Leadership Value of the Day: Time

Leadership Value of the Day: Time

Time it’s the thing we all complain we don’t have enough of. It seems like in our busy lives we never have enough of it to adequately go around. So we pinch a little from here and a little from there and try our best to make do. What we as leaders need to understand is not only must we manage time, but we must learn make it our friend. In an earlier post I spoke about moving with a since of urgency. Yes, it is true that we all should strive to move without hesitation on a decision that has been made. However that is not the topic here. What we are really learning today is that we need to be hyper aware of the amount of time that is needed to complete our goals and develop our people. This means being aware of the competition and a timeline of what it will take to compete on the same level, and or surpass them. The things we should know about time are basic. One of the first things is to enter early. Do the work ahead of time so that you are not taken by surprise. A later start forces you to allocate more resources to the objective, which really means it is going to cost you more money and time. Try to use simultaneous action to make better use of time. Make decisions in a timely manner because procrastination changes the effectiveness of the decision. No one likes last minute decisions, and people like last minute changes even less. We should stay ahead of the curve, and to do this we must learn to manipulate time and make it a tool that we embrace not fear.

Leadership value of the Day: Courage

Leadership value of the Day: Courage

There are those who would have us think that courage is only found in the elite few, and that many of us lack the courage to do what is necessary to change our lives for the better. I would argue very differently. First let’s just define courage. Courage is moving forward in the presence of fear. That seems simple enough right? Believe it or not we all do it everyday. In the presence of an under performing economy many of us still go forward. However some of us push even harder and have the courage to lay it all on the line to change our lives for the better. This means going though the rough patches, when it looks like there is no way forward at all. Keeping the faith is an important part of activating courage, because with out faith, you will find it hard to push forward. It takes courage to go against the grain; it takes courage to believe in your dream even when there isn’t someone to back you. Finding your own truth and holding on to it no matter what takes courage. We all have it some of us just use less of it because it seems safe to travel the road that everyone else is on. Don’t be made later when the people that traveled a different road have the things you wanted but didn’t have the courage to even try to obtain. We are the leaders of tomorrow have the courage and faith to face the challenges that will form you into who you are destined to be.

Leadership Value of the Day: Will

-->

Leadership Value of the Day: Will

So many people say that they want this and they want that. They want to be the best at their craft, or perform at the highest level in the office. Here is a secret; no one says they want to be second best. No one wakes up in the morning and says I’m just going to do enough to get by, or today they win and I am not going to try so hard. We all want to be, or do, or achieve more than everyone else. The catch is that everyone is not willing to do what it takes. Everyone is not willing to make the sacrifices that it will take to be the absolute best. Most people when they feel a little adversity, a little resistance, they stop. When most people feel the pressure pushing pack against them, keeping them from making any further progress they stop. That moment is the moment of their defeat. My mother and father may have disagreed on a lot of things, but the one thing that they agreed on was that if you want to be successful you have to want it. You have to make the effort to do something. It’s not just showing up, it’s showing up everyday even when you think you don’t have anything left to give. It is willing your body and mind over the have not’s and neigh sayers. I have this memory of watching Rocky IV with my father in the movie theater. It is the only movie I can remember us seeing together, it’s still one of my favorites to this day. That movie is all about will. Having the will to push beyond what anyone says you can, or can’t do. Not to mention a sweet training montage. (LOL) In life you have to decide, are you going to give in at the resistance, or pressure or are you going to will yourself to work harder? Are you going to live in the dirt or are you willing to die for the dream? I’m dying for the dream. I am giving it all I have until I can’t breath, and then I’m coming back for more. If you want to achieve things that have never been done before you have to be willing to lay it all on the line, with one knee in the dirt and find the will to stand, when everyone else thinks you’re finished. The tools you have acquired are only good if you have the will to actually put them to work. Experiences, education, morals, and strategies, only work if you have the will to execute them, and keep executing them even once you succeed.

Okay, so here is a little bit of the movie I mentioned if you have time and need some inspiration to help activate your will.

Leadership Value of the Day: Are you the weakest link?

Leadership Value of the Day: Are you the weakest link?

In order for us to ascend to a level of greatness as leaders and in any craft we pursue there needs to be an assessment of the things we bring to the table.  As a leader it becomes our responsibility to be accountable for the strategy’s we use. In deciding which route to take we must first be fully aware of our strengths and are frailties. There is an idiom about a chain, which most people are familiar with, it speaks about the weakest link. Any organization is only as strong as the leader of that organization. This is because the leader should be the one that knows his or her people and their skills and capabilities. It is part of a leaders job to help his or her followers to be the best that they can be within the confines of the organization. So I wonder, and you should too, am I the weakest link in my organization? Have you done everything you can to fully prepare yourself and your people to succeed? We often find it hard to accept the weight of our own shortcomings, many times we choose instead to heap it on to a pile or spread it around to others. However it is not until we choose to confront our own faults and lack of knowledge that we are truly able to begin to lead others. This is true of any leadership role. Understanding that you are the weakest link will help you to make changes and foster your people and each of their skills in the most useful and practical ways possible. A strong person in a position to lead, who runs from task to task cannot be considered a leader, we must strive to be as the single link in the chain and bridge the bond between others in an effort to strengthen us all as a single unit not individual links.

The leadership value of the day: knowing your craft and tools

As a leader or someone striving for greatness it is important to move with a sense of urgency. However it is more important to be fully prepared before you do so. Moving with a sense of urgency does not mean moving without proper knowledge of your craft or tools. You can only truly move with a sense of urgency if you know your craft and tools. Let me explain why this is true. Moving with a sense of urgency takes into account the goals you have set out to achieve. It takes stock of your resources and your limitations. If you have not done the work it will be impossible for you to be motivated in the right direction with the right directives in mind. Using the right tool for the job and knowing what you are trying to achieve is the only way to move with any sense of urgency.

Leadership Value of the Day: Time Management

Leadership Value of the Day: Time Management

When I say time management most people think of having enough time in the day to accomplish the goals that they have set for themselves for the day. This is an important part of time management but it is not the foundation of it. For you to fully appreciate what time management is, we must first understand energy. The energy you expel is an important part of time management, because you want to move fluidly with a since of urgency to reach your goals. Staggered movement is not effective movement, and while it is true that slow progress is better that no progress we are not striving to be average, we are moving to be exceptional, and thus more is required. Moving with a sense of urgency generates energy that is contagious to others. This will allow you to work with people as excited about the possibilities of growth as you are. That being said do not waste your time with people that will not meet your efforts with an elevation of their own efforts. Greatness is not achieved by mediocre effort. It can only achieved by those willing to give it all and move like they don’t have enough time in the day. Because the truth of the matter is there is not enough time in the day if you want to be great. Something will always be left to do the next day. The trick is to do so much that you no longer measure your time by the hour; you begin to measure your time by the success of the projects you complete on the highest level possible. It is important to realize that time is a construct that you will never be able to get back, so once you waste it on something it is gone. Having the self-discipline to align your goals with your actions is the hard part of being a leader. The people that choose to follow you will emulate you, so you have to lead by example. Be conscious about how you spend your time, how you move when you are on a task, and whom you spend your time with.

Leadership Value of the Day: Controlling your Emotions

Leadership Value of the Day: Controlling your Emotions

The one thing that we all have in common is that we are human. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors. We use all of those things to separate and group us into categories that help us to cope, and try to give order to something that we cannot comprehend on this plane of existence. We do all of this subconsciously, and we accept it as the norm. However with all that said, no matter how much we would like to separate ourselves, we are all the same. One of the many things that tie us together is our ability to feel. Our emotions help us to act and react to situations, and circumstances. However if we allow these emotions to dictate our reactions we can end up in situations with no way out. In order to lead others you do not have to be perfect. You do however need to attempt to lead from a place of clarity. Free from the knee jerk reaction to the initial emotion of a situation. There will be times when you feel frustrated at circumstances, and the ability to control that frustration and channel it towards a positive progression is the only way to not allow the emotion to control the outcome. You should strive to think about what you are feeling prior to action. Without this clarity of mind, free from the fog of emotion we all have the capacity to make a decision we would not have other wise made. Learning to focus your emotions toward change will help keep you ahead of the fray. If necessary embrace the feelings to learn from the situation that has evoked the feeling, sometimes this is the true gift of emotion. The bottom line is to control the emotion and use it, not letting the emotion control your actions.

Take A Leap: Travel Tuesdays: Guest Blog- 7 Essential Travel Ap...

Take A Leap: Travel Tuesdays: Guest Blog- 7 Essential Travel Ap...: Smartphones have revolutionized travel. From no longer looking like a tourist when grappling with a map, to re-booking a flight f...

The Leadership Value of the Day: Becoming Unselfish

-->

The Leadership Value of the Day: Becoming unselfish

In order to reach greatness a leader has to be able to do something many people cannot. It is putting the needs of many before the few. A leaders thought process has to be selfless and unselfish. In order for a person to rise above the fray and distinguish his or her group from others the leader must be able to separate his or her own needs for the greater good. This must first be practiced in the everyday life before it can be implemented or instituted within an organization. This goes back to leading by example. This does not mean to boast about all the charity work you do, it means put yourself in situations to help others with needs. Be open to the idea of building virtue in others. It is only through unselfish work that we begin to develop a legacy. Our true legacy is in the people we influence and help shape. If we fail to put others first we not only fail others, we fail to grow as leaders, and thus our organizations will die on the vine. The only way to become great is through service to others.

Discomfort is my friend

-->

Leadership Value of the Day: Discomfort is your friend

Who doesn’t like feeling comfortable? We love it, why? It’s not because being comfortable adds anything to help us progress. We love it because it is easy. It is easy to get comfortable and just go with the flow. We all want to be accepted in the in crowd and be popular. So I will apologize for shattering your comfortable façade in advance. If you want to achieve greatness you have to learn to love being uncomfortable. I am not just speaking of the physical comfort you get from skipping the work out you know you should go to, or the sick day you take even when you’re not sick, we see you by the way we know you’re not really sick eating ice cream and hanging out with friends who had the day off. I am speaking to the way people no longer thing for themselves. It is hard for people to go against the grain. The average train of thought that most people just jump on at the caboose and hope that the person driving the train knows where this is going. If you truly want to achieve greatness you have to learn to be uncomfortable and try thinking for yourself, and get out there and do things that may be uncomfortable to get where you want to go. If you do what everyone else is doing you will achieve the same results, you cannot realistically do what everyone else is doing and think that you are going to be the one to achieve a different result. Are you better than everyone else? Are you special and the laws of physics do not apply to you? Maybe it’s just that you see where everyone else was wrong and you are going to get it right this time. In all honesty you are special however you are not acting as such. Everyone is special, so why cheapen your gifts by doing what everyone else is doing. Blazing your own trail by thinking for yourself is the only way to achieve any real measure of success. Take a moment and think about how many decisions you actually made that were well thought out by you, and not just a reflection of a decision that someone else you know made. Hey if it worked for them it should work for you too right? Success is only achieved through thinking for yourself, not following the masses.

Leadership Value Of the Day: Leading By Example

Leadership Value Of the Day: Leading By Example

There are many people who are in a leadership positions that think they know what this means already. However it is not always as simple as you may think. Leading by example is not just knowing your job, or even knowing the jobs of the people that you are leading. Leading by example means taking the time to foster the people around you. Helping them to cultivate the skills that will help them to grow. This sets the environment for growth as well as positive energy. The energy you give off is a great start to leading by example. You cannot expect those around you to be positive and motivated if you are sucking all of the energy out of them as soon as they come around you. We know how important the Golden Rule is when we deal with people on a daily basis, however we should also treat all people well; even if we do not have interactions with them on a daily basis. We must take a page from the life of a man that was a symbol for a country and lead his people by example. Nelson Mandela lived to the ripe age of 95, and though a great portion of his life was spent behind concrete walls he did not allow that to turn his heart nor his mind towards bitterness, and revenge. Setting an example is not often easy. Many times it tests the mettle of a person and exposes what really resides within. If you aspire to be great and to leave a legacy beyond that of your own brief existence on this planet, than you must learn to lead by example. We all fall short of expectations in life but that does not mean we should not strive for better. None of us are perfect but we must still run towards it. Remember that your organizations attitude reflects the leadership it is under. Maintaining a positive attitude, admitting when you need help, and acknowledging your own faults are great starting blocks for building a leader that can lead by example.

 

Leadership Value of the Day: Reflecting

-->

Leadership Value of the Day: Reflection 

Who in our society has the time to reflect? We are often times consumed with work, children, bills, and just the day-to-day activities that keep us up late at night, and have us rising early in the morning. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. So it's no wonder we often find it hard to sit and reflect on decisions we have made and experiences we have had. Reflecting, however is a crucial step on the path to becoming great at what ever your craft maybe, as well as becoming a successful leader. Reflections allow us to gain value from our past choices. It does not matter if the choices were successful or if they were mistakes, we can learn to repeat or how to improve from those choices. This is the catalyst for proper perspective. Often times we are defeated by a situation because we are looking at it from the wrong perspective. The proper perspective can only be achieved by reflecting back on the choices we have made, because we often time in the moment do not have the time nor the clarity of mind to reflect within the experience itself. If you want to rise to a level of greatness in any craft you must utilize reflection. It is an imperative tool in the continued success, and development of leadership skills, and the growth of an individual on the journey to fulfill goals and dreams.

Awkwardness and Lyons draw large audiences to the web

     Early this week it was reported that Issa Rae of the web series Awkward Black Girl had inked a deal to bring her edgy brand of comedy to HBO. This is an excellent turn of events for many of the great shows and series that live on the web. This could possibly open the doors for many new filmmakers and writers that have taken the initiative to get things done on their own terms. One such production based in Augusta, Georgia is a series called The Lyons Den.

      The Lyons Den is the creation of Karlton T. Clay. Karlton began writing at a very young age, however it wasn’t until his time at Davidson Fine Arts School in Augusta, GA that he began to get involved in productions. At the age of 16, Clay was diagnosed with acute lymphoma leukemia. During his time in recovery VICTORY PRODUCTIONS was born. Clay credits his close relationship to his family and his continued faith in God for strengthening him during his battle with the disease. Karlton graduated from Davidson Fine Arts School in 2004, he went on to graduate from Georgia State University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in film and television production. Now at 26 years old and in remission, Karlton produces family-oriented stage plays, films, and television programs. Karlton also written, produced, directed, and starred in College Daze, an internet drama which began in September 2007. He also wrote and produced two shorts films - Surrender (2011) and 20something (2012). Both were accepted into the Poison Peach Film Festival in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Currently Karlton is in production for his second web series entitled, The Lyons Den. The show is airing its 4th seasons season finale Friday night at midnight. It has been accepted into 3 festivals: 2013 ATL Web Fest, 2013 Urban Media-makers Film Festival, and the 2013 L.A. Web Fest - there it won 5 awards (Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Producing, Outstanding Ensemble Cast, and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Reishal Monique and Victoria Wilson).

 The main cast (Season 4): 

•  Victoria Wilson as Raven Lyons Taylor 
•  Shantelle Wheeler as Keysha Lyons Monroe 
•  Reishal Monique as Sherri Lyons 
•  Sam Evans as J.C. Lyons 
•  DJ Jackson as Ryan Lyons
•  Torrence White as Malcolm Lyons
•  Antrinese Snell as Crystal Kingston/Aisha Lyons 
•  Kendra Clay as Shayquan Turner 
•  Stacy Camille as Ashley Murphy 
•  Altina Menefee as Tammi Covington 
•  Matt Calcutt as Charles Covington 
•  Kwashane Dijaire as Eric Patterson 
•  Shatareia Stokes as Bobbi Ward 
•  Karlton T. Clay as Jay Sean Turner 

        The web-series has made great strides since its first episode, and there is plenty of drama to be had for all. While in some of the previous seasons the episodes were a little lengthy; it seems that Clay and his crew have found the formula for infusing the most drama into a shorter amount of time, making it well worth your time. In this new frontier we are able to watch new artists grow and come into their own right in front of our eyes. It is clear with such determination and a willingness to grow and embrace the possibilities of the platform shows such as The Lyons Den and Awkward Black Girl are here to stay. So since you have been living under a rock and have not seen either of these wonderful series I have posted both for your viewing pleasure, you can thank me later.

Season finale of season 4 airs on Friday. Season 5 will premiere either late February or early March.

Leadership Value of the Day

Leadership Value of the Day: Embracing Chaos, and Ignorance

Now that I have your attention with such riveting values, let me explain what this really means. It is popular today for people to walk around stating they are realist. I know this because I was once a person saying the same thing. It is easy to allow your expertise to allow you to shoot down possibilities and limit the dreams of others. We get caught up trying to enjoy what we have that we forget how to really grow. Embracing ignorance does not mean to walk around happy that you have little knowledge of anything; it is indeed the opposite. It 's knowing that you have a skill set that may have caged your thinking. This will limit your ability to look at the entire possibilities in any given situation. It takes some training to be able to go into a situation and see the good in it, but that is exactly what you must do. Study other people in your craft, and instead of focusing on the negative look for the things they do exceptionally well. Greatness is not just having the ability to see the possibilities; it is having the skill to execute a dream and grow it to a reality. Embracing chaos can only do this. We only grow through strife. It is that friction or conflict that allows us to elevate our thinking so that we may push the boundaries on what we thought was possible to begin with. This does not mean to invite physical violence, it simply mean that during times of stress and turmoil when you may begin to see things in a negative light embrace the circumstances. There is very little if anything that can be done with a negative outlook. Remain calm and embrace the situation start pulling all of the positives to the forefront of your thought process, it seems like very little will come from this but the shift in your attitude will spur a positive change, growth, and open you to possibilities you would not have other wise known.

Don't Underestimate the power of Why

Leadership Value of the Day: Don't Underestimate the power of Why

I know many people with children, or people who have contact with small children have seen or heard a child catch an adult in the why loop. You know that is where after every question you answer they ask why. It can indeed try our patience as adults, but it is the raw form of a positive practice that anyone trying to achieve any measure of greatness should practice. That small word holds a lot of power if we use it correctly. It can help to align us with our goals, help us to refine our strategic thinking and provide an answer to questions that are so Obvious that we might have other wise missed it. It is not just the act of saying the word but the critical thinking that comes along with it that helps to focus our actions. Why can help to remove the cloud from actions and motives if thought through with any measure of separation from the problem. This is the spark for planning, and developing points for strategic advances. If you want to be successful in life you must start with why. Why are you choosing the profession you have chosen? Why do you think it is a fit for you? Why is it important for you? Vetting all of the whys will help you design a plan to achieve your goals and line you up with your end game. Without the knowing real motives, it is impossible to come to a goal, or a solution with any certainty. Without knowing why everything else is just a shot in the dark, or a best guess.

Navigating the Dream

Leadership Value Of the Day: Navigating the Dream

Greatness for leaders comes through the application of principals and skills. One of those skills is the ability to navigate. A great leader has to be able to visualize the dream and the outcome before they exist anywhere. Planning out each of the steps, just as you would plan a trip. It is essential that the leader know the end game. Simply put he or she must know where they are leading people and what they will do once they get there. The dream that a leader strives to achieve is only possible if he or she is willing to spend a lifetime to achieve it. Will it always take a lifetime? That depends on the dream. The larger the dream, the greater the number of obstacles and the longer the journey becomes. However you must be willing to put in the work that is necessary, and have the patience to wait as the steps are lined up for you. Timing is essential in navigating the dream; one second early or late can trigger effects that you never intended.