Follow-Through

I don't know if you listened to the Presidents' speech tonight or not. I did, and would like to make a brief comment in regards to leadership (big surprise, right?). I actually thought it was a pretty good speech, for the most part. But, leadership is not about speeches as much as it is about follow-through.

President Obama, his cabinet and our Congress have a LOT of work to do to make good on all of his bold promises and rhetoric. I will admit that I did not vote for Obama (nor did I vote for McCain), but that is not the reason for my sentiments tonight. I make no apologies about the fact that I have some extremely large disagreements with the President idealogically, philosophically and otherwise, but that is also not what is promping my comments.

My comments stem from the fact that my thoughts immediately went to: "How is he (and others) going to get all of this done?" Empty words and promises are not what we need. We do not need cheerleading and passionately patriotice statements from the floor of the Capitol. We need men and women who are willing to do what they say they will do.

History will tell whether or not President Obama is a true leader, or just another talker.

And, how about you? Are you a leader or a talker? History will tell. I hope I can help along the way.

Being Before Doing

Most of us who lead spend a lot of time trying to improve the task-oriented aspects of our leadership. We try to be better vision casters, better communicators, better strategists, and the list goes on and on.

Today I would like to encourage you to devote some mental and emotional energy to who you are, not just what you do. What aspects of your character are positively or negatively affecting your ability to influence and impact those you are leading? Make a list and take time to reflect on it.

What is one thing you can do today to work on "being?" Who is someone you can tell who will hold you accountable? Have a great weekend!

New Training Program Launched

Yesterday I launched a new training program in cooperation with CACC called Conversational Leadership. We had 4 participants who came to Naperville, IL and 4 who were linked in via videoconference from Lima, Peru. It was an exciting beginning for me and marked the beginning of both Alliant Leadership's and CACC's experience in the international arena.

We learned three primary things about developing others as leaders: 1) Be active, level 3 listeners, 2) Ask powerful questions and 3) Gently guide them toward worthy goals.

We had a great group and we will be continuing together via teleconferences 1 hour per week for the next eight weeks. I am really looking forward to some rich interaction with these leaders and seeing them grow in their ability to develop the leaders around them.

The plan is to launch a new group each month. Additionally, I am available to bring this program to organizations who are seeking some dedicated training resources in leader development.

Family Time

We had a great day together as a family. We had a wonderful morning at church and then decided to go out for lunch. We had a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory that the people of the Westmont Bible Church had graciously given us as a parting gift for our work there, so we decided today would be a great day to use it. We had a great time enjoying a delicious meal together. The restaurant and the mall were jam packed to such a degree, and for so long, that it was hard to believe that we're in an economic downturn.

I thank God for great friends and a fabulously supportive and loving family!

Leadership Tests

One thing about leadership is that it is always getting tested. Well, tonight is no different. I just got back from taking my 15 yr old son to the emergency room.

He was walking down the basement stairs with a few last glass Christmas ornaments that hadn't made their way to storage yet. He dropped a couple of them and they shattered on the stairs just before his foot hit the step.

So the question was what to do. Does Dad perform surgery or actually take him into the ER. The ER decision won out pretty quickly, and it's a good thing. The doctor was able to remove all the shards of glass (about 4 or 5) and put in SEVEN stitches. He handled it like a champion. Just like his dear old dad would have (maybe)!

Well, at least I had something interesting to post here in my first entry to this blog. 'Til next time.