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You are here: Home / Archives for habits

Good Growth, Bad Growth

April 9, 2019 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Good Growth, Bad Growth
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

Growth is a necessary part of life. It has been said that if you are not growing, you are dying.

We grow food. We invest money so it will grow. And we want our children to grow into driven, responsible, and successful adults.

Growth is a good thing.

Unless it is not.

Weeds also grow. Debt and deficits grow. And there are all kinds of bad health habits that result in growth as well.

Like anything in life, growth can be good or bad.

Now the good news is, to a large degree, you can usually determine the direction of growth by the actions you take.

There is wisdom in the adage, “Train up a child in the way he should go.” In this context, it is like training a small tree. When it starts out, it is weak, and even a light wind could knock it over. To prevent this, you plant it at a good depth, and you tie it to a stake to give it strength and support.

Often as adults, we forget that we should still be growing and training ourselves in the way we should go.

What stakes do you have in place to support your growth?

Here are some stakes that will help you continue to grow in the right direction.

Stake #1: Values

Values anchor you. When you must make a decision or are faced with a situation, solid values will keep you from becoming uprooted. Furthermore, they will give you a basis for how you design each day. Ask yourself at the end of each day, “Have I lived according to my values?” And as you plan for the next day, week, or month, “How will I live according to my values?”

For example, if good health is a value, what are you doing to promote that value…TODAY? Not next month or next year, but TODAY. If a profitable business is a value, what call or visit are you going to make today? If family is a value, look at your calendar. Is your family on the calendar today?

Stake #2: Habits

If an unsupported tree is battered daily from a strong northwest wind, the tree will be permanently bent. It will grow, but in the wrong direction.

This is why the stake of constant habits is important. This stake provides daily reinforcement against the winds of life. Good habits create a good life. Bad habits can destroy it. Make your habits good ones and apply them daily.

“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”  –

Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stake #3: Goals

Instead of New Year resolutions, perhaps the question to ask is, “How can I grow this year?”

Consider each area of life: physical, mental, spiritual, vocational, relational, and financial. How can you grow in each area?

Setting these goals and aspirations gives life and work great purpose.

  • How will you grow?
  • How will your relationships grow?
  • How will your business grow?
  • How will your team grow?
  • How will your financial assets grow?

These are targeted questions great leaders ask themselves and others frequently.

The key with goals is to make them specific and measurable. “Someday” is not specific enough. “I should” is a pretty good guarantee that you never will. But if you say, “I will lose ten pounds this month, and here is how I am going to do it and why it is important to me,” your chances of reaching that goal are quite high.

Stake #4: Accountability

Leaders who grow value accountability. They know that being highly accountable to themselves and others increases the likelihood of them forming good habits, reaching goals, and living according to their values.

  • Do you have a solid framework of accountability in your life?
  • Do you have established boundaries that help you know when to say, “Yes,” and when to say, “No?”
  • Do you have a planning system and a way to stay accountable to it?
  • Do you have a trusted coach or mentor who will guide, encourage, and commit to helping you stay on track?
  • Do you have a board of advisors to whom you are accountable in business, even if you are the leader?

The choice is yours. You will grow. The question is, “Will you choose to drive these four stakes deep enough to help you grow in the right direction?”


Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

Four “A’s” to Full Power

October 10, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Four “A’s” to Full Power
Image Credit: Shutterstock

 

The word “potential” has its roots in the Latin word “potentia,” meaning “power.”

I like to think of a person’s potential as the power within them. Potential is the power that drives us to do and be more, to go higher, and advance forward. Full potential is essentially “full power.”

The boiling point of water is 212 degrees. It’s the difference between water and steam…and steam will drive a locomotive. That is the power of full potential – it is reaching that one degree of difference.

(If unable to view the video above, please click here.)

As a leader, are you operating at full power?

Is your team operating at full power?

If not, why not?

Human nature being what it is, I don’t know of anyone, including myself, who expresses full potential every day of their life. This is where habits come into play – habits help to harness the power and keep you on track. But there are times when you or your team (or both) get off track and lose power.

How does this happen?

External Factors – These are things that happen to us. This can be the result of other peoples’ actions and outside circumstances. Maybe you were about to hit a high water mark in your business, and a major vendor canceled their order. Or you were a strong contender for a promotion, and the decision makers chose the other candidate. Perhaps you had a comfortable nest egg built when the economy tanked. Or something happened in a relationship that is affecting other areas of your life. These are external factors that can affect your potential.

Internal Factors – Internal factors are those things that happen from the inside out. They are rooted in spiritual, physical, or mental patterns. Perhaps you have a revenue goal in your business. You come close every year, but fall just short of the goal…every single year. Or you know there is something you can and should do, but you don’t do it. You fear failure…or perhaps you fear success. You may lack the confidence to step up to the next level in leadership, or have team members who do.

Potential can be affected by your physical condition as well. I am often asked why I take time to ride a bike or work out at the gym. It is because physical strength powers every other area of my life – and it does the same for you.

How can you get to higher levels of power across your team?

1. Assessment

With any coaching client, this is the starting point: “Where are you now?”

On a scale of 1-10, in each area of life (spiritual, physical, mental, vocational, financial, relational) they rate their current status.

Many find there are several areas that are weak. They also may notice how one area (for example, physical health, affects other areas). The gap between where they are and 10 on the scale is “potential.” It is room to gain power.

As a leader, this is a healthy exercise to do at least once a year. It is also a good idea to have your team members do this as well. While you may deal with them on a vocational level, those other areas have the potential to affect that one area…and they therefore have an effect on your entire team.

2. Achievements

Simply put, this step is about asking, “Where do you want to go?”

The percentage of people who always write down their goals is estimated to be around 13-20%. Yet, the act of writing down goals and visualizing them gives you 1.2 to 1.4 times the chances of actually reaching them, according to studies.

So you identify the areas in need of power, and then you define what full power looks like. Once you have done that, you simply need to define the next step.

As a leader, think of your team. Where is there a lack of power? Then visualize where you want to go – the goals you want to achieve.

3. Action

Now ask yourself and discuss with your team what it would take to get there.

  • Do they need tools?
  • Are their individual strengths applied in the right areas?
  • Are they in a position that lets them use their best abilities?
  • How are the team relationships?

Each of these has potential impact on power. And as you address each one, the power of your organization will increase.

4. Accountability

I have learned the power of coaching in my own life. There are times when I struggle with one of these facets – maybe I know areas of my life lack the power they had, but I need help identifying those areas. There have been times where I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. Clarity can be hard to ascertain from an inside perspective. And, admittedly, there have been times when I knew what was causing a power drain, and I knew where I needed to go…but I just couldn’t bring myself to take action.

This is where accountability comes into play – it is the linchpin for gaining full power. Accountability to yourself, a system, or a coach – whatever works for you – but you need to be accountable in order to reach your full potential.

Are you and your team operating at 212 degrees – full power?


 

 


Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

The Core Role of a Leader

September 12, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

The Core Role of a Leader
Image Credit: Shutterstock

What is the job of a leader?

“Get things done.”

“Produce results.”

“Set and achieve goals.”

All these are great, but they are not the core role of a leader. In fact, “getting things done” can actually keep a leader from leading.

The Core Role of a Leader

The core role of a leader is to develop the team that…gets things done, produces results, and achieves the goals that have been set.

If you are trying to do it all yourself, you are limiting yourself, your team, and your organization.

If you develop others, there is unlimited potential to what can be achieved.

How can you develop others?

1. Create a system of support.

Founders of companies very quickly realize there is more work than time, and so they hire a team. But if they have not taken the time to build a system for their business, they only make more work for themselves.

Team members will rely on them to answer questions, explain procedures, and direct them at every turn. Many leaders throw up their hands in despair and utter something like, “I can do it faster and better myself!”

And they begin a cycle of looking for the “perfect” team member to solve all their problems, not realizing it is not a people issue, but a systems issue.

Make it a priority to have systems in place to support your team – processes and procedures, the tools to do the work, and a centralized knowledge base. If you don’t have time to build it yourself, enlist the help of your current team to do so. You relay the big picture of what needs done and have them help you build out the details. If you have done your due diligence and hired dedicated employees, you can build the necessary systems together in this way.

2. Create a culture of respect.

You as the leader set the tone for your organization. If you hire people for their strengths and respect those strengths enough to seek their advice, you create a culture of respect. And you can bet the rest of your team will follow your example.

The fact is, no one knows everything. And the good news is, you as a leader are not expected to know everything.

To succeed, you must identify “experts” in those areas in which you do not excel.

Here’s a real life litmus test.

Have you ever noticed how a leader treats his or her assistant? It is a good indicator of their leadership. Do they show respect to their assistant as a qualified professional in their area of expertise, or do they treat him or her as a commodity that is easily replaceable and of little value.

Three things happen when you respect each member of your team: they respect you as the leader, they respect other members of the team for their individual gifts and strengths, and they commit to using their strengths to help build the organization.

Do you want to lose credibility fast in the eyes of your employees? Show disrespect to just ONE of them.

The choice is yours. One action will build a team that builds a strong organization; the other will tear it down.

3. Create a path for growth.

“The only way to advance is to leave the company.”

Sadly, some of the best talent in an organization goes right out the door, taking their experience, skills, and strong work ethic with them. This is often because they have outgrown a role and are ready for a new challenge, but they get overlooked or don’t have the opportunity to grow within their current company.

A wise leader will create a path for growth and will encourage each team member to advance along the path that best fits them.

Before you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on recruiting outside candidates, take a look around your current team for qualified candidates.

Think about it. When you hire from within, you save the costs of advertising and recruiting, save the time of an extensive interview process, and save considerably on the time and cost involved in new client onboarding and training.

If you have created a clear path for growth and identified qualified candidates from within, you can invest in more targeted growth training. This not only saves enormously on costs, but yields a higher return on investment.

4. Create a means for accountability.

Ah, the once-a-year annual review. Most leaders dread it; and most employees hate it.

Think about it. You go through the year working with someone, essentially saving your feedback, comments, and accolades for one time a year. Where is the real value in that?

Instead, consider that you are not in a leadership position to fill out paperwork. You are there to develop people. And consider that this should be a daily process, not a once-a-year process.

As you go through each day, observe your people. Are they doing a good job on something? Tell them immediately, and be specific in your compliment. This helps them grow. If you wait until the end of the year, you will forget about it.

If they are doing something incorrectly, or you notice they are not performing up to their normal high level, take the time to guide them into correct procedure or to determine and deflect issues that may be undermining their performance.

Here’s a point many leaders miss: Accountability goes both ways. Let your people know that you want and value their feedback as well. Be open to listening to their point of view. There is room for growth in every leader.

5. Create a network for sharing.

Through decades of coaching and executive level leadership, I have noticed a common characteristic that tends to prevent leaders from reaching their greatest level of achievement. That characteristic is the tendency to “hold things back” from their people.

For some, it is out of consideration and concern: “I don’t want employees to worry that their jobs may be impacted.”

For others, it may be out of pride or ego: “I don’t want anyone to know I’m failing here!”

Either way, you are limiting your greatest power – the power of a network.

There was a company that was struggling. Creditors were breathing down the proverbial neck of the organization. Some savvy employees knew there were issues. In fact, as they gathered for lunch one day, they identified, in a matter of minutes, a few small changes that would have saved several million dollars for the company – enough to turn the tide.

But, sadly, the leader of the organization wasn’t listening.

He went to great lengths to put out a “We’re doing great!” message.

All the while, many could see, “The emperor was naked.”

This failure, rooted in pride and evidenced as lack of transparency, resulted in the loss of a company – a company that could have survived if only the leader had tapped into the power of his network.

Don’t be a naked emperor.

Encourage communication across your entire organization – from the corner office to the field office. Keep your ear to the ground to learn of problems before they become crises; and to elicit new and profitable ideas from those on the front lines. Listen to the accountants who see where costs can be contained, and to customer service representatives who know the needs of your customers.

If you want a company that is sustainable, create a network of individuals who openly share their thoughts and ideas across your organization, and to you as their leader.

Taking Action

I encourage you as a leader to take out a 3 x 5 card or a sticky note, write “Develop Others” on it, and do that every day. As you go through the day, ask yourself, “Does this help to develop others?”

Use that as the lens of your effectiveness. If you apply these five tenets for developing others, it will solve a large percentage of your organizational problems.

Beyond that, this practice will help you create the one thing that becomes very important as you progress through your life and career: it creates legacy.

 

 


Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

The LOYALTY Formula

July 18, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

The LOYALTY Formula
Image Credit: Shutterstock

 

It was a tough quarter…again. Sales were down, and expenses were high. One facility required major remediation in order to get back into compliance, a fact which only further exacerbated the problems the company had been having for some time.

At a time when strong leadership was needed to turn the ship around, the CEO was disconnected. He was in his newly acquired office having thousands of dollars of custom cabinetry installed the day a division of over 300 employees got the pink slip.

When his assistant asked what he planned to do about the numbers, he said, “What do you expect me to do?”

It should come as no surprise that within a year, the entire company was dissolved, and thousands of other employees were out of work as well.

Throughout the process, the CEO was questioned as to what was going on and what he planned to do about it. He blamed everything and everyone – from current events, to competition, to stockholders, to his own management team.

But he failed to accept responsibility for his own actions – or more accurately, a lack thereof.

As a result, he essentially sealed his fate and the company’s as well.

What he didn’t realize was that, just outside his door was a powerful team who could have helped him save the company. But he had failed to engage and connect with his management team and his employees. They had entrusted him with their livelihoods, and he let them down.

One of the 11 essential needs of employees is Loyalty.

It is knowing that leadership “has your back” as they expect you to have theirs. Loyalty generates the kind of security in a company that makes everyone want to succeed, not just for themselves, but for all involved.

And this leader didn’t have it.

How can you as a leader exemplify and inspire LOYALTY with your team?

Listen!

First and foremost, listen to your people at all levels. A good leader will purposely get to know his or her people well enough for them to offer honest feedback and share ideas. If you have a suggestion box, by all means, read the suggestions and act on those which would be of benefit to the company. Honor your people by simply listening, and they will honor you by letting you know if there is something that needs your attention.

Own Responsibility

It is easy to blame others when things go wrong; but a truly effective leader will take responsibility. If an employee makes a mistake, yes, they should be accountable. But the leader should also be accountable for helping the employee evaluate and remedy the situation. The old adage that “everything rises and falls on leadership” has stood the test of time for a reason.

Yield the Floor

Contrary to popular belief, you as the leader are not expected to have all the answers. This should come as a relief to many. The best leaders surround themselves with experts in diverse areas. If there is something you don’t know as a leader, tap into the power of your team and yield the floor to an expert. You will be glad you did! Not only will this solve your problem…you will also gain a bit of that person’s wisdom as well.

Ask Forgiveness

Here’s a news flash – leaders are not perfect. Problems come when we pretend to be. The truth is, we are all learning how to lead together. If you make a mistake, don’t know an answer, or handle a situation in less than stellar fashion, own up to it. Admit it, ask forgiveness, and move forward in a better direction. Many leaders don’t want their people to know they are fallible. But acknowledging that you are helps your people to be transparent and growing leaders as well.

Leave Your Office

It is easy to get trapped in a corner office. People come to see you. Phone calls ring in. Paperwork lands on your desk. These are all things that can keep you behind closed doors when, at times, you need to be out and about. Take time each day to meet a new employee or to go out with another business leader or mentor. As that show, Undercover Boss, reveals: you learn a lot about your company when you leave your office.

Trust

Trust is hard for many leaders. It means you are placing some part of your success in the hands of others, and that is a point of fear. But the thing about trust is that it works both ways. If you hire good people and empower them to do their work well, then trust them to carry out their responsibilities, they will more often than not surprise you with their level of trustworthiness. It is not as much about them earning your trust (as is the common thinking on this matter), but about you trusting them first.

Yoke Up with Your Team

There are times when all hands are needed on deck. You have no doubt been on teams where everyone is scrambling to meet the leader’s deadline – canceling their evening plans to make sure the work gets done. And the leader saunters out of the office at 3:00 p.m. to get a haircut. What kind of a message does this send to the team? A good leader will roll up their sleeves and dive in to help when needed so everyone can leave at a decent hour.

These small habits, regularly engaged, build loyalty. They let your team know you value them, and in turn, they value you.

Do you want a team that “has your back?”

There’s a very simple solution…

“Have theirs.”


Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

Are YOU Ready to Work with a Leadership Coach?

May 2, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Are YOU Ready to Work with a Leadership Coach?

As a coach, I ask a lot of questions. As a coach, I also get asked a lot of questions.

One that I get often is, “What exactly is leadership coaching?”

While I can’t speak for other coaches, I can surely answer that question based on how I work with clients.

If you are considering whether or not to hire a coach, you are actually deciding if you are ready to embark on a grand adventure.

Coaching is not for everyone, and even highly coachable people have times in their lives when coaching may not be what they really want or need.

Here are a few important questions to ask yourself before making your decision.

Is it the right time for me to hire a coach?

If you feel like you are ready to make some important changes, the time is right for you. If you are extremely busy and cannot imagine taking on another thing, then the time is definitely right for you. The first thing we will want to explore is what we can remove from your busy schedule to make your life feel simpler, more balanced, and manageable.

Can I afford to pay for a coach?

If you hire me, you will be making an important INVESTMENT in your life – equivalent in its overall impact to an advanced college degree, or possibly more. You’re not paying me, you’re investing in yourself!  At the end of the day, ask yourself, can you afford not to move forward?

Am I willing to try new things?

During your coaching, you will be invited to look at old situations in new ways. You will be offered new concepts and different ways to approach things. If you are willing to try out new possibilities and stretch your creative side, you will get a large return for your investment.

Do you normally give up on goals and personal aspirations?

If every year, you create a list of resolutions or goals of things you should do, but never seem to quite stick with them, then you need me as your coach. Usually, the problem is these things are “should’s” rather than “musts,” and we will change that quickly.

Am I ready to truly define success for myself?

If you are eager to fulfill your current dreams, discover new ones, and truly define what success is for you, then you are ready for coaching. If you want to separate yourself from the rest of the pack, then let’s get started!

If most of the above speaks to you, then I will make it my responsibility to get you committed to starting ASAP. Procrastination limits, if not blocks, us from attaining our goals and dreams.

If something in this article is resonating with you, don’t hesitate to contact me. Let’s discuss your needs and possibilities.

In a future article, we will take a deep dive into the leadership coaching process itself. Are you ready?


Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

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