Dave Guerra (the official blog): May 2022

30 May 2022

#7 of 10 Leadership Hacks (a few ways to help you develop your leadership skills)

#7 of 10 Leadership Hacks (a few ways to help you develop your leadership skills)

Being recognized as a leader means you have been identified and accepted by others. You will hold the title of Leader until you are recognized as someone that can no longer lead others. Trust me on this, the title of Leader is NOT a lifetime guarantee. The title of leader means you will have to work hard every day to keep the recognized title.

While you might hold a position consider a "leadership position" but is it really? If you look at the position itself, it is a manager position, at best, with a potential of being held by a leader but there is no guarantee.

Also, not guaranteed is have a degree or title after your name such as B.Sci, MBA, Ph.D., PA, JD, or MD. None of those are guarantees of being recognized as a leader. What is a guarantee is doing something with that degree, something worthy of being recognized as a leader by those that give those that are looking for someone to follow.

In this blog series I share with you the 10 Leadership Hacks that will help you develop or enhance your leadership skills. None of these are guarantees to being a recognized leader but through the use of common sense and constant & consistent utilization you might just find yourself a better place than when you were when you started.

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7. ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO STAND UP, STEP UP, AND STEP OUT - As I and many, many others have said in the past, "A leader's job is to create more leaders."

Thus, it behooves all leaders, future and current, to begin recruiting the next leaders.

Recruiting the next set of future leaders begins by encouraging others to stand up. step up and the step out. Encourage everyone whether they feel they are ready or not.

Remember, there is no perfect time to be a leader. There is no right time either, PERFECTIONISTS this means YOU! In most cases, Leaders are born out of necessity. They are made the moment someone, anyone is needed to stand up and deliver.

Again, you are the one that will call on others to stand up, then to step up and then to step out. You will be the one that knows that they are ready. Also, they will fight you tooth and nail but in the

By standing up I am referring to doing what they can to make themselves known, to be noticed. By standing up they are making their intentions known in they can be called upon to do what must be done.

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As always if you find yourself with concerns, comments or questions please drop me an email at dave@daveguerra.com and let’s begin a dialogue.

Until next week.

David Guerra

P.S. I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @daveguerra • visit my website: www.daveguerra.com

P.P.S. To order your copy of Great To Follow: Amazon paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble paperback
To order your copy of The Walking Leader: Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

23 May 2022

#6 of 10 Leadership Hacks (a few ways to help you develop your leadership skills)

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6. DIALOGUE - Leaders worth their weight in gold will go out of their way to ensure that dialogue is ever present. They do this instead of only using monologue in every method of communication. Leaders must ensure that every conversation is two-way.

Of course, there will be times that the message has to be one-sided/ one direction in the sense that there can be no discussion as to the need to execute. However, that should not be end all or be all of that communiqué but instead it should include a path to obtain more information, amplification or what not. This is to attempt to ensure that message is understood.

Individuals, at all levels, must encourage and facilitate the openess that comes from dialogue. When openness and dialogue is stifled the culture of the organization becomes tainted, clouded, and an ugly mess. Achieving the level of an ugly mess, the organization is forever known as one that cares more about the bottom line and not about the people.

Leaders fall back into the role of a bad manager when all they know is top-down monologue.

Leaders grow when they encourage dialogue. Leaders become better when their followers are freely and fearlessly engaging in dialogue. Leaders make better leaders when dialogue becomes the norm and not the exception.

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As always if you find yourself with concerns, comments or questions please drop me an email at dave@daveguerra.com and let’s begin a dialogue.

Until next week.

16 May 2022

#5 of 10 Leadership Hacks (a few ways to help you develop your leadership skills)

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5. GET OUT & GO OUT (turn the open door policy inside out) - They say (I really don't know who they are but they say) leaders must have an open door policy so that those that need communicate with that leader without hesitation.

While that intention may be true. I say that Open Door Policies are as good or bad as their gatekeeper. Let me re-phrase that: If the "manager" has a gatekeeper then the policy is a NO OPEN DOOR POLICY.

There...I said...I said it because I mean it. If there is any kind of gatekeeper then there is NO OPEN DOOR Policy. Yes, it is that simple. If you have to think about it, then know you have absolutely no reason calling yourself any kind of leader. Let alone, calling yourself a manager if you believe in your open door policy, you know that policy comes with the gatekeeper (non-negotiable). Don't believe me? Try your boss's open door policy. Now you get it.

So how do you deal with that flawed open door policy?

You keep it but look at it this way. That open door is your invitation to get up from behind your desk and walk out. That open door policy is ONLY for YOU! That's right! It is your reminder to go out and walk the company floor.

When you walk out of your office, leave that gatekeeper right where it has always been; guarding your office door.

Get out there and meet the people you lead, you manage, you supervise. Get out there and make yourself available to them. If they truly have a need to use your "open door policy" then they make it happen, when you make it happen sans gatekeeper.

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As always if you find yourself with concerns, comments or questions please drop me an email at dave@daveguerra.com and let’s begin a dialogue.

Until next week.

09 May 2022

#4 of 10 Leadership Hacks (a few ways to help you develop your leadership skills)

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4. OPEN MINDED - Another component needed in your arsenal towards becoming a Great Leader is to open-minded. Open-minded in the sense that you as an individual are "willing to consider new ideas". You not only encourage that exchange of ideas but expect it to happen all the time. Being open-minded is not something you can turn on when your boss is looking and then turn off when you are behind closed doors.

It will take a lot of work but putting your whole self into it you can soon be well on your way to being a leader recognized as being open-minded.

An Open-minded Leader is one that is ready to create dialogue and will shun away monologue. An open-minded leader also ready to exchange ideas with members of the team no matter what position they have on the team.

The degree to which just how open-minded leaders are will vary from individual to individual. Remember, no two individuals are exactly alike. Thus, explaining the variance.

Additionally, when it comes being open-minded the individual is apt to accept change. While change is inevitable, it is the leader that expects and accepts change that will become a better leader. The only way to expect and accept change is to get out and experience change. Experiencing change of all kinds is critical to personal growth, personal & professional development.

Open-minded leaders create new and open-minded leaders. This is because people will naturally gravitate to a fair, just and open-minded leader. They will want to emulate the actions of the leader that is open-minded.

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As always if you find yourself with concerns, comments or questions please drop me an email at dave@daveguerra.com and let’s begin a dialogue.

Until next week.

02 May 2022

#3 of 10 Leadership Hacks (a few ways to help you develop your leadership skills)

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3. TAKE CHANCES - Taking chances is always the best route to becoming a recognized leader. A chance to step up and fail. A chance to get back up and succeed or to fail once again. No matter if success or failure is the result of you taking a chance, you take that chance again.

Leaders are created as a result of taking a chance (or two). Leaders are never borne of sitting back and watching the world go by. Leaders are not made by directing traffic, as well. Leaders are out there making the world spin, Leaders are out there either creating the traffic, the route, the jam, or they are out in front of the traffic (setting the pace).

Taking chances means embracing change. Taking chances means being afraid but doing it anyway. Taking chances means that people are hungry to see a leader that will step up. They want a leader that they can follow without hesitation, even if it means that leader will fail and try again. Taking chances means you, as a leader, will find yourself on the losing end more times that not but will get back up and try again.

Taking chances also means you will occasionally dive into the deep end without knowing how deep or cold the water is. Additionally, taking careful and calculated chances should be the standing order of the day. But orders just like rules were also made to be broken.

Whether the chance was calculated or haphazardly done the outcome will be what it will be. As a leader, you must also accept the fallout from the outcome of taking chances. Good or Bad. You own it. People want a leader that not only is willing to take chances but accept responsibility for their actions or behavior.

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As always if you find yourself with concerns, comments or questions please drop me an email at dave@daveguerra.com and let’s begin a dialogue.

Until next week.