Tag Archives: young leader

Sarcastic Confusion

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“I’m only joking.”

“Just Kidding”

“I wasn’t serious.”

Really? How would I tell… You deadpan sarcasm so much that I can’t figure out which of your statements are serious and which of them are actually playful humor.

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If the previous section strikes a cord with you, it is time to rethink your communication style. Better yet, read this to someone who works closely with you AND who will tell you the truth. If they say it ‘might describe you on occasion’ (which is their polite & honest way of saying YES) then you do have a communication problem. Sarcasm is an easy, painful and lazy communication pattern. Leaders communicate straight on about issues. Leaders hold back unnecessary comments. Leaders measure their words knowing that they have impact. 

  • Never communicate truth through sarcasm – go head first into the issues OR don’t worry about it.
  • If sarcasm becomes more than 25% of your ‘style’ with any individual, you don’t really have a relationship with them.
  • Observe other really sarcastic people and reflect deeply on your opinion of them AND other leaders’ opinion of them.

Can v Will

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“Can you do it?” isn’t the question that will separate you from others and move you towards your dreams.

“Will you it?” is the differentiator.

People of desire, grit. self-reliance, determination, resourcefulness and a willingness to try-&-fail prove themselves far, far more valuable in leadership and in life than people who possess ability, intelligence, phenomenal grades and credentials, the right answers, the best looks or an incredible resume.

Talk is CHEAP. Good ideas and intentions are even cheaper. Regurgitating other people’s ideas is the cheapest of all!
[I hope you didn't pay too much for that diploma that might have only taught you what other people think but hasn't moved your butt towards action or difference making.]

So take an inventory… what do you keep telling people you CAN do, but that you have yet to accomplish? Are you that guy or gal sitting at the table with all of the right answers and good ideas, but who never puts them into action? Do you need someone else to ‘come along’ with you or are you going to go out and get it done regardless? Do the conditions have to be ideal and perfect or are you willing to get started, figure it out, overcome a few obstacles and move forward with big plans and new ideas? Do you settle into doing the easy things, the things that other people line up for you to do?

How far out is the future date when you will turn your potential into reality?

You don’t have to be incredibly intelligent, brave, masterful or lucky… what you need is to do is TRY.

learn for change

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Most leadership BOOKS (not reading) seem like a huge waste of time. The best ideas can usually be summed up in 150 pages less than the publisher and author actually used. Here are a few books that are worth their price tag that have had a profound impact on my leadership and lifestyle:

Losing your training wheels in Leadership

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when you first learned to ride, what was the color of your bike?

RED?

Mine was. Ok, it wasn’t my bike. My friend Brian from down the street had a small red bike. Mine was a full-sized, used, hand-me-down bmx. I am not even sure how my dad could have found training wheels for it. The top tube (middle bar for those of you who don’t ride) was almost as far up from the ground as I was. However, the red bike Brian had fit just right. It was a perfect height from the ground for a 5 year old. It had training wheels too! But the greatest thing about his bike is that it gave me confidence to build on for riding my own bike. A few spins on that puppy taught me that I could possibly learn to ride without the training wheels. His dad set us free the very next week. Sure, he held the seat and started us down a small hill near his house to help us get going, but by the end of week two we were flying — skidding to stops AND MOST IMPORTANTLY I was getting the courage to step up to my full-sized bmx.

Leadership is like learning to ride a bike. You will start slow, it will come to you over time, once you learn you won’t forget AND you will gain confidence with each success to step up into bigger situations. Akin to bike riding, you can gain some confidence and some assistance by tapping the experience offered by others who have learned to ride and are out there ‘enjoying the sport’. Save yourself some early pain by dedicating yourself to learning about leadership and easing your way into it, possibly even getting a mentor.

That is what these blog articles will be for… to help you get going. I don’t have all the answers, so you won’t find me writing all the articles. My goal is to make the early experiences in leadership more beneficial. Odds are you will still have some crashes that will cause some pain – those are unavoidable, even with training wheels and assistance. But as you come to experience the thrill of leadership and glean from the insights of others, I am betting you will in turn become a leader who is reaching your potential.

I am looking forward to counting you in as a leader who is learning and making positive impacts in your world!

  • keep reading here
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  • read from other great sources
  • start processing WHO will make for a great mentor