Leadership Qualities

Why People Drive Change

By Brandon W. Jones on January 10, 2014 0

People constantly drive change. That is so much the case that change has become a regular part of the vocabulary amongst people all over the world. So how do people drive change?

I would like to suggest five reasons why/how people drive change.

1. People drive change by learning, evolving, and improving

Have you ever been in a situation where you learned something new and wanted to use it to make a difference? People all over the world are learning new things everyday and want to share what they learn with people around them. That creates an excitement about learning which drives more learning.As people learn, they begin to make changes in their lives. They evolve and improve. They realize that there is a better way to do things and improve so they can get more out of life. [Read more…] about Why People Drive Change

Let’s Talk About Change

By Brandon W. Jones on January 8, 2014 0

As I mentioned in my last post, I will now be taking a themed approach on Leadership Done Right. I decided that there isn’t any better theme to start with than “Change.” With the New Year upon us and New Year’s resolutions very prevalent, change is an appropriate subject.

Change is a common word in the business world. However, it permeates all parts of life. Change occurs in government, healthcare, company structures, public education, family relations, etc. Change is so common that there is a saying that, “The one thing constant in life is change.” Change happens everywhere in every aspect of your life.

Because change is so prevalent, there are many aspects of change to consider. I will start by talking about the five aspects of change.

Three Drivers Of Change

There are three main drivers of change. They are people, technology, and information. I will write posts on each of the three drivers. In each post I will identify why it is a driver of change, how it affects you in your daily life and what things you can do to embrace changes caused by the driver. [Read more…] about Let’s Talk About Change

Why Humility Is A Leadership Strength

By Brandon W. Jones on December 6, 2013 0

One leadership quality that has become less and less popular is humility. People feel like in order to compete in the business world they have to be strong, competitive, and anything but humble. Humility is looked at, in many cases, as a weakness. I believe, however, that humility is a strength.

I would like to suggest four reasons why humility is a strength and not a weakness.

1. Humility is NOT Insecurity.

Insecurity happens when you are not secure in yourself or your beliefs. You lack an understanding of your purpose or value. When you are humble, however, you are not insecure. You understand yourself, your beliefs, and the unique value you provide. [Read more…] about Why Humility Is A Leadership Strength

The Toxic Leader

By Dennis Phoenix on October 17, 2013 0

Not all leaders are created equal. What’s more, just because a person is in a position of leadership doesn’t mean they belong there. This is a serious problem that many companies struggle with. They have a problem recognizing what a leader is. They will spend money and time on diagnostic tests, evaluations and assessments to help give them insight on an individual’s leadership ability but in reality, they only need to ask themselves one question: Does this individual produce results?

As John Maxwell said, “There is no success without a successor.” Leaders will help build other leaders which will drive your company forward. Toxic leaders, on the other hand, if left alone will eat away at your company’s culture and success. To identify toxic leaders, take a look at the following topics typical of a leader that will eat away at a company’s success.

Tunnel vision

Leadership without vision is destined to fail. A toxic leader doesn’t have a clear vision of which direction to lead his team in. It can be likened to the blind leading the blind. Without vision a toxic leader cannot rally his team around a common goal and motivate them to perform at their best. [Read more…] about The Toxic Leader

Change Creates Opportunity For A Fresh Start

By Brandon W. Jones on August 6, 2013 0

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you could do better, but were in an environment that made change extremely difficult? Or, have you been in a situation that wasn’t going in the direction you wanted? If so, you were probably in an environment where you needed a fresh start. Change creates an opportunity for a fresh start.

Dragos Roua is a blog writer at DragosRoua.com. He specializes in goal setting. He wrote a post called 50 Ways To Start Fresh. In it he said, “Defeat. Boredom. Lack of meaning in your life. All these symptoms, and many others, of course, are a sign that you need to start fresh. To run again. To leave the old behind and embrace the new.”

What Is A Fresh Start?

A fresh start happens when you leave behind something old and start something new. You meet new people, have new experiences, and start something new. A fresh start brings new challenges and opportunities. It also stretches you in ways that you have never been stretched in the past. The fresh start can happen as a result of monumental or incremental change.

Making Monumental Change to Create a Fresh Start

There are many major changes you can make that will give you the opportunity for a fresh start. Some monumental changes are:

Taking a new job and/or getting a promotion
Moving to a new city
Starting a new business
Going back to school
Joining/starting a club
Changing your profession
Getting married

Each change listed takes you away from your old environment and puts you into a new one. Some of the changes mentioned, however, are significantly bigger than others. Some take you out of one aspect of your life while others completely flip your world upside down. The largest changes take you away from all that you know to put you into a completely new environment. The smaller ones are still major changes, but they only take you away from one aspect of your life. [Read more…] about Change Creates Opportunity For A Fresh Start

The Value Of Effective Communication

By Brandon W. Jones on July 29, 2013 0

Effective communication is more of an art than a science. Leaders that master the art of effective communication connect with people on a personal and professional level. They break down barriers and strengthen relationships that can be beneficial far into the future.

In writing this post, I did a Google search on the most common reasons for divorce. The factors that lead to divorce were summed up on lawyers.com as:

Infidelity
Financial Difficulty
Depression
Addictions
Stress

What I found extremely interesting was that a breakdown of communication contributed to each of the above listed factors. Infidelity often results when one partner does not adequately communicate their needs to their partner, but instead confides in someone else. Financial difficulty that leads to divorce usually occurs when one partner spends money without communicating it to the other partner. Depression and addictions are caused by many factors, but communication (which includes speaking AND listening) helps couples to work through their challenges. Stress can be alleviated through effective communication. Business relationship can break down just as easily with the lack of effective communication.

So what are the benefits of effective communication? Effective communication creates connections, overcomes barriers, and builds strong teams.

Effective Communication Creates Connections

As a leader, effective communication creates connections with all those with which you come in contact. These connections are made as you take time to learn about others. Have you ever had a leader that asked you about your life, family, career goals, and other aspirations? That leader probably communicated with you in such a way that you felt valued. It probably helped you recognize your worth and value as a team player. Their communications with you probably gave you a special connection with them that will go on into the future. [Read more…] about The Value Of Effective Communication