Leadership at its Best
Now that we have a solid foundation for the fundamentals of critical thinking, we can smoothly transition into my one-on-one conversation with Ann Meacham about leadership.
“There are a lot of different opinions about what the most important aspects of a leader are,” Ann said. “The basics are that the leader sets the vision, provides the things that the people need – like resources and encouragement – and then provides a framework for those goals to be accomplished. The leader will then hold others accountable for getting it done.”
To insert some extremely valuable leadership expertise from author, professional speaker, and prosperity expert Randy Gage, here’s one of his periscopes while he was in Florida:
“There are all sorts of books out there with leadership tips from people who’ve never led anything,” Randy said. “Yes, there are some general tips to consider, but ultimately it’s about having a vision and then leading people to that vision.”
Randy’s Mountaintop-level insights are a perfect addition to Ann’s points. I love sharing principles with you that are backed by the knowledge and experience of several experts. Later in the book, we will hear much more from legendary entrepreneur Randy Gage, an incredibly inspiring man and a history-maker. I felt compelled to share his insights here because he and Ann see eye-to-eye on what leadership is really all about. Now, back to Ann.
“Those are the three keys,” Ann said. “Vision, providing resources, and accountability. On top of that, a leader is also a facilitator. If you are in a meeting, they will facilitate and make sure everyone participates. They convene the meeting and keep everything on track. For example, it’s not uncommon for a leader to spend multiple days facilitating with the senior team of a company.
“The leader inspires,” Ann continued. “If you go to a leader for help, a true leader will be at your service and do everything they can, within reason, to help you. They use stories and anecdotes to support their claims. For example, I’ve heard you speak about the beauty, power, and awesomeness of your late Aunt Meg before, Jeff, which is great. You have the right idea with that: you are showing others that they can be inspired the same way you were inspired by your late Aunt.”
Weaving in my own input, keep in mind that it takes a large degree of self-discipline and self-leadership to put into action the behavior necessary to turn a vision into reality. Vision is crucial, and without the right behavior the vision doesn’t unfold the way it was meant to. Rather than just telling others what to do, lead the way by inspiring others to believe in the vision and make it their own.
Also, show compassion for others by listening to them and showing you care. Show compassion not in theory, but in reality, especially when it’s tough to do so. This is not easy to put into action and takes practice, but if you remind yourself of the importance of practical compassion on a daily basis you will become an exceptional leader.
Making the most of my opportunity to chat with Ann and pick her brain, I continued to ask her questions.
“What about leadership as it pertains to motivation?” I asked. “Isn’t motivation sort of an overused term nowadays?”
“A true leader never motivates anyone, but rather shows people how to motivate themselves,” Ann said.
Piggybacking off of Ann’s insightful comment, I’d like to add that motivation isn’t about fluff like some people think. Motivation is about looking at one’s daily life and then using relevant strategies to continue moving forward. When used and applied effectively, proper motivation can be the difference between success and failure.
It’s important to apply this knowledge consistently. Seek to make small changes, and then turn those changes into habits. That’s how leaders are made.
The Key
“It’s all about having that vision,” Ann said. “If you do the right things then you can have what you want. You really need to start with a vision. Goals are more of a to-do list for how to get there.”
“That’s great,” I said. “It makes a lot of sense to start with a vision. Tell me more about goals.”
“Goals are success indicators,” Ann said. “If it’s three years from now and you’ve reached your vision, setting and reaching goals are the indicators that let you know you’re there.”
Some examples Ann shared with me:
- Getting hired for [you fill in the blank] number of engagements.
- Getting paid X [you fill in the blank] amount per speech.
- Consistently getting X [you fill in the blank] kind of feedback after a certain task, project, business initiative, etc.
- Defining success for yourself as [you fill in the blank].
Success is about defining what you want on your terms. This is not about what someone else wants for you. This is about what you want for yourself.
“For example,” Ann continued, “success for some could be having a booked schedule because they are in demand.”
I like how Ann talked about concrete results, and at the same time talked about more subjective aspects of leadership and success. This process involves creating your own framework, so you become a forward thinking leader who knows where you’re leading people.
Parting Words
“Remember,” Ann said, “leadership is critical in every area of our lives. And when it comes to leading yourself, it’s really all about less stress and more peace.”
As we wrapped up our discussion, Ann talked about how leadership is not about stressing out all of the time. Be disciplined when it comes to your goals, but consciously give yourself some breathing room as well.
“It’s really too bad how many people give their life over to the goals to the point that they are eaten, without ever enjoying life and without really living,” Ann said. “Too many people live to work, rather than work to live. That’s where balance comes into this discussion as well.”
“That’s a great point,” I said. “For example, I have an upcoming trip to a big conference in California, and I’m doubting whether or not I should have booked the trip. But I’m going for sure now, so I figure I might as well use it as an opportunity to relax. In addition to the conference, I will have one or two days of downtime.”
“Of course,” Ann said. “Enjoy your trip as much as you can. Conferences are excellent because they give you a chance to learn valuable new material without expending too much energy and still recharge. When we try to do too much, we wear out. Jeff – you’re young, you can pull crazy hours and work as hard as you do, but realize that it doesn’t take 20 years to burn out. You – and I don’t mean you personally, but anyone who is working too hard – could wake up one day and say I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care. Leadership is also about taking care of yourself.”
I completely relate to Ann’s words of wisdom here. I do work hard, and I am a forward thinker, but I have had many moments where I was so frustrated, burned out, and exhausted that I started not caring about my goals. Even while writing this book, my schedule was so unbalanced that I was starting to lose sleep. This led to waking up feeling frustrated to the point where I cared less about my goals because I didn’t have my usual energy during the day. An all-nighter every now and then is awesome (and I love that feeling of task-completion, as I’m sure you do as well), but Ann is saying that too many of those nights in a row will catch up to you – and she’s absolutely right.
The point here is that leaders establish self-sustaining, productive, and healthy long-term habits, including getting a good night’s sleep. When reaching for a vision, they know it’s about consistent daily progress, not a one-time sprint.
I successfully counteracted those feelings of not caring by giving myself a break and recharging – now I’m 100% back on track. Rest is crucial.
“People brag about having no vacation days,” Ann said. “But that’s foolish. I use every vacation day I can. Vacation helps me to recharge so I can return feeling refreshed. For example, I knew of a CEO of a nonprofit who had a million things going at once. This is particularly common for people who are in charge. She couldn’t get a handle on her stress and continuously felt overwhelmed. Even a month off didn’t help. She actually took a month off, but still couldn’t get away from the stress. She was so overwhelmed she had to quit. Don’t let that happen to you – don’t let your work burn you out.
“Pace yourself. And have fun! Create relationships with people you meet by following up with them via email and phone. Join a mastermind or networking group of some sort.”
My discussion with Ann came at the perfect time because of my upcoming trip to California. During my trip, I made sure to enjoy it while learning new information at the conference. I love how my conversation with Ann spontaneously occurred after she was done presenting; sometimes the best input comes from putting down our worries and just chatting with people. And you know who I got to meet on that trip to California, by pure serendipity? Michael Benner and John Lee Dumas, who we will hear from later in this book.
Take action as often as you reasonably can. Stay super-focused on your vision and goals. Just don’t forget to smell the roses along the way! It’s up to you to decide exactly what kind of break/balance is appropriate for your particular situation, but please know that it’s alright to create some breathing room in your life.
Focus on the important stuff, let the insignificant worries go, and enjoy each and every moment life offers you even before you’ve reached your end destination – life is just too short to do otherwise. Combine breaks with these leadership tips, and you will be well on your way to reaching your Mountaintop.
What Is Leadership?
Leaders are people who lead from within. They do what’s right regardless of the circumstances or if it’s an unpopular choice. They have a vision and seek to enlist people in that vision. They also look to create leaders by serving others. It’s not about getting followers, but rather creating powerful co-collaborators. Leaders are innovative and imaginative, seekers of excellence, authentic, ballsy, focused on daily behavior, and true to themselves.
This is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of the award-winning book Reach Your Mountaintop: 10 Keys to Finding the Hidden Opportunity in Your Setbacks, Flipping What You’ve Heard on Its Head, and Achieving Legendary Goals.
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