Lead on Purpose

MAY 26, 2012

Leaders interact with scores of people every day. Whether in company meetings, at conferences or on a plane, meeting new people and new faces is part of the game. For some, the sheer quantity of interaction with people can seem overwhelming. One of the best ways to make an impression and gain the confidence of other people is to address them using their name.

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Lead on Purpose

NOVEMBER 3, 2012

Guest post by Lewis Edward. It’s easy to want others to follow you. The hard part is making yourself the kind of individual people would actually want to follow, and not merely feel obligated to do so. Would you follow you? By following these five easy but key steps, you can make yourself the kind of leader you need to be in no time: Lead by example.

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Lead on Purpose

AUGUST 11, 2012

Let’s face it…some days are tough, some months are long, and occasionally some years seem endless. When you’re going through difficult times it can be tough just to get out of bed in the morning, and rolling up your sleeves and working can seem nearly impossible in these difficult down times. With that said, we (at least everyone reading this blog) know that tough times come, and they go.

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Lead on Purpose

NOVEMBER 10, 2012

Guest post by Sarah Rawson. Throughout the ages, leaders and followers alike have wondered whether the process of leadership depends on inborn traits or whether it can be taught. Great leaders are either born or trained. Still, some people who strive for leadership never quite achieve it. This leads many people to believe that there must be some factors out of a person’s control.

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Leadership Education Short-term Competitive Advantage 227

Lead on Purpose

DECEMBER 29, 2012

As another year comes to a close and a new year is on the horizon, it’s natural to look back at how things went in the past year and resolve to do better in the next. Here are three questions to ponder as you prepare to lead on purpose in 2013: What are you doing to build trust with those you lead? Building trust is a critical factor in leading others to success.

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Lead on Purpose

AUGUST 31, 2012

Guest post by Kyle Lagunas. In a time when the workforce is increasingly transient, your ability to identify high-performing and high-potential employees—and that of your managers—is critical. And yet, many struggle to distinguish one from the other, negatively impacting their ability to develop and retain top talent. In many organizations, performance is the primary measure of an employee’s value in the organization.

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Lead on Purpose

MAY 19, 2012

Great leaders are persistent. They persevere through trials and develop the ability to weather tough storms. Calvin Coolidge , 30th US President, said: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

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Leadership Education Productivity Products 205

Lead on Purpose

SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

Guest post by Kyle O’Brien. Leadership and motivation are practically synonymous in certain sectors. If one’s not holding their end of the bargain, the other side may suffer. A disconnect of communication, more or less. As a leader, you need to direct in a confident manner and push yourself and the business model with every bump in the road that may come your way.

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Leadership Construction Motivation Project 203

Lead on Purpose

AUGUST 18, 2012

Guest post by Matt Herndon. Most of us look at failure as a negative occurrence. Surely if we fail at something, that’s a sign of weakness. But even the most successful people in the world have had their failures. Remember when Michael Jordan decided to play baseball? While it wasn’t his greatest success, he was able to turn it into just another lesson learned during a long and prosperous career.

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Goal Analysis Learning-by-Doing Class 201

Lead on Purpose

JANUARY 14, 2012

Making big decision is not easy; in fact it might be one of the most difficult things we ever have to do. The tendency is to postpone decisions as long as we can and put of the pain. At its root the word of decision means to cut off. When you make a decision you go with one thing and leave all the rest behind. Cutting yourself off from other choices is not easy, and that’s at the root of why we tend to put off big decisions.

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Lead on Purpose

OCTOBER 27, 2012

Sports metaphors are everywhere in the workplace, but there’s no denying that the leadership and teamwork skills found in the sports setting teach important lessons. One approach to coaching that is rapidly gaining popularity is what is known as the Double-Goal Coaching Philosophy : emphasis is placed not only on winning, but also on team members’ learning and self-improvement.

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Lead on Purpose

JUNE 2, 2012

By Alan E. Shelton. Perhaps one of the thorniest problems in business today, is how to create quality output without being specifically in charge. Product managers in coalition organizations know this all too well. How do you drive your goals when you are not in a line on an organizational chart? My largest client is in the apparel industry with a multiplicity of brand names.

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Leadership Apparel Productivity Products 200

Lead on Purpose

AUGUST 4, 2012

By Susan Wells. Get to know your employees. “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – an old axiom, attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. Showing your employees that you care about their well being is more than providing great benefits and insurance coverage. The corporation provides benefits, while individuals develop trustful and caring relationships.

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Team Insurance Tips Automotive 199

Lead on Purpose

JANUARY 28, 2012

By John C. Stevens. Managers and executives, who are trying to improve the performance of their teams, are actively helping to improve the overall performance of their organization. Wondering what you can do to boost your team’s engagement and output? Keep in mind these key elements of performance management: Image Source: Guillermo Camargo. § Leadership.

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Lead on Purpose

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

Five Ways to Be Influential and Succeed with Your Team. Guest post by Tess Pajaron. At my former job, I had a boss who would consistently tell people how important it was to leave the office on time and balance work and life. Then, he would text in the evenings, brag about how late he stayed after everyone had left and go into the office each weekend.

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Lead on Purpose

DECEMBER 8, 2012

This coming Wednesday will be December 12, 2012 – 12-12-12 – the final time this century where the day, month and year (last two digits) line up. This day will no-doubt be remembered by many, but for me it has special significance: my uncle (great uncle, grandma’s brother) Louis Stuart will turn 100 on 12-12-12. Uncle Lou (as I’ve always known him) is an amazing man.

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Lead on Purpose

APRIL 7, 2012

One of the key tenets of leadership is learning. Great leaders are learners. They read voraciously. They write and teach what they learn. Learning is as much a part of their life as eating. Cultivating the desire to learn is vital to your success as a leader. Tip 5 in Management Tips: Harvard Business Review states the following: Successful leaders keep their minds open to new things because they know that no matter how high their level of mastery, there is always more to discover….

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Lead on Purpose

APRIL 14, 2012

Today’s post focuses on five blogs that have been great resources for me. These blogs and their authors have not only shaped my thinking but also inspired me to dig deeper and work harder. These are great blogs and I highly recommend you click through and spend some time learning from their authors. Leadership: One of my favorite leadership blogs is Art Petty’s Management Excellence blog.

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Lead on Purpose

JUNE 30, 2012

One of the keys to running a successful operation is to develop trust with your coworkers and employees. Regardless of your position in the company, the best way to move forward – and work efficiently and successfully with your team – is to work, act and be a person they can trust. Merriam-Webster defines trust as an “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.

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Lead on Purpose

JUNE 23, 2012

I am facing a major change in the next week. My daughter, who has gone to college for a couple of years, recently decided to serve an 18 month mission for our church ; she will be serving in Scotland and Ireland for the next year and a half. While I couldn’t be happier for her decision, it’s admittedly difficulty for me to let her go. Not only will I miss doing things with her, but I’ll also worry about her safety.

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Career Training Productivity Products 177

Lead on Purpose

MARCH 31, 2012

Think about the following statement: “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do the best every day.” How do you respond? Do you get the opportunity to use your best skills and strengths for what you do every day? Or are you still living in the “You can be anything you want to be, if you just try hard enough” mindset? Hard work is absolutely critical for success, but if you are working at something that is not a natural fit for your skills and natural talents you are missing a huge opportun

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Quality Skills Books Follow-up 177

Lead on Purpose

MAY 5, 2012

By Melissa Crossman. We associate the term passion too much with magazine ads for perfumes or movie clips about doomed love. According to business leadership gurus Tim Elmore and Glenn Llopis , it needs to be a term we associate more with our careers and work life. At most Monday morning staff meetings, voices rarely stray from a monotone unless a colleague mentions a leisure event he attended over the weekend.

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Lead on Purpose

AUGUST 25, 2012

I had an interesting experience this morning. In preparing for the Snow Canyon half marathon I did my weekly long run on a trail that attracts a lot of runners (in Provo canyon). As I’m running I tend to make some sort of contact with people I pass on the trail; a wave, a nod, a “good morning” or some gesture to perhaps brighten someone’s day. Often I’ll get a wave or a nod back, but not always.

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Leadership Energy Follow-up Productivity 173

Lead on Purpose

JUNE 9, 2012

By John Daily. Stepping up to the plate in a business or office setting takes more than knowledge of how to run the organization. To become an effective leader and direct a successful enterprise, heart, soul and intuition are key traits you should have. With passion, wisdom and drive, a leader can effectively direct a workforce and turn it from a simple office to a goldmine in an instant.

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Lead on Purpose

FEBRUARY 11, 2012

If you are growing your company, or are thinking about starting a company — in any industry — you need to understand your market; you need product management. If you desire to improve your company’s success, you need product management. Whether your product is a product, services, solution or other type of offering, you need product management. Whether you call it ‘product management’ or use some other name, you need the discipline to of understanding your market instilled in the company.

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Marketing Content Productivity Products 173

Lead on Purpose

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

We all have more things to do in a day than the time needed to do them all. The key to moving forward without caving under pressure is maintaining balance in our lives. Effective leaders always find a way to meet the priorities of their life and their business. Here are three actions you can take right now to keep balance in your life: Be realistic: To have balance in your life you have to be realistic.

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Lead on Purpose

JULY 21, 2012

The best way to truly build team unity is to develop trust with individuals. The best way to develop trust is to spend time with the people on your team. In today’s technology deluge we get caught up in easy communication. Email has been the standard for years, and even as good as it is, it’s impersonal and can often lead to miscommunication. Phone calls seem to happen less these days, and though better than email, it’s still a less-than-ideal method of communication.

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Lead on Purpose

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

“In a environment that is often fearful and ego-driven, she created a space where people could give up their worries and thrive.”. The word ‘conflict’ is used in so many ways that I’m conflicted as I try to make sense of it (ok, that was a ‘tongue-in-cheek for my good friend Jim Holland ). For purposes of this post, ‘conflict’ is a mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes or demands.

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Lead on Purpose

APRIL 28, 2012

You want to win. Whether you are an athlete, an actor or a business leader you are “in the game” to win. You might be competing in a major event (e.g. summer Olympics in London) or in a crowded market (e.g. productivity software); regardless, you want to win. What does it take to set you apart from the competition? In sports it’s pretty easy; you win competitions (ok, it’s not ‘easy’ to win for most of us, but it’s easy to measure).

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ROI Training Power Sports 169

Lead on Purpose

FEBRUARY 25, 2012

By Heather Green. Even managers have managers. Our bosses don’t always make our work life easy. A bad boss can impede the ability to work efficiently, can foster a negative work environment, or can be an obstacle to career advancement. Effective leaders understand how to manage these relationships in order to take charge of their own success. If you feel that your manager is making it difficult to do your best work or to enjoy your job, here are some ways that you can better manage the rel

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Management Learning-by-Doing Micromanagement Fashion 169

Lead on Purpose

JULY 28, 2012

By Dominic Wake. Confidence in management is falling – can you stop the rot?”To see yourself as others see you” – that’s the general premise of the 360-degree feedback process. Managers across the world certainly struggle when it comes to working out how well they are doing. The politics of the workplace, the lack of willingness for employees to give an honest assessment of their management style or business behaviors means that many organizations are left with ineffectiv

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Lead on Purpose

APRIL 21, 2012

In the technology world, conferences have grown into huge events that attract thousands of participants and occupy massive convention centers. Hosting technology conferences has turned into an industry driven by big money and advertising. The value to individuals has diminished as the industry has commercialized. Enter BarCamp. BarCamps sprouted up in 2005 as the unconference way of gathering and sharing ideas.

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Lead on Purpose

MARCH 10, 2012

Collaboration is the master skill that allows teams to function effectively. Whether you are the leader (or manager or ‘boss’) of the team or a contributing member, working effectively with others on the team is key to your success. To improve collaboration and work more effectively, talk openly and candidly with your team. When problems arise, go to the source and tackle issues head-on.

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Lead on Purpose

DECEMBER 1, 2012

Tomorrow marks the five-year anniversary of the day I started Lead on Purpose. It all started because of an invitation to publish an article in The Pragmatic Marketer (Jan 2008). I wanted an outlet to write about how you can lead regardless of your position or title. Five years has flown by and blogging has become a part of my life. Writing this blog has been a great learning experience for me.

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Lead on Purpose

JUNE 17, 2012

Today is Father’s Day and for the last several days I’ve been thinking about Dad and the important lessons he taught me, both when I was growing up in his home and in the years since. Though I don’t think it was ever his specific intent, he taught my siblings and me – and many others in the community – how to be leaders in whatever we pursued. Here are three important lessons that have helped me get to where I’m at today: Hard work: Nothing replaces hard work.

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Leadership Productivity Products Examples 162

Lead on Purpose

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

Distractions happen. Things come out of nowhere that require your attention. It’s how you deal with them that makes all the difference. Because of (a few very important) distractions, I did not take time to write a new article for the blog. However, I found a great post by Michael Hurley that examines what he calls “squirrel moments.” So my distraction is your gain; check out Squirrel Moments and Leadership Communication on Michael’s blog. —.

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Blog Productivity Products Article 160

Lead on Purpose

JULY 14, 2012

I rarely write about personal things on this blog, but a confluence of events caused me to change what I wanted to write about this morning: my family situation, a podcast and a blog post. I wanted to diverge a bit from writing about leadership in the business world and focus on THE most important relationship – marriage. Debbie (my wife) and our children are away this weekend, and I miss them when they’re gone.

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