Voices of Leadership: State of the blog address

To my readers, Thank you for supporting Voices of Leadership. I would like to give you an update on the progress made here in the first month of Voices of Leadership.

Numbers. As of now, 3,776 people from every continent (except Antarctica) have viewed over 45 posts here on Voices of Leadership. This completely amazes and humbles me. I am so thankful for the reach and influence this blog is having, due to each of you coming and reading my posts, without your loyalty and support this blog would be worthless. Please keep in mind that I do not gain monetarily from this blog. Additionally, you've probably noticed there are no ads. I did not start this blog for income. I started it to share information and resources about Leadership, to include how we can do it better. That being said, I rely on each of you to share Voices of Leadership with your friends and family. Word of mouth is the only advertising campaign I run. Bottom line is, that the more people share this blog with others, the more influence it garners and therefore impacts more people in a positive way.

Comments. There have been 35 comments left on the various posts in the first month of Voices of Leadership. I appreciate,enjoy and read each and everyone of them. That being said, I would like to get more of you involved in the conversation. As you've heard me say before, I do not profess to know everything about Leadership and leading people. I really want this blog to become more of a conversation between you and me. I believe that this will benefit everyone more then just me posting my opinions. If you have any suggestions or comments on how I can do this better, please leave me a comment.

Voices of Leadership social media influence. Voices of Leadership can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well. As with the blog, I want all of the social media platforms to grow in presence which will grow the influence that we have in a  positive manner on others. Keep in mind that all of the social media platforms do not have the same content as the blog. I post and discuss different things on each. So, be sure to join each.

I want to thank Leadershipfreak for this idea, his "State of the Union" is much more impressive then mine. He is a great man with an awesome blog so it's no surprise. If you like Voices of Leadership please come and join us on the following platforms as well:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Thank you once again for all of your support. I look forward to the adventure that this blog is turning out to be. If you have any suggestions on topics or people you would like to see on here, please leave me a comment.

Regards,
Gregory Farley (Voices of Leadership) 

What would you do?

Here's the story. A friend of mine told me how he went to a retailer and purchased a new blu-ray movie. The next day he was looking at the receipt and noticed that the movie was not listed. So, he came to the logical conclusion that he had not purchased the movie. What should he do and why? Please leave your answers in the comment section. Thanks in advance for your input.

Leaders, what's your purpose?

In yesterdays post I discussed ways to ensure your people have purpose at work. What about their leaders? Does it matter if a leader has a purpose? Let's take a closer look at these questions.

"More men fail though lack of purpose then lack of talent." ~ William Ashley

Do your people have Purpose?

I believe that when we get down to the core of what makes our people happy, is that we give them purpose. Most people go through their lives looking and seeking that which gives them purpose. How can we, as leaders, ensure that our people have purpose?

First we must recognize that everyone has a role to play. Whether it be the custodian, mail room staff, administrative assistant or IT department. Everyone has to know their part and the importance of what they do. How it adds value and purpose to the overall vision of our company.  I've learned many times in my career just how valuable someone is when they are unexpectedly gone or leave. Everyone is scrabbling and asking, "Who normally does this?"

This is when we really value someone, is when they are gone. This is when we realize that they did play a role in making our department or company go. Don't wait until then to decide to acknowledge their purpose. Do it today. Here's some of the ways we can instill a sense of purpose in our people:

• Tell them: Yes, it's that simple, tell them of the value they bring to the department or company. You can do this during performance reviews or anytime really. Tell them specifically what they bring to the table and why that is valuable to the work process.

• Know your people: If your a regular reader of this blog you know that I have touched on this many times before. I'll say it once again, get to know your people and what motivates them to perform. Some want to be challenged, some coached, some want to be work on projects independently. Point is, everyone is different. Get to know them.  

• Listen: Another really simple thing to do, yet we tend to want to know what they want fixed. Listen to what they tell you, their frustrations, their victories and even what is blocking them from being more productive.

• Show them how to progress and the benefits not only to them, but the company. When you lay out to people how they can grow and progress in their work, they now have a path to follow. A lot of times, people haven't thought of all of the different ways they can grow and improve. Giving them a "road map" is an invaluable tool for them to use.

After all is said and done, people want to know that they have a purpose and their work is fulfilling a real need. Get to know your people, talk to them, most importantly listen to them. You might be surprised at what they will tell you.

What are some other ways you can instill a sense of purpose in your people?

Just Listen

Photoexpress

As Leaders we want to fix problems and help those around us. Sometimes, our people don't want to be fixed, they just want us to listen to them. So, the best thing we can do, is just listen.

You have anything you would like to say or tell me? Please just leave it in the comments. Thank you.

When Passion gets in the Way

Dan over at Leadership freak posted a great article today about passion and how it can be counter productive if not done in the proper context. I think this resonates well with my post today about King Leonidas. Passion is a great tool when used properly, when it isn't it can be destructive. I invite you to go check it out, he has many other great articles as well. When Passion gets in the way

What can we learn from 300?

IGN: 300

Going with the theme of yesterday's post. King Leonidas of the Spartans is depicted in the movie 300. He is faced with decisions that most leaders would go crying home to their mommies about.Not this Leader, he strikes out into no-man's land to save his people. This is a movie that gets me amped up and ready to charge the machine gun nest. I don't think I've talked to too many red blooded men who don't agree that this an awesome movie. Additionally, I've not heard too many woman complain about all the strapping, young, 6-pack abs men either.

What can we gain from King Leonidas example as it applies to Leadership? I think plenty, read on...

Is Yes, the only thing you know how to say?

We've all been in a meeting or brief where our leader or leaders announce their latest and greatest idea. There's an uneasy silence at first, with everyone looking at each other. Then the big question is asked, "Are you ready to execute?" A resounding, "Yes" erupts from the group. If you’d like to learn why you’re a yes man/woman read on…