5 Simple Leadership Fundamentals

5 Simple Leadership Fundamentals

The leader does not have to be the boss, the leader is not automatically the person who signs your paycheck. Remember, leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Leaders come from ALL levels of the organization.

Always remember and don't ever forget; Any one can be a manager but not just any one can be a leader. It takes someone with a special kind of something to be a leader. Please do not get those two confused.

All leaders, no matter who they are or where in the organization they are ranked, share the same 5 Simple Leadership Fundamentals. Of course, there are plenty of other fundamentals but these are the Top 5.

1. The mission is bigger than the man

The mission of the organization is why the organization exists. If it were not for the company's mission and vision there would be no sense of direction and purpose. The company would just be a place where people came to "hang out" for 8 hours every day and ultimately, the organization would not last very long.

Leaders must ensure that everyone knows why the company is in business and that each stakeholder is critical to the life-cycle of the organization. The leader cannot do it all by herself, that is why she motivates others to achieve the common goal: Creating and Maintaining a Successful Organization which in turn, makes all Stakeholders Successful.

2. Do as I do is the only way to lead

A leader knows and understands that the only way to keep the people you lead motivated is to ALWAYS do as you do.

The "Do as I say" mindset is strictly reserved for those minor league managers that have not been properly taught to do, teach, and believe otherwise.

3. Create more leaders

The mission of any leader is to create more leaders. I firmly believe the truest measure of a leader and her leadership abilities is by the number of leaders she has created and is creating.

If a leader is not doing anything to foster the growth of those he serves, he's just a manager with a touch of jealousy and insecurity. That is the bottom line.

4. Treat others they way they want to be treated (with respect)

Every leader wants to be respected. Here's a little secret I want to share with you: every leader gets respect because she respects others. A real leader will respect everyone that follows him as well as those that do not follow him. Everyone gets respected by a true leader and in turn, as if by magic, everyone returns that respect. It is the classic give and take. Give respect and others will respect you.

Do as your Grandma used to tell you, "Be respectful."

5. Before you can lead, you must first learn to follow.

All leaders had to begin somewhere. All real leaders begin as followers. World War II hero and US General George S. Patton was a young plebe at West Point at one time, as was US Army General and US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Former General Electric Chief Executive Officer and Author Jack Welch started with GE, in 1960, as a Junior Chemical Engineer and over the course of a twenty year career he moved to the top of the company.

Everyone must start at the bottom. Everyone must pay their dues. Everyone. Do not think about cutting corners because there is no short cut to being a leader. This applies to the children and immediate relatives of the CEO, President, or Owner of any organization, as well. Do not for one minute think you have it made. Your family elder worked, scratched, and clawed to the position they are and nothing should be just handed to you. Whether you think you deserve it or not. To truly deserve followers you must not hesitate to get into the trenches and get your hands dirty.  The only way to get into the trenches and get your hands dirty is to do so by following a leader who will show you the way.

As I mentioned, there are plenty of other fundamentals to great leadership but these 5 Simple Leadership Fundamentals I feel are the most important. All other Leadership Fundamentals, Skills, Traits, and Abilities are based on these five. 

Now, get to work.

Thank you,
David Guerra

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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

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Attention Leaders

Written in the Talmud is a great piece of advice and a great reminder about people and life. It is quite an "in your face" statement and isn't that what we need every once in a while?

In this case, I am making this quote a call to action for all that are leaders at work, at home, at school, anywhere and everywhere. Please know and understand that when I say Leader I mean anyone who has become the individual that people turn to because they want to and not because they have to.

Attention Leaders: The time has come to put up! We want you to know, it is time for a lot more action!


Thank you,
Dave Guerra


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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

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5 Simple Daily Habits to ignite your passion for SUCCESS in Business, School, and Life.

5 Simple Daily Habits to ignite your passion for SUCCESS in Business, School, and Life.


Here are the five things I do everyday (weekends included). They are not difficult to do, the difficult thing is remaining consistent. Give it a try.

Exercise.
It doesn't matter if you go for a 30 minute walk or a 3 mile run just get out there and exercise. Remember to hydrate, stretch, and hydrate some more. I prefer and recommend hydrating with plain old water, you know H20.


Read.
Read something, anything. Read the back of the cereal box. Read War and Peace. It doesn't matter what it is just so long as you are reading. I am always reading. I feel that may day is not complete if I don't read the latest news when I wake up and go to bed. In between, I read everything that I can get my hands on. I have one book in the office, one in the car, and two at home that I am reading and I am not even mentioning the countless books on my phone and tablet.

Write.
Write everyday. I have multiple blogs and writing two books (at the same time, YIKES). They (they being everyone) say there are two ways to become a better writer: Read and Write. If you are not actively writing that's OK. Start off small say something like a 100 word daily journal entry then increase your daily word count and before you know you are writing the Great American Novel that you always dreamed of writing.

Teach.
I have heard two things on teaching. #1. Those that can't, teach. #2. Those that teach are the ones that have the confidence in what they have learned. However, nowhere does it say you must have a teaching degree or a PhD to teach others. Of course, it helps but it is NOT mandatory. I have known people that solely have a lifetime of real world experience and can teach anyone anything.

Sleep.
Get plenty of sleep. Get it when you can. Get 8 hours of good quality sleep. I try to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Of course, there are times that four or three hours of sleep will have to do but don't do it that often. The goal is and always will be 8 quality hours. Notice how I keep mentioning "quality"? The key here is to sleep in a comfortable, dark, and quiet setting. Try it.

Now I don't guarantee these five daily habits would bring millions and millions of dollars but it doesn't hurt to give it a try. I can guarantee that if you exercise, read, write, teach, and sleep more you will feel better and when you feel better you can do just about anything.

I want to hear from you what are your daily habits?


Thank you for taking the time read my post,
David Guerra



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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

Here are some Technorati Tags: • The Walking Leader • • Exercise • Read • Write • Teach • Sleep • Dave Guerra • Leadership • Leading • Leadership Development • Professional Development • Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way • Ready, Fire, Aim! • If it ain't broke, break it. • Hire Crazies • Ask dumb questions • Pursue failure • Spread Confusion • Ditch Your Office • Read Odd Stuff • Avoid Moderation • Higher, Admire, Desire, Require, Satire, Inquire, On Fire, All Possible Scenarios • Give to the American Red Cross • Hire A Hero

THE MIDDAY NUGGET: Pay Attention To The Details

Pay Attention To The Details

You have heard people say it. It is nothing new but why do people have to keep reminding us of it?

We are reminded of it because the truth is excellence, professionalism, dedication and commitment find their roots in paying attention to the details. 
Ask yourself the following question: Is someone a true professional he does not pay attention to the details?
Now, replace the word "professional" with excellent, dedicated, or committed.  Does the answer to the question change?  Nope.  It does not!

None of it changes, those words represent going above and beyond the expectations of another and along the way to surpassing the expectations you are paying attention to the details.

Why is paying attention to the details important?

Everyone wants to be perceived as an excellent and dedicated professional.  Lacking the attention to the details, one would be hard pressed to be identified as a real professional.

How can you pay attention to the details?

You have heard of crossing the T's and dotting the I's.  That's it! 
That is what paying attention to the details is all about.  You cross the T's and dot the I's, every time no matter the situation.  For instance, a customer comes into your place of business and has to fill out a form before anything can be done.  Everyone in your organization must ensure that that form is properly filled the job out (crossing the T's and dotting the I's).  By doing that, you ensure that the customer has provided you with all the information you need in order to properly and professionally address the customer's issue or request and you do it right the first time.  The customer is happy, you are happy, and that's a very good thing.

What can you do to make paying attention to the details an everyday occurrence?

Training! You train yourself, you train your staff. You can even train your customers. You must train all your stakeholders. It is that simple and it is that difficult.

Train and Train until it becomes a habit. Then once it's a habit keep training. I have found out, the hard way, that while it may be a habit, paying attention to the details is so very easy to neglect. Once neglected you must start all over to re-create and sustain that habit. Hopefully, you can do it before any real damage is done.

Remember, You can do it!

Thank you,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

Here are some Technorati Tags: • The Walking Leader • Pay attention to the details • Dave Guerra • Leadership • Leading • Leadership Development • Professional Development • Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way • Ready, Fire, Aim! • If it ain't broke, break it. • Hire Crazies • Ask dumb questions • Pursue failure • Spread Confusion • Ditch Your Office • Read Odd Stuff • Avoid Moderation • Higher, Admire, Desire, Require, Satire, Inquire, On Fire, All Possible Scenarios • Give to the American Red Cross • Hire A Hero

A Story About 2 Tree Trimmers Who Got 3 Job Offers in 2 hours

Greetings,
I want to share the following video with you. In it I talk about two tree trimmers that the building owner hired to trim a 20-30 year old tree that is just outside the front door. Over the course of the two hours they were out there the Tree Trimmer received three job offers. Not bad for a couple of hours work. When was the last time you received 3 job offers in two hours?

What do you think? Are you doing what it takes to get noticed? Are you hustling so fast and so good that people will come to you while you are doing a job for someone else only to offer you more work? Are you?

I will step up my "A" game. Will you?

Thanks for watching,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

Here are some Technorati Tags: • The Walking Leader • When you think no one is watching • Always Hustle • Be Audacious • Be A Leader • Dave Guerra • Leadership • Leading • Leadership Development • Professional Development • Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way • Ready, Fire, Aim! • If it ain't broke, break it. • Hire Crazies • Ask dumb questions • Pursue failure • Spread Confusion • Ditch Your Office • Read Odd Stuff • Avoid Moderation • Higher, Admire, Desire, Require, Satire, Inquire, On Fire, All Possible Scenarios • Give to the American Red Cross • Hire A Hero

lead • er / Do you have what it takes?

Do you have what it takes?

Are you a leader? Can you honestly call yourself a leader? or are you just a manager.

Many people will argue with me but I truly believe that anyone can be a manager but not everyone can be a leader. I also believe, that leaders are not always managers. I also believe that no one should go around calling themselves a "leader".

Why should you not call yourself a leader?

I believe that being called a leader is for others to for you. Going around calling yourself a leader is bound to send up red flags. When a red flag is waved people become suspect of the possibility of the sale of a load of bunk. You get where I am going with this?

Now, I ask you: Do you have what it takes?

(definition courtesy of Google.com)

Thank you,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

Here are some Technorati Tags: • The Walking Leader • Integrity • Leadership Traits • Leadership Principles • leader • Leaders • Dave Guerra • Leadership • Leading • Leadership Development • Professional Development • Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way • Ready, Fire, Aim! • If it ain't broke, break it. • Hire Crazies • Ask dumb questions • Pursue failure • Spread Confusion • Ditch Your Office • Read Odd Stuff • Avoid Moderation • Higher, Admire, Desire, Require, Satire, Inquire, On Fire, All Possible Scenarios • Give to the American Red Cross • Hire A Hero

Something to Consider On Being A Strong Leader: Don't Beg For Attention

DO NOT BEG FOR ATTENTION!

As a Leader you will recognized for your accomplishments. You will be recognized for what you do with those accomplishments. Because of that, a TRUE, STRONG LEADER will never have to beg for attention. Attention is already given to you. Sure, there will be times that the conversation may grow quiet but that does not mean you are no longer thinking about you.

They will come back to you on their own. However, there is nothing wrong with reminding them that you are still there for them.

Thank you for your time,
Dave Guerra

P.S. I do invite you to join the conversation and tell me what you are thinking.

As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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

To order your copy of The Walking Leader:  Amazon Paperback / Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble

Here are some Technorati Tags: • The Walking Leader • Don't beg for attention • Be a Strong Leader • Dave Guerra • Leadership • Leading • Leadership Development • Professional Development • Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way • Ready, Fire, Aim! • If it ain't broke, break it. • Hire Crazies • Ask dumb questions • Pursue failure • Spread Confusion • Ditch Your Office • Read Odd Stuff • Avoid Moderation • Higher, Admire, Desire, Require, Satire, Inquire, On Fire, All Possible Scenarios • Give to the American Red Cross • Hire A Hero