On this episode, I'm going to focus on how to really develop leaders because it's a major goal for really every organization, no matter the size of your company, and right now is a great time to start planning for your future. 

In fact, if your organization has a culture of internal leadership development programs, you're going to be able to attract new team members as well as retain the top talent you already have. 

So basically in this session we're gonna pull back the curtains and kind of show you how to build your own personal leadership style. We're also going to show you how to tap into the untapped leadership potential that your team may have. 

If you follow these 5 practical steps, you'll be able to increase the productivity of yourself and your company extremely quickly.

Show Notes: Developing Leaders: 5 Steps to Developing Leadership Skills

(https://www.leadersinstitute.com/developing-leaders-the-5-step-leadership-skills-development-process/)

What if you could transform a routine training session into an unforgettable team experience that sharpens your groups skills and leaves a far deeper emotional impact on them.

Well on today's episode, I'm going to reveal a powerful method to make communication, problem solving, leadership skills; make the training for those type of concepts stick with your team way more, and leave way more of a lasting impression. 

And also, there's one really big secret I'm going to share with you that can really help your employee development training be way more effective, better the morale of the whole program, and maximize the genuine enjoyment your students get out of the session.

So if any of that sounds appealing or you want to know that one game changing secret, take a listen!

Show Notes: Soft Skills Training That Actually Works for Today’s Teams

(https://www.leadersinstitute.com/soft-skills-training-that-actually-works-for-todays-teams/)

Happy Memorial Day, everybody, and thanks to all those families whose loved one paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

On this episode, I'm going to show you how to handle difficult employees. There will always be difficult employees in any organization. Even Fortune 500 companies have rotten tomatoes in them. As a leader, your job is to lead a team. Encourage them to do their work. Do their performance reviews, and talk to them when things go wrong. But how can you do that when you don’t even know who you’re dealing with?

This applies to everyone in your team, but more so to the difficult employees. This episode is a Leader’s Guide to common trouble makers in the office and was designed to help you understand your team members, especially the trouble makers.

In many cases, your challenging employee isn’t just trying to make your life more difficult.

Their difficult behavior often reflects strengths you saw when hiring. But some are simply problem employees, and keeping them due to staffing needs is a management mistake. Your first step as a new manager is identifying which is which.

These five common types can disrupt the whole team with negative attitudes or disruptive behaviors. Yet, many bring unique talents that drive success when guided properly. Their bad attitude might stem from passion or ambition misdirected. A clear plan with specific examples can channel their energy into positive change. Not every tough case is a toxic employee waiting to implode.

But some employees consistently show problematic behavior that hurts morale. Retaining them out of desperation risks poor performance across the board. Disciplinary action becomes necessary when efforts to redirect fail. Good management separates those with potential from true troublemakers who harm the team.

You’ll learn to spot these behaviors and act decisively. This episode breaks down the five types, their quirks, and how to handle difficult employees effectively. With the right approach, you turn challenges into wins for the whole team.

Parents know that it takes patience, encouragement, and consistent action to teach a baby to walk. The baby takes one step and the parents cheer.

She falls down, the parents say, “That’s OK. You can do it!”

The baby walks just a few feet, and she’s a champion.

Why don’t we use the same encouragement for our employees and coworkers?

DON’T LOOK FOR PERFECTION RIGHT AWAY. LOOK FOR IMPROVEMENT.

Most managers constantly call attention to the mistakes of their employees. Then they wonder why they must constantly look over the shoulders of their people. The secret to being a good manager is that whatever you call attention to, you get more of.

So, instead of pointing out the mistake, point out the improvement in the right direction.

If we want to build great leaders, we must help build their confidence as they gain experience. Call attention to their successes no matter how small these successes seem to be. When we do that, we are anchoring the positive behavior that they are exhibiting.

Want to change behavior? Try calling attention to someone’s mistake indirectly, and then watch to see how the behavior changes.

When you catch that person doing things the right way, praise the improvement. Chances are that you’ll begin to see this behavior more consistently.

Praise improvements in the right direction, and you’ll build strong leaders around you.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #27: Praise the Baby Steps.

One of the best coaches that I have ever been associated with was Coach Gary Gaines, who was the linebacker coach at my college. He also had a book and movie made about him called Friday Night Lights.

What makes him such a great coach is that he is a very mild-mannered person, but when he caught someone doing the right thing, he enthusiastically called attention to it. I still remember specific plays that I made in college because Coach Gaines would always give an immediate pat on the back. Then later, when we reviewed the film, he would show the great plays over and over again so that everyone saw them.

The other strength that Coach Gaines had was the way he made corrections and pointed out mistakes. Rather than saying, “Staneart, you missed two tackles,” he called attention to the mistakes as a team. The TEAM missed six tackles. He let us save face.

In the few years that I played for him, he developed three players who played professional football and one who has been an all-pro every year he played.

MOST MANAGERS CALL ATTENTION TO MISTAKES

Most managers use what Ken Blanchard calls the “Leave Alone, Zap” method of coaching. They leave their direct reports alone until they make a mistake, and then they come by and “Zap” them to make corrective action.

This type of management style makes it to where the manager becomes the merchant of death in that the only time the direct reports get coaching is when they get hammered.

A better way of managing and coaching people is to look for the things that they are doing right and reinforce those things.

Show encouragement and help them strengthen those things that they are already doing well.

If we catch people doing things wrong, their focus is on the mistake. If we catch people doing things right, their focus is on their success. We get more of what we focus on most.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #26: Catch People Doing Things Right.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-26-catch-people-doing-things-right/

Daily Leadership Tip #25 is to Recognize the Potential in Others and Help Them Achieve It. This is Week #4 in our Daily Leadership Tips Series. The focus this week is on building other leaders.

For the past 20 years, The Leader’s Institute ® instructors have helped people gain confidence in becoming effective leaders by pointing out strengths in our class members that they may not even recognize in themselves.

William James, the father of modern psychology, said that in a person’s entire lifetime, he will only tap into 10% of his potential. Psychologists call this untapped potential our “blind spots.”

OUR JOB AS LEADERS IS TO HELP MINIMIZE THE BLIND SPOTS IN OTHERS

When we recognize potential in others, we need to encourage them to tap into that potential.

My files are full of letters from managers who came into their own shortly after getting that first big promotion.

OFTEN, BEING RECOGNIZED BY A LEADER IS THE CATALYST FOR NEW LEADERSHIP.

All they needed was someone to believe in them. A boss, mentor, or supervisor saw potential in them. Then, the confidence that they had grew even more dramatically when others see this confidence in them as well.

Don’t discount people because they have a few rough edges. Instead, look for the strengths that they have and help them grow even more in those areas.

People tend to live up to the expectations that others set for them, so set your standards high and encourage others to reach them.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You
Principle #25: Recognize the Potential in Others and Help Them Achieve It.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-25-recognize-the-potential-in-others-and-help-them-achieve-it/

One common trait of great leaders is that they build other leaders along the way.  Zig Ziglar said for years that if you help enough people become more successful, you can’t help but become successful yourself.

This is true in our families, in our work environment, and also in our recreation.

For instance, one of the reasons Phil Jackson became one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time is that he was increasingly enthusiastic about the success of his players. 

Michael Jordan believed that this was so important, that he refused to play for any other coach.  Jackson has 8 NBA Championship rings as a coach.  And in 1998 after his sixth championship, he told Cigar Aficionado Magazine, "It's normal for people to want more credit for success than is due them, yet the reality is that our championships were won on the court by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, the other players and the coaching staff.” 

Three years later, he had moved to a new team, this time without Jordan and Pippen,

Did he take credit this time? Nope. In fact, just the opposite. He told USA Today, "It's incredible to be in this position as a coach," said Jackson. "Everything revolves around the team and the staff… I've been in the right spot and fortunate enough to have players who put me in this position.”   

Great players are attracted to Jackson because he builds great leaders, and you can too if you are as enthusiastic about their success as you are your own.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #24: Be Enthusiastic about the Success of Others.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-24-be-enthusiastic-about-the-success-of-others/

This is Week #4 in our Daily Leadership Tip series. This week we are covering seven ways to build leaders. Principle #23 is to Keep Promises, Even Small Ones.

A person who breaks his word on little things is also likely to break his word on bigger things too.

Wes Zimmerman, author of Perception of a Difference, put it very clearly when he wrote, "It has been my experience that people possessing high integrity are honest in little things and big ones. They are honest with themselves. They tend to think about what they are going to say before they say it. Above all, they do these things consistently. Their consistency earns my trust."

In contrast, when someone breaks a promise, even a little one, it shows their character.  They will tend to shade the truth and quote things out of context. 

Once this character flaw is noticed, it is very difficult to gain back that trust that is lost.

When promises, even little ones, are kept consistently over time, the leader develops a level of trust with the people that he or she interacts with.

Brian Tracy, a famous speaker and trainer says that, “The glue that holds all relationships together -- including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.”

So, if you want to strengthen your integrity and build solid trust with your team, make sure to keep your promises.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #23: Keep Promises, Even Small Ones.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-23-keep-promises-even-small-ones/

Continuing in our Daily Leadership Series Challenge, this week we will cover 7 ways to Build Leaders. The principles in the next section can help build the levels of trust and respect from others…

Many of this week’s principles will help you gain the trust and respect from people around you. As the levels of trust and respect increase, your influence over others will grow. The trust and respect will result from the “Win/Win” relationships that you have already built by using the earlier principles.

1. Establish solid trust before offering advice.
2. Keep promises… even small ones.
3. Be enthusiastic about the success of others.
4. Recognize the potential in others and help them achieve it.
5. Catch people doing things right.
6. Praise the baby steps.
7. Go out of your way for people.

Leadership Principle #22 – Establish Solid Trust Before Offering Advice.

The term “constructive criticism” is an oxymoron.

Think about it… When was the last time someone gave you constructive criticism and you responded with the following?

“Thank you so much for pointing out that mistake for me! If you hadn’t said something, I would have just continued to screw that up. Thank you so much.”

I know, I’m being a bit sarcastic, but it proves a point. Anytime we criticize someone, that person will always hold some resentment against us.

Can we point out the mistakes of others without resentment? Yes, but we must have their solid trust, and they must know that our only concern is their welfare.

EVERY RELATIONSHIP HAS VALUE.

Picture your relationships with others as a check registry. Anytime you have said something positive to or done something positive for the person, add a deposit into the account.

Anytime you have said something negative to or done something negative against that person, register a withdrawal.

When we use the principles in the book, we build a positive trusting relationship with people, so we have a positive balance in this account. However, if we have violated these principles, then our relationship bank account may be way overdrawn.

We’ll probably need to make more deposits before trying to influence these people or change their behavior.

Week #4: Developing Leaders Around You.
Principle #22: Establish Solid Trust before Offering Advice.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-22-establish-solid-trust-before-offering-advice/

In our modern society, the art of giving people a sincere compliment has gone the way of the vinyl record or the Model T. You come across them occasionally, but they are few and far between.

I have asked hundreds of different audiences across the country why they think that we don’t give as many compliments as we probably should (or receive the number of compliments that we probably deserve.) In response, I have heard every answer under the sun. But what I find most often is that we are mainly too self-centered and too busy to take the time to give a sincere compliment to our fellow human beings.

A GOOD COMPLIMENT IS THE OPPOSITE OF FLATTERY

There is also a negative connotation about giving compliments to people. We think of people who give compliments as brown-nosers or kiss-asses. In the modern era, we have confused a sincere compliment with flattery. To most people they are one and the same.

In addition, men are also less inclined to give compliments to female coworkers out of fear of being accused of harassment.

With all these challenges to overcome, most people just don’t bother to compliment one another now. It’s easier just to keep to ourselves.

A GOOD LEADER CAN USE COMPLIMENTS TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM THE CROWD

You can compliment people on what they have. A compliment like this would be something like “Nice tie.”

You can compliment people on what they do. “Thanks for turning in the report early,” is an example.

However, each of these types of compliments has a chance of being seen as insincere.

However, if you give the people around you a compliment based on a strength of character that you notice in them, they will always see the compliment as sincere.

Give them a strength-centered compliment and their confidence will grow. You will also be well thought of by that person.

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.
Principle #21: Give Strength-Centered Compliments.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-21-give-strength-centered-compliments/

Continuing in our Daily Leadership Tip Challenge, this is Week #3 - How to Gain Cooperation from Your Team. And today's principle is #20 Show Sincere Gratitude.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies recently published a paper called “Reasons for Divorce.” It said that the #1 cause of divorce was communication problems resulting in one or both spouses feeling unappreciated.

A company called Bonusly conducted a similar survey of why people leave their jobs. They found that “almost half (46%) of respondents have left a job because they felt unappreciated. Another 65% admitted that they would work harder if they felt like their contributions would be noticed by management.”

MOST PEOPLE ARE STARVING FOR APPRECIATION.

We wouldn’t dream of letting children (or employees) go for days without food. But we’ll let them go years without something just as important, the feeling of being appreciated.

A simple kind word of appreciation is a simple way to build trust, gain cooperation, and anchor positive behavior in others.

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.
Principle #20: Show Sincere Gratitude.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-20-show-sincere-gratitude/

This is day number 19 of our Daily Leadership Tip challenge. This week, we are focusing on ways to gain enthusiastic cooperation from others. Principle #19 is to Ask Questions Instead of Giving Orders.

David was a recent graduate of engineering school and was in his first supervisory position on a construction project. Many of the men who worked with and for him had 10, 15, and even 20 years of experience.

David’s job was to interpret the designs from the architect and get his crew to implement the designs. So, every morning, he would meet with the superintendents and foremen and tell them what they were to do that day.

After a few months, David began to realize that the ideas he brought to the crew typically were either taking a long time to implement or had to be reworked.

David’s general contractor realized what was going on and explained to him that the crew resented being ordered around on the job site. He asked David to begin to ask for the advice of his superintendents and foremen rather than dictating to them.

The difference was like night and day. David began drawing up alternative plans and bringing them to the crew. He would ask their opinion, and nine times out of ten his original idea was the popular choice. The other 10% of the time, David learned valuable insights about design and construction. Things he could have never learned in school. Rework dropped dramatically.

When we order people to do things, they will resent us for telling them what to do. Even if there is a great deal of trust, the person being ordered around will typically follow through out of compliance versus cooperation.

However, when we ASK people to do things for us, they will usually respond in a much more positive way. You can have similar results if you ask questions instead of giving orders.

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation
Principle #19: Ask Questions Instead of Giving Orders.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-19-ask-questions-instead-of-giving-orders/

Continuing with our Daily Leadership Tip Series, we are in Week #3 -- Gaining Cooperation from Others. This is principle 18, Ask Other People's Opinions.

ASK THE OPINION OF YOUR EXPERTS TO GAIN INSIGHT

When we are under the gun, most of us want to take control and begin to order people around. Since time is short, we want to quicken the pace by just telling people what to do instead of asking them their opinion. When we do this, though, we are often missing an opportunity to gain great insights from the people who are on the front line.

One of the hardest things for young people to realize when they get their first leadership position is that they don’t know everything yet. When we are young, we think that our formal education taught us everything we’d ever need to know.

When we get into the real world and realize that we don’t know it all yet, we want to make sure that no one ever finds out.

TO BECOME AN EXPERT, ASK FOR HELP FROM OTHER EXPERTS

The best thing to do in this situation is to admit that you need help or more information. Most people around you will respect you more.

Captain Christopher J. Courtney in his article called “The Successful Lieutenant” said it well, “It is a cardinal error for a lieutenant to be a ‘know-it-all.’ Nothing turns off the troops faster or brings down morale more than a know-it-all lieutenant… Admitting to your platoon sergeant that you do not know something is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of honesty.”

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.
Principle #18: Ask Other People’s Opinions.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-18-ask-other-peoples-opinions/

Our topic today is Complacency in the Workplace. Specifically, I'll cover seven ways that past success can limit future growth. 

This is one of those topics that many leaders and business owners overlook. But those who have their pulse on their own complacency, and more importantly, the complacency of their team, can keep their business growing.

I'll explain this in the episode, but just as an overview, when we get to a point where we think we've "made it," strange things start to happen. Arrogance can set in. And we will start to miss opportunities that are obvious to hungrier business people.

So in the episode, I cover how to get to the top in any field. And then, I cover how to stay at the top as well.

Full Shownotes: Complacency in the Workplace 

Continuing with our Daily Leadership Tip Series, we are in week #3 to Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Our Team. Principle #17 is to Encourage and Facilitate Two-Way Conversation.

You can have more influence over others if you create two-way communication.

One of the most common complaints I hear from front-line employees is that top management does not take their ideas seriously and does not address their concerns. Many companies today have a top-down communication in place that can stifle creativity and build resentment in front-line employees.

Many of these employees have ideas that could revolutionize the company, but far too often, the ideas are overlooked because the people at the top are too focused on the status quo.

Those dialogues that we create with the people who work for us can provide us with valuable information – both good and bad. This information is critical in helping us make solid decisions in the marketplace.

If you want to influence others in a positive way, take a lesson from Oprah and McDonald’s and create dialogues rather than monologues.

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation
Principle #17: Encourage and Facilitate Two-Way Communication.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-17-encourage-and-facilitate-two-way-conversations/

Continuing with our Week #3 Daily Leadership Tips, Principle #16 is to Show Enthusiasm and Energy.

Have you ever noticed that the most successful people in just about any industry are the early risers? Ben Franklin called this group of people the “Six O’clock Club.”

Franklin spent the first hour of his day planning the events of his day (to do this he invented the Franklin Planner) and reading. He often claimed that the first hour of his day was the most important.

How does this relate to raising your own energy level? We have a choice every morning when we wake up. Do I want to hit the snooze bar a few times, or do I want to put some energy and enthusiasm into my day?

Frank Bettger, in his book How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, said that if he had to narrow down to one thing why he has been so successful, it would be enthusiasm.

ENTHUSIASM IS A SECRET TO SUCCESS.

His enthusiasm was what moved him from a “second rate bush-league making $25 a week” to the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. His enthusiasm was also what transformed him from a washout in sales to the most successful insurance agent of his time.

Where did his enthusiasm come from?

He says that he didn’t have any enthusiasm in the beginning, but he faked it. He acted like he was enthusiastic, and behold he was. After a few successes, the enthusiasm came easy.

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation.
Principle #16: Show Enthusiasm and Energy.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-16-show-enthusiasm-and-energy/

In our Daily Leadership Series, we are starting Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Others.

Many of this week’s principles will help you gain cooperation from others. The only way to get people to do things for you is to get them to WANT to do things for you.

Most people have an eager want to be accepted by others or want to be esteemed by their peers. So, if we can show people how what we want them to do will help them become more of a part of the team, then they will usually enthusiastically do what we ask.

These are the 7 things that you can do to gain cooperation from others.

1. Acknowledge the importance of other people.
2. Show enthusiasm and energy.
3. Encourage and facilitate two-way conversations.
4. Ask other people’s opinions.
5. Ask questions instead of giving orders.
6. Show sincere gratitude.
7. Give strength-centered compliments.

Leadership Principle #15: Acknowledge the Importance of Other People.

Most people have one defining need that very rarely gets satisfied. Many of us will move Heaven and Earth to satisfy this need. This one attribute is the single most motivating factor that leads to success. It is the need – the want – to feel important.

The person who can satisfy this need in others, the person who can sincerely make other people feel important, can be very influential and is typically regarded by others as a good leader.

This principle sounds like common sense, but it’s uncommon in practice. Many relationships have ended with one party feeling slighted by the other, and neither side is big enough to make amends. And the longer we wait, the more the problem festers.

Two managers were recently consulted about a very sticky problem that had surfaced. The senior manager offered a suggestion to the boss that sounded reasonable. However, the more junior manager disagreed. Then, in front of other staff members, he told everyone why the idea wouldn’t work.

After a few weeks, the junior manager noticed that tasks that had usually been completed in a timely manner by the other manager were taking an unusually long time. He knew why. So, he pulled the other manager aside and offered an apology.

The senior manager’s face got very crimson, and he exploded. He cursed. He screamed. The junior manager just let him vent and apologized again. The senior manager stopped, apologized for his outburst, and afterward, things pretty much went back to normal.

Realize that if the junior manager had apologized quickly, the outburst probably wouldn’t have occurred. The longer that a problem or argument festers, the more damage will develop in the relationship. So, mend fences with those you have wronged, and do it quickly.

Week #2: Conflict Resolution
Principle #14: Mend Fences Whenever Possible.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-14-mend-fences-whenever-possible/

In my early days of selling, my mentor was an award-winning salesperson for one of the top training companies in the world. The first day I met her, she told me that her job was to coach me to be a better salesperson. She said that from time to time she would point out some things to me where I could make improvements and that she was only able to do this because she had already made every mistake imaginable. She knew what didn’t work, so she could help me focus on the areas that did work.

She was very consistent. Anytime she saw me doing or saying something that could cost me potential sales, she would matter-of-factly say something like, “I remember back when I…” and she would tell me about a time when she had made a similar mistake.

Her indirect coaching allowed me to save face. It also helped my career because I didn’t have to make the same mistakes that she had made.

YOUR TEAM CAN LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES – NOT THEIRS

Did it work? You bet. Within three years, I was one of the top salespeople in the world for that company and had become a pretty good coach as well.

It’s very easy to point out mistakes that others are making in an overt way. Most people do this. However, it takes a skilled mentor to point out mistakes in a way that lets the other person save face.

Letting people know how you have made a similar mistake first allows them to be more open-minded about their own mistakes.

Week #2: Conflict Resolution
Principle #13: Admit One of your Own Poor Decisions before Pointing Out a Similar Mistake by Others.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-13-admit-one-of-your-own-poor-decisions-before-pointing-out-a-similar-error-by-others/

This is day number 12 in our Daily Leadership Challenge. We are continuing this week with seven ways to reduce conflict. Daily Leadership Tip #12 is that If You Are Wrong, Admit It.

Do you realize that if we were right just 51% of the time, we’d all be multi-gazillionaires? The truth is that we are wrong much more often than we are right. When you find yourself on the wrong side of the argument, be the bigger person and admit it.

Week #2: Conflict Resolution
Principle #12: If You Find That You are in The Wrong, Admit It.

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-12-if-you-find-that-you-are-in-the-wrong-admit-it/

Even if you use every one of the principles in this Daily Leadership Series consistently, the occasional disagreement is inevitable. There are many ways to deal with disagreements but arguing with the other party is one sure way to guarantee that you will not persuade the other person.

When we argue, each side will begin to become defensive.

A PERSON WHO IS DEFENSIVE WILL VERY RARELY SEE THE LOGIC IN AN ARGUMENT

If the goal is to persuade the other person, then it is a good idea to find some common ground.

Ask yourself a few questions.

• What about the two opinions is similar?
• What is some point that we can agree upon?
• What single thing can we both agree on?

I am not suggesting that you cave in, by the way – far from it. What I am suggesting is tearing down the defensive walls so that both parties can see a logical conclusion.

When we can find common ground, the emotion and defensiveness are somewhat diminished. At this point, if we use some of the other principles from this booklet to allow the other person to save face if he is wrong. This will allow us to come to a satisfactory conclusion.

So, when you feel an argument brewing, find some common ground as soon as possible.

Week #2: Conflict Resolution
Principle #11: Look for Some Type of Common Ground as Soon as Possible.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-11-look-for-some-type-of-common-ground/

Daily Leadership Tip #10 – Instead of Telling People They Are Wrong, Point Out Mistakes Indirectly

In Ben Franklin’s autobiography, he wrote about how in his younger years, he made many enemies because he frequently corrected people publicly when they were wrong.

What he found was that although he was very convincing and had facts on his side, he rarely persuaded anyone that they were wrong.

To make things worse, he noticed that many of these men held grudges against him for years.

Ben Franklin learned from his mistakes. He developed several skills that we can use as well. When someone stated an opinion that was in error, he began to respond with phrases such as, “In many cases, I would probably feel the same as you about this. However, if the facts of the situation were different…”

He also came up with what salespeople now call the “Ben Franklin Close,” in which he drew a line down the middle of a piece of paper. He would then ask the person who differed with him to tell him all the pros of his idea, and he wrote them on one side. He then asked for all the cons and wrote them on the other. The other person usually came to his conclusion by being a little more objective.

ASK QUESTIONS TO POINT OUT MISTAKES INDIRECTLY

One of the best ways to point out mistakes indirectly is to ask questions. Let me give you an example.

Let’s say that you have a person who works for you who is constantly turning in reports after the requested deadline. You might start by giving clarification to your entire team about the importance of the deadline.

Then, if the person continues to turn in the information late, follow up with a question like, “I know that the team is focusing on getting the reports in early. How did you do with your report this week?”

Instead of getting angry, the person will typically try to offer some type of excuse.

When this happens, just follow up with one more question, “Yeah, I can understand how that would be a problem. What are you going to do this week to make sure that it doesn’t cause a challenge for you again?”

If you use this type of questioning, the person is more likely to take responsibility for making sure that the activity gets completed properly. So, let’s take a page from Ben Franklin’s autobiography and never tell someone “you’re wrong.”

Week #2: Conflict Resolution
Principle #10: Point Out Mistakes Indirectly
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-10-instead-of-telling-people-they-are-wrong-point-out-mistakes-indirectly/

Daily Leadership Tip #9-Be Slow to Anger-Especially Over Petty Issues

We must remember that when we get angry, we lose control. We may say or do things that we later regret.

When things don’t go our way, someone slights us, or circumstances turn against us, the natural human reaction is to get angry. The longer that we let it fester, the angrier we get. After a little bit of time, something that was very small in the beginning becomes huge as we play it over and over in our heads.

The worst thing that we can do at this point is to confront the person who has slighted us because people tend to respond in kind to us. If we begin to get angry, the person we are communicating with will probably begin to get angry as well. The argument will quickly escalate.

PEOPLE TEND TO RESPOND IN-KIND

However, when people get angry with us, and we remain calm and collected, one of two things will happen. They may storm off frustrated because we didn’t fight back. Or they will realize how foolish they appear and feel ashamed. Once people have a chance to vent, and the person that they are venting to remains calm and collected, they will typically cool down and begin to communicate more clearly. Remember, people respond in kind to what they see and hear.

Either way, we have avoided the negative consequences. So, if you want to keep long-lasting friendships, be slow to anger, especially over petty issues.

Week #2: Conflict Resolution
Principle #9: Be Slow to Anger Especially Over Petty Issues
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-9-be-slow-to-anger-especially-over-petty-issues/

Daily Leadership Tips Week #2 – Conflict Resolution Skills.

Many of this week’s principles will help you create a more positive outcome from negative situations.

These principles are excellent when used to calm an angry person or persuade people to see a different point of view. You may not convince the other person every time, but you should see more positive resolutions.

Keep in mind, that if we have not established solid trust by using the principles from last week, resolving conflicts can be much more difficult.

1. Be proactive instead of reactive.
2. Be slow to anger—especially over petty issues.
3. Instead of telling people they are wrong, point out mistakes indirectly.
4. Look for some type of common ground as soon as possible.
5. If you find that you are in the wrong, admit it.
6. Admit one of your own poor decisions before pointing out a similar error by others.
7. Mend fences whenever possible.

Leadership Principle #8 – Be Proactive Instead of Reactive.

“Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.” – Lester R. Bittel

For full show notes, visit Daily Leadership Tips - Leadership Principle #8 – Be Proactive Instead of Reactive.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-8-be-proactive-instead-of-reactive/

Our topic today is about how to improve interpersonal relationships in the workplace. 

Strong connections with team members make work a happier, more rewarding place. This episode shows you why and how, with practical steps to boost job satisfaction and maybe even your paycheck.

Workplace friendships spark joy, reduce stress, and open career doors. I’ll share my story of how avoiding coworkers cost me a job, but building bonds led to my first professional career success. Then, we dive into five easy ways to build those interpersonal relationships in the office. Each tip is simple, actionable, and proven to make work more enjoyable (and more lucrative for you).

If you’re a team leader, we’ve got you covered with interpersonal skill workshops to inspire your team to connect. These strategies create a positive work environment and set both you and your team up for success.

Shownotes: Improve Interpersonal Relationships in the Workplace

(https://www.leadersinstitute.com/improve-interpersonal-relationships-in-the-workplace/)

This is the last of seven principles in week number one of our Daily Leadership Tip Series. This whole week, we have covered six ways to build trust and build a team environment. The last leadership tip this week is number seven, Practice Good Listening Skills.

Don’t look for techniques on how to listen better.  The people who are great listeners do so because they want to be great listeners, not because they learned the latest “technique” to trick people into thinking that they are listening when they aren’t.

 I’ve noticed that there are about four different levels of listening.  

 THE FOUR LEVELS OF LISTENING

The lowest level of listening is to completely Ignore the speaker.  We all fall into this trap from time to time, such as when we are in a boring meeting and our mind wanders.  

 The second level of listening is when we Pretend to listen, but we are really just looking for an opportunity to end the conversation or change the subject.  

The third level of listening is when we Selectively listen (mainly out of self-interest.) When we listen at this level, we will practically ignore the other person unless they are talking about something that directly concerns us.  

Selective listeners will sometimes listen just enough to form an opinion or a rebuttal.  They tend to interrupt a lot and give advice.  

When we move into this level of listening, a lot of times, we do so to speed up the listening process. But for the most part, this type of listening can slow down the communication process giving us a negative result.  

The highest level of listener is the Attentive or Focused listener.  This person ignores all distractions and focuses totally on the speaker.  

In any given conversation, we will typically slip from one of these types of listening levels to another.  The key is to get our minds off ourselves and onto the other person.  

If we are genuinely interested in the other person – if we really care about the other person – we will automatically spend more time in the focused listening level.  

Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
Principle #7: Be a Good Listener.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-7-practice-good-listening-skills/

This is day number six in our Daily Leadership Tip series. Today, we focus on improving communication. The tip is to Assume Responsibility for Clear Communication.

Communication is a two-way street.  For communication to be successful, we must have both a successful speaker and an effective listener.  If either party is not present, miscommunication may occur.  However, there are things we can do to reduce miscommunication.  

For instance, if you know you are communicating with a person who is not really detail-oriented, and you give instructions verbally just once, you have a very small chance that the person will follow through on your instructions.  So, for that person, it might be a good idea to follow up with a text, phone call, or email.  Or, you might have to send some written instructions to the person.  

Regardless of how you follow up, if you want to ensure that the communication occurs, you must go above and beyond the call of duty.

To be a great leader, take responsibility for clear communication.

Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
Principle #6: Assume Responsibility for Clear Communication.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-6-assume-responsibility-for-clear-communication/

Continuing with our Daily Leadership Tip series, day #5 is to Avoid Placing the Burden of Your Problems onto Other People.

Have you ever known someone who, after any setback, had an excuse and typically laid the blame elsewhere?  

 I’m ashamed to say that at one point in my life, I was one of those people.  

Luckily, at one point in my career, I had a good friend that sat me down and said, “You can continue to come up with more excuses, or you can use less energy by just solving the problem.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks.  It wasn’t the economy or my manager. It wasn’t my coworker who was causing me to fail.  I realized that every mistake or problem that had ever occurred in my life had one common variable.  -- ME! 

At that point, I took a good look at myself.  I looked at some of the mistakes I had made and asked myself, how can I avoid making the same mistake again?  

I started to use every obstacle as a learning experience.  Don’t get me wrong, I still make excuses on occasion, but they are few and far between, and they no longer define me.  

Since I made that conscious decision, my career has really taken off. There are some people out there who make themselves feel better by bringing other people down.  

They revel in their ability to know who had a heart attack, who is getting divorced, who is stealing office supplies, and more.  The more they can bring other people down, the better that they feel.

Good leaders are the ones who stop this type of behavior in its tracks by just refusing to participate and standing up for coworkers who aren’t there to defend themselves.  If you want to be a great leader, avoid placing the burden of your problems onto other people. 

Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
Principle #5: Avoid Placing the Burden of Your Problems onto Other People
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-5-avoid-placing-the-burden-of-your-problems-onto-other-people/

Continuing with day four of our Daily Leadership Tip Series, today we focus on remembering names.

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you run into someone that you have met before and can’t remember that person’s name?  It can be an awkward situation for both you and the other person.  

 When we remember someone’s name, we’re telling him, “You’re important.”  Therefore, when we forget a person’s name, we may leave the opposite impression.

 Do you want great service at a restaurant?  Call the waitress by name when you place your order.  

 Want to be the center of influence at a party?  

 Introduce people you just met to others at the party.  

 People love to hear their own name.  In fact, Dale Carnegie said that “a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest most important sound in any language.”

If you want to be a good people person, focus on remembering names.  They will feel more important because you remembered, and they will think more of you as well.

 Week #1: Build Trust and Rapport Quickly
Principle #4: Make an Effort to Remember Names.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/daily-leadership-tip-4-make-an-effort-to-remember-names/

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

Happy Halloween week everyone! Since the holiday season is right around the corner, I thought it might be a good idea to cover a few Christmas team building ideas. We are just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving here in the United States. And then, the hustle and bustle of the Christmas and Hannukah season will sneak up on you if you aren't careful.

A lot of team leads and small business owners want to do something special for their team this time of year. But what types of things will really build teamwork?

On this episode, I'm going to give you a few Christmas and Holiday team building ideas that won't break the bank and that will build morale and teamwork!

By the way, if you like the content of the podcast, make sure to leave me a review on your podcast app and make sure to subscribe to the podcast so your phone automatically downloads each episode.

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/

The best team-building ideas for 2022 may surprise you. As teams come back to the office, we are experiencing never-before-seen team challenges.

For instance, let’s say that you started a new career during the pandemic. It took a while to get into the swing of things since you were working from home for the first year. But now, you understand your job role. You have also gotten to know some of your coworkers (at least virtually.) You also know who you report to, who is responsible for what, and what you need to do to advance.

Things finally seem to be going well. Then, the boss throws you a

 curveball. The entire corporate team is now scheduled to come back to the office.

Over the past two years, more people started working from home than ever before. For some, this was a spontaneous adaptation to the job they already held. Others, though, started new jobs with new companies for the first time, remotely. Going back to the office whether full-time or part-time will now be a major adjustment.

This is causing stress and anxiety for those who were starting to get their groove. These feelings may be more common than most realize. Forbes reported on the subject citing a study conducted by The Adeco Group which revealed that “49% of leaders and 42% of non-managers said they have felt, or are feeling, anxiety about returning to the office.”

So keep this in mind as you begin to schedule your first meetings with your returning team. In this post, we will give you a few ideas on how to use philanthropic corporate events to relieve some of that stress for both your leaders and your team members!

For full show notes, visit Best Charity Team Building Ideas for 2022

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/best-charity-team-building-ideas-2022-fun-philanthropic-corporate-activities/

Want to build leaders from within?

If you own or run a business you have two choices. You could search for leaders in the marketplace and try to convince them to join your team. Alternatively, you can build leaders from within your organization. When you do the latter, you have the potential to create enthusiasm within your team. You are creating a culture of growth and energy. (It is actually cheaper for your company and more rewarding to you if you do this, by the way.)

In this episode, I’m going to cover the seven best ways to build your next generation of leaders. If you are interested in building leaders from within, these tips can really help. This is the final episode of our six-part series on developing highly effective teams. If you create a formal training program for your high-potential employees using these management skills you will create a leadership pipeline in your company.

How to Influence People in a Positive Way and Help Your Team Grow.

Before I get to the seven best ways to build new leaders within your team, let’s start with why these skills work. Although every human being is different, most of us want specific things from our leaders. For instance…

• People will do things for and follow people who they know, like, and respect.
• Every person wants to feel important.
• Leaders who make those people around them feel important build confidence in those people.
• Confident people who feel that their job is important will trust and respect those leaders.

Many people think that a good leader has to tear people down and build them back up. This is a huge mistake. For some reason, we believe that the way to get people to be productive is to kick them in the pants. Typically, that will get you the opposite effect. Your team may comply out of fear, but they will not grow in confidence. As a result, you will have to order them to do every little thing for it to get done.

For full show notes, visit Building Leaders from Within
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/building-leaders-from-within-the-7-best-ways-to-build-your-next-leaders/

The fourth stage of team development is to build team cooperation and team collaboration. This is part five of a six-part series on how to develop highly effective teams. Just like previous stages of developing teamwork, this stage of leadership development is progressive. So, you will get the best results if you have already spent some time on steps one and two.

As a review, the first phase was to focus on your organization’s goals to create a shared vision for your team. When your team focuses on a common goal and sees the big picture, a collaborative environment will begin to form. The second step is to establish trust and effective communication within your team. Next, we showed you how to reduce conflicts among team members.

You will have a difficult time motivating your team if they don’t trust you or each other. In addition, you will also have a difficult time getting others to cooperate if there is a conflict. So first, make sure to spend some time building more of a team culture using the tips from the other three episodes.

f you have never read about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it is a fascinating study in psychology. Dr. Maslow theorized that we have five levels of needs. The needs range from physical needs like food and water to more altruistic needs. In this theory, we all are most concerned about the lowest level of needs until those needs are satisfied. For example, if a person is thirsty and dehydrated, he or she won’t have much concern for anything else.

Over the years, psychologists have argued about the levels in the hierarchy. The actual levels and order of each level aren’t as important to this discussion as the agreement that we have a hierarchy, though. As leaders, we have to know the hierarchy of our team members and what level they are currently at. For instance, one team member may have been entirely motivated by recognition and appreciation. However, if this person’s child gets sick, the priorities change in an instant.

The point is that the tips below are time-tested ways to build a cooperative team. If the trust is high and conflicts are low, these tips should work very effectively. So, if you find some members of your team to not be as cooperative, it might be that something has happened to move them to a lower level in Maslow’s Hierarchy.

Your goal as the leader of your group of employees is to build a cooperative workplace where staff members are consistently at the highest level of this hierarchy.

For full show notes, visit Team Cooperation-How to Build a Collaborative Team.
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-valuable-ways-to-build-a-cooperative-and-effective-team/

Conflict resolution in the workplace can be challenging if the trust level is low or your team is under stress. In this episode, we cover seven turnkey strategies that you can use for conflict resolution in your workplace.

This is part four of a six-part series Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams. Last week we covered how to build trust and a team culture within your group. The focus of this session is on conflict resolution strategies and dealing with difficult people. Remember that these principles are cumulative. The strategies to resolve conflicts work much better in an environment of teamwork is already present. If you find that your team members are experiencing a high level of conflict, back up and work on building the level of trust.

7 Turnkey Conflict Resolution Strategies for Your Office Team

1. Be proactive instead of reactive.
2. Be slow to anger-especially over petty issues.
3. Instead of telling people they are wrong, point out mistakes indirectly.
4. Look for some type of common ground as soon as possible.
5. If you find that you are in the wrong, admit it.
6. Admit one of your own poor decisions before pointing out a similar error by others.
7. Mend fences whenever possible.

The first three principles are ways to avoid conflict before the disagreement even occurs. Numbers four through six help you resolve conflicts. Finally, the last principle is there to help make sure that the conflict doesn’t return. Let’s cover each principle in a little more detail.

For full show notes, visit 7 Strategies for Conflict Resolution in the Workplace
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-turnkey-conflict-resolution-strategies-for-your-office-team/

Team Trust is the most important step in building a highly effective team. In this episode, we cover 7 expert ways to build trust in your team. This is part three of a six-part series on the Five Characteristics of High-Performing Teams. In each of the sessions, we will cover one of the component steps to creating a team culture.

In the first part, we gave an overview of each of the five steps to create a highly effective team. Then, last week, we covered the value of creating a great vision and mission for your company. Here is a review of this employee engagement process.

Five-Step Process to Build a Culture of Teamwork in Your Organization and Improve Team Success.

The five-step leadership development process is as follows.

1. Highly Effective Teams are Mission-Oriented.
2. Build Trust and Rapport with the People that You Want to Lead.
3. Resolve Conflicts and Create an Environment Where Disagreements Do Not Cause Personal Conflicts.
4. Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation from Your Team (Even When You Are Not Looking).
5. Build Confident Leadership Teams Around You.

Each of these steps is progressive. For instance, if we have a lack of trust within a group of individuals, we will likely have more conflicts. If we are in conflict with our team members, it will be difficult to gain cooperation. The point is that the better we do in the early stages, the easier it is to have success in the latter stages. In this session, we will focus on Step #2: The Seven Best Ways to Build Team Trust.

For full show notes, visit 7 Expert Ways to Build Trust in Your Team 
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/7-expert-ways-to-build-trust-in-a-team-that-you-can-do-today/

This week is part two of a six-part series on how to Create Highly Effective Teams.

On this episode, we will go into more detail on the value of vision statements, value statements, and mission statements. Between you and I, this is one of those exercises that when I first started my company, I thought was a complete waste of time. It seem like an academic chore that really had no value. Then,  as I kept beating my head against the wall over and over and making really bad hiring decisions, I realized that all of these challenges were a result of my team not having a roadmap to get to the next level.

Once I figured that out, my company (and my team members) grew exponentially in a short period of time. So, if you are an entrepreneur, pay close attention to this episode. And if you are an executive in a big company and the organization's mission and values aren't known by every single person in the organization, this episode can also be very helpful to you as well.

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

For the full show notes, visit Mission, Vision, and Values Statement Templates with Examples
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/mission-vision-and-values-template-and-examples/

This is part three of a three part series on how to know if someone is manipulating you. 

In the first two episodes, I talked about the three steps of manipulation. 

Step one is to put the person being manipulated into an emotional state. Typically, the manipulator will get you angry or create fear in the victim.

Step two is to create both a villain and a victim. And in many cases, the villain and the victim are switched during the manipulation. What's right is wrong. What's up is down.

This week, we talk about the final stage which is to create the narrative. The manipulator figures out your innermost desires and promises to make those things happen -- if and only if the vague villain is stopped.

And, of course, the villain always pops back in to ruin the plan. So, the victim is always responsible to do more and more. 

This week, I also cover the seven signs of a con artist. These are the specific things you can look for to find out if what you are being told is true or if it is just a narrative created to get something from you.

And just like in the last few weeks, I'm giving examples from popular news stories. If, as I'm giving examples and explaining them, you find yourself getting angry, pause the recording. Or, from the opposite perspective, in situations where you totally agree with the example I give, pause the recording.

Ask yourself, "Why am I reacting this way?" 

There is a good chance that somewhere along the way, the people you are interacting with, the politicians that you are listening to, or the media where you get information has been using these techniques on you.

So, don't shoot the messenger. The goal of the series is to encourage you to see and hear the techniques while they are happening to you so you can make better decisions.

So enjoy the episode... And if you start to get angry as you listen, guess what? You are probably the mark.

By the way, if you like the content of the podcast, make sure to leave me a review on your podcast app and make sure to subscribe to the podcast so your phone automatically downloads each episode.

This week We are starting a six-part series on how to create highly effective teams. This week, I give an overview of the entire process and show, step-by-step how to create the system in your own organization. Then, over the next five weeks, I'll go into each component in a little more detail.

The Five steps to creating a Highly Effective Team

1. Highly Effective Teams are Mission-Oriented.
2. Highly Effective Teams Build Solid Trust.
3. Highly Effective Teams Debate Positively.
4. Highly Effective Teams Cooperate with Each Other and Gain Cooperation from Others.
5. Highly Effective Teams have a Culture of Leadership.

For full show notes, visit 5 Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams
https://www.leadersinstitute.com/5-characteristics-highly-effective-teams/

To contact Doug Staneart, dial (800) 872-7830 or Tweet him at @dougstaneart

This week I interview another High Impact Leader. Karen Zaderej who is the CEO and Chair of the Board for Axogen. Her company specializes in helping surgeons complete very advanced high-tech and microscopic surgery.

In the interview, she gives us some fascinating creative solutions to how they tackled challenges during the Covid crisis. For instance, part of what they do is train surgeons to be able to use new procedures, and they had to shut down their entire training center during Covid. How her team solved that challenge was revolutionary, to say the least.

If you want to be a leader in your industry, listen to some of the fantastic things that she tells us that she did along the way.

You can find out more about Karen Zaderej and Axogen at https://www.axogeninc.com/management/karen-zaderej/

Looking for a great way to build the holiday spirit and morale in your workplace? These Christmas team building activities can help. I’ve broken these fun team-building activities into three main categories to make it easy to find the perfect team event for your group.

First, we’ll talk about Christmas team building events for small groups. Next, I’ll share some of my favorite activities for larger groups. Finally, we’ll cover a few virtual holiday party ideas. Let’s start with the easiest — the small group activities.

For full show notes, visit Christmas Team Building Activities to Build Morale and Fun at Work

https://www.leadersinstitute.com/christmas-team-building-activities-to-build-morale-and-fun-at-work/