Tag Archive for leadership success

MarkEdwardBrown | August 4, 2009
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“Y” not why You should be a Leader

Letter Y 

A very serious question has been stuck in my mind lately, in fact it has almost been haunting me.  I have pondered, prayed and almost worried about it.  What is it you ask?

The question is not about what I want to do nor what you should want to do, or not.  It’s all about “Y” not “why”!

I am not sure that you are following me so please allow me to explain.  Every one of us spends allot of time fantasizing, day dreaming and wondering what we are going to do when we grow up, retire or get rich.

However I believe the question we should be asking ourselves is why do we want to do all of the stuff that we think about?  I am going to boil this down to a one letter answer and then I will explain – are you ready?

The answer is not why, it’s “Y“!

If you really want to accomplish what you dream about you have to make a decision and then take some action and the lettery Y is the best road map to use in order to get where you want to go.  The letter Y is made up of one straight line that that divirges to the left and to the right.  When making the decision what you want to do approach your dilemna as if you were driving down the road approaching a decision point as in the letter Y example I just explained.  You either go to the left or to the right, you either make a decision to change or you continue to go the same way you have been going.

If you have been struggling about how to become a leader change your point of reference and approach it from Y you should be a leader not why you should be a leader.

Here are 3 quick ways that you can explore that will help you with Y you should become a leader and stop being a follower:

1) Read a book on leadership.

2) Watch a movie about leadership.

3) Join a leadership organization and learn about leadership.

All three of the methods above will allow you to define Y you should be a leader as well as catapult you towards your goal.  Instead of remaining a follower step out and begin your journey, you now know how and Y so get started!

Do you have a comment about a method or tip for being a better leader?  Leave a comment or retweet this post so that we can start a dialogue.

Here’s to Your Leadership Success,

Mark Edward Brown

Category: Leadership | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
MarkEdwardBrown | July 28, 2009
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Leadership on Trial & the Week of Wonder

Service Member salute  Last week was one of wonderment and a trial of every ounce of my leadership ability.   One of my subject matter experts whom I placed my trust in that deals with all of the logistical and resourcing aspects of my organization let me down on several levels which led to the discovery of several key systems that were not in place or functioning as they should.

It was discovered that an item was missing and jr. leaders were aware of the fact however they were told not to inform me, my second in command or our senior enlisted advisor.  After reporting this initial loss and bringing back all of our employee’s to help search and recover this missing piece of equipment.

This event was so severe that it caused my boss to inform his boss who in turn issues some very clear guidance that saved my organization from having a dark day in it’s history books.  The order that was given was to interview every single member of my organization, face to face.  This process took all day and long into the evening, when I was interviewing one of the final persons that I had to question it was suggested that not all locations were searched or inspected thouroughly enough.

Once the additional or neglected locations were searched the lost item was recovered, almost miracoulously!  It turned out that there was in fact no loss but instead a theft!

Can you imagine my disappointment in some one whom I entrusted to protect other service members to discover this person was a theif?  What a test of leadership, I had just discovered that two of my people and several systems were virtually crippled leading to my organization being placed at an extreme disadvantage to both readiness and accountability.

Once the week was at it’s end I was thankful for the experience and humbled to know that I still have much to learn when it comes to balancing where I focus my attention in this fast paced environment.

What is one of the most memorable leadership trials or tribulations that you recall?  Leave a post or re-Tweet this message to get a really good dialogue started.

To Your Leadership Success,

Mark Edward Brown

Category: Leadership | Tags: , , , , , ,
MarkEdwardBrown | May 23, 2009
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Leadership Development: 5 Ways Not to be a Loser and Become a Great Leader

So you want to be a successful leader?

Then you here are 5 ways that you are sure to fail at being a true leader, so read on.

I am often asked how to become a great leader and as strange as this may sound, it seems as though nobody’s taking my advice seriously.

This led me to research why this is happening and here is just one common thread that I found running through the many reasons why folks are having a hard time becoming an effective leader, and here it is – most “would be” leaders were failing at leadership before they even got serious about becoming a great leader!

Many people want to know how to be a great leader however I have found that if I tell you how not to be a loser you will remember longer what you must do to become the leader you really want to be.

Here is what not to do:

1)  Stop acting like you don’t know what you want:

Who are you kidding here, you know what you want yet still, the most common thing I hear is, “How do I decide how to be truly effective at leadership?  Get serious, that’s fine if you want a generic goal but the problem is, if you don’t know what you want, how will you know how to get it?  No wonder some people don’t experience breakthroughs in thier lives because they are watching life pass them by wondering when they should get off the bench and get in the game. If you want to become a truly great leader, you better make a decision and commit to learning something from someone like me!

2) You don’t truly know why you want to be a leader:

Narrow your focus and stop wanting everything that everyone else has.  If you don’t concentrate on building your own leadership skill set then how will you know the reason why you’re trying to achieve your leadership goal? Seriously, without a solid reason, where are you going to find the motivation and encouragement for you to get serious, overcome your internal obstacles and go for your own success?  Most people fail to achieve their goals because they never start their journey let alone complete it, and most of those that do start, give up half way or just steps away from that which they set out to accomplish.

3) You already think you’re a good enough leader:

Word to the wise, the day you stop learning is the day you stop improving your leadership style and skillset.  If you don’t want to fail as a leader than stop acting as though you already know everything about leadership. The fact is, all truly successful leaders are people who continuously learn to be even more effective and empowering to the people they lead.  The phrase ”you don’t know what you don’t know, you know” applies here especially.

4) You may be following and listening to the wrong people:

Ask yourself why you want to be a great leader and who are you going to lead as you develop?  Do yourself a favor, don’t take the wrong advice from folks who you think are the right leaders.  This is easier said than done, I know however you will know in your gut if someone is giving you a complete line of bull or not. 

5) Stop being blinded by what other people want for your life:

There are only two things that are important in your life as a leader – leadership control and experiencing the happiness of successful leadership.  For example, if you have money, that is great but it does not buy you true followers.  Truly great leadership is not about the money it’s more about what people with money and influence ARE WILLING TO DO FOR YOU!

I know this entire topic is bigger than just these five tips so if you want to hear more you have got to comment and let me know.

I was fortunate to experience great leadership early in my life and because I made a concious decision to learn the most powerful lessons from the most influential leaders on the planet and off it has led me to a unique position which I want to share only with people like you.

Remember to comment and tell me your thoughts about this leadership post.

To Your Leadership Success,

Mark Edward Brown

Category: Leadership | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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