February 2016 Newsletter
 FREE Resource
Organizational Culture
 
Seven Tips For Leaders 
 
One of the most rewarding things I get to do is work with those in new leadership positions.

Over the years I have found that there are several key actions these new leaders can take to ensure they are successful in their new role.

To refresh your ability to lead your team, read, download, and share my article,

Seven Tips For Leaders   
 
   
Featured
Testimonial 
  
 My oh my... how your video about the need for leaders to rest hits me hard. Thanks for reminding me there is a better way and that I must, must, must delegate more often.
  
-Ella Adamson  
   
  
Favorite Quotes 

We are blessed with inner rhythms that tell us where we are, and where we are going. No matter, then, our fifty and sixty hour work weeks, the refusing to stop for lunch, the bypassing sleep and working deep into the darkness. If we stop, if we return to rest, our natural state reasserts itself.
-Wayne Miller

There's a period of life when we swallow a knowledge of ourselves and it becomes either good or sour inside.
-Pearl Bailey

How can leaders expect to energize their people when they are constantly running on empty? You can't give what you do not have.
-Jones Loflin

The first step towards getting somewhere is deciding that you are not going to stay where you are.
-J. Pierpont Morgan

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.
-Alan Alda



Did You Know?
 

35% of individuals in the US get less than 7 hours of sleep per night.
(CDC)

"Catch up" sleep doesn't make up for sleep deprivation over a number of days.
(Safety & Health Magazine) 

More than 60% of surveyed leaders cite their organizations as failing to provide them with the tools to manage stress.
(Center For Creative Leadership)

 

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Article Spotlight

When you are feeling overwhelmed as a leader, one of the first places you tend to spend less time is on the development of your people. That only serves to further limit their ability to help the team meet its goals and objectives.

For some quick ideas on growing your team members, read,

How To Grow Your Team As An Overworked Leader

 

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8 Signs You Need To Change The Way You Lead
 
I recently read Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton. Rather than try to communicate the value of the content to improving your leadership, I'll let two quotes from the book make the case for me:

"Exhausted leaders exhaust their people."

"Something is wrong when leadership feels like a piece of clothing pulled out of the closet for a particular occasion rather than something that flows from a deep inner well fed by a pure source."

The book's message reminded me of a current reality: While everyone these days is struggling with too much to do, there is an even greater pressure on those leading organizations and teams. They must articulate vision, grow their people, and still meet the day to day demands of their professional and personal roles.

But what are the indicators you need to lead differently, taking more opportunities to nourish your inner self, cultivate healthy relationships, and regain clarity about the direction you want to take your team? What are signals that alert you to less than adequate levels of physical, emotional, or mental energy? Here are some I have recognized in my own journey and from observing other leaders:

Lack of emotional connection to your team members. For all the talk and training on emotional intelligence, its benefit is limited if you're tired and lack the emotional energy to use it wisely.

Isolating yourself from others. When you're feeling overwhelmed as a leader, the tendency is to look at yourself as a failure. With things (seemingly) out of control, you would rather go it alone instead of acknowledging the current state of things to others... many times the very ones who could help the most.

Not paying attention to details in the world around you. More frequently hearing, "I told you that last week" or "Didn't we go over this earlier?" should be a wake up call. Even missing changes in the physical environment around you is a reminder that you may so hyper focused on leading that you can't be fully present in the moment-where your leadership is MOST needed.

An increase in avoidance behaviors. It might be TV, Internet, social media use, excessive snacking (my personal "aha"), or any number of things. If you're using them to procrastinate on taking action, it's a signal you might be in an unhealthy state of mind as a leader.

You make mountains out of molehills. A lack of physical, mental, or emotional energy can lead to feeling like you are at the mercy of everyone and every negative situation around you. You tend to lose objectivity or the ability to think strategically.

A lack of routine in your day. Overwhelmed by all you're facing as a leader, you have allowed the priorities of others and the challenges of the present moment to dictate your schedule.

You're okay with always "Being on." While there will frequently be times in your leadership tenure when you will be consumed by an opportunity or challenge, there must also be times of rest and renewal.

You've turned a deaf ear to those who know you. It may be someone on your team, another leader in the organization, or even your significant other. They have seen you at your best, and are often the first to recognize when something is amiss with your leadership.

If these signs are all too prevalent for you as a leader, the first step is to...STOP! Racing to engage in the next task or trying a quick fix will only exacerbate your sense of being tired and overwhelmed.

Begin your journey to becoming a more effective leader by taking some time to affirm your ability to lead. Reflect on recent accomplishments. Acknowledge your limitations. Name your greatest sources of stress and seek help through a face-to-face conversation, phone call, or from a trusted source on the Internet.

The key is taking a few moments of solitude, or, as George MacDonald put it, "sacred idleness" to regain a more authentic perspective. In her book, Ruth Haley Barton captures the importance of solitude as a starting point to growth when she writes:

"Solitude is the only way to find ourselves again. And the longer we have been lost to ourselves, caught up with external stimulation, the longer it takes to find our way home again."

What do you need to change to become a more effective leader?  


If your team members are exhibiting any of these signs of leadership exhaustion, a program based on my book, Juggling Elephants, would be the perfect way to get them to a better place. To start that process, call me at 800-853-4676 or send me an email.
 
 
Featured Video 

With the "big game" coming up this Sunday, Jones offers some thoughts on "scoring big" with your daily productivity.

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Product/Service Highlight
  
A Fresh Approach To
Leadership And Change!
 
Looking for a simple, engaging, and effective model to take your leaders to the next level? Searching for a more realistic and inviting way to lead your organization through change? If so, my Going Green program is just what you need.
 
Using four words: Grow, Cultivate, Prune, and Harvest, I teach individuals how to take a more consistent, manageable, and intentional approach toward leadership or change. It's gotten rave reviews from clients like Volvo Cars, Choice Hotels, Duke Energy, and numerous other organizations. You can learn more about the program at www.jonesloflin.com/goinggreen or check out a video excerpt of the program.

Why not give me a call at 800-853-4676 or send me an email and let's make "Master Gardeners" of everyone on your team so you can "harvest" more of the results you're really hungry for.
  
In Partnership And With Gratitude,

Jones
 


You are receiving this newsletter because you have inquired about the speaking and training programs offered by Jones Loflin, received a copy of one of his books, Getting the Blue Ribbon, Juggling Elephants, or Getting to It, or signed up for his newsletter. To schedule Jones for a keynote or training program for your organization, email us or call 800-853-4676.

 

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