Happy New Year

On this eve of the New Year, I want to wish for you a Joyous New Year for 2018. Make it a great one!

Offer Others a Sense of Belonging

Offer Others a Sense of Belonging

– John Maxwell

 

Belonging is one of the most basic needs that every person has. Positive influencers understand this need for a sense of belonging and do things that make people feel included. Parents make sure their children feel like important members of the family. Spouses make the person to whom they are married feel like a cherished equal partner. And bosses let their employees know that they are valued members of the team.

 

Great leaders are particularly talented at making their followers feel like they belong. Napoleon Bonaparte, for example, was a master at making people feel important and included. He was known for wandering through his camp and greeting every officer by name. As he talked to each man, he would ask about his hometown, wife, and family. And the general would talk about a battle or maneuver in which he knew the man had taken part. The interest and time he took with his followers made them feel a great sense of camaraderie and belonging. It’s no wonder that his men were devoted to him.

 

If you desire to become a better leader, develop an other-person mindset. Begin looking for ways to include others.

 

Excerpt from Becoming a Person of Influence

I Want To Do Right and Be Helpful

I want to do right and be helpful!

– Robert Rohm

 

Over the past few weeks during the holiday season, I have gotten to spend a little extra time with my grandchildren. They are growing up so fast and are such a joy and delight to my heart! I am glad that I understand personality types because each one of them is unique and they are all very different from each other. Anyone who has two or more children knows exactly what I am talking about. It is possible for children to come from the same gene pool and yet have very different personality styles from one another.

 

Children need guidance. That is why they were given parents and other family members to help rear them. My grandchildren are no different; they need guidance and direction.

 

Recently we were in the middle of some activity and a little bit of normal conflict took place between the children. I said, “Do you know that all of the problems of life can be boiled down to one sentence? Do you know what the magic sentence is that will make everything in your life go better?” (When I used the word ‘magic’, I knew I had their attention!) I said, “The magic sentence to making everything in life go better is, ‘I want to do right and be helpful!’ If you do what is right, you will always be kind to each other. If you want to be helpful, you will find that people appreciate being around you.”

 

I am not 100% sure where that sentence came from deep inside of me. I think it came from decades of personal experience dealing with all kinds of people. It was so short and to the point that when I first heard myself say it, I quickly got a pen and wrote it down. “I want to do right and be helpful.” I do not believe that life can be reduced to formulas, but I do believe life can be boiled down to simple, transferable concepts.

 

Think about almost any situation in which you find yourself. If the people around you do what is right and try to be helpful, won’t that make everything better? Suppose in your own personal life you want to do the same. Won’t that make your life better? Won’t it cause other people to be attracted to you?

 

I am amazed at how quickly things can fall apart. Yet, I believe things begin to fall apart in life, business and relationships because someone did NOT do what was right and did not want to be helpful. It really is that simple, isn’t it?

 

Since I shared that concept with my grandchildren, I have been trying to practice it myself. I have found that everything goes better when I simply do what is right and try to be helpful in any given situation. Doing what’s right has a lot to do with my actions and attitudes. And, being helpful mainly involves my daily behavior. I wish I had been following this simple concept all of my life! It certainly would have made things a lot simpler for me, as well as for others around me.

 

I want to encourage you to take this week’s Tip to heart. Determine how you can do what is right and how to be helpful in every situation you face. It will affect your attitude, your health and your outlook on life. Pretty soon you will begin to see that all of the major challenges that come in your life, whether in business or in relationships, are because someone is not doing what is right or is not being helpful. Granted, we cannot fix other people, but we can fix ourselves.

 

I have discovered that when I put this principle into practice, it is not long before it spreads. I don’t know who said it, but it really is true, “More is caught by example than will ever be taught by exhortation.” We can tell people all day long what we want them to do, but the best way to have an impact is to show them by our own actions.

 

I guess my talk with my grandchildren has turned out to be a talk I really needed to give to myself. I have already seen great improvement in their behavior and relationships, and I have also noticed an improvement in my own life as well. I am grateful God gave me grandchildren so I could teach them some things, but I am even more grateful that He gave me grandchildren so they could teach ME some things. I think He had both processes in mind when He created families! Don’t you?

 

Life is the best school I have ever attended. I am grateful this simple concept is having a profound effect in my own life and family! It will in your family, too!

 

Tip: I want to do right and be helpful!

 

Have a great week! God bless you!

 

Dr. Robert A. Rohm

 

Whole-Hearted Devotion

Whole-Hearted Devotion

– John Maxwell

 

Experts spend a lot of time trying to figure out what makes people successful. They often look at people’s credentials, intelligence, education, and other factors. But more than anything else, passion is what makes the difference.

 

Take a look at four truths about passion and what it can do for you as a leader:

 

1. Passion is the first step to achievement – Your desire determines your destiny. The stronger your fire, the greater the desire and the greater the potential.

 

2. Passion increases your willpower – There is no substitute for passion. It is fuel for the will. If you want anything badly enough, you can find the willpower to achieve it.

 

3. Passion changes you – If you follow your passion, instead of others’ perceptions, you can’t help but become a more dedicated, productive person. In the end, your passion will have more influence than your personality.

 

4. Passion makes the impossible possible – Human beings are so made that whenever anything fires their soul, impossibilities vanish.

 

A fire in the heart lifts everything in your life. A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion.

 

Excerpt from The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

Ask For Commitment

Ask For Commitment

– John Maxwell

 

In his book The One Minute Manager®, Ken Blanchard says, “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses.” Don’t equip people who are merely interested. Equip the ones who are committed.

 

Commitment is the one quality above all others that enables a potential leader to become a successful leader. Without commitment, there can be no success. Football coach Lou Holtz pointed out, “The Kamikaze pilot who was able to fly fifty missions was involved-but never committed.”

 

To determine whether your people are committed, first you must make sure they know what it will cost them to become a leader. That means that you must be sure not to undersell the job. Let them know what it’s going to take to do it. Only then will they know what they are committing to. If they won’t commit, don’t go any further in the equipping process. Don’t waste your time.

 

Excerpt from Developing the Leaders Around You

Look For These Traits in Future Leaders

Look for these Traits in Future Leaders

– Harvey Mackay

I don’t care if you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a small business owner or a manager or supervisor; you are only as good as the people around you. In other words, it’s important to surround yourself with success-oriented people.

When hiring, always try to pick future leaders. They may not be easy to recognize, but they’re crucial to an organization that wants to be innovative and intrapreneurial. Here’s a list of factors that can help you identify and develop potential leaders on your staff:

• Collaboration. Look for employees who communicate well, delegate effectively and build strong personal relationships with their co-workers, managers and customers. They’re committed to their own personal success, of course, but they’re also dedicated to helping other people.

 

• Self-determination. Intrapreneurial employees value their freedom and autonomy. They like being their own boss as much as possible, as long as they’re doing something they enjoy. Allow employees to make their own decisions as long as they’re moving firmly toward your organization’s objectives.

 

• Planning skills. You want employees who look beyond today’s tasks, who can focus on the long term as well as the short. They’re good at strategizing and weighing options, and at making decisions that minimize risk and maximize opportunity.

 

• Curiosity. Most great ideas start with simple questions: “What if I did this? Why does that happen?” Listen to employees’ questions to spot those who are interested in solving problems and learning more about how things work.

• Comfort with technology. Every good leader or potential leader stays on top of the tools that can mean success or failure. He or she isn’t afraid to use whatever’s available – as long as it works.

 

• Drive for action. Focus on employees who take initiative without waiting until conditions are perfect. They like to try things quickly, experiment and then move on to the next challenge. They’re also not discouraged by setbacks.

 

Those are traits that employees bring to the job. Now it’s up to you to help them develop the skills that will enable them use those traits most effectively.

First and foremost, you need to be a role model. People will learn much more from your actions than from anything you say. If you want to be an effective manager, you must be comfortable knowing that your employees might be smarter, more tech savvy or have new ways of doing business. Try to remember your early career and what you did to prove yourself. Give them enough latitude to develop their own style, but be ready to offer a guiding hand when necessary.

Teach the importance of networking. Learning how to make contacts is a necessary skill for every leader. Stress the importance of both internal and external networks. I frequently preach, “If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts.”

Share the value of perspective. Maintaining an even keel in good and bad times prevents the temptation to jump to rash conclusions when a challenge arises, or conversely, when you have had the biggest success of your career. Emotions have a place, but not in business decisions. As I like to say, “Make decisions with your heart and you’ll end up with heart disease.”

Insist on respect: for authority, for co-workers and for self. Good leaders treat people like people, not property. Successful leaders won’t stoop to doing deeds that go against their principles just to make a buck. Good leaders have standards that cannot be compromised because it would destroy their self-respect.

Remind them constantly: Cream doesn’t rise to the top; it works its way up. There is no substitute for hard work. When employees see you working harder than they do, you are reinforcing that a dedicated work ethic is a necessary characteristic of a good leader.

Instill confidence. Give credit where it is due. Encourage employees to take charge of projects that will allow them to take appropriate risks and take responsibility for outcomes.

Make sure they understand responsibility. As writer Max De Pree puts it, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. . . . A friend of mine characterized leaders simply like this: ‘Leaders don’t inflict pain; they bear pain.'”

Mackay’s Moral: If you want to grow tomorrow’s leaders, plant seeds of wisdom today.

We Can Learn a Lot From the Virgin Mary This Christmas

We can learn a lot from the Virgin Mary this Christmas!

– Robert Rohm 

 

Today is Christmas around the world. It is a special holiday for those of the Christian faith. It is the day the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Regardless of what you think or believe about Jesus, no one can deny this holiday celebration has been recognized throughout hundreds of years of history as a very special day. Millions of people around the world will celebrate this day with family and friends. Presents will be given and received and a lot of good food will be prepared and eaten and eaten!

 

In this Tip I would like to call your attention to one specific aspect of the entire event leading up to the birth of Jesus, as it relates to his mother, Mary.

 

Early on, we are told in the story that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she had found favor with God and was going to give birth to the savior of the world and was to name him Jesus. (You can read the entire account in the Bible in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1.) Mary was a little puzzled about all of this because she was a virgin and had never been with a man. She asked the angel, “How can this be?” Gabriel told her that the power of God would overshadow her and what would be conceived inside of her womb would be called the son of God. She would eventually give birth to someone and be part of an event that was bigger and grander than anything that had ever happened in the history of the world!

 

Then Gabriel made an incredible statement, “For with God nothing is impossible!” Mary replied to the angel, “May it be unto me according to your word.” Then Gabriel departed from her presence. In essence Mary said the most important thing anyone could ever say in his or her entire lifetime, namely, “I am not sure how everything is going to work out, and I am not sure I have all of the skills to handle this situation, but if God wants to work in my life, even if it makes absolutely no sense to me at the present moment, I am all in!”

 

We do not know all of the specific details as to how Mary explained this story to her own father and mother, nor to her engaged husband, Joseph. We can only imagine what they thought or talked about when they heard the story about the visit from an angel. If I had been there I probably would have thought, “Sure, that makes a lot of sense; sounds right to me; virgins give birth all the time! Right!”

 

Mary was probably a young lady, perhaps still in her teenage years, when all of this took place. It is a great story, but it also generates a lot of doubt regarding the details as to how all of this happened. The word of the angel Gabriel pretty much covered the details when he said, “For with God nothing is impossible!” What a beautiful and true concept!

 

Now here is one personal application of how all of this relates to you: have you ever had an idea or a concept “birthed” in you that was somewhat unexplainable? Are you “pregnant” with a dream or vision or concept about your own destiny in this life? Have you ever thought about the purpose of your life or the real meaning of your existence? I mean, what are you all about? Who are you? Why are you here? Where are you going? The people I have met who are making the biggest impact in this world have a sense of destiny about their life. Every day is important. Every day counts. They are looking for the unexpected and they find it; or maybe I should say it finds them!

 

I promise you all of this is much bigger than you alone. You are part of a divine plan. You may not be fully aware of it all yet, but if you will just open up your heart like Mary did and say, “I am not sure how everything is going to work out, and I am not sure I have all of the skills to handle this situation, but if God wants to work in my life, even if it makes absolutely no sense to me at the present moment, I am all in!”

 

Granted, having a visit from an angel and giving a miraculous birth to the savior of mankind is not quite the same thing as having a burning dream or desire fulfilled in your own heart. But there are some similarities, especially when it comes to the fact you are seeking help from a higher power greater than yourself to help you find the purpose for your own existence. You matter, too!

 

Only you have the power to demonstrate faith like that and only you will be rewarded for it. You must believe that you are a special part of God’s plan for this world. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in a way you have never known in the past. This might be scary, but it pays rich dividends.

 

I have watched this unfold in my own life for many, many years. I am not smart enough to plan or pull off all of the blessings I have received in my life and continue to receive. However, I can trace all of it back to this one concept, namely the time I prayed, “Dear God, I am not sure how everything is going to work out, and I am not sure I have all of the skills to handle this situation, but if you want to work in my life, even if it makes absolutely no sense to me at the present moment, I am all in!”

 

Be open to ask, seek and receive the good things God has in store for you. It will be the best Christmas gift you have ever received.

 

I do not have a corner on this market. You can be included, too. I promise!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Tip: We can learn a lot from the Virgin Mary this Christmas!

 

Have a great week! God bless you!

 

Dr. Robert A. Rohm

 

Christmas Greetings

On this Eve of Christmas, I want to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas!

The Key to Continued Success

The Key to Continued Success

– John Maxwell

 

Leadership is like a running head start for the team. Leaders see farther than their teammates. They see things more quickly than their teammates. They know what’s going to happen and can anticipate it. As a result, they get the team moving in the right direction ahead of time and for that reason, the team is in a position to win. The greater the challenge, the greater the need for the many advantages that leadership provides. If you want to win – and keep winning for a long time – train players on the team to become better leaders.

 

The power of leadership carries over into every field. The business run by good leaders often finds its market niche first and outperforms its rivals, even if the rivals possess greater talent. The non-profit organization headed by strong leaders recruits more people, equips them to lead, and serves a greater number of people as a result.

 

Look behind the scenes of any great undertaking, and you will always find a strong leader. That’s why I say that the difference between two equally talented teams is leadership.

 

Excerpt from The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork

Moving Your Team in the Right Direction

Moving Your Team in the Right Direction
– John Maxwell

Do you remember what it was like when you first got your driver’s license? Just going for a drive was probably a thrill. It didn’t really matter where you went. But as you got older, having a destination became more important. The same is true with a team. Getting the team together and moving it are accomplishments. But where you’re going matters.

You’ve got to begin doing the difficult things that help the team to improve and develop high morale. Among other things, you must:

1. Make changes that make the team better.
2. Receive the buy-in of team members.
3. Communicate commitment.
4. Develop and equip members for success.

The two toughest stages in the life of a team are when you are trying to create movement in a team that’s going nowhere, and when you must become a change agent. Those are the times when leadership is most needed.

Excerpt from The 17 Indisputable Laws of Leadership