Have you ever thought about the power of the watermelon seed?
This tiny little seed has the power of creating a fruit that is 200,000 times its weight. It draws whatever nutrients it needs from the dirt and sun and colors a unique spherical, almost psychedelic rind by smearing various tones of green, and then creates a white rind inside and within that a crunchy, juicy succulent red center, thickly inlaid with black seeds, each one of which in turn is capable of yet another fruit that’s 200,000 times its weight. If an itsey, bitsey teeney, weeney seed can draw that much power from a handful of dirt, imagine what we can do.
Sometimes we get in the rut of thinking that we need more of something to grow, to be better, to be happier or more successful. We know, from working with people from all over the world, that we have all we need to be 200,000 times more that we are today. We have the power of the watermelon seed to create a magnificently unique and outstanding individual.
Here’s a way to get started. Get a handful of dirt and put it at your desk and know you have everything you need to be truly great!
Too many so-called leaders spend their days looking for mistakes. How much fun can that be?
Try catching people doing great things and then recognize them. It’s more fun and will help you create an organization of hi-performance contagious leaders.
Practice catching your folks doing great things for 21 days and let us know the results. You’ll be amazed!
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.
There is no room for excuses in a culture based on leadership, sadly, in ours, there is.
In our culture it is acceptable to “not have the time because I’m swamped” or to “just be too busy” to make sales calls, to face challenges directly, to be on time for appointments, to change when it is necessary, or to simply get the job done.
To make up excuses means giving up and abandoning responsibility. A company full of employees that at every level only make up excuses generates apathy, and passiveness and detachment kill leadership.
True leaders don’t tolerate excuses because these excuse no one. There is no such thing as a valid excuse for being late, for not contacting a client, or for not changing to improve a company.
However, excuses have become acceptable, are seldom questioned, and have turned into a cycle where effective feedback and leadership coaching are not welcomed.
Contagious leaders and their staff never focus on excuses; instead, they have an unobstructed vision, meaning they focus on a clear picture of the desired outcome. In their case, it is very rare that a distraction or excuse will become more important than the desired result.
But, how do they do it? Well… contagious leaders generate engaged and productive employees who in turn create involved customers.
Here we give you the 3 strategies that contagious leaders use to permanently ban the excuses cycle from their organizations or departments:
1. They commit to their company or department’s leadership goals and vision. They get passionate about them, believe in them, and visualize the result. This brings more excitement than thinking up excuses.
If an excuse clouds their vision, they acknowledge it and find the way to get rid of it.
2. They practice vibrant communication every day. Contagious leaders believe that the attitude of employees and customers is a result of communication, because when one feels involved and understands the direction the company is taking, in other words, when one writes, speaks, and lives in that direction, one makes better and more productive leadership choices.
3. They practice meaningful permission mentoring. They offer their staff thoughtful and straightforward feedback, they speak out their people’s greatness, and extend a helping hand to get people out of the excuses cycle.
Show your concern if you perceive the cycle of excuses in your organization because it is a sign of defeat, and instead… make your team remember the Nike leadership slogan: JUST DO IT! Every good leadership speaker and coach does…
Outstanding leadership is now manifesting through one of the oldest forms of communication, the handwritten note.
Writing personal thank you notes expresses how you feel about aspiring leaders and their value to your company. The hidden message behind a written note of praise is that “I truly appreciate you.”
Handwritten notes can greatly help you create a leadership culture within your organization and their benefits are huge. These notes are remembered, and they produce a feeling of distinction and individuality on the one who receives it.
John Hersey, renowned leadership speaker and coach, has heard from people who, after several years, still remember that special thank you note they received from their supervisor or CEO. Such a small, but personal touch can truly leave a lasting impression and positively impact someone’s life.
Some leaders state that it is easier to email, and maybe it is, however emails are impersonal, cold and hollow. Emails are the electronic version of a Post-It note. It is like buying plastic flowers for an anniversary; it is a gesture, but a very superficial one.
Still, other leaders say it is easier to delegate the task to their secretary or assistant, and again, perhaps it is, but in this case you are better off not sending anything.
Hersey recommends a leadership program called ‘Recognize Five’. In this program, every week or month you identify five team members within your organization or department who deserve praise for something they did or said. Handwrite a short note to each one of them detailing what they did, how it impacted the company, and say something in appreciation, then, send it to their home address.
The result of a handwritten note is increased morale, production and loyalty, which in turn bring about higher leadership retention. The costs of a first-class stamp and five minutes of your time are a low price to pay for such a positive outcome.
Each week, we will be highlighting (or “spotlighting”) someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader. This week’s spotlight is on Frank Shankwitz.
Frank Shankwitz is a Prescott, Arizona resident and a 37 year veteran of the Arizona Highway Patrol. He’s a cop, always has been, probably always will be. He has seen bad things happen everyday for 37 years and you would think his outlook on life might be colored by that.
Not Frank Shankwitz!
This big man has an even bigger heart. That’s how he was able to make the world a better place for 230,000+ kids with life-threatening diseases since 1980.
Frank is a contagious leader. He saw a need, knew he could make wishes come true for kids if he found the right people to pull it together. And he did with a ‘can do’ attitude, a clear vision and uncompromising focus.
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 (or “spotlighting”) someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader.
Noah Plumb is an inspiring GoDaddy.com employee. When Eric Keosky-Smith arranged for the Fountain Hills Leaders Institute to meet with Warren Edelmann, COO of GoDaddy.com and to tour the facilities last year, we had no idea that we would still be thinking about Noah. Noah gave us the tour.
It occurred to us that we rarely hear an employee so enthusiastically rave about their company, passionately engaged with the success of GoDaddy.com as he constantly offers up suggestions to grab more market share, expand products and boost morale even more. And GoDaddy.com has had something to do with this relationship as they warmly embrace and encourage even more suggestions from Noah. Noah proclaims that he is a lifer at GoDaddy.com, he drank the cool-aid!
Noah is a Contagious Leader! Congratulations, Noah!
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.
Change, dreadful change! It is amazing how hard we, human beings, reject change, and even more when it is forced on us.
So, don’t be surprised if, in the beginning, the people in your organization appear nervous and cynical about any changes you want to introduce, even if they clearly are for good.
In order for you to build endorsement towards the change to a contagious leadership culture, you must be receptive to the attitudes of others and put into practice a contagious leadership program that will encourage participation.
Take GE for example. When this company launched its Work-Out program to give workers, managers, and leaders the opportunity to get together, share ideas, and get barriers out of the way, in the beginning it was a voluntary program. It seemed (like) a town meeting, and many people showed up with healthy disbelief.
Before anyone was willing to take an active part in it, they had to confirm it was a safe setting, a place where they could voice their opinion without taking the risk of being accused later, and they had to believe that the ideas they were presenting were being considered seriously; thus, Jack Welch and his team defined a strategy to create endorsement.
To begin with, they asked people to wear khakis and t-shirts so that no one would look superior to others, and the leaders were directed to address ideas right there in one of three ways: approve it, reject it, or request more information.
Very soon, everyone noticed that they were serious about the program, and eventually, it was a requirement to attend.
Getting someone to get your back takes time and honest effort. If you don’t walk the walk and talk the talk, you will kill any program you start.
These are some strategies to build endorsement, right from the files of the top leadership speaker on the topic of contagious leadership:
- Define clear goals and ensure everyone on your team knows what you are planning, what you wish to achieve, and why.
- Start a vibrant communication program, in other words, communicate early, regularly, and harmoniously; and make sure everyone is informed about:
- What you are doing
- Who is doing it
- Why you are doing it
- How well you are doing
- Who is doing well
- Ensure communication is internal and external.
- Focus on successes, not on failures.
In the end, your goal should be that everyone in your organization gets your back… not for your sake and personal interest, but as every contagious leader believes, for a greater and general good.
Contagious Leaders know that they have to help their teams find passion, energy and excitement for the vision. People get excited by people who are excited. So, find ways to get excited and you’ll see the excitement around you change. It really is that simple.
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.
Frank Shankwitz is a Prescott, Arizona resident and a 37 year veteran of the Arizona Highway Patrol. He’s a cop, always has been, probably always will be. He has seen bad things happen everyday for 37 years and you would think his outlook on life might be colored by that.
Each week, we will be highlighting (or “spotlighting”) someone we think demonstrates the actions, thoughts and mindset of a Contagious Leader.
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