Blog - SynerVisionCommunity2024-03-28T17:41:47Zhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/feed/allCheck on How You Are “Really Doing”: How to Evaluate Your Workhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/check-on-how-you-are-really-doing-how-to-evaluate-your-work2023-07-18T13:55:49.000Z2023-07-18T13:55:49.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12150382085?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:18pt;"><strong>Check on How You Are “Really Doing”: How to Evaluate Your Work</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>By Hugh Ballou</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><em>Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse. </em></span><span style="font-size:12pt;">- Lily Tomlin<a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12150382683,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12150382683,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="300" alt="12150382683?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">How bad does it need to get before you do something about it ("IT" is the processes and systems in your organization)</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">In reading a post by Guy Kawasaki on the American Express <a href="http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/ten-tiny-things-every-small-business-owner-should-do-in-2009" target="_blank">OPEN Forum</a> site, I found this comment, "Act like a prospective customer and call your company to see how the phone system and receptionist treat you." It made me think about checking on systems that I have implemented. Are the systems going as I perceive, or are they just appearing to be effective? Hmmm... Now I am wondering how I can really check. This comment really gave me a paradigm shift. It's time to play the part of a customer or church member and look at the systems in my organization from their point of view. What a great idea!</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">So, develop feedback systems that are authentic and consistent. Don't check once and think that it's done. Develop a balanced scorecard to constantly evaluate your systems. This is not a reflection on you, the leader personally. It's not a sign of failure. It's simply a process check. Authenticity in leadership (an important Transformational Leadership trait) means that you eliminate the "elephant in the room" where everybody knows something is wrong, but nobody talks about it.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">To be effective as a leader, you must establish systems to evaluate your systems. This is a great activity for teams and you may want to occasionally include consumers or members (for church or non-profit) in some of the discussions. Develop an effective evaluation system and then capture the concepts in an action plan to ensure that are not having the same issues in the next evaluation. Here’s a model that I use often with great success: Evaluation (Header) Category 1) What we do well or what is working; Category 2) What needs changing; Category 3) New things to consider. These categories will provide you with ample material to work with.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">By the way, be sure to develop strategies for changing the things that need changing and monitoring the change.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">What do you think? Please comment.</span></p></div>5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventureshttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/5-leadership-myths-that-kill-entrepreneurial-ventures-12023-07-12T02:47:11.000Z2023-07-12T02:47:11.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12144410293?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:24pt;"><strong>5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventures</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><strong>Hugh Ballou</strong></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Law of the Lid</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><em>Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organization. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That’s why, when a corporation or team needs to be fixed, they fire the leader.</em></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>- John Maxwell, </strong><a href="http://perspective.org.au/book/202/executive-summary-the-21-irrefutable-laws-of-leadership----john-maxwell"><strong>The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership</strong></a></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Starting and maintaining a profitable enterprise as an entrepreneur is very difficult, at best. However, <a href="http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9601315549/dun-bradstreets-business-failure-record-1994">research shows</a> that 90% of businesses that fail do so because of a lack of leadership skills.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Fortunately, leadership is a skill many people can learn. In my opinion, however, learning great leadership means that many of us must <em>unlearn</em> most of what we’ve previously been taught or observed.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">The best practice for building and sustaining a profitable business or nonprofit is often a reverse paradigm from the things business schools and prevailing leadership experts teach. Leadership best practice, from my perspective, requires the same skills a conductor uses to build the high-performance cultures we call “ensembles” in the musical world. “Ensembles,” in the non-music context, are high-synergy teams. These teams develop only with the intentionality of the leader. </span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">The entrepreneur who operates as a “solopreneur” might not perceive that synergistic teams are important. Wrong! If you are talking to at least one other person, such as a salesperson, consultant, alliance or venture partner, advisor, or board member, then you have a team. It is important for entrepreneurs to surround themselves with capable people. It is also important to learn from other businesses you admire. Being an entrepreneur is a choice to stay out of corporate systems, so why do things in the same way as a company you don’t want to work for?</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Team effectiveness starts with the leader and branches from there. First, you equip yourself, then you empower others. With this in mind, here are the 5 top leadership myths that kill entrepreneurial ventures:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>I Must Be in Command: </strong>Having been an entrepreneur all my life, I am sure I have made all mistakes possible. I call these mistakes, “learning opportunities.” In one business, my staff presented me with a BOSS card. It was great until I turned it over to read the meaning on the other side. Translated, BOSS backwards is Double S.O.B.! I did what I had been taught and what I observed in other leaders--be the BOSS and have all the answers. A BOSS is an autocratic leader. It’s about them. It’s a one-way process. Today I know the leader doesn’t necessarily have all the answers—rather, an effective leader has good questions. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Be the Transformational Leader who defines the vision, empowers others to fulfill that vision, coaches others to a higher level of functioning, and models what it is you want others to do.</em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Always be Right: </strong>You don’t know everything, so why claim to be right? Leadership is about defining our personal gaps. Inventory your skills and score them from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Every skill below 5 should be delegated to leaders on the team. In view of the fact there are gaps in skills, there are most likely gaps in perspective, knowledge, and in strategy. Being right means others have to be wrong. Focus on developing leaders on teams and coach them on being right. <strong><em>TIP:</em></strong><em> Ditch the ego. Healthy self-esteem means that others get to shine at times and, in the end, the leader gets credit for a healthy organization achieving goals. Listening is a primary leadership skill.</em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Improper Language or Behavior: </strong>Certainly you are an entrepreneur because you want to do things your way. That’s why you don’t want to work for a major corporation. In doing so, however, it is vital that you don’t repeat the bad habits you observed in traditional corporations. As an entrepreneur, you have the chance to develop a better culture and a better business model than the ones you’ve observed. It requires different thinking. Thinking differently and acting differently doesn’t mean you can do or say what you please without a filter. Organizations expect a leader to have high standards. The leader (that’s you) is the person of greatest influence within the business. This means there are consequences to using language and behavior in a manner that is not consistent with the image a leader of this stature represents. A Transformational Leader models what is expected of the rest of the team. <strong><em>Tip: </em></strong><em>Set good boundaries and have an accountability partner who will speak the truth to you always, in a context of respect and love.</em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Pretend to Know What You Are Doing Even If You Don’t Know: </strong>Ignorance is bliss - or not! The leader who pretends to know everything becomes a target for others to prove otherwise. Following the theme of #2 above, leaders should gain not only skills but should work on gaining knowledge as well. An effective leader is able to coalesce the best thinking of the group and make better decisions based on all available facts. They are able to reframe the negative energy from disagreement into creative tools for innovative thinking. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Develop skills for framing a goal or stating a problem and then allowing the team to create data for decisions. A strong leader always holds authority and uses power wisely by encouraging creative thinking and cross-disciplinary functioning. It’s not about you - it’s about the vision.<strong> </strong></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Delegation is a Weakness of Leadership: </strong>Actually, delegation is a sign of strong leadership. Autocratic leaders become a bottleneck for decisions and processes. When the leader must make all decisions, there is a limit to how much the team or organization can do. The Charismatic or Autocratic Leadership model is not scalable. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Transformational Leadership. Companies are successful under each style of leadership, but I favor Transformational Leadership because it is about the vision and is scalable. Traits of this style of leadership include clarity of vision, the ability to build and equip leaders on teams, to support and encourage others, provide information and coaching, and model what you preach. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Become a more serious student of leadership and never stop learning. Transform yourself first and then transform the organization by transforming the culture. Know that changing others in any group's emotional system is accomplished by changing yourself.</em></span></li>
</ol>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Are you ready to go to the next step? As you study these myths, I suggest you share your personal and organizational goals with at least three people you respect and with whom you have a valued connection. Check with them every 30 days to let them know how things are progressing. Being accountable to others is frightening at first, until you realize that the people you are accountable to are the people who will bring the highest value to you because they understand where you’re going.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">But most important of all, for your venture’s success, when you hit the leadership lid, raise the ceiling!</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><em>Hugh Ballou is a Transformational Leadership Strategist for SynerVision International, Inc.,</em> <a href="https://HughBallou.com" target="_blank">https://HughBallou.com</a><em>, who works with visionary CEOs, pastors, and nonprofit leaders and their teams to develop a purpose-driven high-performance collaboration culture that significantly increases productivity, profits, and job satisfaction. </em></span></p></div>A little miracle storyhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/a-little-miracle-story2023-03-03T12:28:24.000Z2023-03-03T12:28:24.000ZLynn Bogen Sandershttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/LynnBSanders<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12144416256?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400&transform=rotate%2890%29"></div><div><p><br /> I'd like to take this moment to share an inspiring story. </p>
<p>A true story about a little miracle... happening right in our home.</p>
<p>It's the story of an amaryllis bulb, Hidden away for at least a year., it has grown despite the odds.<br /> <br /> You see, I received this "bulb in a box" as a gift from my dear friend, the late Reverend Kathy Dale McNair, who passed away last November from ALS. Kathy was one of my closest friends, beloved by so many people.<br /> <br /> At the time -- while she could still speak -- Kathy urged me to plant the bulb quickly. </p>
<p>It came with a separate container and peat moss. She told me that if I didn't plant it soon, it might not live. <br /> <br /> Did I plant it? Unfortunately, no...<br /> <br /> I was worried that I wouldn't get it right. Concerned that I couldn't get it to grow. Maybe I'd do it later... So I just put it aside. I forgot about it. <br /> <br /> Then, we moved and I saw the amaryllis gift box again. I doubted it would live, but I had to pack it away and take it with us.<br /> <br /> We're still unpacking from our move a few weeks ago. When I came across the box, I still had my doubts. <br /> <br /> But this time, I decided to take action. I opened up the box, unfolded the directions, and pulled out a forlorn, shriveled bulb. <br /> It looked so sad. Hidden in the dark for a year. </p>
<p>Wouldn't anyone care for it? Was there even a chance it could grow?</p>
<p><br /> My husband said, "<em>It's never going to live... it looks dead... why not just throw it away?"</em><br /> <br /> How could I do that? It was Kathy's gift to me. So I followed the instructions (not that difficult after all), placed the bulb in the peat moss, watered it, and gently placed it by the window on our kitchen table.<br /> <br /> I hoped. And I gave it a chance to grow...<br /> </p>
<p>It took just a few days. One tiny green shoot timidly emerged. <br /> <br /> Then another... and another... <br /> <br /> And now -- it's literally reaching out its arms to say,<br /> "THANK YOU! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"<br /> <br /> Isn't life like that? Throwing us curve balls... challenges... <br /> <br /> Do we decide to move forward and take a leap of faith? <br /> <br /> Or do we choose to shrivel up and never give ourselves a chance?</p>
<p>It's totally up to us. No matter what happens, we get to decide our thoughts.<br /> <br /> And the thoughts we choose have repercussions that can make all the difference in our lives.<br /> <br /> I invite you to reflect on your challenges right now. What can you do to take a leap of faith and move forward?<br /> <br /> Whatever you decide, please remember -- there is greatness inside you!</p>
<p><br /> Here's to you,</p>
<p>Lynn Sanders</p>
<p><br /> P.S. If you want help in bringing out your stories, feel free to contact me. </p>
<p>You can schedule a complimentary chat at: <a href="http://storymarketingcoach.com" target="_blank">https://storymarketingcoachi.com</a>Di</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br /> </p></div>A true miracle storyhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/a-true-miracle-story2023-03-03T03:46:57.000Z2023-03-03T03:46:57.000ZLynn Bogen Sandershttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/LynnBSanders<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10979098071?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400&transform=rotate%28270%29"></div><div><p><br /> <strong>I'd like to share a true miracle story.</strong></p><p><br /> It's the story of an amaryllis bulb, hidden away for at least a year... that has grown despite the odds.<br /> <br /> You see, I received this "bulb in a box" as a gift from my dear friend, the late Reverend Kathy Dale McNair, who passed away last November from ALS. Kathy was one of my closest friends, beloved by so many people.<br /> <br /> At the time -- while she could still speak -- she urged me to plant the bulb quickly. It came with a separate container and peat moss. She told me that if I didn't plant it soon, it might not live. <br /> <br /> Did I plant it? Unfortunately, no...<br /> <br /> I was worried that I wouldn't get it right. Concerned that I couldn't get it to grow. Maybe I'd do it later... </p><p>So I just put it aside. I forgot about it. <br /> <br /> Then, we moved and I saw the amaryllis gift box again. I doubted it would live, but I had to pack it away and take it with us.<br /> <br /> We're still unpacking from our move a few weeks ago. When I came across the box, I still had my doubts. <br /> <br /> <strong>But this time, I decided to take action. </strong></p><p>I opened up the box, unfolded the directions, and pulled out a forlorn, shriveled bulb. </p><p><br /> It looked so sad. Hidden in the dark for a year. Wouldn't anyone care for it? Was there even a chance it could grow?<br /> </p><p>My husband said, "<em>It's never going to live... it looks dead... why not just throw it away?"</em><br /> <br /> How could I do that? It was Kathy's gift to me. So I followed the instructions (not that difficult after all), placed the bulb in the peat moss, watered it, and gently placed it by the window on our kitchen table.<br /> <br /> I hoped... I gave it a chance. I believed it might happen.<br /> </p><p><strong>It took just a few days. One tiny green shoot timidly emerged. </strong><br /> <br /> Then another... and another... <br /> <br /> And now -- it's literally reaching out its arms to say,</p><p><strong>"THANK YOU! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Isn't life like that? Throwing us curve balls... challenges... </strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Do we decide to move forward and take a leap of faith? </strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Or do we choose to shrivel up and never give ourselves a chance?</strong></p><p>I<strong>t's totally up to us. No matter what happens, we get to decide our thoughts.</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>And the thoughts we choose have repercussions that can make all the difference in our lives.</strong><br /> <br /> I invite you to reflect on your challenges right now. </p><p>What can you do to take a leap of faith and move forward?<br /> <br /> Whatever you decide, please remember -- there is greatness inside you!</p><p> </p><p>Warmly,</p><p>Lynn<br /> <br /> P.S. I"m here for you. If you want help in bringing out your stories -- from videos to articles to books to promotion, reach out to me. <br /> If I can't help you, I'll be glad to connect you with someone who can. We're all in this world together! <br /> To schedule a chat, visit: <a href="https://jobsande.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?notrack=1&redirectUrl=aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdG9yeW1hcmtldGluZ2NvYWNoLmNvbQ==&sig=boVcRb8oE6wMiPm2qpQd6TNZBD4Bv4LvRHoftZ8MM2M&iat=1677795048&a=%7C%7C89074934%7C%7C&account=jobsande.activehosted.com&email=YC%2F6mP%2BzG%2BgH%2FsAkzk4EACOAUU8rFelkhiXaBbHgvpNRtNKGJ%2BM%3D%3Aj84XoUdX2WJD4X3KPOc12cOnVhrZoNOy&s=002e12ec6ce6d54e9750b99a5eb31d4c&i=223A237A6A809" target="_blank">https://storymarketingcoach.com</a><br /> </p></div>Create Sustainable Organizations Through Careful Planninghttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/create-sustainable-organizations-through-careful-planning2022-12-02T16:00:00.000Z2022-12-02T16:00:00.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12144603663?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:24pt;"><strong>Create Sustainable Organizations Through Careful Planning</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Hugh Ballou</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10898148872,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10898148872,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10898148872?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="574" height="434" /></a></strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"> </p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><em>Paying the upfront cost of planning is far, far, cheaper than the cost of the fix. – </em>Hugh Ballou</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Leaders tell me how hard they work. Some tell me how long it’s been since they took a vacation (sometimes it's years since they took a vacation). Some tell me that they work long days and work every day of the week. It seems that they are bragging. I hear that they don’t know how to plan and manage their priorities. Balance means having time to do multiple things and having time to do them with quality. It also means that working all the time compromises the quality of the work. Human performance needs a balance of work, play, rest, and reflection.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Successful people have a clear vision and a passion for achieving that vision. Having an overall plan is essential. Saying that you have goals and they are only in your mind means that you only have dreams. An overall plan for a nonprofit organization or religious institution is referred to as a strategic plan. It our work at SynerVision® we have created the nonprofit “Solution Map.” Basically, it’s where you want to be and how you will get there. It’s much more complex than that, however, we will just use that definition for this post as clarity of principle. Make a plan.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Plan</strong> - A written plan is a framework for making decisions, leading a team, and building an enterprise. Components of that plan are long-term objectives, short-term goals, and action plans. Time activate that plan by placing action items into a weekly calendar. That’s the “now.” Plan each now and plan the time between each “now.” Also, plan planning time. Plan rest, fun, and thinking in addition to the action items. If these items are not on the calendar, they will not happen. Balance comes through careful, intentional planning. Set yearly goals, weekly action plans (tasks), and Daily Value Deliverables <sup>TM</sup> (DVDs). Evaluate your work at the end of each day and at the end of each week. Evaluate the work of your team weekly with their weekly deliverables (action plan). This replaces the dysfunctional yearly employee review!</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Commit</strong> - Plan your work and work your plan. That’s it. Commitment and discipline equal success.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Evaluate</strong> - Place evaluation time into your planning process. If you have a 5-year strategic plan, then schedule an evaluation every six months and migrate that plan over time, then you will always have a 5-year plan. Evaluate the work of your team members with their weekly report time for their weekly action plan deliverables.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Revise</strong> - We make our best plans. We learn things. Conditions change. Our plans were too optimistic or projections too weak. Revise the plan on an ongoing basis. Commitment to success means learning from our mistakes.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Recommit</strong> - This is the same as #2, except with the updated plan.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">This pattern is for the personal discipline of the leader and the discipline of the team. When people tell me that they set goals and those goals don’t materialize, I reply that the system is not in place to achieve the goal.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Creating a system allows leadership to have balance in life, balance in managing multiple priorities, balance in separating work and personal life, and finally balance in being a whole person (planning means caring for self as a spiritual, physical, and emotional being.)</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Balance does not mean that everything is equal. Striving for equality is like striving for perfection. Perfect is the enemy of good. Striving for equality dumbs down quality.</p></div>5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventureshttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/5-leadership-myths-that-kill-entrepreneurial-ventures2022-10-25T23:18:05.000Z2022-10-25T23:18:05.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10855096283?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=310"></div><div><p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:24pt;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10855096499,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10855096499,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10855096499?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="554" /></a></strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:24pt;"><strong>5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventures</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:24pt;"><strong>Hugh Ballou</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Law of the Lid</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><em>Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organization. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That’s why, when a corporation or team needs to be fixed, they fire the leader.</em></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>- John Maxwell, </strong><a href="http://perspective.org.au/book/202/executive-summary-the-21-irrefutable-laws-of-leadership----john-maxwell"><strong>The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership</strong></a></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Starting and maintaining a profitable enterprise as an entrepreneur is very difficult, at best. However, research shows that 90% of businesses that fail do so because of a lack of leadership skills.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Fortunately, leadership is a skill many people can learn. In my opinion, however, learning great leadership means that many of us must <em>unlearn</em> most of what we’ve previously been taught or observed.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Best practice for building and sustaining a profitable business is often a reverse paradigm from the things business schools and prevailing leadership experts teach. Leadership best practice, from my perspective, requires the same skills a conductor uses to build the high-performance cultures we call “ensembles” in the musical world. “Ensembles,” in the non-music context, are high-synergy teams. These teams develop only with the intentionality of the leader.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">The entrepreneur who operates as a “solopreneur” might not perceive that synergistic teams are important. Wrong! If you are talking to at least one other person, such as a salesperson, consultant, alliance or venture partner, advisor, or board member, then you have a team. It is important for entrepreneurs to surround themselves with capable people. It is also important to learn from other businesses you admire. Being an entrepreneur is a choice to stay out of corporate systems, so why do things in the same way as a company you don’t want to work for?</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Team effectiveness starts with the leader and branches from there. First, you equip yourself, then you empower others. With this in mind, here are the 5 top leadership myths that kill entrepreneurial ventures:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>I Must Be in Command: </strong>Having been an entrepreneur all my life, I am sure I have made all mistakes possible. I call these mistakes, “learning opportunities.” In one business, my staff presented me with a BOSS card. It was great until I turned it over to read the meaning on the other side. Translated, BOSS backward is Double S.O.B.! I did what I had been taught and what I observed in other leaders--be the BOSS and have all the answers. A BOSS is an autocratic leader. It’s about them. It’s a one-way process. Today I know the leader doesn’t necessarily have all the answers—rather, an effective leader has good questions. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Be the Transformational Leader who defines the vision, empowers others to fulfill that vision, coaches others to a higher level of functioning, and models what it is you want others to do.</em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Always be Right: </strong>You don’t know everything, so why claim to be right? Leadership is about defining our personal gaps. Inventory your skills and score them from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Every skill below 5 should be delegated to leaders on the team. In view of the fact, there are gaps in skills, there are most likely gaps in perspective, knowledge, and in strategy. Being right means others have to be wrong. Focus on developing leaders on teams and coach them on being right. <strong><em>TIP:</em></strong><em> Ditch the ego. Healthy self-esteem means that others get to shine at times and, in the end, the leader gets credit for a healthy organization achieving goals. Listening is a primary leadership skill.</em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Improper Language or Behavior: </strong>Certainly you are an entrepreneur because you want to do things your way. That’s why you don’t want to work for a major corporation. In doing so, however, it is vital that you don’t repeat the bad habits you observed in traditional corporations. As an entrepreneur, you have the chance to develop a better culture and a better business model than the ones you’ve observed. It requires different thinking. Thinking differently and acting differently doesn’t mean you can do or say what you please without a filter. Organizations expect a leader to have high standards. The leader (that’s you) is the person of greatest influence within the business. This means there are consequences to using language and behavior in a manner that is not consistent with the image a leader of this stature represents. A Transformational Leader models what is expected of the rest of the team. <strong><em>Tip: </em></strong><em>Set good boundaries and have an accountability partner who will speak the truth to you always, in a context of respect and love.</em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Pretend to Know What You are Doing Even If You Don’t Know: </strong>Ignorance is bliss - or not! The leader who pretends to know everything becomes a target for others to prove otherwise. Following the theme of #2 above, leaders should gain not only skills but should work on gaining knowledge as well. An effective leader is able to coalesce the best thinking of the group and make better decisions based on all available facts. They are able to reframe the negative energy from disagreement into creative tools for innovative thinking. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Develop skills for framing a goal or stating a problem and then allowing the team to create data for decisions. A strong leader always holds the authority and uses power wisely by encouraging creative thinking and cross-disciplinary functioning. It’s not about you - it’s about the vision.<strong> </strong></em></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Delegation is a Weakness of Leadership: </strong>Actually, delegation is a sign of strong leadership. Autocratic leaders become a bottleneck for decisions and processes. When the leader must make all decisions, there is a limit to how much the team or organization can do. The Charismatic or Autocratic Leadership model is not scalable. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Transformational Leadership. Companies are successful under each style of leadership, but I favor Transformational Leadership because it is about the vision and is scalable. Traits of this style of leadership include clarity of vision, the ability to build and equip leaders on teams, support and encourage others, providing information and coaching, and modeling what you preach. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Become a more serious student of leadership and never stop learning. Transform yourself first and then transform the organization by transforming the culture. Know that changing others in any group emotional system is accomplished by changing yourself.</em></span></li>
</ol>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Are you ready to go to the next step? As you study these myths, I suggest you share your personal and organizational goals with at least three people you respect and with whom you have a valued connection. Check with them every 30 days to let them know how things are progressing. Being accountable to others is frightening at first until you realize that the people you are accountable to are the people who will bring the highest value to you because they understand where you’re going.</span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">But most important of all, for your venture’s success, when you hit the leadership lid, raise the ceiling!</span></p></div>Parting Lessons from Zig Ziglarhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/parting-lessons-from-zig-ziglar2022-09-03T00:52:17.000Z2022-09-03T00:52:17.000ZLynn Bogen Sandershttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/LynnBSanders<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10802302057,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10802302057,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10802302057?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="641" height="360" /></a></p><p><strong>Ever meet someone who leaves a lasting impression forever?</strong><br /> <br /> You might connect briefly or know someone over many years. Yet, that heart-to-heart connection is felt deeply. And you never forget.<br /> <br /> Zig Ziglar was one of those people. While I only spoke with him once in person, I heard him speak on stage several times. He was one of the most riveting speakers I've ever heard. He shared deep insights with a humorous drawl. Using his personal stories to emphasize the lessons learned, he captivated a crowd. <br /> <br /> While Zig is no longer alive, his best-selling books, tapes and videos are still available, and his messages live on. He was one of the world’s most popular motivational speakers. Over his 40-year-long career, he also wrote over 30 best-selling books on leadership personal growth, faith, selling, family and success. He influenced millions of people, including U.S. Presidents and other world leaders. He spoke from his heart with wit and integrity.<br /> <br /> Let me share a story about the last time I heard him speak. It was 2009, and I was attending a Get Motivated seminar in the suburbs of Chicago. <br /> <br /> Filing into the stadium, I noticed a HUGE auditorium, filled to capacity with multiple levels and rows of people... at least 1,000 or more. On the roster were a number of prominent speakers, who I've forgetten. Except for Zig and his son, Tom. <br /> <br /> I'll never forget what I heard, saw, and felt that afternoon.<br /> <br /> Unlike any other presentation, this one was very different because of Zig’s physical condition. In late March 2007, Zig’s life instantly changed. He had fallen down a long flight of stairs in his home, seriously injured his head, and was unable to do the simplest things.<br /> <br /> But his inner programming on thinking positively and his many friends kept his spirit strong. He even wrote a book, “Embrace The Struggle” about his story.<br /> <br /> I was holding my breath as I watched him slowly mount the stairs to the stage, holding onto the railing, with his son closely at his side. They both sat down on chairs, and Tom explained their new presentation style.<br /> <br /> “Even though dad sustained a serious head injury,” said Tom, “he still wants to keep speaking. My dad says it’s not over till it’s over. We’re going to do this presentation as an interview because my dad has some memory loss.” Zig was a man who was willing to be vulnerable, and you could hear a pin drop as Tom and Zig spoke.<br /> <br /> Afterward, Tom showed video clips, a montage of Zig’s past talks. I think most people knew this would probably be the last time they'd ever hear the great Zig Ziglar in person. I felt moved to tears by their loving interview. Zig was so courageous to face the fear of forgetting his stories, and yet willing to give his insights to the best of his ability.<br /> <br /> Zig loved every moment on stage. He wasn't embarrassed if he forgot something because Tom was there to support him. What an inspiring example of love, kindness and leadership!<br /> <br /> <strong>Here are three unforgettable tips by Zig:</strong><br /> <br /> 1. <strong><em>“You will get all you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.”</em></strong><br /> <br /> 2. <strong><em>“Make your car into a university. Spend the time in your car listening to tapes and learning."</em></strong><br /> <br /> 3. <strong><em>"People say that motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily."</em></strong><br /> <br /> Nobody wanted the presentation to end. When Tom and Zig concluded, the audience rose in unison to give him a standing ovation. We were clapping for Zig’s spirit. His unstoppable attitude. His faith and determination.<br /> <br /> It was a historic occasion. <br /> <br /> As Zig would say at the end...<br /> “<strong><em>If you do this, and by you, yes I mean you, I will see you at the top.”</em></strong><br /> <br /> What a legendary leader. Now -- it's your turn...</p><p>Step Into YOUR greatness!<br /> <br /> Here's to YOUR success,<br /> Lynn Sanders<br /> <br /> Lynn Sanders<br /> Difference Makers Media, LLC<br /> Bringing Your Stories To Life<br /> </p><p> </p><p> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10802299267,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10802299267,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10802299267?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="327" height="184" /></a></p></div>The Agenda: The Enemy of Productive Meetings!https://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/the-agenda-the-enemy-of-productive-meetings2022-08-05T16:18:04.000Z2022-08-05T16:18:04.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12144600064?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:18pt;"><strong>The Agenda: The Enemy of Productive Meetings!</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:18pt;"><strong>Hugh Ballou</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;text-align:center;"><a href="https://hughballou.com/podcast-17-stupid-leadership-traps-1-bad-meetings/" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10750506689,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10750506689?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="350" /></a></p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><em>An agenda is the killer of productivity in meetings. Focus on specific outcomes expressed as deliverables instead. Drive for excellence on outcomes in all activities and you will create the DNA for excellence for your organization and yourself. </em>Hugh Ballou, The Transformational Leadership Strategist.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Yes, you read this correctly. Organizations hire me to run meetings, team planning sessions, board retreats, etc. Never once in over 22 years have I ever used an agenda for a meeting! I promise.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">This is not just semantically petulant. It is a major paradigm shift. Think about meetings you have attended in the past. Think of a boring, unproductive meeting that you experienced. Maybe that particular session was not planned thoroughly. Maybe that particular session was planned with unclear outcomes. This is the nature of the problem - AGENDA = activity and DELIVERABLES = results. Reframe your thinking and focus on outcomes and not on activity.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10750508470,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10750508470,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10750508470?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="350" /></a>Plan your meetings backwards. In other words, begin with the end in mind as Covey teaches in his writing on leadership. If you are planning a meeting, define the end results you want, that is, what will you walk away having accomplished after it’s over. Define the results you want to see. In addition, do not develop too many outcomes for any one session. It’s better to get great results on a few topics rather than mediocre results on many.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">If you are planning a 60 – 90-minute session, then consider three outcomes as a target. Also, state those in specific, quantifiable terms. For example: instead of “We will discuss marketing” (expresses as an agenda item) choose the following type of wording, “Define 5 marketing strategies that will increase our sales in the next 12 months.”</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">One paradigm shift that makes leaders more effective is to create and maintain a culture of excellence in the organization you lead. Focus on outcomes and excellence in every activity and every process. Transformational Leaders constantly build leadership skills in an expanding inventory of relevant leadership tools. Conflict management and conflict resolution become less of an issue when clarity of purpose takes away potential for conflict.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Success is a mindset. Think about what you want to achieve and make it happen.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;">Start now!</p></div>How to Make Friends with Your Mindhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/how-to-make-friends-with-your-mind2022-08-02T17:33:12.000Z2022-08-02T17:33:12.000ZRussell Dennishttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/RussellDennis<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10741354899?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Do you sometimes feel that things seem to "happen to you?" Life is filled with many occurrences that seem to defy explanation. Some of us seem to struggle in every area of our lives, while others appear to breeze through with everything falling into place. The latter group is made up of people who are happy most of the time. So, what's the secret? Are some of us destined to have better fortune that others? Did they get instruction book outlining the methods to find fulfillment in their mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial lives?</p><p>There is no secret sauce. The first requirement is being present. They show up for each of these areas in their lives. Meditation is the starting point for many when it comes to being present. It's often misunderstood as being some type of mysterious skill that can only be effective by practicing for many years. The image of Buddha or a monk in a contemplative state for many hours during the day leads many to believe they can't meditate.</p><p>There is an expectation the experience will produce some type of enlightened higher state or relieve the impact of emotions like fear, anger, or sadness. Many feel that they should enter a "Zen" like state where their mind and emotions are free of activity or chaos. It should, in effect, quiet them down. We all fall prey to stress that is caused by even the smallest annoyances.</p><p>Being cut off in traffic or not having someone you spoke to greet you can have a cumulative impact over the course of a day or a week. Recognizing where our thoughts are taking us is the first step to beginning to manage them. Meditation helps to do this when we understand its true purpose and manage expectations around the experience we will have using it. Like anything else, there is a cumulative impact to making regular practice of meditation.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Deepak-Chopra/e/B004KNMPSI/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Deepak Chopra</a> said in "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Spiritual-Laws-Success-Fulfillment/dp/1878424114/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493939043&sr=1-3&keywords=deepak+chopra"><em>The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success</em></a>" that one of the most important things we can do for ourselves daily is to enjoy the gift of silence. Doing this can facilitate meditation, since its true purpose is to be aware of ourselves and what is around us at the exact moment we are using it. Meditation is the art of being present. We are not at war with the thoughts or feelings passing through us at that very moment. We simply acknowledge and release them.</p><p>There are many wonderful books and audio programs available to guide us through meditation. I that silence prevents me from fighting with thoughts or emotions that are within me because I have nowhere else to place my focus. Silence is the absence of contact through, conversing, touch, reading, watching, or listening will sitting or lying down.</p><p> My conscious was like a busy New York subway station when I was new to meditation. There are still moments when it resembles one, but those are fewer and further apart. I am not inspired all days, but the discipline of spending that time is far more valuable than anything else I could do with it. During this time, I focus on things I am grateful for and ask what I can add to the world to make it a little better today. Deciding to make a conscious effort to help others get the things I want closes the circle.</p><p>The last thing I do is release all the things I am attached to, such as, what others think of me, what I expect others to do, specific outcomes for efforts I make, how others will respond to what I say or do, or having others treat me the way I want to be treated. Taking time to be instead of doing for short periods help me maintain balance. The busier the day will be, the more time I need to spend getting centered.</p><p>Like many others, I do not have long periods of time to devote top this practice. But I will have my time because the benefits are too important to miss. Meditation is an individual adventure. If you give it a try, and persist at it, you will not miss the time you devote to it. There are as many ways to meditate as there are people. Please don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. My standard starting out was "when I’m like Ghandi."</p><p>Start slowly, but start! Even five minutes is better than no time at all. Two awesome resources to help you get started are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Meditate-Easwaran-Inspirations-Book-ebook/dp/B0056I0G82/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493938784&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+meditate%2C+eknath"><em>How to Meditate</em></a><em> </em>by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eknath-Easwaran/e/B000APGY1O/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1">Eknath Easwaran</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wherever-You-Go-There-Are/dp/1401307787/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493938963&sr=1-3&keywords=jon+kabat+zinn">Wherever You Go, There You Are</a> by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jon-Kabat-Zinn/e/B000AQ12GA/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Jon Kabat-Zinn</a>.</p></div>A Lawyer's Spiritual Defensehttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/a-lawyer-s-spiritual-defense2022-06-17T14:03:33.000Z2022-06-17T14:03:33.000ZDr. Janet Smith Warfieldhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/DrJanetSmithWarfield<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10575766454?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=200"></div><div><p><strong>Sometimes the best resistance to a sense of “raging chaos” is non-resistance</strong></p><p><strong>—</strong> A good and spiritual friend of mine once posed the question: “How do you resist insanity?”</p><p>Then she answered her own question.</p><p>“The only way for me, as an individual, to resist is to hold on to who <em>I</em> am amidst all of the forces that want to turn me into something else.”</p><p>At first, I thought: “What a wonderful answer! It truly is all about staying centered when external chaos swirls around us. Each of us must stand tall when insanity claws at our clothes.”</p><p>But then I thought about all the physical forces in my life that have swept me away from what I thought was solid ground, and into the raging current.</p><p>What was the purpose of <em>those </em>experiences?</p><p><strong>Lessons learned during troubled times</strong></p><ol><li>I learned: I could keep my head above water and swim. When you’re struggling to stay alive, you don’t have a lot of fear. You’re just doing what you need to do to survive. The spiritual benefits were increased self-esteem, courage, and strength.</li><li>I learned: Appreciate the chaos of raging waters. They carried me to psychic depths I never would otherwise have experienced. The spiritual benefits were depth of understanding and enhanced clarity.</li><li>I learned: raging waters could teach me compassion. As I struggled through the physical challenges, I suffered through a soul struggle within myself: anger, fear, frustration, and how to make ethical choices. I could then feel and understand that soul struggle in others.</li></ol><p>Does one resist insanity or just release it and move on? That has been a constantly recurring question in my life. Usually, I’m stubborn. I exhaust every viable avenue for reducing the insanity before I’ll release it and walk away.</p><p>Insanity is the realm of bullies and dictators. Choosing to resist their arrogance, violence, and control issues can have huge spiritual benefits, both for the individual resisting, for the bullies, and for the world. It equalizes the playing field and reduces the bullies’ dysfunctional power.</p><p>However, if one chooses to <em>resist </em>insanity, there are non-functional and functional ways of doing so.</p><p><strong>Spotting the non-functional ways</strong></p><ol><li>Allowing oneself to get sucked into the dictator’s insanity<br /> 2. Screaming <br /> 3. Name-calling <br /> 4. Hitting <br /> 5. Killing <br /> 6. Being nice because you’re afraid to set limits and to say ‘no’ and then continuing to feel anger<br /> 7. Becoming passive-aggressive <br /> 8. Continuing to bang your head against a stone wall that won’t budge </li></ol><p><strong>Take this path instead </strong></p><ol><li>Standing firm in one’s own spiritual identity. This takes a lot of energy when you’re being battered by dysfunctional human beings. You’re just like a lightning rod, standing there all alone, taking that dysfunctional energy and grounding it so it doesn’t harm either you or others. (You won’t have enough energy to do that by yourself. If you can trust in and connect to a Power Greater than yourself, you have access to unlimited energy and resources.)</li><li>Visualizing a shield of white light surrounding you that deflects the negative energy back to the perpetrator.</li><li>Sometimes turning the other cheek. Turning the other cheek often defuses the negative external energy. Why? Because the dysfunctional person expects you to fight and you don’t. It confuses them. The exception is when turning the other cheek is perceived as weakness rather than strength.</li><li>Setting boundaries or limits on bad behavior and sticking to them. Remove your energy from the bad behavior. Stop enabling it by giving it your attention (If necessary, physically remove the offending person from your environment and allow him or her to cope without your support).</li><li>Walking away so you don’t continue to feed the insanity with your presence and willingness to listen.</li></ol><p>One of the best lessons I ever learned was from a judge I highly respected. One night, I was complaining about a former boss at a law firm. I was furious with this arrogant, obnoxious male who kept changing his mind about what he wanted and had me working eighty hours a week.</p><p>I was thoroughly mired in angry, dysfunctional energy and was focusing on the externals that I perceived “caused” my anger. I was also looking for sympathy. My judge friend just turned his back on me and walked away. My tirade immediately stopped because I had lost my audience. It also made me think about my own dysfunctional conduct.</p><p>If one doesn’t have enough spiritual centered-ness or enough of a support system to resist insanity in functional ways, it may be better to walk away and move on with one’s own life. It seems <em>that</em> is often the way a spiritual path is intended to go.</p><p><strong>Making the right choice . . . for you</strong></p><p>I used to ride my bike along the boardwalk in Atlantic City at sunrise. When I was riding into the wind, it was slow and difficult, yet I was building muscles and stamina. When I was riding with the wind, it was incredibly fast and easy.</p><p>Resisting insanity is like riding into the wind. It can be done. Sometimes it needs to be done. It takes a lot of energy, but you become stronger in the process.</p><p>Walking away and moving on with your own life is like riding with the wind. It requires no energy at all. You simply trust and allow your Higher Power to support you easily and swiftly.</p><p>Regardless of the decision you make, you will grow spiritually.</p></div>Leadership Traps to Avoidhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/leadership-traps-to-avoid2022-03-24T23:15:12.000Z2022-03-24T23:15:12.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12144602498?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Leadership Traps to Avoid</strong></span><br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> By Hugh Ballou</span></span></p>
<p><br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> After having spent over 40 years in ministry work serving churches from 120 to 12,000 in membership, I am aware that I made many mistakes and the size of the organization does not matter. Each failure was an opportunity to learn. As the saying goes, there is no failure in life, there is just failure to learn. These failures were sometimes obvious to other people, but mostly I was the one most aware of my own shortcomings. As I was able to apply specific knowledge learned from these situations to new leadership challenges, I became more successful with each future effort.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Having reached a milestone in life (I’m 70 years old), I have decided that the learning continues, if allowed. When speaking at the same event recently with master leadership trainer, Bob Proctor, he proclaimed that at 77 he was not ready to slow down as some people had suggested. He went on to declare that he was speeding up because he had more to do and more to learn. He knows more than anyone I know about leadership, however, he has a passion for continual growth. That inspired me to be aware of opportunities for personal growth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Learning means that we as leaders are aware that there are traps. The word “traps” is a term I use to define decisions that lead to failure. As leaders, we choose to succeed or to fail in many ways.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Here are three "traps" when poor judgment can lead to failure:</span><br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> 1. <strong>Anxiety</strong> - When a cow hits an electric fence and gets a shock, the anxiety causes that cow to run and make noise. That anxiety spreads instantly to the rest of the heard. It's no different with humans. If the leader lets anxiety controls their thoughts, then that anxiety spreads throughout the organization. Anxiety also blurs logical thinking. In his research on interviewing successful leaders, Napoleon Hill, author of Keys to Success, found that each leader could hold a clear vision of their desired result as a positive thought in their mind at all times. In fact, he discovered that people couldn’t hold positive and negative thoughts in their minds at the same time. Do not let anxiety control logical thinking and the emotions of your organization. Control it with a clear image of a specific vision of success. Get rid of excess stress with exercise! </span></p>
<p><br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> 2. <strong>Worry</strong> - Similar to anxiety, some worry is caused by doubt. I am a "J" as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. When I make a decision I am at ease. The opposite in that category is a "P". When a "P" makes a decision they worry that they have made a decision without enough information, even if they had spent endless hours gathering data. The "J" worries about the feelings of the "P" and the "P" worries about the decision. Worry is not a productive emotion. Know that you have been clear in defining your vision and setting your goals and have developed a plan for making a wise decision. Trust in the process and make adjustments as needed.</span></p>
<p><br /> <span style="font-size:12pt;"> 3. <strong>Imbalance</strong> - This is not about trying to make everything equal, it's about striving for balance. We are never perfect. We are constantly working on improving our leadership skills. Keeping our life in balance is one way to be at our best. When we are driven to work continually, we lose perspective and do not have time to evaluate, refine, and revise as we gain perspective. Place balancing times on your daily calendar: time for planning, time for rest, time for social and fun, time for spiritual renewal, and time for you. In the big picture, gain perspective through keeping a journal on how you are doing balancing 1) multiple priorities; 2) work and personal schedules; 3) personal factors such as spiritual, physical, social, family, health, etc. so that you feel whole.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">This is a shortlist of emotional traps that keep us as leaders from a higher level of functioning. The Transformational Leader influences others with personal skills and integrity and not by the power of position. Be at your best and your organization will move toward the values and skills you model. As James Allen said, "We do not attract what we need, we attract what we are." Be balanced, confident, and calm. Your team will respond in kind. This response requires nurture, patience, and time from the leader – that’s you.</span></p></div>5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventureshttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/blog/leadership2022-03-24T21:50:33.000Z2022-03-24T21:50:33.000ZHugh Ballouhttps://www.synervisioncommunity.org/members/HughBallou<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10237382700?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><strong>5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventures</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hugh Ballou</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Law of the Lid</strong></p>
<p><em>Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organization. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That’s why, when a corporation or team needs to be fixed, they fire the leader. </em><strong>- John Maxwell</strong></p>
<p>Starting and maintaining a profitable enterprise as an entrepreneur is very difficult, at best. However, research shows that 90% of businesses that fail do so because of a lack of leadership skills.</p>
<p>Fortunately, leadership is a skill many people can learn. In my opinion, however, learning great leadership means that many of us must <em>unlearn</em> most of what we’ve previously been taught or observed.</p>
<p>Best practice for building and sustaining a profitable business is often a reverse paradigm from the things business schools and prevailing leadership experts teach. Leadership best practice, from my perspective, requires the same skills a conductor uses to build the high-performance cultures we call “ensembles” in the musical world. “Ensembles,” in the non-music context, are high-synergy teams. These teams develop only with the intentionality of the leader.</p>
<p>The entrepreneur who operates as a “solopreneur” might not perceive that synergistic teams are important. Wrong! If you are talking to at least one other person, such as a salesperson, consultant, alliance or venture partner, advisor or board member, then you have a team. It is important for entrepreneurs to surround themselves with capable people. It is also important to learn from other businesses you admire. Being an entrepreneur is a choice to stay out of corporate systems, so why do things in the same way as a company you don’t want to work for? </p>
<p>Team effectiveness starts with the leader and branches from there. First, you equip yourself, then you empower others. With this in mind, here are the 5 top leadership myths that kill entrepreneurial ventures:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>I Must Be in Command: </strong>Having been an entrepreneur all my life, I am sure I have made all mistakes possible. I call these mistakes, “learning opportunities.” In one business, my staff presented me with a BOSS card. It was great until I turned it over to read the meaning on the other side. Translated, BOSS backward is Double S.O.B.! I did what I had been taught and what I observed in other leaders--be the BOSS and have all the answers. A BOSS is an autocratic leader. It’s about them. It’s a one-way process. Today I know the leader doesn’t necessarily have all the answers—rather, an effective leader has good questions. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Be the Transformational Leader who defines the vision, empowers others to fulfill that vision, coaches others to a higher level of functioning, and models what it is you want others to do.</em></li>
<li><strong>Always be Right: </strong>You don’t know everything, so why claim to be right? Leadership is about defining our personal gaps. Inventory your skills and score them from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Every skill below 5 should be delegated to leaders on the team. In view of the fact, that there are gaps in skills, there are most likely gaps in perspective, knowledge, and in strategy. Being right means others have to be wrong. Focus on developing leaders on teams and coach them on being right. <strong><em>TIP:</em></strong><em> Ditch the ego. Healthy self-esteem means that others get to shine at times and, in the end, the leader gets credit for a healthy organization achieving goals. Listening is a primary leadership skill.</em></li>
<li><strong>Improper Language or Behavior: </strong>Certainly you are an entrepreneur because you want to do things your way. That’s why you don’t want to work for a major corporation. In doing so, however, it is vital that you don’t repeat the bad habits you observed in traditional corporations. As an entrepreneur, you have the chance to develop a better culture and a better business model than the ones you’ve observed. It requires different thinking. Thinking differently and acting differently doesn’t mean you can do or say what you please without a filter. Organizations expect a leader to have high standards. The leader (that’s you) is the person of greatest influence within the business. This means there are consequences to using language and behavior in a manner that is not consistent with the image a leader of this stature represents. A Transformational Leader models what is expected of the rest of the team. <strong><em>Tip: </em></strong><em>Set good boundaries and have an accountability partner who will speak the truth to you always, in a context of respect and love.</em></li>
<li><strong>Pretend to Know What You are Doing Even If You Don’t Know: </strong>Ignorance is bliss - or not! The leader who pretends to know everything becomes a target for others to prove otherwise. Following the theme of #2 above, leaders should gain not only skills but should work on gaining knowledge as well. An effective leader is able to coalesce the best thinking of the group and make better decisions based on all available facts. They are able to reframe the negative energy from disagreement into creative tools for innovative thinking. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Develop skills for framing a goal or stating a problem and then allowing the team to create data for decisions. A strong leader always holds the authority and uses power wisely by encouraging creative thinking and cross-disciplinary functioning. It’s not about you - it’s about the vision.<strong> </strong></em></li>
<li><strong>Delegation is a Weakness of Leadership: </strong>Actually, delegation is a sign of strong leadership. Autocratic leaders become a bottleneck for decisions and processes. When the leader must make all decisions, there is a limit to how much the team or organization can do. The Charismatic or Autocratic Leadership model is not scalable. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Transformational Leadership. Companies are successful under each style of leadership, but I favor Transformational Leadership because it is about the vision and is scalable. Traits of this style of leadership include clarity of vision, the ability to build and equip leaders on teams, support and encourage others, provide information and coaching, and model what you preach. <strong><em>Tip:</em></strong><em> Become a more serious student of leadership and never stop learning. Transform yourself first and then transform the organization by transforming the culture. Know that changing others in any group emotional system is accomplished by changing yourself.</em></li>
</ol>
<p>Are you ready to go to the next step? As you study these myths, I suggest you share your personal and organizational goals with at least three people you respect and with whom you have a valued connection. Check with them every 30 days to let them know how things are progressing. Being accountable to others is frightening at first until you realize that the people you are accountable to are the people who will bring the highest value to you because they understand where you’re going.</p>
<p>But most important of all, for your venture’s success, when you hit the leadership lid, raise the ceiling!</p>
<p><em>Hugh Ballou is a Transformational Leadership Strategist for SynerVision International, Inc.,</em> <a href="https://HughBallou.com" target="_blank">https://HughBallou.com</a><em>, who works with visionary CEOs, pastors, and nonprofit leaders and their teams to develop a purpose-driven high-performance collaboration culture that significantly increases productivity, profits, and job satisfaction. </em></p></div>