Excellence

Values Of Leadership Excellence

By Brandon W. Jones on April 25, 2013 1

Yesterday, I asked the question, “What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘Leadership Excellence’?” I then explained three characteristics of leaders that have obtained leadership excellence. In this post, I will talk about the values of leaders that have obtained leadership excellence. The way I am dividing characteristics from values is that characteristics are the actions you take, whereas, values are beliefs you have that lead you to act a specific way. In this post I will talk about three key leadership values of those that have obtained leadership excellence. Those three values are honesty, accountability, and integrity. Any leader that does not possess these three characteristics will never be a great leader.

Values of Leadership Excellence

Honesty

Honesty is extremely important for leaders to obtain leadership excellence. When leaders have obtained leadership excellence, they are 100% truthful no matter the cost. When leaders bend the truth, even the slightest bit, to make themselves look good they may be successful for a time, however, their dishonesty will eventually catch up with them. Honesty is very easy when it is regarding things of little importance, but when something is on the line honesty can be more challenging. [Read more…] about Values Of Leadership Excellence

Characteristics Of Leadership Excellence

By Brandon W. Jones on April 24, 2013 6

Does “leadership excellence” have a specific meaning to you? What do you think of when you hear the phrase “leadership excellence?” When I hear the phrase “leadership excellence,” I think of leaders that have obtained the highest level of leadership in whatever they are doing. These leaders have strong values and characteristics that add value to their organization.

Characteristics of Leadership Excellence

Three characteristics found in leaders with leadership excellence are vision, charisma, and innovation.

Vision

Leaders that have obtained leadership excellence have a vision. Their vision is a clear image of the future they see for themselves and those they lead. They have a strong set of both short and long-term goals and their vision inspires those around them.

So how do you become a leader with a vision? Start by setting goals. Be sure that those around you know your goals. Make goals that require you to stretch beyond your comfort zone using SMART goals. As others begin to know of your goals they will be inspired to set their own goals. By having your own vision of the future, you allow others to have a vision. [Read more…] about Characteristics Of Leadership Excellence

Developing Leadership Excellence

By Brandon W. Jones on April 23, 2013 3

Leadership excellence is a state of being that takes time to develop. Leadership excellence can, however, be developed more quickly when one understands the values and characteristics of great leaders. Great leaders have many great attributes.

Leadership Excellence in Action

Several years ago, I had a leader in Boy Scouts that taught me what it means to obtain leadership excellence. He worked as a physician’s assistant and was very busy at times, but he always made himself available to me and other boys in our scout troop. In his leadership he showed vision, charisma, innovation, honesty, accountability, integrity, compassion, honor, trust, boldness, confidence, work ethic, and many other great leadership traits. At each activity, he required that we live up to the standards that he lived by and those that were taught in boy scouts. Because I was young, this had a great impression on me. I learned a lot from him. He gave me confidence that it was possible to be the person that we were taught to be by how he embodied leadership excellence. [Read more…] about Developing Leadership Excellence

Practice Makes Perfect, Or Does It?

By Brandon W. Jones on November 5, 2012 0

When I was in high school I had a great wrestling coach that coached a lot of champions. He was an excellent coach because he knew how to bring the best out of people. My coach had a long history of doing well as a coach. The teams he coached placed in the top four in the state nearly every year. When I started wrestling my freshman year, I was brand new to wrestling. I didn’t have any experience as a wrestler and about half the other wrestlers didn’t have experience either. We were completely new and fresh to wrestling.

Because we were all new to wrestling, my coach had to start out by teaching us the basics. Once he taught us what to do, he made us practice it over and over again. We did repetition after repetition until we were completely warn out. With each repetition we did, our coach watched us very closely. When he saw us do something wrong, he would tell us to do it over again and do it the right way. As he corrected us each time, he taught us a valuable lesson. There is an old saying that, “Practice makes perfect,” but that is false. If you practice the wrong thing over and over again, you will still do it wrong. When you practice something over and over again, you make it into a habit. You cement it into how you do things and it becomes second nature for you to do it again. [Read more…] about Practice Makes Perfect, Or Does It?

Three Rules From Bringing Out the Best in People

By Brandon W. Jones on February 8, 2011 0

The book Bringing Out the Best in People is a very powerful book for leaders in the business world today. It explains twelve different techniques one can use to develop himself/herself into a great leader. Of the twelve rules, the three that stood out the most were the following: Rule #1 – Expect the best from the people you lead; Rule #3 – Establish high standards of excellence; Rule #7, Recognize and applaud achievements.

Rule #1: Expect The Best From The People You Lead

This rule is especially important in developing a strong company or working environment. When a leader expects the best from his/her subordinates, they begin to expect the best from themselves. As the book states, leaders should not manipulate their employees to obligate them to do their best. Leaders should recognize employee’s abilities and needs and help motivate them.

When I wrestled in high school, my coach always expected the very best of my teammates and me. This motivated me to exercise and push myself to the limit of my physical capacity in order to do my best. Expecting the best from people establishes high standards of excellence, and when done properly, develops a great bond of trust between the leader and subordinate. [Read more…] about Three Rules From Bringing Out the Best in People