Dan Black On Leadership

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2011-07-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

If you have stumble upon this site, please check out the new one at Dan Black on Leadership.com

Pride Blocks Growth

2011-07-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

I believe one of the greatest reasons a leader stops growing and learning is because of pride. We need to remember that a little bit of pride can spoil the entire leader. A leader's pride has a potential to block growth which in turn blocks a leader's success (Or potential). This is because a leader who is growing and learning will always position themselves toward success. But once pride comes into a leader's life, growth and learning usually stops. The key for leader's is to maintain a humble life and always choose to grow and learn. This might be a challenge because of a leader's title or position. But the key is to focus on being humble. This comes with a daily choice for leader's to stay humble and growth driven.

How do you stay humble?

Finding Your Life Purpose

2011-07-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Each one of us has been placed here for a reason and with a life purpose. It is essential for leader's to find their life purpose. Which is usually closely related to their strengths and passions. If you have not discovered your life purpose, Dan Sullivan in The Laws of Lifetime Growth shares some insightful thoughts into finding your purpose.

"Even the act of searching for purpose leads to growth. it causes you to ask questions you wouldn't otherwise ask and look for answers in places where you wouldn't have noticed before, and to make connections and find meaning where you couldn't see if before. Even if you don't know what your purpose is, you can focus on purpose by searching for it. Finding your purpose becomes a purpose in itself , until it replaced by whatever you discover your purpose to be."

If you have not discovered your life purpose then searching for it is key. Two areas you should start thinking about is your passions and strengths. Because these things closely relate to your life purpose. Success starts with knowing your life purpose. But it does not end there. After a leader discovers their life purpose, they should focus on helping others find their life purpose. Which is key to lasting success.

Have you found your life purpose?

How Reading Books Helps A Leader

2011-07-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

There are many benefits to leader's reading books. The best books to read are ones that are in your areas of passions, strengths, and desired growth areas. If you are a leader then you should be intentional about reading books that will help you become a better leader. Here are some benefits in reading books,

It brings energy and motivation.

It sharpens your creative side.

It increases your thoughts and ideas.

It develops your skills and abilities.

It gives you something to share with others.

It's relaxing.

It activates your mind.

It helps your vocabulary and memory.

It builds your confidence and self-esteem.

What are some other benefits in reading?

Why Writers And Bloggers Should Always Carry A Voice Recorder

2011-07-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have lost numerous ideas and thoughts because of not having a pen or paper around me. I would always say, I'll remember it and write it down later but this was often not the case. And when I did remember to write down the thought, I found it was not as good as the original one. So I started to use my phones voice recorder.

I have found it very helpful in capturing my ideas and thoughts. Or when I'm listening to a leadership CD in my car and want to record what the person is saying. I then write down and expand on the original thought. Usually turning it into a blog post. I have found it very beneficial to my writing and blogging. I would like to encourage you to always have a voice recorder around you. So all your thoughts would be captured.

Do you use a voice recorder to help you remember your thoughts? (When paper or pen or not present)

3 Success Pillars For Christain Leader's

2011-07-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Rick Warren shares 3 pillars to a church leader's success which are:

"Focus on building people not the church."

"Its all about Character not charisma."

"You must build your life on integrity, humility, and generosity."

Can you think of any other pillars?

The Power In Saying No

2011-07-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

While serving at a small church as a volunteer youth leader I learned the power of saying no. I found that during my time there many people asked me to help in different departments. At first I said yes to everyone who asked me for a helping hand. But I found that when I said yes to everyone, I was not able to give all my attention, energy, time, and focus on the youth department. Which was primarily my serving role. Realizing this, I knew I had to start saying no to some people so that I could say yes to the areas of my focus. I found this challenging but rewarding to do.

Effective leader's have the ability to say no to good causes or opportunities so they can say yes to great ones. This allows a leader to focus in on the areas they desire without being weighed down by other responsibilities or commitments. This is the power in saying no.

Do you find it hard in saying no to others?

Growth in Strengths

2011-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

When It comes to personal development, I've found its best to focus on your strengths. Every leader is unique with different skills, strengths, and passions. This is why leader's should focus on growing their personal strengths and ability's. An expert on strengths, Marcus Buckingham says, "You will grow the most in your areas of greatest strengths." Since this is true, we should focus on developing the areas we are strongest in. Doing this requires us to be intentional and disciplined in our growth. I have said it many times that the key to success is to find, develop, and use your strengths.

What are your strengths and how do you grow in them?

Having A Growth Plan

2011-07-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

John Maxwell talks about the importance of a leader having a personal growth plan. The choices we make on a daily basis will determine our future.

Do you intentionally grow yourself?

20 Rewards To Having Wisdom

2011-07-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Looking into history we can see the benefits of leader's having wisdom. One such person was king Solomon, who ruled Israel around 986 B.C. As a young king he had a desire to lead with wisdom. Throughout his life Solomon’s wisdom, success, and wealth increased beyond imagination.

One benefit was that his wealth grew beyond "any king before him or any king to come." In today’s culture it has been said that he would have been a “trillionaire” as well as his gold reserves reaching into the billions. Today's leaders can also benefit from having wisdom. Here are 20 rewards in having wisdom,

• Knowledge
• Discretion
• Good judgment
• Preservation and protection
• Success
• Better health
• Longer life
• Honor
• Financial abundance
• Favor of those in authority
• Commendation and promotions
• Financial independence
• Confidence
• Strength of character
• Courage
• Extraordinary achievement
• Personal fulfillment
• Great relationships
• A truly meaningful life
• Love and admiration of others
• Understanding

What are your thoughts about wisdom and its rewards?

The Dark Side Of John F. Kennedy

2011-07-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

As the 35th president John F. Kennedy had many accomplishments. He, "launched the United States on a quest to conquer the final frontier of space, set the pace at the beginning of the Cold War, and left an indelible mark on the American psyche." His life is an example of someone who had a successful professional life while his personal life was destructive. Author Gary McIntosh says this about John F. Kennedy's dark side:

"It has only been since his death, after decades of research into previously unavailable documents, that the American public has learned to what extent this was true. Once he attained the ultimate position of power, his dark side became evident to those around him. As president, he too flaunted his adulterous affairs before his wife. Had his term not been cut short by tragedy, it is likely that his dark side would eventually have created serious problems for him. One political insider said, “The whole dark side of John Kennedy wouldn’t emerge until after his death… We had hints of it; we saw it around the edges…. Then we began to see it. You just connected the dots, and there was a picture there (Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership Page 52, 53)."

John F. Kennedy's story shows the importance of having people in your life that will help you stay away from your dark side. This can be done by having an inner circle of people, which should be people who,

Are trustworthy.

Are growing and changing.

Speak truth and honesty into your life.

Know your story and background.

Care about you.

Know your strengths and weaknesses.

Hold you accountable.

Don't care about your title or position.

Have wisdom.

Have a good track record.

Want to see you succeed.

How do you stay away from your dark side?

One Key To Blog Growth

2011-07-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

If you want to see growth then this is needed.

It separates people who see growth from those who don't.

It positions you on the path toward success and achievement.

It's hard to do but worth it.

If you want your blog to grow then be consistent in posting. The key is consistency.

How do you stay consistent in posting?

My All Time Favorite Books

2011-07-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the best books I have ever read. These are the main books I refer to and recommend frequently(In no specific order).

The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner

First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham

The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy

Spiritual Leadership by Henry and Richard Blackaby

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

The Laws of Life Time Growth by Dan Sulivan

The Talent Masters by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan

The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni

Outliners by Malcolm Gladwell

The Leadership Code by Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Kate Sweetman

Tribes by Seth Godin

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Coleman

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

12: The Elements Of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner and James Harter

Leadership Mastery by Dale Carnegie Training

What are some of your all time favorite books?

Creating The Right Environment

2011-07-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

Have you been on a team or in an organization which lacked a good environment? I can say that I have and the chances are that you can say the same thing. The places that lack a good environment lead people to stay stagnant, have low energy, no drive for results, and never change. The environment people are around makes a difference.

This is why it's important for leaders to create the right environment. This can be done or improved no matter the current type of environment. It requires a leader to focus on setting up the right type of environment. The environment you should create should be one,

Where the people are growing, learning, and changing.

Where the people are stretched outside of their comfort zone.

Where the people know it's safe to fail.

Where the people are uplifted.

Where the people are rewarded and recognized.

Where creativity is encouraged.

Where everyone has a place and plays a role.

Where individuals and the team is moving to the next level.

Does your team and organization have a good environment?

Key Points On What Christian Leaders Can Learn From King Saul

2011-06-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks I have been posting about king Saul's bad choices that lead to his downfall. Below I wanted to share the main points Christian leaders can learn from his life. Enjoy,

Be obedient to God's words and commands.

Be patient and trust in God's timing.

Be guided by God, not by emotions or what is seen.

Have Godly fear not worldly fear.

Be careful of what compels you.

Know Gods plans are higher than mans.

Be careful what they allow into their heart.

Know that thoughts turn into actions.

Guard against pride, jealously, and title mindedness.

Stay focused on God and your purpose.

Don't let other's success or actions affect their thoughts or actions.

Celebrate other's wins and successes.

Set the example and follow your own rules.

Rely on God's direction, guidance, and power.

Be careful with the words they speak and the promises they make.

Follow through with your words and promises.

Don't take oaths in the name of the Lord.

Have and maintain good character and integrity.

Be accountable and own up to your bad choices.

Your actions always affect other people.

Point the finger at themselves when something goes wrong and when they make a bad choice.

Be careful with the choices and decisions they make.

The good or bad you do will eventually catch up with you.

Be careful with who they associate with.

Ways To Invest In Your Team

2011-06-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest rewards and responsibilities of a leader is building a team. This is because progress and results happen with an effective team. But this takes a leader investing in their team. This is hard because investing in others requires energy, time, and work. It might be hard but doing so benefits everyone. Here are some ways to invest in your team:

Choose to invest and build your team.

Have the best people on your team.

Develop and train your team.

Do things as a team.

Credit the team for its wins and successes.

Provide new experiences.

Reward good work.

Encourage team members.

Give team members new opportunities.

Choosing to invest in your team will add value to everyone. In turn people will have a desire to accomplish the vision and goals of the team and organization. But the first thing a leader needs to focus on is investing in their team.

How do you invest in your team?

You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader by Mark Sanborn

2011-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mark Sanborn Is a leader, author, and speaker. Here is a short clip about not needing a title to lead.

A simple question: Are you willing to lead without a title?

What Christian Leaders Can Learn From King Saul, Part 4

2011-06-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

The passage below gives us insights into what happens when a leader starts to sin, make bad choices or decisions. It is what happened with Saul and it happens to current leader's. Psalms 1 says,

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers. (NIV)

The process starts with walking (Movement) then to standing, and finally sitting (Staying still). The decline of a Christian leader starts with bad choices with an unrepeated heart, that leads them to their eventual fall. This is what happened to Saul. The sin, choices and decisions he made over his life lead to his downfall. Here is the result of Saul's unrepeated heart toward his choices and sin, it can be found in 1 Samuel 31:1-6

"Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely. Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines come to run me through and taunt and torture me.”But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king. So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day."

Saul's outcome was years in the making, which is the same with most people's downfall. Here are some things we can learn from Saul's downfall,

Leader's need to have and maintain good character and integrity.

Leader's need to be accountable and own up to their bad choices.

Leader's actions always affect other people.

Leader's should point the finger at themselves when they make a bad choice or when
things go wrong.

Leader's need to be careful with the choices and decisions they make.

Leader's know either the good or bad they do will eventually catch up to them.

Leader's need to be careful with who they associate with.

What are your thoughts about king Saul's downfall? Feel free to add to the list.

What Christian Leaders Can Learn From King Saul, Part 3

2011-06-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

We have been going through some of the bad choices king Saul made, that lead him from being a great king to an evil one. So far, we have seen how Saul took things into his own hands by not waiting for Gods timing. We have also seen what has happened because of Saul's pride and jealousy. In this post I want to share another bad choice Saul made.

Saul was gathering his army to fight the Philistines. But when Saul saw how many soldiers the Philistines had he became "frantic with fear". The first reaction Saul had was good, he went to the Lord for guidance and direction. When the Lord refused to answer him,

"Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do." His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. (He did this because he outlawed mediums) Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me? “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?" But Saul took an oath in the name of the LORD and promised, “As surely as the LORD lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”

Saul's second choice was wrong because he was looking for the medium to raise up Samuel's spirit so that he could abstain guidance and direction from him. Here are a few things Christian leader's can learn from this story,

Leader's need to set the example and follow their own rules.

Leader's need to rely on God's direction, guidance, and power.

Leader's need to be careful with the words they speak and the promises they make.

Leader's should follow through with their words and promises.

Leader's should not take oaths in the name of the Lord.

(In the last post of this series I will show the outcome of Saul's bad choices)

What other lessons can we learn from this story? Feel free to share

Leader's Need To Focus On The Organization's Expertise

2011-06-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

We must realize the dangers of moving an organization into areas outside of its expertise. This is what commonly happens, the leadership team moves into outside industries or other areas to increase the bottom line. The goal of doing this is not to harm the organization but to help it. But this is not usually the case.

What happens most of the time is that the people move from focusing on areas of expertise to areas that they will never become good in or at. The danger in that is the people become too busy doing things that will not allow for success. The outcome of this is the leader is usually replaced and the organization sees a decline. Until the focus can be placed primarily on the areas of their expertise.

The key to avoiding this is by disciplining yourself and the team to stay focused in the areas of the organization's expertise.

What is your organization's areas of expertise? Are you focused in those areas?

Two Types Of Attitude

2011-06-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

In the Slight Edge, Jeff Olson talks about two types of attitude. Here is what he says,

"There are two prevalent types of attitude: entitled and value-driven. A value-driven attitude says, "What can I do to help you?" An entitled attitude says, "What have you done for me lately?" An entitled attitude says, "Pay me more, and then maybe I'll work harder." A value-driven attitude says, I'll work harder, and then I expect you'll pay me more."

We have the choice to have an entitled or value driven attitude when it comes to leading others. I believe the people who succeed in life have a value driven attitude. Here are some characteristics of an entitled and value driven attitude:

Characteristics of a entitled person:
Prideful.
Self focused.
Serve me.
Takes the credit and not the blame.
Focused on individual or self win.
Not teachable.
Resistant to growth and change.
Willing to bend the rules.

Characteristics of a value-driven person:
Humble.
Other Focused.
Serves others.
Shares the credit and take the blame.
Focused on the team winning.
Teachable.
Willing to grow and change.
The rules are solid.

Can you add any other characteristics?

Effectively Communicating To An Audience, Part 3

2011-06-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

The first two parts of this series were Becoming a Better Communicator and The 3P's Of Preparing to Communicate. In this post I want to finish this series by talking about ways to effectively communicate to an audience. I believe the best way to conquer the fear of public speaking and become an effective presenter, is through experience. It is true that the more you do it the better you will become.

Speaking to an audience gives you the opportunity to learn from yourself. What you did well and what needs to be worked on or changed. I also have found the more you speak in front of a audience the more comfortable you will become. This does not mean fear or nervousness will be gone, but it does mean you will be able to handle it better. Each time I speak in front of an audience I feel more comfortable and walk away learning what I can do next time to be more effective. Below are some things I have learned.

Keys to effectively speaking to an audience:

Be yourself.
Engage the audience from the very beginning.

Focus on the audience not your notes.

Use body language and visual demonstrations.

Connect on an emotional level.

Talk about things people can easily apply into their life.

The shorter the talk is the more it will be retained. (Stay in the time frame)

Leave the audience with an action step or challenge.

These are things I have learned while on the journey to becoming a better communicator. I hope this series has helped you become a better leader and communicator.

What have you learned while communicating to an audience?

What Christian Leader's Can Learn From King Saul, Part 2

2011-06-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

(Feel free to check out the first part of What Christian Leader's Can Learn From King Saul)

After David was anointed by Samuel as the next king, circumstances lead him to be king Saul's personal harp player and a mighty soldier. After David and his army killed the Philistines, the people started to sing this song,

“Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” 1 Samuel 18: 7

The passage goes onto say,

"This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David." 1 Samuel 18: 8-7

After hearing this song Saul became (even more) prideful, jealous, title minded, and negative. This one song opened the door for negative thoughts that continued to lead him toward his downfall. This was just another bad choice he made. The story goes onto talking about Saul's thoughts becoming actions when,

"The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice. Saul was then afraid of David, for the LORD was with David and had turned away from Saul." 1 Samuel 18: 10-12

There are many things we can learn from this story. Here are a few,

Leader's need to be careful what they allow into their heart.

Leader's need to know that thoughts turn into actions.

Leader's need to guard against pride, jealously, and title mindedness.

Leader's need to stay focused on God and their purpose.

Leader's should not let others success or actions affect their thoughts or actions.

Leader's should celebrate others wins and successes.

What are your thoughts?

What Christian Leader's Can Learn From King Saul, Part 1

2011-06-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

We can learn lessons on leadership from both good and bad leader's. King Saul is one of those people we can learn from even though he was not the best leader. The bad choices and decisions he made, turned his potential of being a great king, into the path that lead to his downfall. One of the first major bad decisions was when his army was preparing for a battle against the philistines (Saul's army was outnumbered and terrified).

Saul was commanded to wait for Samuel the prophet to offer a burnt offering before the battle. But after a few days of waiting the people started to become more fearful and started to "scatter". Saul made the decision to "burn the offering" himself. But right after Saul finished Samuel arrived. Samuel asked Saul what he had done. Here is what he said,

“I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the LORD’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” 1 Samuel 13: 11-12

After hearing this response Samuel said,

“You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end" 1 Samuel 13: 13-14

Saul's decision to take things into his own hands was the start to his downfall. Here are some things we can learn from this story,

Leader's need to be obedient to God's words and commands.

Leader's need to be patient and trust in God's timing.

Leader's need to be guided by God, not by emotions or what is seen.

Leader's need to have Godly fear not worldly fear.

Leader's should be careful of what compels them.

Leader's should know Gods plans are higher than mans.

We can learn a lot from King Saul. I personally think we can learn more of what not to do then what to do. It's amazing that a person can have so much potential for success but because of bad choices and decision, they are lead down a road of unknown destruction. Remembering and applying the above points will point you toward your potential for success.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Brian Tracy: You Are What You Think

2011-06-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is a short clip by Brian Tracy about what you think about.

What are your thought?