Leadership Development Lessons From Waldo

Written by JT on February 2, 2010

Military aviators live by the values of leadership development. Whether soaring at the speed of sound at 30,000 ft, or stalking enemy submarines at a couple hundred feet off the surface of the ocean, leadership is the lifeblood of military aviation. Watch this video and see what I learned from F-16 pilot, author, and entrepreneur Rob “Waldo” Waldman. Great insight for every serious entrepreneur. As Waldo says, “Push It UP!!!”

Leadership Development Means Weathering The Storm

Written by JT on January 27, 2010

Check out this video I made from the beach in Maui. It occurred to me while traveling to our family vacation that business, just as in life, is all about weathering the storm. Take notice of the times in your life when you were able to shift the momentum simply by hanging in and riding out the storm.

Leadership Development Through Associations

Written by JT on January 14, 2010

Leadership Development is influenced by so many things, your head would spin just thinking about it. But one of the key factors to success in leadership is choosing who you associate with on a daily basis. Check out this video and learn how you can streamline your associations to maximize your time and cut your learning curve in half. It’s a technique I learned form the amazing Eben Pagan…

Leadership Lessons From Observing Tiger Woods

Written by JT on December 11, 2009

Tiger Woods made a public statement on his website that he would be taking an ‘indefinite break’ from golf to attend to his family in the wake of recent news of infidelity and marital turmoil.

“After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.”

In so doing Woods made a profound statement about his character as well.

You see, no matter your opinion of Tiger Woods, he is a leader. He is a leader in sport, a leader in business and a leader in life.

In golf, he dominates his sport so much so that the PGA Tour is ‘concerned’ about the absence of Tiger and what it will mean to the Tour’s ratings. The Tour cited a marked decline in ratings while Tiger was away rehabbing a major knee injury in 2008.

And few can argue his dominance of his sport. Earlier in 2009, Tiger became the first athlete ever to surpass the $1 billion mark in earnings. In any sport. By any athlete. Ever.

Make no mistake about it; if Tiger wanted to “push this all behind him” and “block it out”, he could. He is the most mentally tough athlete I have ever seen. But this is about life. This is about family. This is about taking care of priorities.

The thing I was most taken by was Tiger’s brutal honesty and humble request for forgiveness. This simple, yet elegant act is so rare these days, particularly amongst elite athletes and celebrities (or politicians) who often seem to carry themselves with an aloof attitude toward personal responsibility.

Leadership starts with personal responsibility. The toughest decisions in leadership occur when a leader is forced to put their ego aside and make an unpopular choice.

Tiger certainly created a tough situation for himself through his actions, yet instead of hiding behind some nebulous statement, or dancing around creative language and double-talk, Woods came out and asked for forgiveness:
“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try. “

Tiger demonstrated the leadership principle of personal responsibility, even in the face of public humiliation. He showed his vulnerability, his human side.

People need to know that, as a leader, you are human. That you thinks and feel as a human, not a pre-programmed robot. To inspire people to follow you, they have to know that you lead with your intellect, your skills, and your soul. Tiger demonstrated that today with his statement.

It may be easy for the mediocre mind to balk at Tiger’s statement, claiming “he should have apologized” or he “should have begged for forgiveness”, but how often do we admit when we are wrong? How often do we apologize for hurting others, or asking for forgiveness in the wake of a personal transgression?

I am not here to defend Tiger’s actions, but I am in strong support of pointing out the lessons to be learned from his very public fall from grace. It is easy to point fingers, judge, and crucify someone else (particularly a public figure) when they screw up.

Leadership is not about making all the right decisions all the time, but it is about recognizing one’s shortcomings and taking responsibility for them.

And that is what Tiger did. Love him or not, Tiger is a champion, and a leader.

5 Steps To Better Decisions In Leadership

Written by JT on December 7, 2009

We live in a very dynamic world; a world in which we are served with many options to convolute our decision-making process. Don’t get me wrong, I love options. In fact, one of my greatest mentors told me “life is run by those who have lots of excellent options.”

And he is right.

But my mentor also taught me the converse to the “lots of excellent options” concept. He taught me the power of making a decision.

You see, in business, just as in life, we are often faced with lots of decisions. And leaders–true leaders–are faced with tough decisions, seemingly on a daily basis.

Leaders cannot afford the luxury of waffling during decision time. When the game is on the line, and tough decisions must be made, leaders either say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

There is only ‘yes’ or ‘no’. ‘Maybe’ is a dream-killer.

Entrepreneurs often look at leaders of industry and aspire to follow in their footsteps. If you look at the highest-paid people in any given industry, you will find decision-makers and action-takers.

Rarely do leaders, winners, and champions waste time making decisions. Sure, they study a situation and collect as much data as possible before shoving the throttles open, but true leaders do so in an expeditious manner.

And once they make a decision, they stick to it and follow through to completion.

Nothing is more annoying than someone who cannot make a decision. Be it simple or complex, succinct decision-making comes down to a few key factors:

1.) Self-respect. Having enough faith in yourself to make the right decision in crunch time is critical in leadership.

2.) Respect for others. Asking dozens of ridiculous questions simply to satisfy one’s own insecurities is not only disrespectful, but it is counterproductive. It tells the people with whom you are dealing that you are either not serious about winning or not confident enough to proceed. Either way you are setting yourself up for failure, and wasting everyone’s time.

3.) Quickly process information. Nobody wants to work with a super computer, and everyone understands a period of time is required where both parties take time to process information and consider all the information. Leaders do it with urgency. Leaders know that the end result is designed to be a win-win for all parties involved. The only way this can happen is with expeditious progress toward a decision.

4.) Make the decision then stick to it. Just saying this out loud allows leaders to get to their decision more quickly and more confidently. Having the self-confidence to stick to a decision that one’s own intellect empowered them to make defines a true leader.

5.) Follow through. Leaders are hungry to get moving once the decision is made because that is when the fun begins! Don’t get me wrong, the art of the deal and the fun of putting together a win-win scenario is a rush. But leaders love the rest of the equation, and that is the part that comes after the decision is made. This passion is another key factor that assists leaders, winners and champions in making sound and timely decisions.

Leadership is a dynamic, exciting and challenging world. That is why there are no height or weight requirements, age or experience parameters set, or clear definitions of who is or who can be a true leader.

However, one of the single-most important factors in determining success in any leadership role is the ability to make a solid and rapid decision.

Remember: in the game of success, there is only ‘Yes’ or ‘No”. ‘Maybe’ is a dream-killer.

~JT
jt@ShiftOfMomentum.com