leaders Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

23
Jul 21
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Brave Leaders Clear The Pathway For Success

Do you know any brave leaders? In the workplace people are often confronted with choices. Choices for behavior that will condition what happens next.

While many people seek success by merit, much of your success is created by navigation.

Certainly, you need to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform but you should never underestimate the value of relationships, etiquette, and social prowess.

Bravery may be something you haven’t really considered.

Brave Leaders

Being brave shouldn’t imply confrontation, harmful conflict, or cognitive dissonance.

Brave may be facing challenges head on rather than procrastinating or otherwise delaying necessary actions.

You might consider how you unveil your recent findings while studying the data or how you will advise the boss that too many cocktails and flirty behavior at the social gathering might turn off investors.

Also under consideration is risk. How far will you stray from the mainstream concepts for marketing in your industry. How risky will your ad campaign be?

Taking a stand on any topic of conversation might be a brave move. Will it be accepted or rejected?

Bravery is part of navigation that many workplace professionals struggle with. How much is the right amount and how much will reflect an imagine of being overdone?

Will your bravery disrupt your image of organizational fit?

Cross Roads

Throughout any career there are crossroads. Choices and decisions that need to be made.

Focusing on what is deemed right matters. What is deemed right by your standards may not be part of the culture of every organization.

Bravery is almost never a short-run game. Appropriately balanced with navigation it will determine long-run success.

Your next move might require the most bravery of all.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

29
May 20
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Leaders Show Up, Even When No One is Watching

Tags : careers ethics leaders moments opportunities

Talent and the admiration for performance may show up when you need it, or when you least expect it. Performance, conduct, and ethics always matter. True leaders show up every time.

When there is a graduation ceremony, someone will likely show up to talk about leadership. We’ve witnessed leadership in the Die-Hard movies, The Hunt for Red October, and A Few Good Men.

Leadership can be scripted in the board meeting, at the awards banquet, and for the corporate retreat. Yet, those aren’t the only places it is visible.

When the organization needs innovation, it should be present. During a massive disruption, it should be there. During an unexpected emergency, a pop-up meeting, or when someone least expects it, it should be there.

Yes, it should come when no one is watching.

Leaders Show Up

The kid who watches the fireman, the farmer, or the Navy SEAL, may experience something unexpected. It’s also true for those watching the backhoe operator, the auto mechanic, or the carpenter. And, someone quietly admiring a teacher, a doctor, or an astronaut. In all of these cases, leadership is happening, or it’s not.

Everyone working, every day, making an impact or a difference may not always realize who is watching. They may just be doing what they feel is their every day job.

Their defining moments are happening and are being experienced by someone else.

Perhaps unknowingly the work that you’ll do today will matter a whole lot more than just achieving results for your business or organization.

Leadership happens during all moments, not just the moments that it is scripted for.

We can skip the graduation ceremony, ignore signs of leadership in the movies, or resist the change happening right before our eyes.

Yet, leadership is still happening. It’s happening in the moment. It’s changing lives, and we don’t even know it.

Today you’ll deliver on some moments.

What will they look like?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

09
Apr 19
-

Workplace Leaders Risk More By Being First

Tags : follow leaders risk workplace

Many people believe that they are paving the way, instead they may be following. Workplace leaders risk more by being first and creating the future. Are you following or are you leading?

It is simple. Being the front runner requires risk that the others don’t have to endure.

Leading or Following?

I can tell you about yesterday’s weather. It is easy to get it correct. Predicting tomorrow’s weather is a little bit trickier.

You can observe a brand’s social media exposure, like, and follow. If they appear to be gaining momentum you can launch a similar campaign. If not, you can observe another. Only opportunity cost from inaction is really at risk. You’re not leading, but following.

The idea to put a camera in a phone, a credit card reader at the parking meter, or create a single cup coffee maker may have been created by people who were leading. The cost to follow after observing the success is much less expensive.

Very few businesses are truly front runners. Very few artists, authors, or architects are launching ideas that are truly original. In many regards, they are following or perhaps expanding upon ideas that they have learned.

Workplace Leaders Risk

Knowing yesterday’s weather report may be a reliable source of information. Describing the exact weather for a May wedding, several months in advance seems foolish, or at least extremely risky.

In the workplace, employees can report on all the historical data. They can produce charts, graphs, and apply a clever marketing spin for a compelling message. A competitive analysis of results may be helpful, but it doesn’t really make them a leader.

Workplace leaders take a risk of knowing when to follow, or when to expand on past ideas or results. They’ll take the most risk when they choose to do it first.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

08
Nov 17
-

Some People Are Born Leaders, Right?

Tags : job title leaders leadership money status

A discussion exists that has been circling for some time. It didn’t start yesterday, and it may not end today. Are some people born leaders? Are leaders automatically born into leadership or are they made?

In U.S. culture the answers are much like an election, you’ll find people on both sides.

Leadership is for the:

wealthy who have things coming their way, it may be people like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett;
generous, it may be people like Paul Allen, George Soros, and Ted Turner;
long lasting and persistent, people like Peter Drucker, Jack Welch, and Fred Smith.

Is it?

Beliefs about Leadership

Some believe that leadership is for everyone else. It is for other people, the people who have rank, money, and family connections.

There are people with a different belief about leadership. People with a different story, a different foundation, and even with a different frame. They see things differently.

Leadership is Different

When you see it that everyone has a chance to lead, and people will lead in different ways and at different capacities, leadership itself is about something different.

If you make your life’s work about developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead and then you execute to the fullest extent of your capabilities you are probably a leader.

Leadership doesn’t come from status, money, or family connections. It isn’t a job title, a number of direct reports, or high back leather chair. It isn’t a salary, perks, or a membership at the country club.

Born Leaders

Leadership may come from caring, giving, and role modeling. It may come from well executed risk, persistence, and by making good choices. It may also be about stepping up, endurance, and taking initiative.

If you decide you want to lead, then perhaps you can decide that you were born to lead.

Leadership for anyone is about one fundamental truth—choice.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: leaders

Jul 21

-

Brave Leaders Clear The Pathway For Success

Brave Leaders

Cross Roads

May 20

-

Leaders Show Up, Even When No One is Watching

Leaders Show Up

Apr 19

-

Workplace Leaders Risk More By Being First

Leading or Following?

Workplace Leaders Risk

Nov 17

-

Some People Are Born Leaders, Right?

Beliefs about Leadership

Leadership is Different

Born Leaders

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