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Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. ~Henry Ford

In looking at expensive rings with a variety of brilliant gems that sparkle in the light. They sparkle because they are highly polished and engraved for excellence. Gems cannot be polished without friction. I remembered at that moment that there were times in my life with friction. At the time, I did not appreciate the value of that friction to the ultimate value it created for my in my leadership skills. People would say encouraging things to me to help me deal with the disappointment and to help me get refocused. At the time of the stress, I could not fully embrace those helpful comments. After that stress is gone and I am in a better place emotionally, it’s easier to understand that I have grown in my skills. The experience is valuable looking in the rear view mirror.

The value of evaluation can be powerful in developing leadership skills. Perspective provides wisdom that we otherwise would not have. Failure is a welcome experience in the right perspective. Those who succeed get up one more time than they fall down. Failure is a step toward growth. Growth is a journey and not an event.

Henry Ford also said, “Obstacles are thing you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” The wisdom here is that having specific goals is a key element for success. Your goals may be bold. Actually, that’s good. It’s better to have high goals and fail rather than have mediocre goals and succeed. Bold goals stretch skills and empower personal growth. Skilled leaders can share stories of how those skills were strengthened over time. Usually, the journey to excellence is punctuated with challenges.

Welcome challenges as teachers. Embrace the teaching moments and look for the value those teaching moments bring to you. You and only you are in charge of your attitude. You will not grow without trials. Learn to discipline your disappointment. Keeping a positive mental attitude is one of the definitions of true wealth as listed by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich The book is full of examples of great leaders who overcame what some would classify as insurmountable obstacles.

You are in charge of you. What attitude will you choose today?

Sarah Palin on Fox News Sunday

On Fox News Sunday, Sarah Palin noted President Obama doesn’t have “the cojones” to effectively address the issue of illegal immigration.
Here’s the story: Palin Says Brewer Has Something Obama Lacks: ‘Cojones’. History will define whether or not she is on target.

The word “cogones”  is a borrowed work from Hispanic roots. It basically means courage to step up and do the right thing. Leader are always being criticized by followers for something. So, why not be criticized for doing what you feel is important and necessary as the effective leader you are?

The issues about Obama is simply a political football – or is it? Anyway, it does set the stage for looking at leadership courage.

Here are some ways that the Transformational Leader can step to action:

1. Address the Issue – Leaders continually ignore inappropriate or unproductive behavior and do not address it head on. Not dealing with an issue can cause your organization to suffer larger consequences: time, money, relationships, public image, market share, etc. Not dealing with the issues when first discovered will only allow it to grow larger and create more damage. Pay the upfront cost and deal with the issue immediately. A musical rehearsal is to correct mistakes before they become learned behavior and before they impact the entire orchestra or choir. Business and church leaders have the same responsibility – fix the problem now before it multiplies
2. Do not Place Importance on Popularity – The musical conductor is expected to correct mistakes before they become learned behavior. These actions are not considered to be personal in nature – it’s simply part of the leaders’s responsibility. Business and church leaders are too worried about upsetting the balance, or about hurting someone’s feelings, or seeming to be confrontational to be effective in preventing or correcting problems. In fact, the leader is respected more after taking action and addressing the difficult issues. Teams do not respect a leader who does not or cannot deal with these situations. Pay the upfront cost – act on issues appropriately, let popularity find its place.
3. Be Aware that Others Follow Your Behavior – If you have children you will understand this dynamic easily. Those we lead will pick up and emulate our habits – especially our habits that we do not like. The lesson is authentic, ethical, firm, focused leadership inspires the same. Model the results and behavior that you want to see in your organization.
4. Do Not Guard the Information – Effective Transformational Leaders share information needed to accomplish tasks and meet deadlines for goals. Have the courage to share all the information you have in order to enable your team members to share in the success of meeting organizational goals. It’s not only you. It’s not about you. It’s not only up to you. It’s a shared effort. Share the information and share the celebration. Be courageous and know that you will make it happen, but you do not need all the attention or all the credit. You are, in fact, the leader. If there is success, then you have lead the team and the organization to that success. It becomes self-evident.
5. Be Transparent – Do not pretend to know everything – those whom you lead know the facts, so why pretend? In fact, if you try to pretend that you have no weaknesses, then those who work for and with you will prove you to be wrong. It might be intentional. It might not be intentional. It just happens. Transparency is a trait of strong leaders. Being vulnerable and letting your team know that they have a place for acting that complements your skills a leader will empower them to do their best. It’s now their skill and not yours. They have a chance to step up as well.

This is a short list of courageous behaviors for the Transformational Leader.

Tip: Would you rather be criticized for being and action leader behaving boldly for the good of an organization or would rather be criticized for “play it safe”

Once upon hearing a person tell me that he had worked continuously for four years with no vacation, I stopped to think about how unsuccessful that person appeared to be to me. Now, I fully realize that to some people who enjoy their work, this might be a desired result – work all the time because that’s what makes you feel good.

I prefer to think of life like a musical composition. It’s full of variety – tempo changes, dynamic variations, rests, fermatas, and more.

With a variety in like the Transformational Leader is equipped to think clearly and respond to the challenges of leadership with a fresh perspective.

TIP: If you plan to create variety in your life, the change of pace with empower you for challenges ahead for your leadership. Do not lag behind the curve, be prepared to lead the charge by being rested and focused.

When it’s only you, then you can be very flexible – do what you want to do when you want to do it. (not really true, but many solo entrepreneurs experience the world this way) Once you get a team ( for this discussion, 2 or more people), then the status changes. You must then plan the scope and sequence of the work.

Many leaders of major companies treat their systems and processes like the company is small – making dramatic changes and starting the change right away – planning the day on the fly – running meetings but the seat of their pants – just making autocratic decisions and not utilizing project teams or work centers for multi-tasking and working on multiple priorities, just to name a few.

If you want a big company, then develop systems that support the opposite of the situation describe above.

Effective leadership inspires effective work from those whom you lead. The output of the team is in direct proportion to the clarity of their vision about roles, responsibilities, and functions as a team.

TIP: If you don’t like to have your time wasted, then respect the time of those whom you lead by developing systems to achieve maximum results from your great teams.

TIP: Do not let anybody steal your dream. Communicate your vision clearly to your team and inspire excellence in execution. Get the best players and expect the best results. Do not give up and do not let the team give up. You will win.

Perfection paralysis is a condition that keeps many leaders from obtaining their best results. You may know someone or it may be you that is guilty of making sure everything is perfectly in place before taking the first step to implement a goal.

When Napoleon Hill interviewed Andrew Carnegie he captured the quote from Carnegie, “Any idea that is held in the mind and is emphasized, that is either feared or revered, will begin at once to clothe itself in the most appropriate physical form available.” Hill discovered that the most successful Americans that Carnegie introduced him to had many things in common – one key factor stands out – they all set specific goals and began to move toward the goal without having to figure out all the details.

Foundations is about clarity in your vision and specificity on your goals. It does not, however, mean that you must plan until you run out of energy and time to implement your goal. Define the goal and then begin at once to move toward completion of that goal.

TIP: Consider perfection to be the enemy of good. Perfection might just keep you from ever achieving your goal. It’s is worth it?

Are you the 3%? Only three percent of the population will actually follow through with an idea and implement it. Yes, that’s the sad truth. Many, many people have great ideas, if fact there is an abundance of great ideas. There are, however, very few people to see those ideas through to success.

This is the law of averages. Only 3% of the readers of this newsletter will actually implement the ideas. Why? It’s the law of averages. Throughout history this formula repeats itself.

So, the choice is yours. Do you want to be known as the person who actually succeeded? Maybe the winning idea is an idea that was given to you. The great idea does not have to be original.

Today you have many options. You have many opportunities to succeed. Have you decided to succeed? That’s the first step – deciding to succeed. The next step is deciding to be committed to the idea. Believe in the idea and have a passion for the idea. You will not succeed if you have no passion for the idea.

The first step in establishing a successful system is deciding to succeed. Next, figure out how.

TIP: First develop clarity for what you want. Next devise a pathway to success

Thomas Edison was the most prolific inventor in history. His style of leadership was to work all the time. Edison was known for not sleeping. Yes, that’s true. He basically never slept. He would only take short naps and get right back to work.

There is a difference in being driven and being called as a leader. Edison was productive because he never gave up, in fact, he continued to work to invent the incandescent light bulb through multiple failures. On his 10,000 try he succeeded! Are you willing to work this hard to prove your idea? Edison did not recognize failure. He stated that he found 9,999 ways that did not work.

The Transformational Leader creates balance in life in order to have personal and work lives and not just a work life. It was important to Edison to realize his many brilliant ideas into working, living projects – the light bulb, the dry cell battery, electricity that could be transported over distance, and the telephone (he invented the phone, but got the the patent office after Bell – he was however the person that made the phone work in a practical manner).

Edison made a choice – be the best inventor. He was famous for that. Do you think he was happy? I wonder….

TIP: Plan to be successful in life, not just your work life.

There is a wonderful framing of true leadership skills in the blog post at The Practice of Leadership titled Are You a Leader or Just a Boss? (http://dld.bz/cPbx). Here’s a quote from the post: Just having a title does not make you a leader, leaderships is about influence. Title only buys you time to exercise true leadership, and in this time your leadership either increases or diminishes and eventually fails. There is a huge difference between being a boss and being a leader…

The Transformational Leader leads from a personal influence and not power of position. It’s more difficult and somewhat threatening for a leader to be vulnerable by being authentic, however, this style of leadership inspires others to model authenticity as well. Creating strong leaders makes the Transformational Leader more effective. The power is shared, even though the leader is utlimately the guide for the vision, it is with nurture and not force.

If you look at yourself in the mirror, do you see a person that you would allow to lead you?

As I interviewed Jim Hart for the May 10, 2010 edition of Monday Morning Email (http://dld.bz/cNKu) I really resonated with his perspective on leadership in the church. This newsletter is for those who plan and lead worship ministries. Jim served the church for many years and now is President of the Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Florida. One comment jumped out at me that supports a major principle of Transformational Leadership – Authenticity.

Here’s his quote:

Well, you know, I think leadership is an area that is, has not been given the proper kind of regard, particularly among music ministers and worship leaders. We say we are worship leaders and we talk mostly about worship and not so much about leading and all of us in some way are called to be leaders in the way that, again, the way that Jesus modeled for us being servant leaders. And serving those with whom you spend your life and your ministry. And so, I think reflections on leadership are, are vitally important for all of us who are involved with worship leading ministry or actually just any kind of kingdom advancing ministry. We need to be reflecting on how leadership plays into everything we’re doing.

The principle that resonated with me was that of look to the leadership of Jesus who demonstrated Servant Leadership. Jesus was the Servant Leader, indeed! He represented serving humanity in all that he did. His leadership was authentic. Authenticity inspires authenticity. We are professionals in many types of work. We are first and foremost the person that God created us to me. Trying to be something else is not authentic. It’s good to study leaders, however, learn from successful leaders and make the principles you like your own principles. Learn the principle behind what you see and do not just copy the action.

The successful leader internalizes the lessons learned. These new skills mature as the leader grows and matures in their own leadership style.

Be authentic. Be the leader you were created to be. Be the best you can be – all the time. You will inspire others to do the same.