7 Reasons Why Exceptional Leaders Are Like Smart Phones!

If you've ever had to look for a new cell phone in the last little while then you could probably attest to the fact that there's no shortage of choices, features and options at our disposal.  Before you even determine what you're looking for, you've got to decide if you're in the market for a conventional cell phone or go the smart phone route.

Within each of those options, there's a bevy of styles and colours for you to choose from.  At the end of day, both phones perform the same basic function of making and receiving calls, however the additional options the smart phone offers makes it much more attractive and is considered the better of the two.  (This of course depends on who you speak with and what preferences they value.)

Smart phones offers a multitude of features and uses that go beyond just talking to people.  The ability to access the internet through any available wi-fi signal and download applications (or apps) broaden your horizon and make the experience of owning a smart phone much more practical.  For example,  you can use UrbanSpoon to help you decide what restaurant to go to, Tripit Travel Organizer to look after your travel plans or download WeatherBug to stay up on the latest weather forecasts plus so much more.

Owning a smart phone is the equivalent of having a mini computer in your back pocket.

So here's where the leadership comparison comes in.

As I see it, anyone can pretty much step into the role of leader and "do the job".  They might even able to produce results and even get others to follow them too.  That to me is a pretty basic function and is the equivalent to dialing out and making a telephone call.

An exceptional leader is much more like a smart phone.  They have a positive impact on the people around them and offer lots of options to make things easier to get the job done - they go beyond just making a simple call.  Their emphasis as a leader is more on "how" part of what they do instead of the "what" part.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Here are seven things exceptional leaders do to make themselves more like smart phones:

Communicate Instead of Direct
We too often forget that communication is a two sided street and listening is a big part of what makes the whole thing work. Exceptional leaders don't make a living barking directions or telling people what to do, they obtain information and understanding by listening and learning from the people around them.  Communication shouldn't be viewed as an extra task, it should be considered to be a necessary function.

Collaborate Instead of Control
Collaboration can best be described as a group of people coming together to achieve something collectively that they couldn't do individually.  Exceptional leaders recognize that the key to effective team work is giving people an opportunity to contribute their unique skills for the greater good of the team.


Proactive Instead of Reactive
The exceptional leader is always thinking three steps ahead. Working to master his/her own environment with the goal of avoiding problems before they arise. A reactive approach is dealing with fires as they happen while a proactive approach prevents them from occurring. 

Inspires Confidence Instead of Being Unsure
It was the 6th president of the United States, John Quincy Adams who once said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." The starting point in being able to do this is understanding that it's impossible to inspire others to do anything if you're not confident yourself. To put it bluntly, if you're not doing anything that inspires those around, then you're not doing your job as a leader. 

Open Minded Instead of Opinionated
It's not outside of the realm of possibility for one to be open minded and opinionated at the exact same time.  People who open-minded are willing to listen to and consider the another person's point of view but still can be very opinionated on certain matters.  The key is that there has to be a willingness to let go of their own bias opinions and viewpoints.  Otherwise opinionated leaders risk not progressing themselves or their people. 

Empowers Instead of Delegates  
Empowering others requires much more effort, energy and time for exceptional leaders however, the end result in the long run leads to a more effective and productive group of followers that feel trusted.  By empowering their people, exceptional leaders are displaying both faith and confidence while constant delegation sends a clear message that they may not exist. 

Inclusive Instead of Egocentric
Being an exceptional leader solely can't be about yourself and your hopes, wishes and desires.  Including others in the decision making process where at all possible helps to strengthen the relationship and build cohesion with those around you.  When its all said and done, people want to know that they're thoughts and feelings were taken into consideration and not left out of the equation whether purposely or not.


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The Main Po!nt
It's not impossible to lead people by taking the old traditional approach of leadership of direct and command and still get results however, the exceptional leaders who stand out are the ones that offer more, give more and continually ask of themselves, do I want to make a difference or am I content with just making a call?



See you on the court!

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Get In The Game and Take Action!

On Friday, February 4th, 2011, I was honoured to be the recipient of a Speakers Bureau Spirit Award from the United Way of Peel for being an outstanding ambassador for the United Way.

I was presented with the honour during its Community Achievement Celebration when the 2010 campaign total of $13,752,578 was announced.


As a member of the Speaker's Bureau, I would visit different workplace campaigns to encourage giving and to help increase awareness of how United Way funded programs support our community.

A key characteristic of leadership is recognizing when action needs to be taken and then actually doing something about it. I'm constantly reminded how true this is on a seemingly daily basis through the lessons provided by my six year old daughter who was diagnosed with autism.

Autism is a disorder of neural development and Jahleesa's speech has been severely delayed. While this can make communication challenging at times, she's also proved that our ability influence others isn't tied into the things we say, its the things we do that matter.

Leaders are the ones who take action when action is needed and the best part about it is that you don't have to be a professional speaker to make a difference.

Organizations like the United Way are always interested in people looking to make positive contributions and be leaders in their communities. If this is something that you've considered in the past but haven't acted on, I'd encourage you to do so.

It's not hard.

So stop hanging around the sidelines and

Get In The Game and Take Action!

See you on the court!

Hard Court Lesson #11

Make A Play

John Wooden once said, "The greatest failure of all is failure to act when action is needed."

There`s a variety of reasons why we don`t take action when we really should. For many, it comes down to procrastination, others believe that it`s not their role and then there are those who quite simply don`t have the confidence to do what needs to be done.

Regardless of our reason for not moving forward, its important that we recognize that the ability to take action and make a play is well within our grasp and not exclusive to the star player on the team.

We just need to have courage to believe that we`ll succeed, the determination not to give up and the effort to push us forward.

Take action and Make A Play




See you on the court!

Hard Court Lesson #1

During the winter of 1891, Dr. James Naismith of Springfield, Massachusetts invented the indoor game of basketball using a tattered old peach basket as a hoop.

It was created for the purpose of providing a preoccupation to a group of youth that could be played indoors and serve as an "athletic distraction".

When Naismith developed the game, it originally had 13 rules however, as the "athletic distraction" evolved, the tattered peach basket was replaced with an orange rim and the rule book that contained the13 rules grew as thick as an old Yellow Pages phone book.

In keeping with the spirit of the game’s origin (13 original rules), I thought it fitting to share 13 Specatcular Hard Court Leadership Lessons with you in the coming weeks starting with this post.

These lessons are meant to increase your awareness and broaden your understanding of what the act of leadership is all about.

The hope is that you'll see beyond the basketball references and look to see how these lessons can be practically applied in your own life.

My desire is that they'll serve as the foundation to help you become a more reliable and effective leader and move you from the bench into the starting line-up!

I'd appreciate it if you took the time to comment, feedback is both welcomed and encouraged.

Check out the video below for Hard Court Lesson #1

Thanks!

You Don't Need To Be A Point Guard To Be A Leader



See you on the court!

The Definition of a Leader

Leadership is both art and a science.

One of the keys to understanding leadership is realizing that we all can be leaders through our individual actions and behaviours.

You don't have to be in a designated "leader" role to be impactful and make a difference on the lives of others.

Listen to the link below and hear the similarities between leaders and basketball point guards.

Click here to listen to the podcast.


Audley

Hey Mark, Keep Shooting!!

To put it simply, you've got to put in the practice time if you want to be a better shooter.



The greatest marksmen in the NBA were known to take a 600-700 shots a day as a way of honing their skills. Since 70% of a good jumpshot is muscle memory and proper form, this approach makes a lot of sense.

I got into a discussion one day with my buddy Mark Cannon about becoming a better shooter. Mark's a senior in high school and has a desire to play basketball competitively at a higher level.

He understands that if he wants to get better, then he'll have to put in the effort. Therefore, getting up at 6am to take 650 shots to get better isn't beneath him.



I encouraged Mark to continue shooting and in the process, pay more attention getting the shots up using the proper form as opposed to the number he actually hits.

Maintaining a consistent shooting form using the same motion repeatedly is key. The hits and misses will average themselves out.

To help put things in perspective, the worlds greatest shooters hit about 40% of their shots.



For Leaders

Consistency in leadership is as important as it is in jump shooting. Without it, you risk undermining your position and the people around will lack confidence in your abilities as a leader.

You sharpen your leadership skills the same way you train your muscles. Repitition and practice using the same technique and form so that it becomes natural, fluid and in rhythm when its game time.

We listen with our eyes as much as our ears placing all of our actions under a microscope. Irrational actions, conflicting directions, and inconsistent behaviour can ultimately lead to your downfall as a leader if your're not mindful of your actions.

Here are a few points to help you maintain your consistency in leadership:

If you make a promise, keep it or don't make them at all;

Treat everyone equally and avoid playing favourites;

Not keeping your own rules sends a wrong message.

John Quincy Adams,the sixth president of the United States said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Thanks for reading!

Audley