend to help 50 of their high school students learn how to be better leaders. 

One of our goals of the day was to get everyone in the room on the same page regarding how they expect each other to act as leaders.  Laverne’s mascot is the Tiger and their Top 10 Tiger Skills list is a clear, precise and thorough checklist for anyone wanting to be a better leader in their home, school, business or community:

1. Find the Good in Others

2. Be Aware of Others

3. Help Others Daily

4. Listen Actively

5. Speak Up

6. Stand Out

7. Be Convincingly Positive

8. Be Wildly Creative

9. Own Your Life

10. Do Leadership Today

 

Great list, huh?  Also, if you are teaching leadership, this is a great idea of what to do with a list like that.  After we created the list together (which I only cleaned up the language on – every list entry was their idea), each student set a very specific and action oriented “how I will help my home, school or community this year” goal, wrote it on an index card, wrote why the accomplishment of that goal is important and then showed and talked about their goal with all their peers.  It was a powerful day!

Teaching PLI: The Absolutely Huge PLI Delicious Links Database

Del.icio.us is one of the most popular social bookmarking sites. It works just like the favorites in your internet browser - only anyone can see what you bookmark. For example, if you have an interest in gardening, you can peruse Deli.cio.us and look through other gardening enthusiasts' links to find their favorite sites.

We have this set up for our leadership curriculum. I read around 150 blogs every day. When I come across a post that fits into one of our 10 PLI Essentials, I tag it. This enormous collection of leadership lessons, strategies and advice is now over 800 posts large!

So, how can you find value in this resource? If you are reading this blog to engage in personal leadership development, you can read through our Del.icio.us links to further your studies. If you are reading this blog as a PLI teacher/facilitator, you can find additional fodder for group discussion, ideas for lessons and much more from the Del.icio.us links.

Beware, even though every Del.icio.us link is indexed by PLI Essential, the size of the database can be overwhelming. Therefore, we have culled a few from the herd to get you started.

 
Vision [all Del.icio.us links]
9 tactics to effectively communicate your vision [link]
Creating a personal vision [link]
Ducks In A Row: Leadership Vision [link]


Integrity [all Del.icio.us links]
What you say, what you do and who you are [link]
Is effort a myth? [link]


Innovativeness [all Del.icio.us links]
5 Practical Steps for Generating New Ideas and Insights [link]
Where are you most creative [link]
10 Tips on how to think like a designer [link]


Wise Judgment [all Del.icio.us links]
The Essential Guide to Effective Decision Making [link]
The Fine Art of Decision-Making – 7 Tips for Getting Decisions Made Easier [link]


Service Mindedness [all Del.icio.us links]
How Giving Changes Everything [link]
A Guide to Cultivating Compassion in Your Life, With 7 Practices [link]

    
Goal Processing [all Del.icio.us links]
Theory of Productivity [link]
Topics du Jour: Give Your Life Direction in Less than 10 Minutes a Day [link]
Seven Productivity Tips For People That Hate GTD [link]


Skill Assessment [all Del.icio.us links]
12 Keys to Greater Self-Awareness [link]
Do You Have an Excessive Need to Be Yourself? [link]
50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do [link]


Emotional Maturity [all Del.icio.us links]
Happiness Quiz: How well do you know yourself? [link]
12 Practical Steps for Learning to Go With the Flow [link]


Fostering Relationships [all Del.icio.us links]
50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind [link]
21 Keys to Magnetic Likeability [link]


Masterful Communication [all Del.icio.us links]
Nine steps to PowerPoint magic [link]
PowerPoints are not your Presentation [link]
7 Little Tricks To Speak In Public With No Fear [link]

Teaching PLI: Essential Resources for PLI Teachers/Trainers

This post is a quick resource list for our many PLI curriculum teachers and trainers across the nation. If you are not familiar with the PLI curriculum, go to our web site to learn more and/or preview this document.

• PLI Delicious Tags - Your go to place for more PLI-related content ideas. There are over 800 web sites indexed by PLI Essential.
  
• TED videos indexed by PLI Essential - The new TED videos portion of our Delicious tags. Each TED video is only 3 to 17 minutes in length.
  
• PLI Facebook Page - Connect with PLI on Facebook.
  
• Twitter Feed - Connect with PLI on Twitter.
  
• The Warehouse on the PLI site - The go-to place for class posters, curriculum updates, videos and more.
  
• Rhett's Authenticity Rules Blog - My presentation skills blog. Valuable information to increase your facilitation IQ.
  
• The TRAX testing model - The testing methodology for PLI. This post explains how it works.
  
• PLI Related books - A list of popular books indexed by PLI Essential.
  
• PLI Essentials Primer - A quick overview of each of the ten PLI Essentials.

If you need any help or additional ideas for teaching PLI, please email me at rhett@yournextspeaker.com. Thanks!

Motivate with Direction

In my many travels this month (eight days of trainings in Oklahoma, two in Boston, two in Springfield MO, one in Nashville TN, and one in Las Cruces NM), a recurring question popped up:

How do we get people motivated to act?

This question was stated to me via four questions:

1. How do we get our student leadership board to take action?
2. How do we get our adult teachers/advisers to start using technology?
3. How do we get our field managers to adopt new practices?
4. How do we get and keep our team members engaged in our monthly leadership study?

Although each situation requires different approaches, the basic strategy has one common thread: Your average person needs specific and clear direction in order to be motivated to act. It would nice (and easier) if everyone was internally motivated to constantly scan each situation and asking "how can I help out right now in the most meaningful and purpose-filled way?" However, we know two things are absolutely certain: 1) Leadership is not easy and 2) the reason leadership development is so important is because most people will default to their average behavior unless and until their better self is inspired to act. This direction that people need comes in many different forms, as well. Here are the suggestions given to the situations listed above:

1. How do we get our student leadership board to take action? Make sure there is a clear and trusted leader in the group - either a highly-equipped adult or peer leader will work. Then give the team either concrete and/or abstract responsibilities. Make sure you "inspect what you expect." Remember, it is pointless to get frustrated that the board isn't behaving in a certain way when they haven't been told how to behave.
2. How do we get our adult teachers/advisers to start using technology? Fear and purpose are the two big enemies here. Your average, mature human brain is very fearful of change. The best antidote for this fear is compelling purpose (second best is good ole' fashion basic training.) If you can demonstrate how the new technology will help them do their core job functions better, faster and more efficiently, then they will be more willing to get on board.
3. How do we get our field managers to adopt new practices? Same strategy as number two.
4. How do we get and keep our team members engaged in our monthly leadership study? Give them duties. This strategy is similar to how you can increase attendance at monthly member meetings or your garden variety social/family gathering. If you delegate small tasks (bring something, make something, create something, etc.), people will feel a higher sense of ownership in the event, as well as feel a higher sense of responsibility. Its easier to just not show up than it is to not show up AND be the one that didn't do something.

Valuable Public Speaking Lesson: Off-Plan Moments

Click over to my Authenticity Rules speaking skills blog for this post on how to best handle those times in a presentation when things go off-plan...

http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2009/07/valuable-lesson-i-was-reminded-of.html

LiFT – Life instantly Feels Tremendous

What is the driving force of your happiness? I.e. - when your life instantly feels tremendous, why? It's important to notice, the emotion in question here is happiness, not joy.

Think of happiness as short bursts of energy that are powerful, fleeting and created by good things that happen in life. Joy is just as powerful, but is a more sustained state that sticks around no matter what is going on in life. However, joy gains energy from moments of happiness and helps you survive the bad times. We all know people who get happy from time to time, but who are missing joy in their life. They live on a roller coaster and have little to no consistency in their emotional life. This post is about helping you understand how to have more happiness in your life, but happiness alone is shallow without a foundation of joy.

So, what creates happiness in your life? More importantly, as a leader, is your LiFT created primarily by giving or receiving? I.e. when you think about your good times, are they a result of people or circumstances lifting you up or you lifting others? The most effective leaders and managers focus their LiFT on giving praise, building others, and serving the greater good.

The concept of LiFT in terms of achieving happiness is comparable to the lift that creates flight for airplanes in four specific ways. Examining each might give you some insight into how to have more moments of happiness throughout your day. This will result in strengthening your leadership abilities because the fuel of life is a positive attitude mixed with helping others achieve a positive mindset, as well.

1. IT IS AN INTENTIONAL ACT. Obviously, it takes a coordinated effort of many different people and machines to get an airplane into the air. Certainly, there are times when we get happiness from unexpected people and places, but consistent happiness is drawn from the pool of taking intentional steps to respond positively to life's circumstances. Happy people do not have great days consistently. They respond positively to the days they have consistently.

2. IT TAKES A GOOD AMOUNT OF ENERGY TO CREATE IT. The best example of this in flight is the space shuttle. The amount of energy it takes to pull that massive airplane from the earth's gravitational pull is enormous. Those booster rockets have to work hard to make it happen. Happiness also takes hard work. It is easy to be sad. It is easy to negative. It is easy to be a pessimist. It takes time and effort to make happiness a regular visitor in your life. It is easier for some more than others. Each of us has a default demeanor that was formed early in life. Yet another reminder that we are mostly hard wired by the age of six. Development after that age is just software upgrades. The happiness upgrade requires a large amount of resources, but it is well worth it.

3. PEOPLE SEE IT, BUT MOSTLY DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. Line up ten non-rocket scientists and you will be lucky to get one correct answer of how lift works in aerodynamics. Happiness is elusive to many people, as well - at least genuine happiness is. Genuine happiness is the kind that isn't followed by negative baggage. I.e. when you seek out happiness from putting things into (alcohol/drugs) or doing things to your body (plastic surgery), you might have a surge of good feelings in the short term, but in the long term these actions result in guilt or shame. Again, many people don't grasp the concept of how to create genuine happiness because they are blinded by the hard work it requires and because many times it involves being entirely others-focused. Genuine happiness can be very counter-intuitive. A great example is parenting. Many parents feel unhappy in their role because they are looking inward instead of outward. Parenting is tough and tiring. The genuine happiness comes from focusing on the end result of your work - (hopefully) happy, well-adjusted and caring children (who will take care of you when they grow up. :)

4. ONCE IT IS CREATED THERE ARE LARGE FORCES FIGHTING IT. Gravity is the most pervasive force on earth. You simply cannot escape it. Gravity is constantly working against lift. There are multiple forces working against your happiness. The primary one is other people who do not have it. They would give anything to have your genuine happiness and many times they can only create it in the short term by putting down or making fun of yours. These people are Chicken Littles and they can and will diminish your happiness if you let them. However, as a skilled leader, your task is to understand these forces, work hard to fight back, be human and admit when you can't and keep a smile on your face and love in your heart through as much of it as possible.

Good luck!

Goal Processing: 6 Indicators of Great Time Managers

What do Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan and you have in common? They all had/have exactly 24 hours in each day. One of the major differences between successful and unsuccessful leaders is their ability to effectively manage their time.

So, how do you know if you are a good time manager? Here are six indicators.


A good time manager:

1. Gets an adequate amount of sleep. Success in multiple fields is based on energy. This means you need fuel. There are many different types of fuel (healthy food, emotional support, intellectual stimulation, professional development, etc.) The most important fuel is spelled S-L-E-E-P. Some people can function at a high-level with five hours of sleep and some need eight hours. You need to figure out what your optimal sleep number is and work to get it as often as possible.

2. Meets deadlines. Leadership is based on trust. One of the best ways to build and maintain trust with others is to only say yes to those deadlines you can deliver and then deliver on time (which is early.) This consistency for earliness can only be achieved by managing your time.

3. Is working on meaningful projects. Not a common entry in lists like this, but absolutely a vital indication of someone who manages their time. If you are able to have time to work on meaningful projects, it means that you have found a way to minimize the time you have to invest on trivial projects. Not an easy task, but critical to great leadership.

4. Has the right type of stress. Losing weight, achieving wealth and reducing stress are three of the most popular themes of late night infomercials. Coincidentally, two of them are counter-productive. Having a ton of money doesn't make your life simpler, easier or full of sleep-filled nights. Ask your average multi-millionaire or your lucky lottery winner if they have more stress or less stress now compared to their pre-money days and chances are each dollar brought more stress. The trick is not to reduce stress, but to have the right type of stress. The right type of stress is created by challenging life tasks that you have chosen to work on. I.e. - marriage to the love of your life, children, doing what you love at work, challenging hobbies, etc. These activities all create stress, but stress that is wanted and necessary for growth and creating value in life.

5. Follows the rules. Good time managers don't have to cut corners to meet deadlines. They don't have to skip breakfast, drive too fast, be short with people, under-deliver on a project, etc. The basic rules of successful living exist, are well-known and are achievable if you manage your time instead of letting your time manage you.

6. Has time for their "Epic Journeys." All of us have those big life to-do's, missions, wish list items, etc. We call those Epic Journeys. These are the things that make it into people's Bucket Lists - must do before I die sorta activities. Your average person (i.e. - not retired, super wealthy, jobless, or a college student) who has time for their Epic Journeys has that time because of many factors. The biggest one is their ability to manage their time in such a way to make room in their life for their Epic Journeys.

Key Lessons From the 2009 Oklahoma Career Tech University

Last week, we had 50+ elected student leaders from the Oklahoma BPA, DECA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA and TSA organizations for 16 hours of leadership training.

They were one powerfully excited and intense groups of student leaders! Here are a few of the key lessons we taught at this three-day Oklahoma CareerTech University...

• You are now an Intentional Student Leader. An ISL is someone who intentionally engages at a deeper level than ever before.


• Many people would have loved to be in your position, so remember to treat it like a privilege rather than a burden.


• You must know what it is that makes your organization successful in order to continue achieving your goals. You must know yourself and your organization.


• You are the face of your organization. You represent your organization with every action.


• Many people in leadership positions deal with an ego problem. For you as an ISL to be interested in what is going on in someone else’s world is HUGE.


• It doesn’t matter how much you love your organization, unless you know how to share that passion with the world.


• To overcome team creativity barriers, encourage others' ideas, consider thoughtfully those ideas that conflict with yours and sometimes compromise is the best way to go.


• Teams don't get things done. Individuals do. We must work hard individually toward the team goal.


• Thousands of messages are sent with body language, and only a few with what you are actually saying.


• Keep the emotional charge going and transition straight into serious mode. Emotional charge turns the audience into wet clay and you can take them wherever you would like to.

(Special thanks to Kelly (Sugar) Barnes and Sarah (Hootie) Reasnor for all their help in making the instruction of the leadership lessons awesomenominal!)

Fostering Relationships: The Relationships Tree

Click for PDF. Click for JPG.

General: Ingredients Of Great Officership

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Ingredients Of Great Officership

View more presentations from Rhett Laubach.

General: PLI Twitter Feeds

Just a few of my recent Twitter feeds:

"65 student leaders just learned:  The habit of helping others gives you the power to help yourself and less need for it.  Think about it.".
Service-Mindedness

"The true test of problem-solving ability is not whether or not you have problems, but if you have the same problems you had yesterday.". Innovativeness

"Teaching problem-solving today. Stop, Drop and Roll. Stop blaming others. Drop your negative emotions. Roll forward with positive actions." Emotional Maturity

Follow Me:  http://twitter.com/yournextspeaker

Add me on Facebook:  http://profile.to/rhett/

Become a fan of PLI on Facebook:  http://companies.to/pli/

Teaching PLI: TRAX

TRAX is an evaluation tool built into the PLI curriculum.  The PLI philosophy is built around the concepts of value and growth.  As my old student leadership mentor put it, “When you’re green, you’re growing.  When you’re ripe, you rot.”
TRAX is a leader’s way of telling if they are at the Entry, Emerging, Engaged or Expert level of leadership ability.  There are two goals here: 

• Be better everyday to become an Expert leader.
• Be better everyday even when you are an Expert leader.

Each TRAX level has a task associated with it.  If you are able to fully complete the task, you know you are ready to work on the next one.  An Expert PLI Leader is able to say they have successfully completed all four tasks for all Ten PLI Essentials. 

The Four TRAX Tasks
Entry Leader – Provide a written description of the Essential in your own words. 
(Demonstrates Essential awareness.)
Emerging Leader – Provide an example of the Essential being used properly, as well as improperly.
(Demonstrates Essential understanding.)
Engaged Leader – Provide evidence of implementing the core principle of the Essential in your life.
(Demonstrates Essential action.)
Expert Leader – Provide evidence of you helping someone else learn and/or act upon the core principle of the Essential in their life.
(Demonstrates Essential mentoring.)

This is an excellent testing method for your PLI class, as well.  Good luck!

Integrity: Lex Luther vs. Forrest Gump

Which is worse - A or B?

A. A person with intelligence and without integrity.

B. A person with integrity and without intelligence.

Basically, if you only had these two options, would you rather have a team full of Lex Luthers or Forrest Gumps?





PLI Teachers/Trainers - Have your students discuss this question within the context of the current U.S. economic crisis. The part of Lex Luther is played by Wall Street traders/analysts and SEC officials and the role of Forrest Gump is played by your average, everyday investor and middle to low income home buyer. Key terms to research: sub-prime mortgages, credit default swaps, and AIG.

Good follow-up questions:

1. Which is rewarded more in today's society, Lex or Forrest and why?

2. How do we create leaders that are strong in both intellectual and moral prowess? Provide historical and local examples of leaders who had/have both.

3. Why is it so difficult for humans to be strong ethically when large sums of money come into play?

4. How have they personally been impacted by the current recession our Lex Luther Leaders put us in?

5. Who should ultimately be held most responsible for the crash of the mortgage industry? Lex for creating such a risky environment or Forrest for choosing to live in it (knowingly or unknowingly)?

Teaching PLI: PLI Required Reading List

There is a great new book titled "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time." The authors have put together a fabulous collection and did a great job in the book of summarizing the main points of these classics and new-classics. I personally have my reading to-do list done for the year, as I have only read 31 of the 100.

The other great benefit of this book to our PLI teachers and trainers is that it inspired a "PLI Required Reading List." This list certainly isn't all-inclusive, but it is a great place to start to get your students doing some out-of-class, non-curriculum PLI reading.

Again, the following books are all in Jack and Todd's new book. So, you can get a quick synopsis of each by reading their new book. Click on the ^ after each to go directly to that book's 800CEOREAD page, where you can read about the book and/or buy it. If there is more than one book listed in an Essential, I put an * to donate the one I would recommend most.

Vision
Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will^
What Should I Do With My Life?*^

Integrity
Questions of Character^

Innovativeness
The Art of Innovation^
The Innovator's Dilemma^
Orbiting the Giant Hairball*^
The Creative Habit^

Wise Judgement
Influence*^
The Power of Intuition^

Service Mindedness
(This being a business book list, there isn't a book about service leadership. All the service books listed are about customer service.)

Goal Processing
Getting Things Done^

Skill Assessment
Now, Discover Your Strengths^

Emotional Maturity
Emotional Intelligence^

Fostering Relationships
How to Win Friends and Influence People*^
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team^
The Team Handbook^

Masterful Communication
Made to Stick*^
The Story Factor^
Never Give In!^

Following is a list of the books that I would recommend you have your students read, but they just don't fit nicely into one of the Ten Essentials:

General
The Leadership Challenge^
Leadership Is An Art*^
The Leadership Moment^
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People^

Skill Assessment: Your Career Insurance Policy

No matter what condition the economy is in or what misc. talent/information/skill set you might be currently lacking, if you are these two things you will always be in demand:

1. A hard worker.
2. Fun to be around.



Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:

1. Why is hard work always touted as a key to success? Produce at least one historical case study and one case study from your circle of friends, family members and/or community members.

2. Is "being fun to be around" really valuable if you are involved in serious projects, activities, jobs, etc.? Defend your opinion.

3. What careers have historically been the most "recession-proof" over the past 50 years? Which ones will be over the next 50 years? Site your sources.

4. How are you personally on the TRAX Scale with being a hard worker and being fun to be around?

Please visit www.yournextspeaker.com for more leadership development.

Skill Assessment: Shining a Light on the Torchbearer Concept

A Torchbearer is a passionate and highly-skilled organizational ambassador. Their "organization" could be personal, professional or third-place in nature.

(Third places include hobbies, associations, volunteer efforts, etc. Anything not directly associated with their home life or their work life. Starbucks if you will.)

The list below breaks down the seven defining characteristics of a Torchbearer and includes strategies for moving your staff, volunteers, or student leaders away from the dark side and closer to the bright light of the Torchbearer world. Some of them are pre-filters (I.e. - while picking your people, look for these qualities.) Some of them are developmental in nature.

A Torchbearer...

1. Is thirsty for helping organization grow.
Powerful Torchbearers are servants. It is in their nature to help others for the sake of helping others. Although the basic behaviors can be taught, the internal "servant compass" is developed from a young age. Look for people who have it.

2. Owns a strong allegiance to organization.
Pure allegiance is a powerful force. Think soldiers. Think father-daughter relationships. Think a person of faith. You want people who will stick with your organization through the good, bad and ugly. The mechanisms of allegiance include self-interest, loyalty to relationships, shared experiences and common values and beliefs. These are all emotional elements. How are you making an emotional connection with your people?

3. Values and fosters relationships within organization.
Of all the allegiance elements, the relationships piece is the most powerful. People may join organizations because of material gains, but they voluntarily commit blood, sweat and tears because of relationships. If you are trying to mobilize a volunteer staff, don't send out a form letter to the membership body. Get ten inner-circle folks to each call thirty Torchbearers-in-Training they either have a relationship with or are willing to form one with.

4. Gains part of identity from organization.
Where do you see this in every day life? An NFL football game in Pittsburgh with thousands of fans waving their Terrible Towels. 3:00 pm at a middle school with every mini-van plastered with stickers announcing their children's academic accomplishments or sports team affiliation. Anyone accessorized in clearly designer bling-bling. These folks are all visually and vocally proud of their connection with their sports team, 13-year old or Prada shoes. You need to ask yourself, what are the personal benefits a member of your organization would receive from being vocal and visual with their affiliation with you and have you provided them the means to do so? I.e. - how can you be upset about no one shouting your message when you keep all the megaphones in the closet?

5. Clearly understands role in organization.
One of the simplest ways to get someone engaged in your organization - give them something to do. The clearer the instructions and the amount of time/money/skills they will need to do it, the better.

6. Knows and believes in organization's core values.
If we refer back to the allegiance elements, we see that common values and beliefs is a driving force in getting people to go to battle with you and for you. Common values and beliefs are so foundational to the DNA of an organization, that many times we forget to shout them from the rooftop. If you are going to really get the best from your Torchbearers, you need to constantly remind them of the deeper, wider and more significant reasons why your organization and their work for it are, not just important, but vital.

7. Speaks positively about organization, its leadership and members.
This final characteristic is very similar to the servant-minded one - either someone is in the habit of talking positively or they aren't. Research actually states that our optimist/pessimist nature is both ingrained in our DNA and a function of the environment of our early developmental years. Find people who are built with a positive bent. A price cannot be placed on the value of the subtle and forceful work they do to bring other people into the fold. However, even the most positive soul needs something to say. It is your job to continually push the good news of your organization and ideas on how to use them.

Google the books The Tipping Point, Tribes and Bowling Alone for even more great info on this topic area.

 

Processing Questions for PLI Teachers/Trainers:

1. What are organizations are you a member of and do you know: why they exist, who formed them, when they were formed, what are their greatest strengths, what are their great shortcomings, and what role you play in each? List all six answers for each of your organizations.

2. When we think about "organizations" in the context of Torchbearers, why do we include not only tradition school-based, community-based organizations, but also peer groups, your family, your hobbies, etc.?

3. Read one of the above mentioned books, write a 5-minute speech on the biggest lessons you learned from it and deliver the speech in class.

Fostering Relationships: How to Motivate the Unmotivated

Your official strategy for dealing with someone who "isn't motivated"...

1. Identify what you mean by "isn't motivated" for the person. What exact actions are they not displaying that you wish they did?

2. Ask yourself these questions...

• Do they know they are supposed to do those actions?
• Do they know how to perform the actions in the manner you expect?
• When was the last time they were reminded of those actions?
• Are there clear reasons why those actions are important, necessary, valuable, etc.
• Are there clear guidelines on what will happen if they don't do those actions?
• Are there regular or irregular sessions between you and the person to discuss their movement from where they are currently to where you wish them to be?

3. Your strategy for dealing with the "isn't motivated" will come directly from your answers to those questions. They either aren't clear on what is expected of them, there isn't a clear reason for doing the actions, there aren't clear repercussions for not doing the actions and/or no one is coaching them to get from point A to point B.

Motive to act is ALWAYS driven by self-interest. Even actions by the most selfless, giving, Mother-Teresa like person in the world. Your great task as a leader of your people is to figure out which of their self-interests you can tap into clearly, gracefully, leaderly.

Just a few Self-Interests to consider...

• Respect from Others
• Contribution to Team
• Achievement of Goals
• Self-Image
• Job Security
• Friendships
• Money
• Social Status
• Avoiding Pain
• Gaining Pleasure
• Love
• Safety
• Personal Well-Being

Emotional Maturity: The Copernicus Solutionicus

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543) was the first astronomer to put the Sun at the center of the universe instead of the Earth, which was the TRUTH before Copernicus disproved it.

As leaders of others, we need to take a lesson from ole Nic and take our own little world out of the center of the universe and put the true source of our power there - the people who, by choice or chance, are following us.

The Copernicus Solutionicus - Stop being so self-centered and get to thinking about your people more.

Some strategies -

* Let your first interaction with people be asking them questions to get them talking about their world.

* Don't make assumptions (which are based primarily on your perspective) and go straight to the information source.

* Ask for help more often. Being the leader doesn't mean you have to know all the answers or are supposed to be right all the time.

* Adapt your leadership style to the situation. Being one-dimensional in how you deal with people is very self-centered.

* Think about the full impact range of each decision you make. As the leader, your words and actions make bigger ripples on the pond.

* Make time to get to know your team members. This will also provide space for them to get to know you.

* Publicly (or privately, depending on each person's preference) celebrate big and small accomplishments. Unlike the Sun, your source of power is not always self-powering. They need you to fuel their motivation and attitude.

* Ditch the Golden Rule and follow the Platinum Rule - "Do onto others as they would have done onto them." (Google Platinum Rule for source - that one's not mine. I would, but I am driving right now and driving while Googling is extremely harmful to the environment.)

* Make personal sacrifices for the benefit of the team. And I mean "above and beyond the call of duty" ones.

* Above all, be your team members' biggest FAN - be Fair, be Aware of others and be Nice.

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:

1. What is one thing that you do on a daily basis that is solely for the purpose of benefitting someone other than yourself?

2. Why is it sometimes difficult to put others’ interests before your own?

3. Why is it easy to think only about our own needs and wants?

4. Why is it important for a leader to be selfless?

5. Would you rather be under the leadership of someone who is selfless or someone who is selfish?

6. Who is an example of a selfless leader in your school/ community/ workplace?

7. What does it mean to have a one-dimensional leadership style? And what can you do to develop multiple leadership styles?

8. Name 3 things that you can implement into your daily routine that would help those around you.

Skill Assessment: Guts

"If you don't have the guts to be honest or the cooth to know how to pull it off without making us want to slap you across the forehead with a two-by-four, please let someone else be in charge."
Your People

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:

1. Have you ever been in a situation in which the leader created more anxiety within the group members than they relieved?

2. What are some ways the leader could have resolved the issues without creating added anxiety to the group?

3. Why is it hard to let someone else take the reins on a project that you have started?

4. It is hard to step down from a leadership position, but it is sometimes the best mode of action for a group. What are some ways that group members can help to ease this difficult transition process?

Teaching PLI: A Few Simple Leadership Truths

Six Simple Leadership Truths


1. The best leadership truths are as simple to say as they are complex to do.


2. Any person in a position of power should hold an inborn fondness for the complete well-being of the people they are called to lead.


3. The most effective leaders find out what their people need to be successful and help them get there.


4. You can't get an accurate diagnosis of your leadership effectiveness until you ask the people you are leading how you are doing.


5. In the workplace, the best leaders are trusted by their team, help their team have pride in their work and help everyone enjoy one another.


6. Your role as a leader is separate, but not wholly separated from your primary job role.

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:

1. Have you asked the people you are leading how you are doing lately? What are some ways to raise this question in a professional, yet relaxed manner?

2. What are some actions that show that a leader has an “inborn fondness for the complete well-being of the people they are called to lead?”

3. What are some ways to build trust within a team?

4. What are some antagonistic qualities of group members that result in team mistrust?

5. If you could add a 7th Simple Leadership Truth, what would it be?

Skill Assessment: Five Skills to Practice Today

1. Talk up about people not in the room. It will build trust with those that are in the room.

2. Talk more about solutions than challenges. Your primary job function as a leader is to creatively solve problems (seen and unseen).

3. Smile more and be nice to people. One of the main purposes of your leadership should be to be an encouraging and uplifting force.

4. If you are a talker, listen more. If you are a listener, talk more. Be balanced.

5. Tell your team about the high expectations you have for them. People will only give you their best when they know A) What the best looks/feels like, B) They have someone consistently helping them get there.

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:


1. How often would you say you practice these skills?

2. Why is important to have an enumerated list of skills to practice each day?

3. What are some ways to practice being an encouraging and uplifting force to group members?

4. Do you consider yourself a talker or a listener?

5. How can you create a balance between the two?

Fostering Relationships: Four Resources to Develop Your Team Leadership

The PLI Navigator Introduction Section
Rhett Laubach & Ryan Underwood
PLI website Link

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (and Their Employees)
Patrick Lencioni
Amazon Link

Eight Ways to Win With People (60-minute Audiobook)
John Maxwell
Audible.com Link

Tribes
Seth Godin
Amazon Link

Fostering Relationships: Are you a Team, Group or Troop?

Team - A set of individuals who use their core strengths and a defined decision-making system to accomplish a common goal under the direction of a trusted leader and who create and revisit big memories along the way.

Group - A set of individuals.

Troop - A set of young individuals identified by matching outfits and either selling cookies or setting something on fire McGyver style.

There are five clear characteristics of an actual working team:

1. A trusted leader.


2. An agreed upon goal.


3. An agreed upon decision-making system.


4. The creation and revisiting of big memories.


5. Each individual is engaging their core strength.

Take a look at your "set of individuals" and cross-reference your experience with these five characteristics. The secret to your group becoming an actual team probably lives in this list.

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:


1. Which of the three do you consider your members to be classified as?

2. If you were to ask an outside source which of the three you should be classified as, what would their response be?

3. How would you feel about that response?

4. What are some actions steps you can take toward becoming a true team?

5. If you already consider yourself to be a team, then what can you do to ensure your team continues to function accordingly?

6. What “big memories” has your team made over time?

7. What qualities does your leader possess that deems them “trusted?”

8. What core strength do you contribute to a team in your life?

Vision: The Schindler Drive

He started his factory in Nazi-occupied Krakow, Poland to take advantage of slave labor from the Jews (who didn't earn money for their work - the wages went to the Third Reich.)

However, because of key people around him (including his factory accountant Itzhak Stern), his motivation became fueled more by altruism than capitalism.

His 1,200 factory workers were saved from death by being on Schindler's List.

His name was Oscar Schindler and he was a leader driven by a Vision to set as many Jews free as he could from the Nazis.

You are a leader. What Vision drives you?

Skill Assessment: Little or Big Legs?

• Going from the car to Wal-Mart with the two little ones - 4 and 2 (Blue Leader 1 and 2, respectively).


• I am striding easily.


• Blue Leader 1 is in a lope (define: jog or slow pace of running).


• Blue Leader 2 is flat out running.

As a leader, are you aware of how your pace is influencing those around you? Your knowledge, ambition, natural talent and experience has helped you reach a leadership position. Don't let those advantages push down those you are called to lift up.

It was much harder for little Blue Leader 2 to get from the car to the door. However, her struggle had nothing to do with her - it had to do with her in relation to her older sibling and her dad. To help her in her walk, we had to...

1. Be sensitive to her needs


2. Recognize that just because we could do it easily didn't mean she could


3. Adjust our behavior accordingly

Are you doing the same for those around you? Being a leader doesn't always mean setting the pace for people. Sometimes it means adjusting your pace to give those learning from you space and time to catch up.

Processing Questions for PLI Curriculum Teachers/Trainers:

1. Recall a time when you felt inadequate because someone around you was much better at something than you were. How did that make you feel?

2. What is the difference between setting an example of leadership and setting the pace of leadership?

3. What are some practices that you could implement into your leadership role to ensure that the people following you are not getting left behind?

4. Why is it important that we uplift those we lead, rather than make them feel left behind?

5. What are the benefits of considering the skills and talents of all of those around you?

6. How could you encourage someone to “quicken their pace” in a gentle and humble way?

General: Happy Holidays

This blog is on vacation until January '09. Until then, please feel free to peruse our over 250 insightful and personal leadership posts. If you are a leadership teacher or trainer, please visit our PLI curriculum page at http://tinyurl.com/thepli.

Happy holidays to you and yours.

Emotional Maturity: What Makes Your Holidays Happy?

Here are ten things that make my holiday season joyous:

*  Listening to  Nat King Cole sing The Christmas Song.

*  Watching my little daughters tell our Christmas Tree good night.

*  Saying Merry Christmas to strangers.

*  Buying unique gifts for family and friends.

*  Taking that first sip of our home made egg nog.

*  Hanging our special "One Per Year" ornaments on the tree.  

*  Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!

*  Christmas eve with the Laubach clan and Christmas morning with the in-laws.

*  Reading Christmas cards and letters from friends.

*  Spending three straight weeks at home with the girls.


Leave one of yours in the comments. Happy Holidays.

Skill Assessment: An Interesting Look at Success

Malcolm Gladwell's new book Outliers is an interesting look at success. His storytelling makes the book a great read. His concepts make the book a great learning tool.

Here is an excerpt:

"The lesson here is very simple. But it is striking how often it is overlooked. We are so caught in the myths of the best and the brightest and the self-made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth. We look at the young Bill Gates and marvel that our world allowed that thirteen-year-old to become a fabulously successful entrepreneur. But that's the wrong lesson. Our world only allowed one thirteen-year-old unlimited access to a time-sharing terminal in 1968. If a million teenagers had been given the same opportunity, how many more Microsofts would we have today? To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of lucky breaks and arbitrary advantages that today determine success - the fortunate birth dates and the happy accidents of history - with a society that provides opportunities for all."

Get it today.

Teaching PLI: The PLI Curriculum Is Here!

Click here.

Our Personal Leadership Insight curriculum is tailor made for leadership classes or personal leadership study.

The curriculum includes:

The Locator - The leadership guidebook designed to improve your understanding of how to positively influence people and situations to create value and growth. Basically, it helps you become a leadership ninja warrior.

The Navigator - Every great leader had help getting there. This is the instructor's guide to not only teaching the student material, but it includes more bells and whistles than Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It features facilitation tips, one day to one month long project ideas, over 50 of our best leadership classroom exercises and provides you access to online resources that will enrich the students' learning experience and make teaching PLI a barrel full of fun for you.

The Primer - An abbreviated version of The Locator, this element is great for just dipping your feet in the PLI pond. You won't learn to swim, but you won't be left behind either.

Find out more information, download a preview copy of the materials, get pricing and buy online by clicking here.

Innovative: The Magic of SNL

Weekend Edition is an ongoing skit on Saturday Night Live. The process that the writers go through to create the jokes that make it on the short bit teaches a quick lesson on finding creative ideas and solutions.

1. Each week, the three main SNL writers create 800 jokes for Weekend Edition. 800.

2. The head writer (Seth Meyers) for SNL then whittles that list down to 200ish that he thinks are W.E. Worthy.

3. Lorne Michaels, the head guy at SNL, then chops that down to 18-20 jokes that actually make the cut.

To get to 20 working lines, they have to come up with 40 times that many. So, next time you either think you can't find an answer or need a more creative idea, look a little harder.

Skill Assessment: The New Three Giant Jumps

I had the ultra-cool experience of keynoting the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils State Conference this morning in the beautiful Performing Arts Center on campus in Jenks, Oklahoma. PDC Productions out of Norman, Oklahoma provided the Audio/Visual support and did a great job. The 1,500 student council officers and members provided the energy and we had a powerful 45-minutes.

I put together a new "3 Giant Jumps" message for the program and here they are...

[Programming Note - The 3 Giant Jumps speaks to three big moves good student leaders need to make to become great student leaders.]

Jump #1 - Go from Concerned to Consumed

Good leaders are concerned with being a leader and everything that goes along with it. Great leaders are absolutely consumed with it. They constantly think about how they can serve others, make things better, create greatness, etc. This consumed attitude allows great leaders to create amazing things that lead to remarkable results.

Jump #2 - Go from "I am" to "I create"

Good leaders know who they are. They are very self-aware. They have a ton of language for how they are built. Great leaders not only know who they are, they also intimately know what they create. Not only do they know what they create, they also place a good amount of their identity on what they create. They are consumed with creating value, making things happen and leaving a legacy.

Jump #3 - Go from an Obligation to a Privilege

Good leaders feel obligated to lead. They take responsibility for not only the conditions of their own life, but for the conditions of those around them. Great leaders don't just see their leadership duties as an obligation (something they have to do), they see them as a privilege (something they get to do). This mindset creates a greater enthusiasm and a stronger commitment towards the responsibility of leadership. Great leaders view their work as a joy, not as a job.

Fostering Relationships: Celebrate Those Around You

No matter how you feel about your friends, peers, co-workers, family members, etc., celebrate them when they achieve or are recognized in public. When you lift up people close to you, you not only make them feel great, you also give them permission to lift you up.

You also communicate a healthy self-respect and that you are a person of character when you are seen celebrating others from your home town, home state, school, organization or place of business.

Wise Judgment: Making Complex Decisions (like who to vote for next week)

The act of deciding where to put your mark for President is an example of a complex decision filled with heavy emotional and intellectual triggers.  Its complexity overwhelms voters with pros and cons, misinformation, deep affiliations, peer pressures, gray areas and politically-motivated advice coming from everywhere.

It is a decision that is so complex many voters place their mark based on the simplest factor that is the easiest to understand (and defend) and aligns with their personal world view.  Here are some examples....

I will vote for John McCain because....

- He's Republican (so am I)
- His VP is a woman (so am I)
- He is war Veteran (we are a country at war)
- He will run a bipartisan administration (he has been a political maverick his entire career and I hate partisan politics)

I will vote for Barack Obama because....

- He's a Democrat (so am I)
- He is black (so am I)
- He says he will change things (I need change)
- He is a smooth talker and looks good on TV (that correlates to impressive and competent to me)

People who say it is crazy to decide a U.S. President based primarily on one of these basic factors are ignoring this dynamic - when people are faced with a complex choice, many times they will base their decision on the simplest metric.

Remember this truth the next time you are called to make a complex decision or are trying to get others to make one.

Goal Processing: Time Management PowerPoint

Click here to download the It's A Breeze Time Management PowerPoint from today's seminar at Great Plains Technology Center.

Click here to download David Allen's Outlook Rule PDF.

Masterful Communication: Technology Tips Slideshow

Oklahoma FCCLA Technology Techniques October 2008

From: rhettdean, 1 hour ago

Oklahoma FCCLA Technology Techniques October 2008

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: visuals speaking)

A brief slide show with tips and tricks for Oklahoma FCCLA Advisors. Includes PowerPoint, Stock photos, iTunes playlists, and more.


SlideShare Link

Fostering Relationships: Resolution Pyramid

(This post includes content from Associate Speaker, Kelly Barnes...)

Working in a team environment can be a stressful situation. Conflicts arise. Tempers flair. Disagreements happen. The most cohesive teams don't agree all the time. They simply know how to resolve disagreements effectively.

Step 1: Speed. When you are experiencing a riff with a team members, get it resolved as quickly as possible.

Step 2: Process. How you go about resolving the riff is critical to maintaining team trust. Disagreements can keep from growing into major blowouts if you follow the lessons from the Resolution Pyramid below...

1
The top of the pyramid is you internally resolving any small issues you might have with a team member. Certain issues that you have with other team members need to just stay with you and need to be let go. You are not always going to agree with everyone, but that doesn't mean you have to make an issue out of every disagreement.

If you do need to talk it out, the top level is about you getting your side of the story mapped out before you talk to the other person. Get a firm understanding of how you feel, think about why you feel that way, and consider how your feelings are affecting how you think about the disagreement. In any disagreement, there is both emotions and logic involved. Many times sound logic can't be heard because the emotions are speaking so loudly. Giving yourself time to think about your emotions can help balance out this equation.

1 - 1
The second level is where the rubber meets the road. It is you privately approaching the person you need to have a difficult conversation with. This session starts with you asking questions and listening to learn. You are learning their perspective, their opinions and their side of the story. This is not about you stating your case or trying to convince them they are wrong. This is about diplomacy, charisma and character first. Your end goal is to get to "Our Way."

Group
Instead of a 1-on-1 discussion, sometimes a third party needs to be included and the meeting needs to be a group meeting. This might occur if a mediator needs to be present or if more than just you and the other person are intimately involved in the disagreement. The biggest concern here is to be careful with who you think needs to be in the group. Only people who can bring valid and relevant first-hand information to the discussion need to be involved.

Team
The bottom level of the pyramid is about clearing the air or talking about the elephant in the room. Information (and mis-information) spreads quickly among team members. The team layer is about sharing with the entire team the truth (do bad information doesn't spread) and allowing any of the disagreement partners (from a 1-on-1 or a group discussion) an opportunity to share with the team what they learned and how they will move forward. This is not a time to rehash everything (as everyone in the room d0esn't need to know everything, nor will they care).

Following this hierarchy of information exchange will allow you to build trust in a team environment and get conflicts resolved quickly and accurately.