VLOG – Leaders Lead Change They Don’t Manage the Status Quo
Nobody is inspired by a leader who says “I’m going to fight to keep everything exactly the way it has always been!” Change is coming. Fighting for the status quo insures you are falling behind everyone else. When a leader fights for the status quo, they are uninspiring and bound to lose that battle. In the next 120 seconds, hear my thoughts on why leaders fight for the status quo.
VLOG – Three Steps To Strengthening Your Character
Muscles don’t get strong without exercise. Neither will our character. You have to DO what you want to BE. You have to practice character to have character. Here are 84 seconds clarifying the three steps to building our character.
Publish VLOG – A Challenge to Introverts
If you are an Introvert, this 91 second video is for you. What is an introvert’s moral obligation when they are uncomfortable – especially as part of a team?
VLOG – Maintaining Your Standards Tests Your Integrity on
IDo you have standards? Do you hold to those standards? Is this an Integrity issue and how is our Integrity at stake when our standards are challenged? In 94 seconds, here are some of my thoughts.
VLOG – Defining Teamwork – In One Sentence with a live
The type of teammate you are predicts the type of leader you will be. Watch this 97-second video where I discuss what teamwork really is and how you can be that great teammate and leader if you understand one sentence.
VLOG – Why Avoiding Hard Conversations is Selfish with a live
What is more important – your comfort or the other person’s growth? As a leader, if you avoid hard conversations because they make you uncomfortable, that is a selfish choice. Our role as a leader is not to ensure our own comfort. It is to help other people grow. Watch the 85-second video as I try to convince you to lead with Selflessness.
VLOG – When an Excuse Becomes a Lie with a live
“I ran out of time.” Or did I not start early enough? This is an example of when an excuse is actually a lie. Your excuses and my excuses are often just another form of lying. Your Integrity gets weaker each time you make an excuse. In just 85 seconds, this video makes my case for how to protect your Integrity from some common excuses.
VLOG – Character – What You Practice Becomes Who You Are
You get good at the things you practice. That includes your character. Your personality or your biases will influence your choices towards poor behaviour if you don’t pause and make a different choice. That is how you practice character – pause and make a better choice. Watch the next 125-second video and practice something new this week.
VLOG – Attitudes are Contagious – Is Yours Worth Catching?
Whatever attitude you display is contagious. Your role as a leader is to lead with Positivity. Whoever you hang out with will affect your attitude in a positive or a negative way. Do you have Eeyore the Joy Sucker on your team? Watch for the next 95 seconds and see how that person impacts you and the people around you.
When Venting Turns into Whining
We saw him as a whiner, a Debbie Downer, an Eeyore. He claimed he was venting. He believed it was his right to get his thoughts and feelings out of his head so he could move on. He wasn’t wrong. I wanted him to feel like he could vent. The problem was he’d moved from venting to whining. What’s the difference? Venting is a healthy means of letting loose of the pressure that is building up inside. It comes from the idea that a pressure cooker needs to be vented so that it does not blow up. That is a good idea for all of us when we are stressed out or angry about something that is out of our control. But venting a pressure cooker happens once. It is not a continuous, never ending process. This guy was not venting. He was telling everyone he met what was bothering him. He went from office to office, meeting to meeting, day after day and unloaded his issues on others. In other words, he was whining. The more he whined, the more he damaged his reputation inside the team and the more he dragged everyone else down. People started avoiding him. They tuned him out when he spoke at meetings. They began to talk about him behind his back. I had to pull him aside and let him know the damage his attitude was doing to himself and his team. The problem was he didn’t see it. He felt like it was his right to unleash his negativity on the people he ran into each day. The ironic thing was, some of the things bothering him were legitimate. But people had stopped listening because whining became who he was. To paraphrase Aristotle, “You are what you consistently do.” We all saw him as a whiner, a Debbie Downer, an Eeyore. Again, venting is about getting the negativity out of our system so we don’t blow up. It is not a license to wallow and whine. Once we vent, we need to choose Positvity. Positivity: Displaying a positive or “Can Do” attitude in all circumstances. The circumstances don’t change as a result of venting, but our attitudes should. What are we going to do in the midst of the circumstances? What are our solutions to make things better? How are we going to make the situation better even when others are whining? Our attitudes are a choice. After venting, it is time to make a different choice. Question: How can you and your team move from venting to Positivity? When is the next time you can set a positive example for others?
VLOG – A Leader’s Duty to Discuss a Team’s Values
Unless a leader discusses and reinforces the values they claim to have, that team will rarely have a culture that reflects those values. A leader who allows culture to happen by accident will is not exercise their Duty. Cultural drift happens without a leader’s attention. Watch the 87 second video and take action to shape your culture.
If You are Drifting, You are About to Crash
You never drift your way into excellence in anything in your life. A boat drifts into the reef. A car drifts into the snow bank. A balloon drifts to nowhere. Drifting is a recipe for disaster. If you are drifting, you are about to crash. There are few things in our lives that you can control. Your character is one of those controllable things. Are you drifting? We have done the surveys. Every group we work with for the last decade, whether it be with law enforcement, the fire services, or in the business world all agree – they want Leaders of Character in their lives. But Leaders of Character do not accidentally build their character. Character is not a result of the luck of the draw nor is character inherited. Character comes from intentionality. You have to DO what you want to BE. Every day and in every circumstance, you have an opportunity to choose something that will positively impact your character or negatively impact your character. That is why centuries ago, the Stoic philosophers told us our character is built upon our habits. And our habits begin with the intentional choices we make every day. Courage: Do you choose to confront the bad attitude of a co-worker or not? Humility: Do you listen to feedback from others without getting defensive? Integrity: Do you tell the cop how fast you were really going? Selflessness: Do you get off the couch and do the dishes after your spouse cooked dinner? Duty: Do you pick up the ice cube that fell on the floor? Positivity: Do you find a way to encourage others when you are all stuck in a bad circumstance? All of these choices take intentionality. Just like getting in shape, you have to be intentional about your workouts. You need to take the opportunity to exercise when it presents itself. Otherwise, the muscle doesn’t get stronger and it slowly atrophes. The more you exercise the Habits of Character on a daily basis, the stronger they get. When you actively choose to exercise Courage, to exercise Integrity or to exercise Positivity, you are building a muscle that will be there when the big tests in life come your way. The question is, will you be intentional with your choices or will you continue to drift? You never drift your way into excellence in anything in your life. The great news is that no matter how long you have been drifting you can pick up the paddle and start taking control of what direction you are heading. Are you heading towards becoming the person you would want to follow? Are you paddling towards being the leader, the parent or the spouse others want to follow? Now you know the formula. It comes down to your habits and your habits are formed from your daily intentional choices. With each choice, it becomes easier to make that choice again and again until you are no longer thinking about those choices – because they have become your habits. And you have become a Leader of Character. Question: What intentional choices will you make today to start building those muscles? Take our character assessment at www.MYCHARACTERTEST.com and identify where you need to focus. FINALLY! Becoming a Leader of Character Audiobook is available on Audible. If you are an Audible user, then order it here: Order Audiobook on Audible You can also order on Spotify and Apple! Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple Audiobook sales have taken over for ebook sales. When we first published Becoming a Leader of Character in 2017, people were predicting ebooks were going to kill traditional hard copy print books. That didn’t happen. In fact, print books’ percentage of sales are very similar to what they were in 2017 when we first published. What has changed is that audiobooks have eaten away at ebook sales. Therefore, if you have been waiting on the audiobook version of Becoming a Leader of Character it is now here! You can get it on Spotify, Audible or any other major platform for audiobooks. While you drive or workout, marinate your brains in theSix Habits of Character – Courage, Humility, Integrity, Selflessness, Duty, and Positivity. Order now on your favorite platform: Character Counts! Dave Order Audiobook on Audible Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple
VLOG – The Challenge of Leading a Former Peer
Leading a former peer is hard. Challenging an old friend to get better or fix a behavior takes Courage. It can also require Humility if you used to do the same thing as a peer. Watch this 112 second “How To” video. FINALLY! Becoming a Leader of Character Audiobook is available on Audible. If you are an Audible user, then order it here: Order Audiobook on Audible You can also order on Spotify and Apple! Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple Audiobook sales have taken over for ebook sales. When we first published Becoming a Leader of Character in 2017, people were predicting ebooks were going to kill traditional hard copy print books. That didn’t happen. In fact, print books’ percentage of sales are very similar to what they were in 2017 when we first published. What has changed is that audiobooks have eaten away at ebook sales. Therefore, if you have been waiting on the audiobook version of Becoming a Leader of Character it is now here! You can get it on Spotify, Audible or any other major platform for audiobooks. While you drive or workout, marinate your brains in theSix Habits of Character – Courage, Humility, Integrity, Selflessness, Duty, and Positivity. Order now on your favorite platform: Character Counts! Dave Order Audiobook on Audible Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple
The Difference Between a Compliant Group and a Committed Team
Which do you want to lead – a compliant group or a committed team? I see this dynamic in the fire service, in law enforcement, in the military, and in businesses. You can have two groups who make the same pay, work the same hours, use the same equipment, and have the same skills. But one is a compliant group and one is a committed team. There is only one difference between the two groups – the leader. We’ve all seen how the compliant group operates. This group does things because they have to, and they usually only do the minimum. They wait to be told what to do. They rarely work outside of their assigned tasks. They are unlikely to take a risk or take the initiative. The members of the group drag themselves into work, and they rarely perform above average. By contrast the committed team does things differently. They do things because they want to, and they usually go above and beyond expectations. They need little guidance. They see something that needs done, and they do it. They don’t hesitate to take action. They seem to enjoy their work, and they produce at a high level. If we flipped the leaders of these two organizations, the compliant group would become a committed team and the committed team would become a compliant group. As leaders we make choices that determine whether people are only compliant or whether they are committed. The culture of those groups hinge on who we are as a leader. Compliant Group Leaders Micromanage Make people earn their trust Train competence only: skills/tactics Argue with feedback Pragmatic decisions Prevent mistakes Avoid hard conversations Harp on errors-rarely celebrate successes Treat people like tools Committed Team Leaders Let people make their own decisions Are the first to trust Train competence and develop leaders Accept feedback Pragmatic decisions filtered through values Expect mistakes with growth afterwards Provide real feedback Encourage more and correct less Treat people like teammates Which column do you fall under? If you find yourself leading a compliant group, it may be time to look in the mirror. When leaders exercise Humility and take a hard look at themselves, that is the first step to changing a compliant group into a committed team. Because the fastest way to change a team is to change the leader. Question: What changes do you need to make in order to build a committed team? Which Habit of Character will you need to exercise? Courage or Humility? FINALLY! Becoming a Leader of Character Audiobook is available on Audible. If you are an Audible user, then order it here: Order Audiobook on Audible You can also order on Spotify and Apple! Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple Audiobook sales have taken over for ebook sales. When we first published Becoming a Leader of Character in 2017, people were predicting ebooks were going to kill traditional hard copy print books. That didn’t happen. In fact, print books’ percentage of sales are very similar to what they were in 2017 when we first published. What has changed is that audiobooks have eaten away at ebook sales. Therefore, if you have been waiting on the audiobook version of Becoming a Leader of Character it is now here! You can get it on Spotify, Audible or any other major platform for audiobooks. While you drive or workout, marinate your brains in theSix Habits of Character – Courage, Humility, Integrity, Selflessness, Duty, and Positivity. Order now on your favorite platform: Character Counts! Dave Order Audiobook on Audible Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple
VLOG – The Humilty to Say “I Suck” at Something
Admitting your weaknesses does not hurt your credibility, it strengthens it. It is the naive leader who thinks that admitting weaknesses hurts their credibility. If you want to build your credibility, watch this 94 second video to see how the Courage and Humility to say “I suck” at something builds your credibility. FINALLY! Becoming a Leader of Character Audiobook is available on Audible. If you are an Audible user, then order it here: Order Audiobook on Audible You can also order on Spotify and Apple! Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple Audiobook sales have taken over for ebook sales. When we first published Becoming a Leader of Character in 2017, people were predicting ebooks were going to kill traditional hard copy print books. That didn’t happen. In fact, print books’ percentage of sales are very similar to what they were in 2017 when we first published. What has changed is that audiobooks have eaten away at ebook sales. Therefore, if you have been waiting on the audiobook version of Becoming a Leader of Character it is now here! You can get it on Spotify, Audible or any other major platform for audiobooks. While you drive or workout, marinate your brains in theSix Habits of Character – Courage, Humility, Integrity, Selflessness, Duty, and Positivity. Order now on your favorite platform: Character Counts! Dave Order Audiobook on Audible Order Audiobook on Spotify Order Audiobook on Apple
