Joe Contrera is the Founder and President of ALIVE @ WORK LLC, a leadership development company dedicated to helping Extraordinary Leaders Achieve Extraordinary Results. He is the author of three books. His latest, Extraordinary Results: Mastering the Art of Leading, Coaching, & Influencing Others, is quickly becoming a must-have resource for leaders in organizations across the country. It will not only change what you believe about leading, it will help you build your leadership skills so that you can successfully influence others.
Recently I was working with a group of leaders from a gold mining company to help them strengthen their Coaching Skills. Towards the end of the week I had an opportunity to tour the mine. My guide Jesse was navigating though the various tunnels when all of a sudden he stopped the vehicle, killed the lights, and shut-off the engine. While we sat there 2500 feet underground in complete and utter darkness … it hit me … LIKE A TON OF BRICKS!
Being a leader means that your people take their cues from you. The behaviors you exhibit are the behaviors that slowly get woven into the culture of your team. And while the saying “Do as I say … not as I do” may work with a 2 year old, it will drive your ability to lead right into the toilet. So the question becomes … what beliefs and behaviors are forming your team culture?
Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with or present in front of 1000’s of leaders. On occasion, I have been asked, What makes a great leader? What are the traits of a great leader? Can they be learned? Are people born with them? And the answer always is … it depends. It might be easy to say the top 5 characteristics of a great leader are X or Y or Z. There are literally 1000’s of books written on the topic.
Got Problems? Have you ever wondered if you might causing some of the problems you’re experiencing in your life? Recently after numerous calls from a phone number that would not take return phone calls, I attempted to block the number. I went online and followed the instructions on the website to block that specific number.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that seems so overwhelming that we lose our way and end up drowning in a sea of fear, doubt, and confusion. In times like these … it might be helpful to simplify your thought process and boil it all down to one simple and easy question … am I happy? Answering this question should be relatively simple and it is … until we start to over-think, over-analyze, and over-complicate what should be a very simple answer … Yes I am or No I am not!
In life there are things we need to let go of … and things we need to hold onto. The key to a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life is knowing the difference and which one to do and when … hold or let go. Below is a short list of things that need to hold onto. Why? Because when you lose these 10 things … life can be pretty empty.
We all end up holding onto things that we need to let go of for various reasons. Maybe we need to let go of an old belief that does not give us the results we want or no longer serves us. Maybe we need to let go of a job that holds us back from bringing our optimal value to the workplace. What ever it may be … we probably all could stand to let go of something in our lives.
A wise mentor of mine, Dr Nido Qubein of High Point University, once told me, “Joe if you don’t have a why … the how and the what don’t matter!” As I reflect back on the times in my life when I was driven towards a particular goal … be it writing my first book or starting my business, I was always crystal clear about the why behind my actions. I had a clear understanding of my purpose for that particular goal and was driven to achieve it.
This past Fathers Day I found myself alone and in a reflective state … Translation~ I was lying on the couch with the remote in my hand navigating through 387 channels when I stumbled across Oprah’s Life Class. Her guest was T.D. Jakes, the pastor of the Potter’s House, a non-denominational, mega-church located in Dallas.
You’ve heard the saying, “garbage in … garbage out.” When it comes to your thoughts and your words, the same principle applies … what you think will determine what you do AND what you say. Most people have heard these statements before … what you sow is what you reap, be careful who you hang out with it is who you will become, thoughts become things, etc.
