Stop Being “A” Leader, and Start Becoming “THE” Leader

 

Stop Being “A” Leader, and Start Becoming “THE” Leader

“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”

Ray Kroc ~ American Entrepreneur

Exceptional leaders inspire the creation of a team and aim to shift workplace cultures in positive directions. They require strong traits in themselves like confidence, charisma and trustworthiness for people to follow. To help us understand how to become a better leader, we must recognize the difference between A leader and THE leader and the steps that can help us transform into THE leader. 

A leader has visions and motivates people to take note; they keep track of different ideas and evaluate how well they stay on message. THE leader inspires people to take action and set future goals. Whether you are A leader or The leader, communication is the foundation to success as a strong motivator. When evaluating our communication abilities to increase our leadership capabilities we must look at confidence at the helm as the key.

No matter if we lead a billion dollar company or own a small startup business, there are times when we don’t feel confident but it is important to create an effective positive presence. Confidence creates competence in the business world; we buy into the leader before we buy the product or service. Confidence in how we feel, look, speak and act are the most important steps in transforming you into THE leader.

Leadership skills of THE leader can be challenging to develop and take time to refine. While attempting to transform from A leader to THE leader, always remember confidence, sharing visions and goals and inspiring others create the best solutions.

*Content and ideas from a talk by Ryan Avery – Vistage Speaker   

 

Kelly D. Scott

Chairman/CEO 

Vistage Florida

better leaders ● decisions ● results

 

Negotiate Your Way to Success

Negotiate Your Way to Success

“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”

– John F. Kennedy

Negotiating may present itself at any time and any place; it’s a skillful process to be learned and most importantly practices. The goal in skillful negotiating is to find a mutual understanding crafted to satisfy both party’s needs. A strong negotiator may generate more value or a better outcome for their organization or business by getting what they want by aiming for compromise. There’s not many of us who have had formal negotiating training, we all have day to day experience that leaves us wondering how we can improve this strategy to consider and respect the other sides’ feelings and interests.

Developing a style is one of the most crucial steps to understanding how to improve your negotiation skills. It is not what you say; it’s how you say it. Emotions and ego are two things to stay away from in your negotiating; they can present you as an unethical or one sided negotiator and can cost you your credibility and trust as well as possibly stop the process. 

We all think we want to be in control, especially in business; the more confident you are while staying focused on the end results, the better chance of landing the best outcome. Always remember the importance of respect understanding for the other party, shape the negotiation towards related interests to build relationships that could benefit you in the future. 

There’s never been a better time to practice these policies than today. Negotiating is a skillful practice. The more you form these ideas, the more they become second nature. No matter what you are negotiating or who you are negotiating with, for entrepreneurs and small businesses, it’s a very important strategy to study, master and practice.

*Content and ideas from a talk by Tom Parker – Vistage Speaker

Kelly D. Scott

Chairman/CEO 

Vistage Florida

better leaders ● decisions ● results

Unravel Self-Sabotage in your Life

Unravel Self-Sabotage in your Life 

 Insightful presentation from Vistage speaker, Jason Hartanov. We have all made major changes in our lives where big and often difficult decisions are mulled over and decided.  Whenever we take a big leap that proves positive, we may experience a negative physical reaction like a headache or lack of sleep for days. Why is that? 

The Upper limit problem or what some describe as self-sabotage is an established set of beliefs that can negatively consume our lives once we start getting “good” at something. If we can’t conquer our self-sabotage, we can’t grow as individuals and operate our lives and businesses to our fullest potential.

Self-sabotage is a very common idea that we all experience at times but, it’s up to us to change those beliefs to get the results we want in life and in our careers.  Recognizing you’re in a state of self-sabotage is the first step to overcome it, for example, have you ever made simple errors in  a crucial project at work immediately after an excellent annual review? Or were you just not able to fully enjoy a special congratulations on a job well done given by your boss? We seem to somehow feel better or more comfortable when we are not feeling good. 

 Breaking through the mindset and habit of self-sabotage is the step needed to grow your abilities and your business. For an example, set goals for your business in the next year to grow beyond your wildest dreams instead of dwelling on the mentality that you’ve had an income cap for the past few years that you cannot break out of. Let your mind improve, enjoy the possibilities, graduate yourself from the amateur student phase and branch out to show you are a professional to yourself and to the world. 

 Self-sabotage can be very destructive to our progress, self-esteem and success. It certainly has proven to affect the bottom line in many ways.  Find methods to unlock your mind, your potential and allow yourself to eliminate negative thinking in order to release the limitations you put on yourself and your business ventures. 

Kelly D. Scott

Chairman/CEO 

Vistage Florida

Avoid the Summertime Blues at Work

Avoid the Summertime Blues at Work

“Summertime is always the best of what might be.”
~ Charles Bowden, American Author 

With schools across the country dismissed for the summer break this past week and the smell of Memorial Day cookouts in the air, the official kickoff to summer is here. Summer time means longer days soaking up the sun on the beach or taking a family vacation to a new destination, but like most of us; we arrive in the office and struggle to stay focused during the beautiful weather. During the summer time, many businesses experience a drop in employee’s productivity in the office, but it’s also one of the best times to take initiative and set new goals for the upcoming year. 

            The summer season is a great time to create a clean slate by increasing efficiency in the office to ensure more time to enjoy the nice weather. During the lull of summer time, it’s important to remember to be ambitious and to lend an extra helping hand particularly when your associates are away on vacation. Why not take the first step in planning out the time consuming fall project; it’s never too early to create an action plan for upcoming deadlines and projects. 

We are all thinking about summer vacations and time on the beach, but why not think about how you can improve your career and add value in the office? Try branching out and learning a new professional skill online to benefit yourself in your line of business. While trying to stay productive, schedule a group business lunch at an outdoor location to give everyone a break from the indoor setting and to regain focus.

            The summer season can be one of the least productive, keeping up with deadlines and upcoming projects while taking breaks and getting outside as much as possible can really help the summer workplace be enjoyable and rewarding.

Kelly D. Scott

Chairman/CEO 

Vistage Florida