Leadership Done Right

Brandon W. Jones

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Connections Are King

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Within the blogging world, there is a common saying that, “Content is King!” I believe, however, that this statement is not entirely true. Content is VERY important, but CONNECTIONS are King. You can have great content, but if you don’t have anyone coming to your website, the content will not be seen. This follows the old adage that it is not about what you know but who you know.

Connections Are King

Connections Are King

So why do I feel connections are king?

Connections are king because they consume and spread your content.  When I write a post on Leadership Done Right it can do really well or really poorly. If I share it with my friends, they read it and share it with their friends. If, however, I write a post and don’t share it with anyone, it usually doesn’t do well.  To give you an example, the posts that I share with my network get 90% more views than those that I just write and don’t share on my social networks.  Why is that? It is because once a post is shared, others share and spread the word about my post as well.

Connections are king because they give you recommendations and you listen. We hear ads and recommendations for all sorts of products, websites, etc. on the radio, TV, web, and through other forms of media.  How often do you take those recommendations? Well in most cases, you are probably slow to listen to them because you know they are just trying to sell you something. If, however, you receive a recommendation from one of your connections, you are much more likely to listen. [Read more…] about Connections Are King

The Value Of Effective Communication

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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:

  1. Infidelity
  2. Financial Difficulty
  3. Depression
  4. Addictions
  5. Stress

The Value Of Effective Communication

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

Be In Network As The Leader

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When I was in the MBA program at the University of Nevada – Reno, I took a class called Changing Environments of Business.  One of the main focuses of the class was how to be in network as the leader.  The class was full of business leaders which gave each student a great opportunity to be in network with other business leaders.  In addition, my teacher based each student’s grade on how well they got in network with other leaders in the class.  Since the class was a Saturday class, he also required that students go to lunch together during the middle of the class to get to know each other.  This reinforced the importance of being in network with other leaders.

My teacher was in his 80’s and had had many careers throughout his life in a variety of industries.  In each industry he learned that it was essential to be in network if you wanted to succeed.  He taught me that if you were in network, as a leader, you would always know what was going on within your organization.  He taught that there are benefits from being in network.

Be In Network As The Leader

Be In Network

In almost every, if not every, organization there are internal politics with an internal network, what I call “in network.”  Within those networks, there are people that know exactly what is going on.  At the same time, there are others that don’t have a clue.  As a leader, it is important for you to be in network.  When you are in network, you are able to find out what is going on in the company, who is getting promoted, who is favored amongst leadership, what strategic moves the company is going to make, etc. before it happens. [Read more…] about Be In Network As The Leader

Why Leaders Should Write Specialty Blogs

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The Impact Of Specialty Blogs

Have you heard about the impact of specialty blogs? Did you hear the story about the stay-at-home mom that became a millionaire? How did she do it? She did it by creating a specialty blog. She and her husband were struggling to make ends meet, so she started to blog about her situation. The purpose of her blog was to show everyone what she and her family were going through and how they were trying to save money, be more frugal, and overcome their situation.

As she wrote, she gained more and more followers. She gained credibility as a money saving expert as she saved money and became financially stable. Once she gained her expert status, major television networks had her to speak on their shows to teach people how to overcome their financial instability. They paid her big money for the speaking arrangements. From there, she started her own in-home business that focused on helping people gain financial stability.

Why Leaders Should Write Specialty Blogs

I learned about this story through reading the book ME 2.0 by Dan Schawbel.  Many people write specialty blogs and each person has the ability to start their own specialty blog. If you start a specialty blog and post regularly, you will gain a following and could be the next millionaire!

The Nitty Gritty Of Specialty Blogs

Okay, okay, I am not going to promise you any financial gain, but there are many benefits that come from specialty blogs. Just for starters, the list below has four benefits of specialty blogs. Starting your own specialty blog will help you do the following:

[Read more…] about Why Leaders Should Write Specialty Blogs

Leaders, Why Aren’t You Having Success?

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When I think about what it takes to have success, I think of goals. Goals are key because they create direction for people once they have drive to do something. Goals are very important in obtaining your vision for the future. Without a goal nothing is ever accomplished.

Leaders, Why Aren’t You Having Success?

All goals must be S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. There are four timeframes for which leaders must set goals. The four timeframes are long, medium, short, and immediate term.

Long Term Goals

Long term goals are the goals you set for 10 – 20 years down the road. In setting the long term goals, you must have a big picture view of your future. Where do you want to be? What are your financial goals? Where do you see your career? What are your goals for your family? What goals do you have for relationships, i.e. family, spouse, coworkers, friends, etc? You must think long term when setting these goals.

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The Glue That Binds Strong Teams

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One of the best leaders I had while growing up was my youth-group leader. He was a very kind and loving person and taught me about the glue that binds strong teams.  His position as a leader was not for pay or any other form of monetary gain.  It was a non-profit volunteer position.  One of his greatest qualities was his ability to build strong teams and relationships with those he led.

Strong Teams and Relationships

The way he built strong teams and relationships was that he cared for my peers and me as if we were his own children.  He spent time talking to my peers and me about whatever we wanted to talk about.  He never had his own agenda and never tried to force us to do anything.

On weeknights when we had activities, he would just be “one of the guys” in the sense that as our leader he would never judge us.  He would just be our friend.  Another aspect from being “one of the guys” and our loving leader, was that he was always very concerned about our well-being.

If one of the guys in the group had a rough day or week, he would see their distress and take all the guys out for ice cream.  While getting ice cream, he would take a moment to ask how things were going.  He would show the distressed individual an added measure of love and understanding. [Read more…] about The Glue That Binds Strong Teams