In my book Journeying on Holy Ground, you will learn how to set priorities to help you gain personal happiness and the achievement of your dreams.

The Journey with God helps you:
 Create the ultimate relationship that will bring peace into your life
 Discover the power of prayer and choice
 Learn how to share your time, talents and treasures with God and the world

The Journey with family helps you:
 Strengthen your marital bond and relationship skills with your spouse
 Develop the right parental relationship with your children
 Discover how to keep God in your family life

The Journey in your career helps you:
 Grow your skills and find satisfaction with your work
 Develop techniques that make you a stronger leader
 Discover how to successfully use the “spiritual dimension” of work
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The Journey with your personal development helps you:
 Discover coping skills to ease the tensions of life
 Apply key success principles to use in every facet of your life
 Complete the “Success Challenge” questions to bring personal insights to fruition

Check out www.JourneyingOnHolyGround.com to order your copy.

Great leaders never point fingers at others to place blame or to excuse his or her failures. Rather, they step up and take whatever action is needed to rectify the situation, regardless of who caused it to exist in the first place. On the other hand, there are those leaders whose main survival tactic is to point fingers at others. And, nowhere is this type of behavior more prevalent than in the world of politics.

Unfortunately, we have a different set of rules in play today. Elected officials are quick to blame all the ills of government on the other party or on past elected officials. And, in-between the bickering, nothing good gets done. True leaders willingly take whatever risks are necessary to get the job done and fix a situation. They choose not to fix blame but to take charge. They choose to do the tasks needed and not concern themselves with re-election. They understand that the past is over and the only moment of control is now. And, by doing so, they can help shape the future. Great leaders are secure with themselves and their major concern is to make things better on every front and they do so without fear of the consequences.

Here are some lessons I’ve collected over a lifetime of study of what makes some people more successful than others. Apply them to your daily routine and you greatly increase the odds of being a leader in your industry and in life.

1. To be great, associate with great people.
2. Be focused and disciplined with time.
3. Excellence is a habit.
4. Look beyond the obvious to anticipate what is going to happen.
5. Build relationships in order to ultimately build access and circles of influence.
6. Be very clear and focused with your thinking and strategies. Start with the end in mind and build towards that end.
7. Build an equity and wealth consciousness. You will never be wealthy without a mindset to become wealthy.
8. Think billable hours and the value of the hourly income desired.
9. ID what is missing in an organization. Go after that element of business or seek to create leadership in this area.
10. Use 1/3 of your time for learning; 1/3 for earning and 1/3 for serving.
11. Develop systems for all activities and, for outstanding results, execute them consistently.
12. Keep the big picture in mind and stop being task oriented. Be able to replicate success.
13. Be selectively extravagant but prudently frugal.
14. Perception is reality. Position yourself in your own eyes before you can improve your positioning with others.
15. Leverage what you do. Be congruent with leveraging and strategy building.
16. Focus on education, not training.
17. At the end of the day ask, “What did I learn today that I didn’t know yesterday?
18. Watch your thoughts and remember: garbage in garbage stays.
19. Remove any activity in your life that will not help you move towards your desired outcomes.
20. Give back.

In today’s busy business environment, managers are always looking for ways to free up time and get more done in their workday. Often, managers forget one of the best ways this can be donedelegate! Yes, letting others do what we feel only we have the ability to do is sometimes difficult. But, if one is to function at their greatest capacity, one must learn to let go. Here are a few ideas to help with the delegation process and, at the same time, create that valuable free time you need to grow your career.

Sit down with a piece of paper and list all the things you do. Break major responsibilities into as many subcategories as you can. Once you are done with this task, start reviewing the list and check all items you are comfortable letting someone on your staff do for you. If there is an item in doubt, check it anyway on this first pass. Next to each item you checked, place the name of a staff member to whom you wish to pass on the responsibility. Assess strengths and weaknesses of these individuals and their knowledge level of the task. Match the task with their talents.

If possible, develop a written description of the task requirements and review this document with the person given the task. Placing the assignment in writing greatly reduces misunderstanding by both parties. Insure that the task assigned is fully understood by asking questions following your review. Have the staff member re-state your assignment in their words to assure they have understood your instructions. You should be willing to provide some training if necessary. Don’t expect perfection the first time or that the individual will do things exactly as you might have done them. Make expectations clear but allow for some growth and learning. Perhaps there may have to be a joint effort in the beginning and you can gradually let go entirely once your comfort level grows.

I’ve provided ten ideas on creating greater successes in life for your reflection and consideration

You are always in charge of yourself. Many are constantly looking for someone else to bring success into their life. They don’t realize that if they wish more success, they will have to take greater charge of their life decisions. No one is coming to the rescue. We must improve and/or change habits and our willingness to work hard with a laser focus. Nothing less will do unless you are willing to settle for “average.”

The world reflects the attitude you give it. Look at life like a mirror. The reflection you get in a mirror is similar to the reflection we get from the world based upon our actions. Attitude is a dominate component of personal success. Give out signals of negativity and negative is what you reap. On the other hand, brightening the world with your positive approach will eventually provide the reaping of positive results.

Accept personal responsibility for all your actions. This is another way of stating the first item. Except here I’ve added the word responsibility. For too many, it’s a word they avoid thinking about or acting upon. Personal responsibility means you don’t blame others for your failures. They are the result of choices and poor actions. Get over it. Take responsibility and you win.

Keep “balance” in your life—a spiritual, family and career balance. Journeying on Holy Ground, (www.JourneyingOnHolyGround.com) is a book about how to bring balance and the right priorities into your life. Why not check it out for yourself and as a possible Christmas gift for those you love. Besides, it provides an in-depth body of knowledge to achieve that important “balance” we all seek.

Use goals to create your future and commit to their completion. We get energized this time of the year to recommit ourselves to greater successes next year. Why not start with one goal that will give you the greatest return on your time investment and work like hell to bring it into reality. Once done, you can start working on the next most important goal. Continue adding goals throughout the year. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a long list that never gets done.

Establish relationships. They are the foundation for all your successes. No one is an island. We all need someone to help us achieve our maximum potential. On a spiritual level, that relationship is with God. On a secular level, this means individuals who support your life’s focus and who can provide information and/or resources to escalate your achievement timeline.

Learn all you can about personal / business money management. Cash flow is king on both a personal and business level. One must master how to best use and manage money. Much of today’s ills start with a money problem. Don’t fall into this trap—get educated on how to preserve your cash and properly apply its use for your maximum benefit.

Learn something “new” each day to keep growing intellectually. Stagnation of thoughts will eventually end up giving you a cesspool of nothingness. Be curious. Become growth oriented. Always look for information that enhances your personal performance or position in life. “Lazy” is not part of this process!

Develop an exercise routine to keep your body and mind fit. Your mind and body need constant “exercise” to grow the effectiveness of both. Sound mind and body propel you forward. Poor health is life’s friction and an undeveloped mind is the pathway toward ignorance. Keep health at the top of the list of achievements you strive to attain. It’s the source of a long life.

Express gratitude often. Two of the most forgotten words today are “Thank You.” We should never miss an opportunity to offer thanks to anyone that provides any level of help. It’s a powerful set of words that we all love to hear given to us as a result of some action we’ve taken. Make a list of things for which you are grateful and strive to grow that list every day.

A number of years ago, I was conducting an executive coaching session with the CEO and President of a multi-million dollar business. The leadership style of each person was vastly different and was the root-cause of the friction between these two leaders. As I worked with these individuals, it became evident that the CEO had never really articulated the expectations he desired to the President. In the absence of direction, the President created his own leadership style. Each had a different style of providing instructions to employees. Each viewed their jobs from a different set of eyes and viewpoint. The stress in their relationship was spilling over into the entire team causing unneeded tension within the organization. Both had different philosophies on how to work and interact with their customers. Their individual leadership styles were clashing and something had to be done. That’s why I was brought in.

As I listened to both leaders, it became evident that a thorough understanding of individual roles and responsibilities had to be articulated. I asked the CEO to be crystal clear on his expectations and share those expectations to the President. Only then could he hold the President responsible for his actions. This required a one-on-one detailed discussions with the CEO. I worked with him to clarify his delivery and the meeting was scheduled. Initially, the air was cleared and the working relationship became more positive. However, in the long term, the expectations were not met and the President was eventually let go. Not the best of endings for this employee but the necessary ending for the company to continue growing their profitability, internal effectiveness, and efficiency.
Take-away Idea: It is up to a leader to set the tone within his or her department or organization. Leaders set the tolerance level for performances. Unless you articulate what you are willing to accept in performances, people will work at a level they think is acceptable. Too often these are two very different expectations and becomes the source of tension in the workplace.

I recently read this statement: “Words are suspect unless our actions match them.” I hope you recognize the powerful meaning of these words. As a leader, you must exemplify congruency between what you say and what you do. Leaders should reflect honesty, integrity, and sincerity as part of their character. A lack of any of these traits creates distrust and disconnects that are lethal to you and the organization.
Take-away Idea: As a leader, you are a role model to every employee working under your charge. Your actions are under constant scrutiny and any deviation gives employees cause to distrust you. What you do in the dark should be what you are willing to do in the light. It’s that consistency of sound character that gives rise to greatness. Don’t ever let your words or deeds become suspect.

Leaders come in many sizes, shapes and posses a wide-range of values. The first two characteristics may be mostly irrelevant but the last is critical for long-lasting success. Examine with me the values of Stalin, Hitler and Mao Zedong. Each had control over millions but displayed a flawed value system. They murdered millions in their quest for control. Were they leaders? Reluctantly, one must say “yes.” Did they experience long-lasting success? Thankfully one can say “no” to that question.

On the other hand, examine the values of Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Jesus. They too influenced millions but murder was not part of their plans. Now you might be thinking but these were very religious individuals. While true, their leadership style is certainly not limited to only religious leaders. Each is a leader but unlike the first three examples, these individuals did achieve long-lasting success

As you strive to grow your leadership skills, you must first evaluate your own values. FYI, here are three key values that are traits of leaders that win.

1. They have a vision: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never know when you arrive. When you lead, you must have a clear prospective of where you want to take the department or organization. Fuzzy won’t work. In all six examples cited, each one had a vision of what they wanted to accomplish. The difference is the intent of the vision and the methods used to achieve them.

2. Leaders are trustworthy: Trust is not automatic. Kouzes & Posner in their book, A Leader’s Legacy, make two points about trust. First, one cannot take trust for granted. It is an earned reward for behavior towards others. Secondly, not letting those under your charge be fatally affected when they don’t carry out an assignment well. Rather a leader doesn’t lost faith in their followers and teaches them how to avoid the mistake in the future.

3. Leaders are willing servants. Let’s go back to our first three examples of leaders. In each case, none were willing to serve others. To the contrary they wanted power and control over others and service was not a part of their character. In the last three examples, each was very willing to serve others and wanted no power and control over people. Humility blankets their character.

Study the life of individuals whose leadership style has been successful over a long period of time and whose influence still positively impacts society. Let their character soak into yours. Learn to apply their principles. Doing so separates you from the masses and helps you leave a lasting positive impact on the world. Then you are truly a difference maker.

As I write this post, I’m waiting for Hurricane Isaac to come ashore into Louisiana and ultimately pass over my home. Although I’ve lived through similar events many times in my life, there is still always the need for one to take charge of personal circumstances and properly prepare for the worst. This is what leaders do. They take charge and seek to control their environment. Self leadership demands that one think through each situation creating the best options that can produce the best results. In the case of a Hurricane, many factors are out of our control. Anticipating the need to have a tank full of gasoline in the car, batteries and/or candles for light when downed power lines shuts down electric service and securing an adequate supply of water, food and medicines makes life a bit easier. Generators can supply electric power but finding a supply of gasoline to run them can be difficult because of the short supply. A battery powered radio is a necessity to keep in touch with the outside world.

There are many other factors to cover but they are too long to list. The jest of this post is to point out that leading yourself to success is a planned process with definite steps that must be carried out. The next time you are placed in circumstances that require a bit of self-leadership, why not create a well thought out plan of action to bring the task or process to a successful close. You’ll be glad you took that initiative.