Leadership Done Right

Brandon W. Jones

Leadership Done Right Blog

Leadership Lessons From the Iowa Caucus

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As the Iowa caucus came to a close the results were so close that only eight votes separated the top two candidates.  It was the closest presidential GOP contest in U.S. history and Mitt Romney came out as the winner.  The close finish made me ask questions about what factors led to the resulting eight vote difference.  Because it is politics, there were many factors that led to a close finish, but I am going to look at just a few that relate to leadership.

Leadership Lessons From the Iowa Caucus

To understand the leadership implications, we must first look at the background.  In 2008, Mitt Romney was the runner-up in the Iowa republican caucus.  Since then, he has maintained a high level of support with relatively minimal effort.  Because of this support, he did a limited amount of campaigning until the last three weeks prior to the caucus.  On the other hand, Rick Santorum spent a lot of time and effort doing door-to-door campaigning.  Santorum had a lot of people on the ground representing him.   [Read more…] about Leadership Lessons From the Iowa Caucus

Life’s Transitions

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Over the last little while I have been completely out of the blogosphere. I recently went through transitions. In October, I received a job promotion with my current employer and moved from Northern Nevada to Southern California. I was promoted from a design engineer to a supervisor over engineering.

Life’s Transitions

The whole process of moving and getting situated in a new location has been very time consuming. It has taken a lot of time to figure out my new routine and how to effectively use my time to get everything done that I did in the past. Overall, it has been a great learning experience. It has challenged both my family and myself but through it we have learned a lot and grown closer together as a family. [Read more…] about Life’s Transitions

Ethics in the Workplace

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Within the business world each person has to continuously make choices related to ethics. It is an everyday part of life. In many fields ranging from the practice of law to engineering services there are codes of ethics to which people must adhere.

Code of Ethics – The License

In order to receive the professional license in a given field, individuals must sign the code stating they are willing to abide by its ethical standards. As part of the codes, they state how people should and should not behave on matters of ethics. They also state in many cases that a failure to adhere to the code will result in the revocation of the license.

Ethics in the Workplace

As important as ethics are, there is no business code of ethics that must be signed in order to enter management. In order to be a manager, one does not have to sign a paper stating they will follow specific standards for the rest of their career.

A Missing Code

There is not a code of ethics for managers that must be signed prior to entering the management arena. Although most corporations have their own set of company policies and procedures, there is not a set standard through the business world. [Read more…] about Ethics in the Workplace

What is in a Title?

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Every job has a specific title whether it is an entry level position or the CEO. So what does each title mean? Does the title give an accurate measure of the value of an employee? Titles are sometimes very good, but at the same time they can be very deceiving.

What is in a Title?

Career Progression

I recently spoke to a friend of mine that we’ll call Brad. He has a specific title within his company. At his company, each employee that starts out in his position has to work their way from step 1 to step 3 where they are then considered for management. Brad has been in his step 2 position for the same length of time and has the same responsibilities as step 3 employees. He also has the same amount of experience on high profile projects as the step 3 employees.
[Read more…] about What is in a Title?

Showing Gratitude as Leaders

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As leaders there are many people that have gone before each of us.  These people have helped each of us through their examples and the work they have done.  Just as there are people that have gone before, there are people that are always around us to help.  From the secretaries, employees, coworkers, to friends there are so many people that help us along our journey.

That is where gratitude comes in.  As leaders, we should show gratitude to those that have helped us.  Say “Thank you” frequently to those that help you.  As you do this, you will gain a deeper appreciation to those around you.  You will also gain a greater sense of humility in your role as a leader.  Your expression of gratitude will develop trust in those you lead.  Your expression of gratitude should be sincere and heartfelt. [Read more…] about Showing Gratitude as Leaders

Maintaining Humility Through Success

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Recently, I had the opportunity to eat lunch with an influential person I know.  She has had a lot of success throughout her career, but she has managed to keep her humility.  She is very approachable and maintains a down-to-earth persona.  That got me thinking about what it takes to maintain humility as you see success in your career.

Maintaining Humility Through Success

Maintaining Humility

In order to maintain your humility, remind yourself regularly about where you came from and the progress you made as to get where you are now.  Although you may currently be very successful, you may not have always been.  There were probably leaders that helped you on your path to success.  [Read more…] about Maintaining Humility Through Success

Paying Close Attention To Detail

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I am an engineer and have a master’s degree in business administration.  Through my work on various work and school related projects I have found that attention to detail is very important.  In the professional world, there are people that pay close attention to detail and there are those who don’t.  Those that pay attention to detail tend to be more successful because they don’t miss steps or overlook details of their work.

Paying Close Attention To Detail

Attention To Detail

So why is attention to detail so important?  I once heard an analogy that is very fitting for describing the importance of the small details.  When you look at a hinge on a large gate you will notice that as the gate is opened and closed, the ends move significantly while the hinge itself has a very minimal amount of movement.  [Read more…] about Paying Close Attention To Detail

Embracing Change

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Change is a word that seems to get a reaction out of everyone.  Some people cringe when they hear the word, while others get excited.  There is one constant in life that you can always depend on – change will always happen.  So how can you begin embracing change effectively?

Embrace Change

When you begin embracing change in life, you should look at it in terms of the opportunities it creates.  When change happens, there are opportunities for learning and growth.  [Read more…] about Embracing Change

Knowing When to Follow the Trend

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Recently, I purchased a smart phone. It took me a while to buy a smart phone, but now that I have one I love it. I have found all kinds of applications (apps) to make life easier. I have also found that there are many companies without apps that are missing out on profit opportunities. They have not entered the market smart phone market yet so they are now behind the competition.

Follow The Right Trend

In many cases there is wisdom in waiting to see if a trend sticks before spending time, money, and effort following the trend. When the trend is temporary the companies that invest early lose a lot of money which may cause challenges for survival.

Risk vs. Reward

On the flip side, strategically waiting too long to enter/follow a new trend can cause a major setback for a company if they wait too long to enter the market. [Read more…] about Knowing When to Follow the Trend

You Can Be Exceptional

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There are many people in the world that settle for mediocrity.  They become complacent in their current state and stop striving to be better.  Different people hit this state at different times in their lives, but it is a state that will be hit by everyone unless they actively work against it.

You Can Be Exceptional

So what does it take to be exceptional?  There are three qualities I have seen in the exceptional people I know.  Those qualities are the following:  an unrelenting desire to become your very best self, hard work ethic, and dedication.

Becoming Your Best Self

In fighting off the desire to be complacent, it is very important to constantly work to improve yourself.  There are many ways you can work to improve yourself.  All self improvement starts with goal setting.  It is important to regularly set goals and review your progress.  [Read more…] about You Can Be Exceptional