Leadership Done Right

Brandon W. Jones

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Practical Leadership

What’s Your Definition of Success?

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Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right YouTube channel. One of the main goals of every leader is to be successful. Success comes in many forms.

Completing a big project, helping an employee improve, hitting a budget target, meeting customer needs, or implementing a new procedure within the given parameters are all forms of success. There are also many other forms and definitions of success depending on your situation.

What Is The Definition of Success?

One important aspect of success is that success is in the eye of the beholder. What one person sees as failure may be a complete success for someone else. Likewise, the opposite may be true as well.

What is Your Definition of Success?

I’ve seen many cases where one person is successful in a specific way and that  causes the next person to feel they have to have the same success in the same way to be as successful. Don’t trap yourself with this mindset. Your skills and abilities are different and unique to you. And, your situation is often different and unique as well. Therefore, you should not determine your success based on the successes of others. Since each situation is unique, Success is unique to each situation and circumstance.

Success Starts with Expectations

Success is dependent on expectations. When you reach your expectations you feel successful, but when you don’t, you feel disappointment.

So let’s consider expectations. Expectations must be set correctly. Sometimes we set our own expectations and sometimes others set them for us. Regardless of who sets them, to be successful they must be based on YOUR abilities, not the abilities of others. When expectations are set by others, do everything you can to manage those expectations so they are accurate.

It All Relates to Goals

Success and expectations all relate to goals. Our goals are created because we have specific desired outcomes, or expectations. If we reach that outcome we feel we are successful, but if we don’t, we feel we are unsuccessful. [Read more…] about What’s Your Definition of Success?

Podcast Episode #19 — 5 Benefits From Carrying on a Conversation

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Hello, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right podcast, Episode 19: 5 Benefits From Carrying on a Conversation.

Leadership Done Right Podcast

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My Recent Restaurant Experience – The Value of Conversation

Just recently I went to a restaurant, sat down, and began talking to others in my party. We were carrying on a good conversation and then one person at the table pulled out his phone to look at something. Before long, everyone at the table was looking at their phone and the conversation had all but ceased.

When that happened, I looked around the restaurant and saw many other tables where the same thing was happening. People would be gathered together for the meal but only giving the others in their party half or a quarter of their attention.

Podcast Episode #19 — 5 Benefits From Carrying on a Conversation
Photo: Pixabay/greissdesign

Now, I am right on the fringe between Gen X and millennials and some would say that this new phone addiction is just a millennial thing. I’ll tell you though, when I looked around, those on their phones were members of each generation.

As I saw that going on, I actually felt a little sad because so many people are missing out on so much just by staring at their phones. Just starting up a simple conversation can do so much for you and those you are sitting with.

5 Benefits From Carrying on a Conversation

So what can you gain from a conversation? We’ll talk about five benefits you can gain from continuing the conversation after a quick break for our sponsors. [Read more…] about Podcast Episode #19 — 5 Benefits From Carrying on a Conversation

3 Questions To Ask To Take the Initiative

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Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right YouTube channel. Have you ever been with a group of people where no one would make the first move or take the initiative? Were people in the group shy and didn’t want to stand out? Did they feel intimidated? Or, was there something else that caused them to not take the initiative?

I have seen something very interesting happen in these group settings. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, one person inevitably takes the initiative to act. He/she takes the initiative and get up to start working. From there, many others begin to act and follow suit. The true leader is the first person to take the initiative.

3 Questions To Ask To Take the Initiative

So what does it mean to take the initiative?

On the website Then Life Happens, Darren Sproat explained initiative as, “In its simplest form, taking initiative is doing without being asked to do.”

Taking the initiative means making the first move, being willing to do what others don’t want to do, or stepping up to make an introductory act or step leading to action. If you take the initiative, you are willing to be uncomfortable if it means the result is better than what you have to sacrifice or the discomfort you must go through when taking action. Leaders constantly take the initiative to get things done. They step up to make things happen. [Read more…] about 3 Questions To Ask To Take the Initiative

Podcast Episode #18 — 5 Leadership Detractors And How To Avoid Them

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Hello, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right podcast, Episode 18: 5 Leadership Detractors And How To Avoid Them.

Leadership Done Right Podcast

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Down With The Drones…

The Wall Street Journal article Bold Eagles: Angry Birds Are Ripping $80,000 Drones Out of the Sky by Mike Cherney was recently published and really stuck out to me. It said, “Daniel Parfitt thought he’d found the perfect drone for a two-day mapping job in a remote patch of the Australian Outback. The roughly $80,000 machine had a wingspan of 7 feet and resembled a stealth bomber.

There was just one problem. His machine raised the hackles of one prominent local resident: a wedge-tailed eagle.

Podcast Episode #18 — 5 Leadership Detractors And How To Avoid Them - Wedge-tailed Eagle
Photo: Wikipedia/Flagstaffotos.com.au/fir0002

Swooping down from above, the eagle used its talons to punch a hole in the carbon fiber and Kevlar fuselage of Mr. Parfitt’s drone, which lost control and plummeted to the ground.

“I had 15 minutes to go on my last flight on my last day, and one of these wedge-tailed eagles just dive-bombed the drone and punched it out of the sky,” said Mr. Parfitt, who believed the drone was too big for a bird to damage. “It ended up being a pile of splinters.” [Read more…] about Podcast Episode #18 — 5 Leadership Detractors And How To Avoid Them

Podcast Episode #17 — Q&A: 5 Tips To Lead In An Environment Of Mixed Emotions

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Hello, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right podcast, Episode 17: Q&A — 5 Tips To Lead In An Environment Of Mixed Emotions

Leadership Done Right Podcast

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Before we get into this week’s episode, I want to give a quick personal update. A few weeks ago, in episode #15 I mentioned five tips to handle uncertainty with confidence. As part of that episode, I mentioned that my wife and I were anxiously awaiting the birth of our fourth child. This past Wednesday my wife woke me around 5:45 AM to say, “The time has come!” She went into labor about a 45 minutes earlier and was having the beginning contractions.

From there we made our final arrangements and headed to the hospital. After many hours of pain, anxiety, excitement, and a mixed range of other emotions, we welcomed our little baby girl into the world! My wife was a champ! Through it all, she maintained her patience, and did it all without any pain meds. The best part of the whole experience occurred that night when we introduced our new baby to our other three kids. They were so excited to meet their new little sister and the newest member of our family.

Podcast Episode #17 — Q&A: 5 Tips To Lead In An Environment Of Mixed Emotions - Family Picture

Q&A: 5 Tips To Lead In An Environment Of Mixed Emotions

In this week’s episode, I’m going to answer a listener question from Sani Sani from Papua New Guinea. The question is, “How do we lead in an environment where there are mixed emotions and mixed views about issues?” This question couldn’t be more applicable to what life is like right now. There are a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints in the world, probably more than ever before! [Read more…] about Podcast Episode #17 — Q&A: 5 Tips To Lead In An Environment Of Mixed Emotions

Prioritize Effectively Using This Proven Strategy!

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Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right YouTube channel. In life it’s important to prioritize effectively. Everyone makes many choices on a regular basis. Those choices impact every aspect of life including family, work, religious activities, education, etc. Each choice on its own may seem insignificant, but together they lead to the type of person you are as a whole.

When making choices it is very important to prioritize effectively so you make the most effective use of your time. A little while back I heard a speech given by Dallin H. Oaks. He spoke about how to prioritize effectively and make correct choices. His emphasis was to categorize your choices as good, better, and best choices.

Prioritize Effectively Using This Proven Strategy!

Prioritize Effectively

Let’s dig a little deeper to learn how to prioritize effectively. Think about what activities, tasks, responsibilities, etc. are most important to you and deserve your time. So how do you decide what is “important?” In line with Dallin H. Oaks’s speech, I categorize each activity and decision as the good, better, or best decision.

What is a Good Decision?

There are many good things that one can their spend time on. A first step to prioritize effectively is to identify what is even worth your time.

Prioritize Effectively Using This Proven Strategy!
Photo: LDS.org

Dallin H. Oaks said:

“We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them.”

There are so many good things we can do with our time. When I prioritize, I ask if this is something I want to spend time on someday in the future. If the answer is yes but it does nothing to advance my goals now or anytime in the near future it is just a “good” thing that can wait until someday in the future. Today is just not that day and right now is not a good time.” [Read more…] about Prioritize Effectively Using This Proven Strategy!