Opportunity

Podcast Episode #48 — 5 Strategies to Overcome the Resistance on Your Leadership Journey

By Brandon W. Jones on April 30, 2018 0

Hello, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right Podcast, Episode 48: 5 Strategies to Overcome the Resistance on Your Leadership Journey. Hi friends! I hope you are doing well and enjoying life wherever it is that you are listening to this episode!

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Sneak Peek

A couple episodes ago, I talked about my hobby of mountain bike and in this episode, I am going to share one of my recent mountain biking adventures and five strategies I follow to overcome resistance on my leadership journey. By following these strategies, I was able to make it home safely from my challenging mountain bike ride! Before we get into that though, I want to ask you a few questions.

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Leadership Challenges are Like a Hard Mountain Bike Ride

Alright, I want to tell you about a recent mountain biking experience. This weekend, my wife and I went on a very fun, but challenging bike ride.

The Preparation and Plan

We had to prepare for the ride first. We didn’t want to get lost so we figured out where we were going, and mapped out a trail that would be both fun and challenging. The trail was about nine and a half miles long and it was a 1,500-foot elevation climb and decent. As part of preparing for the ride, my wife, Cassie, set up a babysitter to watch our kids while we went on the ride. I also had to get the bike rack on the back of our truck and load up the bikes. And to finish it off, I got the gear ready to go and loaded into the truck. [Read more…] about Podcast Episode #48 — 5 Strategies to Overcome the Resistance on Your Leadership Journey

Five Questions To Ask When Opportunity Knocks

By Brandon W. Jones on November 15, 2017 4

Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Done Right YouTube Channel. Each day you probably have a new opportunity that comes your way. Would you like to participate in this committee? Can you be on the board for this organization? Would you be willing to accept this job? Will you move here? Can you please assist me with this? Can you attend this networking opportunity? This will be a great OPPORTUNITY for you…

The list of opportunities goes on. In a world filled with opportunities, it is very important to identify which opportunities are ones worth pursuing and which ones are not.

How to identify if the opportunity is right for you

In Michael Hyatt’s blog post, Is It an Obstacle or an Opportunity?, he said, “If you want to improve the quality of your life or business, planning is essential. You have to be honest about your current reality, envision a better future, and then create a roadmap for getting from one to the other.”

So how do you know if an opportunity is right for you? I use the following five questions on a regular basis to identify if an opportunity is right for me. These questions will help you as you look at each opportunity that comes your way.

1. What is the opportunity?

Before deciding whether or not to accept an opportunity, it is very important to know exactly what the opportunity will be. Is the opportunity part of your regular work requirements? Will you be doing something directly in line with your career goals? Will it be a something you have never worked on before? What is the opportunity and why will it be good for you?

It is important to gain a full understanding of what you are getting yourself into before you move forward. To do that you need to know the scope of the opportunity and how it relates to you.

2. Will the opportunity further your goals?

This question is crucial in deciding whether or not to accept an opportunity. Many times people will define something as an opportunity when it truly isn’t one.

Ask yourself, “Is the “opportunity” in line with your career goals? Will this opportunity help you reach your 5, 10, and 15 year goals?” If the opportunity causes you to deviate from your goals, be sure to review it very carefully. It may take you in a new direction that is better than what you imagined, or it could take you way off your path and not be worth pursuing.

3. Is the opportunity worth the cost?

With each opportunity comes a cost. You must give up something to move forward with the opportunity. That something may be your time, money, effort, or something else altogether. Remember, there is always a cost or trade-off for each new opportunity.

Nothing comes without a price. Prior to pursuing an opportunity, identify the cost. You don’t want to be negatively surprised once you move forward on a new opportunity, especially if it had a high cost.

For example, I’ve seen many people that switched from one company or job to another because they were seeking something better or a higher salary. Once they got the new job, they realized the costs in the form of time with their family, lower job satisfaction, a new living location, more responsibility and/or stress, or less freedom over their time. Several of my friends that went through this experience later told me that they regretted jumping into the new “opportunity” because it actually set them back and took them off their intended course.

Now there are some opportunities that are definitely worth the cost, but be certain that you explore all the costs before jumping in.

4. What benefits will come from the opportunity?

Opportunities are only opportunities if what you are giving up is less valuable than what you are receiving in return. So, what are you receiving from an opportunity? What benefit is the opportunity?

Each opportunity has the potential to bring a wide range of benefits and challenges, so it is important to identify what they are before you move forward.

5. Is the opportunity right for you at this time?

As the saying goes, “Timing is everything.” When opportunities come at the right time, they have a huge positive impact on our lives, but they can actually set us back if the timing is not right. As a leader, it is essential that you identify what the right timing is for you.

For example, leaders are often tapped for committees, programs, projects and other team activities. When they have the time to fully participate, they can be a huge asset for the committee, program, or other activity. If they accept the opportunity, but don’t have the time to participate, on the other hand, they can actually be a detriment to the group by slowing progress. I’ve experienced both of these situations before. When you are the team leader and can’t fully participate it is very frustrating. It is also frustrating when you are on the team and the leader doesn’t fully participate. Neither the team nor the leader feel good in these situations.

It can be easy to think that something should happen right now, but it may not be the right timing. At the same time, if a great opportunity comes along but you are not ready for it, it’s probably okay to decline for now so you can become more prepared for it in the future.

It is important to understand, however, that for many opportunities there is no “PERFECT” time. Sometimes you need to seize the opportunity even if the timing isn’t perfect. When the opportunity comes it may not be what you would call the “ideal time,” but if it is a timing that you can live with, jump on the opportunity if it fits the other mentioned criterion.

Timing is very important and can make a significant difference in the eventual outcome.

Summary

In summary, when thinking about opportunities, an opportunity will only be an opportunity if the mentioned conditions work to your favor. The opportunity must truly be an opportunity for you and help you further your goals. Also, the benefits should outweigh the costs.

Viewer Question

I’d like to finish off with a few viewer questions. How do you determine if an opportunity is right for you? What questions do you ask? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Conclusion

Well, thanks for watching this video. If you enjoyed it and would like to watch more great videos just like it, please subscribe to the Leadership Done Right YouTube Channel and check out LeadershipDoneRight.com. Also, please like the video and share it with others! Until next time, go and be the best leader you can be!

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10 Easy Steps To Become a Better Leader Today

By Brandon W. Jones on June 9, 2017 0

If your goal is to become a better leader today, you have come to the right post! This post focuses on 10 easy steps you can start taking right now to become a better leader.

1. Know/Learn Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Many good leaders know some of their strengths and weaknesses, but the best leaders have an intimate knowledge of them. They know exactly what skills, habits, and attributes they possess that allow them to get the most bang for their buck. When you know your own strengths and weaknesses, you can leverage your strengths and hire others to handle tasks related to your weaknesses.

So how can you come to know your strengths and weaknesses? There are many things you can do to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You can write a list of what you do well and what is challenging for you. You can also take a self assessment that looks at your strengths and your weaknesses. My favorite self-assessment tool is found in the book called Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath.

2. Surround Yourself With Great People

Great leaders surround themselves with great people. They get great people to do many things for them. For example, some include:

Subject matter experts to oversee groups or projects they either don’t have time to address or are outside their area of expertise
Other team members on your work team
Business/financial consultants to help them make good personal and business financial decisions
Mentors/coaches that can help them learn and grow as a leader
Good friends that will tell them what they need to hear to grow at the time they need to hear it

This list is just a small sample of the great people with which leaders surround themselves. The key is putting people in your life that will have a positive impact on you and help you to be your best self. If you are wanting to grow as a leader, it is very important to find and put people around you that will help you reach those goals.

3. Increase Your Knowledge

To increase your knowledge there are many things you can do. You can read books about leadership, specific leaders that have gone through challenges and overcome them, self development, or books that explain leaders failures so you can learn from their mistakes. There are many different aspects of leadership that you can learn from books.

In addition to books, there are many other steps you can take to learn more about leadership. You can enroll in classes that focus on improving leadership, organizational behavior, and/or interpersonal interactions. There’s also classes that focus on your specific business or your chosen profession.

Additionally, you can take these classes online, at your local university or community college, or through adult education classes offered in your community.

In addition to books and classes you can also learn about leadership through Podcasts, blog posts, YouTube channels, leadership forums, and many other outlets. What’s most important is that you seek learning to become a better leader. The best leaders are always doing everything they can to learn. [Read more…] about 10 Easy Steps To Become a Better Leader Today

Leadership Development – Your #1 Responsibility

By Brandon W. Jones on October 15, 2014 0

When I was in my early 20’s, I had a leader that recognized potential in me. He felt like I could be a great leader someday so over the next two years, he held leadership development sessions with me on a regular basis. During those sessions he helped me recognize my strengths and how to leverage them. He also helped me overcome some of my weaknesses. He taught me many great leadership lessons. Those leadership development sessions helped me understand what I could become.

That leader was a great leader. His leadership development sessions helped me to be the person I am today. Those lessons have stuck with me through the years.

As a leader, you have the ability to provide leadership development sessions for those you lead. You can use this as an opportunity to help them grow to become great leaders. When they become great leaders, everyone benefits.

So what should you do during the leadership development sessions? The following four points explain topics you can address during these sessions.

Leadership Development

1. Provide Training

When leadership development is your number one goal, focus on helping those you lead to understand what it means to be a great leader and how they can become a great leader. Train them on the do’s and don’ts of great leadership. Also, help them understand how they can be a leader within their current roles and responsibilities. [Read more…] about Leadership Development – Your #1 Responsibility

Leadership And The Social Media Technology: A Perfect Combination

By Brandon W. Jones on July 3, 2014 2

This is a guest post by Sara Jones. She has been actively taking her part in the teaching and educational reforms. Moreover, with her affiliation with UK Education Council, she has been providing assignment help by the platform of Done Assignment to graduate and post graduate level students.

It is known by most of the organisations that the leadership context has dramatically changed during the last two decades, putting terrific pressure on conventional managerial and organisational models. Now, the leaders are confronted with highly volatile and unforeseen situations that challenge long-term strategies. Today’s organisations are caught in a new interconnected world of complex global networks that pursue innovative approaches of co-evolution, with their diverse stakeholders. For these organisations, there are also some disruptive factors in terms of intensifying political issues, economic and environmental challenges that require incessant business model innovation.

Turn Challenges into Opportunities

In order to confront with and turn these challenging issues into opportunities, it has been realised by the leaders that they have to establish an extremely creative, active, and supple organisations. Organisations, to effectively accomplish real-time strategic responsiveness, also have to force responsibilities “down and out” to the periphery, to people who are nearer to the market dynamics. Responsibility is interconnected with accountability. Thus, almost every employee in this volatile world must become an authorised leader who can act effectively within the network relationships, which have become a trend for the process of value creation. A horizontal” leadership style is its basic need that furthers global discussion, contribution, and cooperation among stakeholders. In fact, the conventional management model based on linear processes and vertical command and control is ill suited to deal with these challenging issues. [Read more…] about Leadership And The Social Media Technology: A Perfect Combination

The Winning Strategy To Make The Right Choice

By Brandon W. Jones on February 10, 2014 0

This is a guest post by Melisa Marsett. She is a young, though talented writer. Melisa mainly works on such topics as leadership, psychology, and business. Her works can also be found at http://cleverpaperwritingservices.com/. It is easy to get more information about this author at Google+

How many decisions do we make during the day? Ten? Twenty? One hundred? We make decisions every minute. No matter how usual and standard our actions seem to be, all of them are the products of our choice. The only difference is that most of our solutions are spontaneous and random. Nonrandom connected with intellectual efforts are taken not that often.

In business, just as in life, we constantly have to make decisions, and in most cases this necessity is quite unexpected. What helps us in these situations? How to make the right choice? How to find the right way? A wise man says that when you do not know which decision to take, flip a nickel and see what you get. If you are satisfied with the result, then so be it. If you feel doubts, choose another option.

We have to admit that ready-made recipes for all occasions do not exist, and each person has the freedom to choose. But it is unlikely that you will put mineral oil into the engine of an expensive car. It is doubtful that you put on your favorite track suit to go to a business dinner or social events. There are certain principles and rules based on knowledge, which are shared by most people. At the same time, everyone has the freedom of choice – what kind of oil to use or what to wear. Thus, your real choice is based on the actual situation, capabilities, preferences and, of course, common sense.

And how do we make difficult decisions? Do we take into account all possible options? Do we listen to our inner voice? Do we consider rational factors, or rely on intuition? [Read more…] about The Winning Strategy To Make The Right Choice