John Hersey Leadership Blog

Each week, we will be highlighting (or “spotlighting”) someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader.

This week we want to acknowledge the Mayor of Fountain Hills. All our municipalities are dealing with adjusting to the ‘new normal’. Mayor Schlum has brought his ‘A’ game in collaboration to bring diverse and opinionated citizens to the table to negotiate the best solutions possible in navigating this rough patch in our economy. Contagious Leaders do not strive to be right, they focus on being effective and collaboration is a powerful tool in achieving that. Contagious Leaders listen and translate and encourage dialog. By studying the remedies that are suggested by all contributors a contagious leader knows (s)he can stand firm in the ultimate decision.

In business today with so much information being delivered in such a rapid manner, it is imperative that our leaders collaborate with others so they are well versed in all the options available. We are being forced to collaborate to accomplish this and Mayor Jay Schlum is a master.

Here’s is a brief video interview of  Mayor Jay Schlum.  You can see that his charisma and leadership is immediately apparent.

If you would like to nominate someone, feel free to send us an email by clicking here, and we would love to consider them!  Please tell us a bit about them and what makes them Contagious in their leadership. 

Each week, we will be highlighting someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader. This week’s spotlight is on Steve Chandler.

“Have a mentor. Be a mentor” is what we live by and Steve Chandler was one of our first and continues to be an important mentor to us.

Steve has written more than 20 books and pretty much they all speak to the power of changing one’s perspective. Contagious leaders know that by changing their perspective they change their life! That’s just how the brain works.

We are all run by our perceptions. When we change how we see things then we change our story.

In Steve’s book, the Story of You, we immerse ourselves in ways to strip away the made-up limitations we believe about ourselves. In one of his first books Reinventing Yourself he brings to life our choice to live our lives as an “owner” or a “victim” of circumstances. Powerful stuff.

Stuff that true leaders are made of. Stuff that Steve Chandler is made of.

If you would like to nominate someone, feel free to send us an email by clicking here, and we would love to consider them! Please tell us a bit about them and what makes them Contagious in their leadership.

Success nowadays requires that you take positive steps every single day to make your dreams a reality, and in this regard, contagious leaders are the experts.

Here are the 6 actions that will make you succeed in tough times, following the example of the best contagious leaders:

Love the ones around you
In the struggle to survive tough times, too many people neglect their employees and current customers, making them feel abandoned, confused, and afraid about their future, when in reality they should love them more than ever.

If you want to bloom in tough times, open the lines of communication with your people like you haven’t done before, because your people may be the only reason you succeed. So, acknowledge them, reward them, and thank them for being loyal, for understanding, and for being committed.

In the same way, many businesses set to find new customers while neglecting their current ones, making them feel like a pebble in their shoe. It is amazing to see how these companies are blind to the fact that when customers feel loved they bring many more customers on board.

Focus
In tough times, you must stop doing what you used to do to succeed, and must start analyzing every strategy and every activity you used in the past.

Thoroughly study everything you do every day and the return it produces, and then focus on the top 20% of activities that create impact and income.

If you need help to focus, consider talking to a good leadership speaker and consultant.

Develop your network and build your net worth
Quality relationships add value and confidence to your company.

It is normal during tough times to crouch, to play it safe, to spend less, to do less, and to be more careful; however, contagious leaders see hard times as an opportunity to expand their network and build their networth; these leaders become a SAGE:

-Seek out people. They go out and meet people, they go online and are active every day in sites like Facebook or LinkedIn, and they interact with people who think alike all over the world.

-Ask questions. They ask quality questions and focus on the other person, not on themselves.

-Get Involved. They are curious about others; they keep the conversation centered on the other person by getting involved in his or her life’s story.

-Enrich lives. People don’t care what you know until they know you care.

Be unforgettable
To be unforgettable you must be distinctive and indispensable in everything you do, this is, you have to stand out and be valuable in everything you do.

When you’re unforgettable, your work and financial security multiplies and your competitive advantage magnifies. When you’re ordinary, you’re destined to fail.

To be unforgettable:

-Analyze what others are doing and do the opposite.

-Become an expert in something.

-Put yourself in a place where you can look at things from a different perspective, forget about what you do and how you do it. Look at how others have become unforgettable.

-Acknowledge the good work and efforts others do. There is no better and more inexpensive way to motivate people.

Surround yourself with optimism
Remember what Oscar Wilde said:

“Some people cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”

Each employee chooses if he or she wants to be a giver or a taker; ensure your company has more givers than takers.

Stop feeding fear
Ask yourself: “What am I doing that adds to the fear and confusion caused by this crisis?”

Then:

-Stop doing those things.

-Get clear about your vision for your company and communicate it intensely and frequently.

-Eliminate as much drama as possible from the work place.

-Establish big goals.

-Create an action plan, begin executing, and hold people accountable.

Each week, we will be highlighting someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader. This week’s spotlight is on Dori Wittrig.

Our Contagious Leader of the week is Dori Wittrig owner of Sonoran Lifestyle Real Estate and a person who knows how to seize opportunity!

Dori had the unexpected good fortune to go out on her own. She had been in real estate with a substantial developers and was quite remarkable in how she packaged properties. Well, when she opened her real estate company in 1991, she packaged it in a robe of excellence and crowned it with the intention of cultivating an attitude of possibility in everything they created.

In the same spirit, when Real estate hit a rocky road, especially in Arizona, she saw the possibility of showcasing foreclosed properties in a big way. Today, the Sonoran Lifestyle over-the-top executive limo bus escorts eager buyers to preview a lineup of foreclosed properties. She saw the possibility and took action and now dominates the market!

If you would like to nominate someone, feel free to send us an email by clicking here, and we would love to consider them! Please tell us a bit about them and what makes them Contagious in their leadership.