High Impact Leaders

Many managers and supervisors have an “open-door policy,” but because of the atmosphere that they create, no one ever walks through the open door.

When someone has a problem or needs help, they walk up to the door, just about to walk in, and they see the negative countenance.

Most people just turn around and decide to come back later.

A neutral expression can be just as unconstructive.

People don’t like to guess whether someone that they work for or work with is in a good mood or bad mood.  A genuine smile can do a lot for you and for the people around you because it will make you more approachable.

Smiles are also contagious.  One well-placed smile can go a long way to improving morale and building rapport.

Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
Principle #3: Smile More
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-3-smile-more/

One of the primary desires of human beings is to be understood and esteemed by others.  We want people to see things from our point of view.  Sometimes we want this so badly, that we disagree with and argue with points of view that are also valid.

If we want people to like and respect us, do the opposite of what comes naturally. See things from other’s point of view.  When we understand others, we are much more likely to be understood by them.

Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
Principle #2: Look at Things from the Other Person’s Point of View

My college football team had an offensive coordinator who was arguably one of the most brilliant minds in the game.  However, he used fear and criticism to motivate his players.  

If someone missed a block, he’d yell and curse. If a player dropped a pass, he’d shout profanities and ridicule the player.   

Consequently, the players were focusing on their mistakes rather than their successes.  The coach eventually moved on, and after he left, morale improved dramatically.  The very next year, the team won their first bowl game in years and went on to twelve straight bowl games in the following years.   

The practices were the same.  The fan support was the same.  The only thing that changed was the atmosphere on the field during the practices and the games.    

WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER? 

Think about someone who you know who you think is a great leader.  Is this the type of person who quibbles and complains about irrelevant issues?  Does the person point out every mistake?  Probably not.  In fact, this person probably does just the opposite.  The person is probably a master at keeping others focused on the relevant and pointing out every improvement.   

ANY JERK CAN COMPLAIN 

Any jerk can complain or criticize – and most do.  But real leaders are the people who build others up, not tear them down. 

Typically, when we point out mistakes that others are making, we are doing so to create a behavior change in the person.  However, when we point out mistakes that others make, the automatic human reaction is to get defensive or shift blame elsewhere.   

People rarely make a change in their behavior based on criticism. 

In section three, we’ll cover seven ways to create behavior change in others without raising resentment.  Each of these tips will work much better than constructive criticism.  

The next time you feel like you need to complain or to criticize someone, think about the outcome you want.  Do you want that person to change his behavior? If so, by criticizing, you will cause the person to want to defend himself.  This booklet is full of principles that you can use to build trust with and ultimately influence others.  The next time you want to criticize or complain, try silence as an option.   

Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly

Daily Leadership Principle #1: Avoid Criticizing and Complaining

Back when we first started The Leader’s Institute®, we developed processes that help people communicate with, lead, and motivate others more effectively. Since then, we have constantly refined this process. The process covers 28 daily Leadership Principles. When people attend our programs, we encourage them to purposefully apply one principle a day for 28 consecutive days.

We created this daily leadership tip series to offer real-life examples of each principle. During the 28-day leadership challenge, we want you to purposefully apply these principles in your life. If you do, I think you will be surprised at the number of people you will influence in a positive way. To get the best results, look for ways to apply one principle per day for 28 consecutive days.

We Organized This Daily Leadership Tip Series into Four One-Week Sections.

Each week, we cover seven different principles focused on a single topic within leadership development. In Week #1, we cover 7 Ways to Build Trust. Next, in Week #2, we give you 7 Conflict Resolution Leadership Tips. Then, in Week #3, we show you 7 Ways to Gain Cooperation from Your Team. Finally, in Week #4, we cover 7 Ways to Build More Leaders.

I know what you are thinking, though… Wait… Doug… There are only five days in a workweek. So, why are there seven leadership tips each week? There are two main reasons for this. First, the goal here is to help you create new habits. We form habits by doing certain behaviors every day. If you take a couple of days off, you will break your momentum. More importantly, though, the relationships we have with friends and family are also important. You also want to use these daily leadership tips with your friends and family!

How to Get the Most Out of these Leadership Skills

• First, go through the entire series in order from start to finish.
• Next, highlight any important points that could help you personally.
• Then, re-watch one principle per day for 28 straight days. When you do, look for ways to consciously apply that principle during that day.
• At the end of 28 days, review any principles that were particularly difficult for you to apply.
• Finally, begin the entire process again to reinforce each habit.

For full show notes, visit Daily Leadership Tip Series on our website.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-28-ways-influence-people/

This week, I have another high-impact leader coming for a visit. Jamie Wolf is a writer and publisher who specializes in helping industry experts write and publish best-selling books. She and her team interview industry experts and help them create a single chapter of a compilation self-help book. Then, when they create 20 or so chapters from 20 different experts, they publish the book. The beauty of this process is that each of these experts has a following. So when they combine their marketing lists, they sell 20 times the number of books in 1/20th the time of a normal book. It is a brilliant process.

By the way, as always, if you like the sessions, don't forget to subscribe to the High Impact Leaders Podcast, and make sure to rate the podcast and leave me a review wherever you download the show.

And if you have questions for me or comments, you can Tweet me @dougstaneart or contact me via my website at https://www.leadersinstitute.com.

To contact Jamie Wolf, visit her website at https://www.milliondollarstory.co/

This week, I have another high-impact leader coming for a visit. David Oates is a specialist in Crisis PR. In the interview, he covers a number of ideas and solutions that can help you if someone is using social media to harm your brand or your image. He also talks about a few ways to prepare for the inevitable social media dissatisfied person who wants to post negative things about you or your company.

Starting as a U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer and later as a Corporate Chief Marketing Officer and Non-Profit President, David excels in expertly addressing a myriad of crises spanning military, government, corporate, charity, and start-up environments. His Crisis Communications experiences include handling employee and executive misconduct, cybersecurity attacks, product recalls, mass layoffs, large-scale accidents, criminal investigations, and civil litigation matters.

For additional information about David, visit

PR Security Service Website: www.publicrelationssecurity.com
Dave Oates’ LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidoates/
PR Security Service YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT3YXNK9iwYY_I6X1eeLYVA

This is part four of a four-part series about the 25 absolute best leadership books ever written. This week, I will end with the last three books, two on how to market your ideas better, and the number one business book of all time. Then, I will give a few books that are great books but that you want to be very careful implementing their ideas into your work or your business because you may get unexpected results.

Just as a reminder, I listed all of the books along with links to their listings on Amazon in the show notes. So if you want to read any of them, just click the link for that book and you will go right to that book's listing on Amazon.

For the full show notes, visit Top 25 Leadership Training Books of All Time

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-books-for-leadership-training-top-25-leadership-books-of-all-time/

This week, I'm continuing to cover a few of my favorite leadership books and business books. If you recall, I mentioned last week that when I first started out in business, I didn't have mentors to guide me, so I relied on books to help me solve problems.

Two weeks ago, we covered a few of my favorite leadership skill books. Then, last week, I focused on a few that can help you create a leadership mindset. This week, I'm covering a couple of books about personalities and building a great team.  Then, I cover a number of the best books to help you sell your ideas to others.

So this episode covers two of the best books about building a great team and understanding different personalities. It also covers six of the very best sales books or books about persuading other people.

Doug Staneart is an author and CEO of The Leaders Institute, LLC.

For full show notes, see The Best Books about Leadership Training. 

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-books-for-leadership-training-top-25-leadership-books-of-all-time/

Best Books for Leadership about Mindset and Thinking Like a Leader.

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz.

This is one of my favorite leadership thinking books. It gives advice on how to be happier in your marriage, happier at work, and how to achieve fantastic goals. If you want to improve your success as a leader, re-read this book once every couple of years. Here is a favorite quote from the book.

Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

This book was first published in 1937 during the Great Depression. Napoleon Hill interviewed and studied the most successful people and business leaders of that time. He identified 13 principles that they all shared.

Less than six years from the time I read this book for the first time, I made my first million dollars.

Start with Why by Simon Sinek.

Simon Sinak first published this book in 2009. However, the book really took off after Sinak became a TED Talk sensation. His TED Talk is the third most-watched video in the entire series. The book and speech are centered around a very simple premise. If you understand the Why, then the how is pretty easy.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

Stephen Covey came up with a new way of thinking about becoming a great leader. He identified that the habits that we develop determine our level of success. For instance, people who sleep in, show up late, and give a minimal amount of effort are doomed to live a mediocre life. However, when you change your daily habits, you change your success almost immediately.

Atomic Habits by James Clear.

His concept is really, really simple. It is really difficult to improve by 100%. However, it is much easier to improve by just 1%. Small changes lead to big results. Improve by that 1% every week, and in 100 weeks, you have your 100% improvement. He calls the changes atomic because when we look at them by themselves, they seem so small.

Leadership and Management Books about Increasing Efficiency.

These next few books are some of my favorite management skill books. In addition to building great relationships with your team and thinking bigger, good leaders are also able to direct and organize their team as well. The books in this series offer simple how-to guides in managing the people that you lead.

The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson.

The book outlines ways to help your team members set goals, shows you how to praise your team, and also how to reprimand them. This is a great starter book for a new manager or leader.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell.

John Maxwell is the undisputed king of management skills. He has written dozens of books on the subject. So, picking my favorite was very tough.

This is one of the best books on leadership that gives the technical “how to: manage others.

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell.

David and Goliath was another one of the great recent surprises in the best books about leadership training. If you are a small business owner or if you manage an agile team, this book is for you!

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman.

In the same light, Traction is a fantastic book for small business owners. 

For full show notes Click here 

We have had a couple of new leadership consultants start at our company recently. One of them is an avid reader. Prior to coming on board with us, he had read hundreds of the best books for leadership.

Interestingly, in his first week, we were in our corporate library at the office. I began to pull a few of my favorite leadership books off the library shelves. “Have you read this one?” I asked. He shook his head no. “This one?” Another no. I found it interesting that he had read hundreds of books but almost none of my absolute favorites.

He suggested that I make a list of a few of my very favorite leadership training books along with a quick synopsis of each. I hope you like the list!

Start Reading Positive Leadership Development Books Early in Your Career.

When I was in college, a business partner of my dad’s recommended that I read How to Win Friends and Influence People (above.) At the time, I hadn’t read an entire book from cover to cover in years. In fact, I kind of hated reading. This businessman, though, was very successful. I figured that if he was recommending it, there was a good reason.

I read the book in less than a week, and a whole new world opened up to me. The book was unlike the boring textbooks I had read in college. The tips were practical advice. The stories and case studies in the book were fun and funny. At the time, I got angry. In High School, teachers required me to read books like Wuthering Heights and Of Mice and Men. They were pretty entertaining books, but not very practical. Why on Earth had my teachers not introduced me to books like the ones above?

Once I finished the first book, I couldn’t get enough. I began reading EVERYTHING. In many months, I would read three to five books. Then, I found audiobooks, and I was able to increase the number of leadership books read even more. Many of the best business books that I read during this time are listed below. I truly believe that the avid reading that I did early in my career was what allowed me to make my first million dollars in my 30s. Perhaps you will get a similar positive result.

FYI… Not all of the books I read were a good influence. I have listed a few BAD leadership books at the bottom of the list. So as you read, make sure to verify the validity of the advice before making big changes. Enjoy!

For full show notes, visit The Top 25 Leadership Books of All Time

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-books-for-leadership-training-top-25-leadership-books-of-all-time/