It's Not Rocket Science - 9

Attitudes are contagious!  Your attitudes will have one of three sources:

1. You can consciously choose your attitude, or
2.  If you neglect to consciously choose, your attitude will coast toward that of those around you, or,
3.  It will reflect your emotions, i.e. your emotions are in control of your attitude and responses.

That is the heart of the matter: three sources.  Most people coast along with number two, reflecting the attitudes of those around them, unless something happens which sparks their emotions: they slam their finger in a drawer, their favorite team loses, etc.  When this happens the attitude moves from a coast to a rollercoaster with the same stomach lurching results.

However, there are a few people who recognize they can choose their attitudes and reactions, in spite of peer pressure or emotional upsets.  Think about where you work or the people you live with or around.  Place each one in group 1 or 2 or 3 from the list above.  Now which ones do you find most inspirational?  most effective? well balanced?  Happy?

It's not rocket science, choose your attitude.

It's Not Rocket Science - 8

I have heard it a million times:  "If it's not nice, don't say it."  I don't think leaders can always adhere to this saying, HOWEVER, I can say beyond any doubt, "If it's not the truth, don't say it."  ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS tell the truth, or say nothing at all.  Your career can survive a lot of things and you may even see some success at various points, but it will crash eventually if you tell lies.  A reputation as a liar is a death sentence for leaders.  NO ONE wants to follow ANYONE who is a liar.  Your customers will eventually catch on that you can't be trusted and you will lose them.  If you are a Pastor, same thing, you congregation will eventually catch you in a lie and they will either leave, or make sure you do.  Your staff will also figure out sooner or later that you can't be trusted and they will either leave or begin to be untrustworthy themselves, causing an even sharper spiral into disaster.

There may be times when you may not be able to share ALL the truth.  That too is part of leadership, but never allow yourself to slip over into telling a lie to cover up anything.  Lies will come out.  It may not be immediately, but they will come out and when that happens the seeds of distrust are sown and everything else you say or have said becomes suspect, no matter how right or noble all else has been.

It's not rocket science, ALWAYS tell the truth, or say nothing at all.

It's Not Rocket Science - 7

Watch the Eyes.

When in meetings or even just chatting with an informal group, watch the eyes of those in the group.  What you are looking for is to determine which individual gets the most "eye" time.  We humans have a tendency to constantly check with our eyes the body language and attitude of the individual we feel is most significant in any gathering, official or unofficial, i.e. the leader.  This might be through furtive glances or direct focus.  I've actually seen people answer a question that person A asked while looking at person B the whole time to get their feedback.

Whoever gets the most "eye" time is the leader, regardless of the flowchart.  You may agree or disagree, you may like it or not:  it doesn't change the reality.  Perception IS reality, and if those in the group are constantly looking at one person for approval, even if that is not the appointed leader, then that person IS the real leader.

This can benefit you in two ways.  First, knowing who the real leader is allows you to figure out who you need to influence.  Second, if you are supposed to be the leader, but it obvious that someone else is the real leader, you will know you need to do a better job building relationships and credibility.  I highly suggest the book:  Credibility, by Kouzes and Posner.  You can't demand leadership, it has to be earned.  This is one way you can do a quick read to determine who those in a group consider to be the leader.

It's not rocket science.

It's Not Rocket Science - 6

This one will sound so much like a "duh" statement I'm almost afraid to put it down, but after all that is the kind of things this particular series of posts addresses, so here goes.

When you write an email, please remember that no one can see your quirky smile, or frown, or wink, or ANY OTHER MESSAGE CONVEYED BY BODY LANGUAGE.  All the reader has to go on is the choice of words used and the order in which they appear.  No professional email should be sent without the author re-reading the email AT LEAST four times, once out loud, and reflecting carefully upon the choice of words and their order.  Ponder how the email will be received and the feeling it will provoke.  Yes, the feelings of the sender have to be considered because you will not be able to use your body language to offset any abrasion your words may cause.  Be clear, don't assume; convey your message, but DON'T digress.

Much of our communication today is by email.  There is noting wrong with that as long as you don't forget that relationships can be built or broken on a seemingly innocent choice of words.

It's not rocket science but few people actually much energy into crafting their emails to clearly communicate.

It's Not Rocket Science - 5

Good grammar matters!  Whether in writing or speaking, poor grammar will be a mark against you.  If you know you suffer from poor grammar in either capacity you should immediately find someone, even if you have to hire them, to coach you ruthlessly until you overcome this deficit.

If you aren't sure, ask a few people you work with if they ever notice you having trouble with your verb/subject agreements or use of pronouns when you are speaking.  Have them be brutally honest with you.  If not, great, however, if you get even one comment take it as the tip of an iceberg and attack this problem NOW.

Effective communication is the hallmark of leadership.  Poor grammar detracts from the message and lessens credibility in the speaker.  I know, that's not fair.  Have you heard?  Life is not fair.  Get over it and get on with correcting this problem.

It's not rocket science - to lead you have to be able to communicate clearly without glaring grammatical errors.

It's Not Rocket Science - 4

You may be under the impression that it is your intelligence or experience which has gotten you to where you are today.  No doubt these things have played a role, however, probably far less a role than you might imagine.  The primary reason you have been placed in leadership is because you have been determined to have the right kind of skills to lead and work with PEOPLE.  That is, it is your PEOPLE skills which are primarily considered in almost every promotion.  No matter how competent you are, if you don't have a developed set of people skills, you won't get far, and may not even stay at the level you are currently at.

Some have called this emotional intelligence.  I have written about this before - See these posts:

• EQ - The Difference Between Success and the Deadend
• Tone Makes the Difference

Whatever you call it, these skills are the hallmark of great leaders.  My experience is that most people think they have great people skills while few actually do.  Do yourself a favor and pick up Dale Carengie's book:  How to Win Friends and Influence People and take a refresher course.

This is a defining skill set - it may come easy to you or it might be hard work, but you can't ignore this if you want to be a leader.

It's not rocket science, All of Life can be reduced to Relationships (with PEOPLE)!