LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority." Ken Blanchard

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Ken Blanchard has written and co-written some great books on organizational leadership. His posture for leadership and the simple way he introduces complex ideas have made him an influential leader over the past 50 years.

His quote above is spot on. Leadership can be defined as INFLUENCE.

How does that concept hit you: Influence vs. Authority?

If you're like me, you learned early on that leadership is often based on authority: who's in charge, who's making the decisions, who's out in front, who commands the position.

However, notice the word Blanchard inserts into this quote: SUCCESSFUL. That's the differentiator.

We've all seen horrible leaders lead from a place of authority. It's not their fault. For many of them, they were never equipped to lead, they were just the person that the position landed on.

INFLUENCE: That's what leadership is really about.

Think of a leader who has impacted you or who you highly respect. Do they lead from a position of AUTHORITY or INFLUENCE? What do you see in them?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement." James Clear

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We've spent a few weeks with James Clear and his book Atomic Habits. This is the final quote from him that we'll dive into, and it's simply a reminder that NOW is the time to start doing the things that you know you should be doing. Don't put it off!

I'm sure you all know people who talk a lot about the things they will do...someday. Hopefully you're not one of those "someday" people.

I think that one of the things I really appreciated about this book as I went back to it was his simple challenge to just START. Start small, get some small wins, and keep moving forward.

It's not impossible, but it's POSSIBLE.

As we've been talking about habits the past few weeks, what is the habit you keep coming back to? The habit that you keep thinking about but you haven't done anything about? Now is the time!

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." James Clear

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're spending the month with James Clear and some thoughts from his book Atomic Habits.

Think about the quote above... "You fall to the level of your systems." That's a big statement, but it's so true.

We can do many different things to succeed at our goals and habits in life, but it all comes down to the "system" we have in place; the thing we do over and over again to ensure success.

Have you thought about the systems you have in your life? We all have systems, whether we know it or not.

The book, Atomic Habits will give you some tools to rethink those systems in your life.

A system is "a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done." What are the systems you've built in your life?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“Habits are not a finish line to be crossed, they are a lifestyle to be lived.” James Clear

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're spending the month with James Clear and some thoughts from his book Atomic Habits.

I think sometimes we confuse a HABIT with a GOAL.

"Goals are aspirations you set for yourself, and can be small or big. Goals are a great way to prioritize behavior and measure success; however, they are not very effective at creating changes in behavior. On the other hand, habits are the routines you develop through constant practice, and they happen subconsciously." (Flow Fitness)

What do you think of this? Is this how you determine the difference between a HABIT and a GOAL?

The quote above from Clear makes sense to me and I think for years I tried to accomplish goals in my life but I didn't create habits to get to these goals.

Think of a couple of GOALS you have for this year, and think of a couple of HABITS you want to create in your life this year. How are these different?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“The habits you repeat every day largely determine your health, wealth & happiness.” James Clear

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I've talked about the book by James Clear in the past, Atomic Habits. I'm going to read this book again in the month of February and I thought I'd bring you along with me by sharing a few of his quotes & thoughts.

The first time I read his book, I was challenged by his simple and forgiving approach to creating habits.

I had always been taught and challenged to think of habits as something that requires fierce discipline and would only succeed if I'm 100% committed to accomplishing them.

Developing habits do require discipline and commitment, but Clear makes this simple and attainable by simply challenging us to take some baby steps and create some habits that we can build on.

His approach makes goals much more realistic and attainable, at least for me.

Think about some habits or goals you're working on. It's now the end of January... what has contributed to your success or failure?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” C.S. Lewis

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

While there are hundreds of powerful quotes from C.S. Lewis, I wanted to share one more today with you. This quote comes from his book, The Magician's Nephew and it sparks some thinking on the theme of "PERSPECTIVE".

Perspective can be defined as "a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view."

Perspective is important because when we take the time to consider it, it helps us understand a situations from someones different view and experiences. It gives us greater empathy and also reduces conflict.

Before you respond or react, do you consider a different "perspective" or "point of view"? When you do, does it change your response?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." C.S. Lewis

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Thank you Chuck for sending me a number of C.S. Lewis quotes. I'm going to share a couple of these in the coming weeks.

This quote from Lewis has been used to encourage people to look to the future, to not give up and to live with an optimism for tomorrow.

This is all true and we should take these words in that way.

But when you dig deeper into where this quote comes from, it's from a letter he is writing to a friend who is dying, and Lewis is encouraging her with the hope of eternity, not just with a better and more productive life.

Lewis died 5 months after he wrote these words and he believed that his future was going to be so much greater than anything he had experienced on earth.

Do you believe that there are better things ahead for all of us? Do you dwell on the past and live with regrets?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The best is yet to come"

Frank Sinatra

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Frank said it best in his song, The Best Is Yet To Come, but many people have talked about what is to come.

I like Zig Ziglars thoughts when he said:

"Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come."

Jesus says it best in Matthew 6:34:

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." MSG

It's a New Year, and we're all looking forward with anticipation.

Start by Looking Back: Begin the New Year with some perspective from Last Year. What did you learn, what were you challenged by, what do you NOT want to repeat? Spend some time looking back before you move forward.