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Touching All Four Leadership Ebook Now On Sale

This Ebook has really taken off!

I've had a number of advisors for student leadership groups across the country download copies of this leadership ebook for their students.  Business leaders write me and tell me that this ebook has shaped the way that they look at leadership on a daily basis. 

They have found it provided an outstanding image-metaphor for what leadership is really all about.  What would happen if you touched every base, everyday?  This ebook covers the bases:

   • Start at HOME and check your Compass.

   • Run to FIRST and guard your Character.

   • Run to SECOND and connect with your Community.

   • Run to THIRD and exercise your Competencies.

   • Run back to HOME and evaluate your success.

Why is this ebook doing so well?

One of the questions that students ask me is "how they can improve their leadership abilities on a daily basis?"  They want some basic handles on the kinds of things they should be doing or working toward to become better leaders.

Instead of tossing them definitions of leadership and giving them checklists, I have created a resource that helps them to cover, what I believe, to be the four most important bases of leadership.  I've put it all into a downloadable ebook.

Touching All Four - Living Leadership One Base At A Time

This easy to read ebook is presently available through Paypal ($3.00)

I believe that we learn to be better leaders when we approach it from a holistic perspective, rather than a list of items that we simply check off.  We learn to lead by leading.  As a student, one of the first people that one should start leading is him or herself.  This ebook helps a leader to better understand the areas that he or she must touch each and every day in order to be the most effective.

Recognizing How People Will Resist Your Good Idea

You've come up with a great idea for your school or organization.  This is going to revolutionize the way you do things and you're very excited to present it to the group.  Of course, it will mean that some things need to change, but how could anyone not go along with your great idea?

Welcome to Resistance To Change 101.

As you present your great idea to the group, there will be some who don't see it with the same level of enthusiasm that you have.  Sometimes we have to sell our idea and not everyone is willing to buy it.  If you are in a group of people who are mostly congenial with one another, it may be difficult to identify those who don't really like your idea.  Don't worry, there are some very clear and common ways that people will resist your great idea:

• A person will attack your great idea directly (this is the pull-no-punches-obvious approach).
• A person will begin to quickly ask a lot of questions, with some of the questions being completely irrelevant to your idea.
• A person will sit back silently and say nothing.
• A person will have a troubled look on their face and can't make up their mind about whether they like your great idea or not.
• A person will intellectualize the conversation and try to over-analyze the situation, attempting to cause the group to simply stick with where they're at.
• A person will claim that the great idea is not fair to everyone.
• A person will bring up negative results from past great ideas, even if they're not similar or relevant.
• A person will minimize the need to implement any great ideas at the present time.
• A person will be agreeable, stating what a great idea it is, but...watch out for everything after the "but."
• A person will offer another lesser great idea that may appear more like a quick fix but doesn't really change anything.

When you recognize your resistors, you'll be better able to address their concerns and answer their questions.   Will you be able to change their mind?  That's a topic for another post.

Any other ways that resistors show themselves?

Learning Through Disciplined Reflection

I'm still thinking about learning.

I want to share what I've found to be an important process in my own growth - disciplined reflection.

Disciplined Reflection has four basic components to it:

• Information
  This is the stage where we hear or experience something for the first time.  We aren't quite sure what it means.  It is thrown on the pile of everything else that is coming into our minds through the senses.  We haven't yet filed it internally or processed it.
  
  Questions I ask here: What did I hear or read today that's worth listening to?  What should I be reading, watching, or listening to?
  
  Personal example: I discovered this week that Apple released some new IPod products.  I was immediately drawn to the new 80gb IPod Video.
• Evaluation
  This is the stage where we begin to think through what we're hearing/learning.  We replay words in our minds and compare it to what we know to be true and meaningful.  We may seek the opinion of others or look for more clarification in other resources.
  
  Questions I ask here: Why is this important?  Who's telling me this?  What does this really mean?
  
  Personal Example: I went to the Apple site and looked at the specs for the 80gb IPod video.  I thought, "This thing is cooler than cool."  I wanted an IPod and this is the one I wanted.  But I also began to consider the price and if that would be something that I should spend my money on.
• Integration
  This is the stage where we accept the information and begin to find the places where this stuff will fit into what we already know.  We begin to see places where we must think and live differently because we know this information is true.  It becomes a part of us and we become a part of it.
  
  Questions I ask here: How does this change my life?  How have others lived with this information?
  
  Personal Example: As I thought through my desire for an 80gb IPod video, I began to think about the other bills that I had that needed to be paid off, other items that would be much more practical for me.  I realized that the purchase of an 80gb IPod video would have an effect on my wife and kids who would be trying to get my attention (which is what I have to do on occasion with other IPod listeners) while I'm rocking out around the house. 
• Application
  This is the stage where the information finds practical ways of being implemented in our lives.  We do something tangible about it.  It results in a life lived a little differently.  Because the information has changed us on the inside, it now affects our lives on the outside.
  
  Questions I ask here: What should I do about this now?  Tomorrow?  What changes in my schedule do I need to make?  Do I need to create something or is there something already available that will help me live this thing out?
  
  Personal Example: I decided against purchasing the 80gb IPod video.  I went through and prioritized what kind of "extra" things I would really need to purchase in the near future.  As a result, I feel like I'm in better control of what I will spend.  I still think that an 80gb IPod video is SUPER COOL, but I'm not going to buy one at this point.

How can disciplined reflection benefit you?

Joyful, Jubilant Learning 2006 [my turn]

Today is the day that I was honored to make a contribution to the wealth of perspectives on learning over at Talking Story.  Joyful, Jubilant Learning 2006 has been a refreshingly, insightful few weeks.  There is so much to read and think about.  I am amazed at the wonderful nuggets of wisdom that each author has passed on so graciously to us all.

So here's what I offered to the group:

Content or Discontent - Which Tent Do You Live In?

I don't like to live on the fence,
But I find that I often live in two tents.
-Quote from The Arabian Prince of Camdelay*

There is a paradox in learning.  It is the paradox of the two tents.

On one side are those who are content.  On the other dwell those who live in discontent.   It appears that both have something to teach us about learning.

The content people have discovered that there is more to life than acquiring enough possessions to keep up with everyone else.  They can smile in the midst of life's storms.  They are gracious in the moments of life's rewards.  They are like a man named Paul**, who was shackled in a prison cell when he wrote the words...

"I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything..."

Being content doesn't come naturally, it's not simply a matter of genetic disposition.  One must learn to be content.  It is in the circumstances and experiences of living that I am finding the lessons of contentedness.  The content person lives with an internal sense of security that is fueled by the understanding that "what happens to me isn't as important as what happens in me." Contentedness is a matter of character and integrity.  The content person has learned to live with him or herself everyday, not reacting to life, but rather, responding to it with an intentionality and purpose. 

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have." - Doris Mortman

But there's another side to this thing: the discontent people have something to teach me as well...

To read the rest of the article, go here.

Then take a moment and read some of the other postings that have been made this month and leave your own comments and thoughts.

I don't like to live on the fence,
But I find that I often live in two tents.
-Quote from The Arabian Prince of Camdelay*

There is a paradox in learning.  It is the paradox of the two tents.

On one side are those who are content.  On the other dwell those who live in discontent.   It appears that both have something to teach us about learning.

The content people have discovered that there is more to life than acquiring enough possessions to keep up with everyone else.  They can smile in the midst of life's storms.  They are gracious in the moments of life's rewards.  They are like a man named Paul**, who was shackled in a prison cell when he wrote the words...

"I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything..."

Being content doesn't come naturally, it's not simply a matter of genetic disposition.  One must learn to be content.  It is in the circumstances and experiences of living that I am finding the lessons of contentedness.  The content person lives with an internal sense of security that is fueled by the understanding that "what happens to me isn't as important as what happens in me." Contentedness is a matter of character and integrity.  The content person has learned to live with him or herself everyday, not reacting to life, but rather, responding to it with an intentionality and purpose. 

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have." - Doris Mortman

But there's another side to this thing: the discontent people have something to teach me as well...

To read the rest of the article, go here.

Then take a moment and read some of the other postings that have been made this month and leave your own comments and thoughts.

The Pornography of Leadership

Warren Bennis includes a chapter in his book, Why Leaders Can't Lead, entitled The Pornography of Leadership.  Within the four pages, he warns against a type of leadership that one can only consider pornographic.  It is leadership that is "distant, remote, calculated, vicarious...too far from the classroom, from the munitions plant, from the battlefield, from the people, from love."

He speaks of leadership that is removed from the real life of people and exists in a realm that is concerned with the mechanics of everything moreso than the humanity of everything.  He says,

What's important, it seems to me, is the capacity to see things in wide perspective, to receive impressions and gain experiences directly, not vicariously, impressions that point beyond the experiences and data themselves - continuity and purpose.

At the end of the chapter he writes,

Our leaders must reacquaint themselves with the world, must explore in the presence of others, must reach out and touch the people they presume to lead, and must, occasionally at least, risk making a mistake rather than doing nothing.  In the meantime, they will continue to sound as if they were talking through a plate-glass window - distant, isolated, removed from the complex lives of living people.

The title of the chapter is provocative, the message of the chapter is convicting.  Once again, I'm reminded that having a position of leadership doesn't make one a leader.  It is when one engages and influences the lives of people that real leadership begins.

15 Ways To Organize Your Days

One of the issues that I haven't touched on as much as I'd like to here is staying organized.  I am constantly looking for great material out there in regards to productivity and time management.  In fact, I've got this list brewing up inside of me and I've got to share it with you all.  It's my "15 Ways To Organize Your Days" list.

1. Take care of the MUST DO's before the WANT TO's.
   There are so many things that I want to try and cram in my day.  Unfortunately, I only get 24 hours, just like everyone else.  So I prioritize and figure out what needs to get done, do it, and move on to the extra-curricular activities.
2. Organizing the space AROUND you will help you organize the thoughts INSIDE you.
   Maybe it's just me, but when my desk and room are cluttered, my mind is cluttered as well.  I feel so much more efficient when I have a clean space from which to work from.  In fact, some times I'll just leave my messy desk and go find a clean table in a coffee shop when I need to think and write.
3. Danger: Paper has a tendency to cause piles on your desk.
   I don't know why we hold on to useless paper, envelopes, or junk mail.  Toss them out.  I often find that I will go through my piles of paper and move them to new piles and think I've cleaned things up.  That's not organization...that's an illness.
4. Why PILE when you can FILE!
   Many years ago I started taking those pieces of information that I wanted to hold on to for reference or research and I began to file them.  People look at my file folders and ask, "How did you find so much information for those files?"  I tell them that if you find something that you need to hold on to, get a file folder, write the topic at the top, put the information in it and put it in your file cabinet.  That's it.
5. The phone is a TOOL not a TOY.
   Some of you aren't going to like this one.  I believe that if you spend an inordinate amount of time on the phone each day, that you aren't going to be as productive or organized as you like.  I'm not talking to those who need to make phone calls as a part of their position or livelihood.  I'm speaking to the jibber-jabber for hours on end that keeps you from accomplishing what's most important.  Sometimes we need to put the phone down and get to work.
6. You got to have a system.
   There are hundreds of organizational systems.  I'm not going to promote any here.  The point is find one that works for you and then simply work the system.  You don't have to re-invent something.  Use a legal pad, use index cards, use your computer, use your voice mail...whatever.  But find a system and...here's the tricky part...stick with it.
7. The flyleaf of your brain is unreliable.
   I'm not even sure that I know what a "flyleaf" is, but you have to find a place to collect your thoughts and ideas.  It needs to be something that you'll use on a continual basis.  It needs to be something that you'll refer back to regularly.   It can be a notebook or a text file.  But keep a record of the things you think up.  An idea is no good if you can't remember it.
8. Track your time for a day...for a week.
   Do you know how much time you spent playing Dance, Dance Revolution last week?  Write down how you spend your time for awhile and you'll be amazed at how much time is wasted.  Don't write down every minute, but sum up what you did during each half-hour block.  Where can you be more productive?
9. Make a DATE with your TO-DO.
   Every time you write down something that you need to do, put a date next to it when it needs to be completed.  A to-do without a deadline is like a plane that has nowhere to land...it just flies around til it runs out of gas and then it crashes.  That's a sad, sad story.
10. Clean your drawers.
    There's probably two ways you could interpret this.  Both are appropriate and beneficial.  In regards to the second way, don't have a drawer that you just toss miscellaneous items in, because all it will collect is junk.  Then you'll have to go through the drawer and figure what junk you're going to keep and what junk you're going to toss.  Organize your space so that each space has a purpose.  If you haven't used something for more than six months and don't plan on using it during the next year, ask yourself, "Do I really need this?"
11. Focus on the one thing.
    Multi-taskers may be able to have more than one thing going on at once, but we still only do one thing at a time.  If you have numerous things to get done and don't want to spend all of your time on one thing, then schedule out the tasks.  Tell yourself, "I'm going to spend a half-hour on this and get as much done as I can, then I'll move to the next thing."   Oftentimes, a task will take as much or as little time as we can give it.
12. Listen to the voices.
    I'm not necessarily talking about the ones in your head.  But there are voices out there that can speak wisdom into your schedule and help you stay on track.  Find someone that can serve as a productivity coach or someone to keep you accountable.  Share with your priorities with a close friend and listen to their feedback.  Have someone come in and evaluate your workspace to help you get the most out of it.  In other words, don't go at this thing all by yourself.
13. Perfection is a PIPE dream.
    Staying organized is a topic that will continue to sell millions of books for years to come.  Nobody has it down pat.  No one can predict the interuptions, the crisis, or the exhaustion that comes from trying to keep pace (or keep up).  Put down the organizational baseball bat that you're beating yourself up with and start small.  Victory is won by one-tossed-out-piece-of-junk-mail at a time.
14. Your best VIEW is your REVIEW.
    Take time at the end of each day, or the end of each week to look back at what you've done.  This will help you have a better idea of what you still need to do.  If you don't review, you may end up repeating yourself or spending too much time on things that aren't a priority.
15. Do something SIGNIFICANT!
    This is my favorite one...which is why I saved it for last.  If all you do is work on being better organized, you may end up with a clean desk, a great planner, a cool filing system, and a fresh stack of 3x5 cards...but you haven't done anything.  Whenever I get overly stressed and don't feel productive, I focus in on trying to do something that will make a significant impact in the life of someone else.  Whenever I can make a difference for another person, I come away with a feeling of satisfaction - like I've done my best work.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's good to be organized, but it's even better to be meaningful.

Think About Finding Potential Leaders [5x5s]

Five Things To Think About For Five Minutes on the subject of FINDING POTENTIAL LEADERS

Every year I impress upon my student leaders the importance of finding and raising up the next generation of leaders.  It's part of a leader's legacy.  But finding the right kind of leader starts with knowing what to look for.  Take a few moments to consider these five things:

1. The Potential Leader's Character
Just because a student is a person of character doesn't mean that he or she will make a great leader.  But I've never met a great leader who wasn't a person of high character.  The character of a person is the foundation that every other part of their life will flow out of.  Before you start looking at what a person is capable of doing, consider carefully the kind of person they are becoming.

2. The Potential Leader's Desire
Does this person even want to be a leader?  I've met many great students who had no intention of becoming a student leader.  Perhaps you simply need to plant the seed and the desire will grow within them.  But you can't force desire.  A student in a position of student leadership who doesn't want to be there is merely a figurehead.  Find the student that wants to be a leader.  It has to start from the inside out.

3. The Potential Leader's Discipline
I can usually recognize a person's potential to lead by his or her ability to lead oneself.  Watch to see how this person manages their time.  Is this person willing to work hard in order to accomplish a goal or project?  Take a look at how this person manages the 86,400 seconds that he or she is given each day.  The dictionary defines self-discipline as the ability to "bring oneself under control."

4. The Potential Leader's Attitude
Determining one's attitude is the one choice a potential leader gets to make in every situation.  Attitude is attributed with being one of the most powerful ingredients in a person's success.  As you keep your eyes open for potential leaders, examine what type of attitude they display on a consistent basis.  Attitude is contagious as well.  See how the people around him or her respond.

5. The Potential Leader's Teachability
Often, we'll look for people who exhibit a high level of aptitude and ability in certain areas in order to consider them for leadership.  But don't overlook a person's teachability.  If a potential leader is committed to growing and developing and is open to instruction, he or she may be able to learn quickly.  Watch out for people who think that they have it all figured out and don't want anyone else's help or input.  They typically don't make good team players and have a hard time delegating and involving other people in their work.

The key word in each of these characteristics is potential.  Like a scout for a sports team, you want to keep your eye out for people who can blossom and mature in the areas listed above.  Oftentimes, we need to be able to not only see a person for who they are, but to consider the type of person he or she can become.

____________________________________________________________
Use this material in conjunction with the 5x5s worksheet.
Download the 5x5s Worksheet here.
What is 5x5s?  Read more about it here. 

Online Study Guides & Strategies Is A Goldmine Of Student Study Tips

Hat tip to Merlin Mann at 43folders for including this site in his del.icio.us post.

The Study Guides & Strategies website contains a wealth of study wisdom.  You'll find lists and articles on such things as:

# Effective study habits
# Concentrating
# Memorizing
# Avoiding procrastination
# Thinking critically
# Thinking like a genius
# Developing self-discipline
# Ten tips for terrific test taking
# True/false tests
# Multiple choice tests
...and so, so much more

The Study Guides and Strategies web site is authored, developed and maintained by Joe Landsberger as an educational public service.

This is definitely worth bookmarking.

Do You Agree With This Definition Of Education?

From a quote in our University's student handbook/planner this week...

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
                                                            -B.F. Skinner

What do you think?  Does our behavioral psychologist have a good handle on things or is there something missing...something more?

The Sign-Up Sheet Tutorial - Getting Them To Sign On The Line

Do sign-ups really work?

Yes and no (that's a real answer!).

People will be hesitant to sign up for free root canals (unless they need one...but I'm still willing to bet that they'd be skeptical).  People rush to sign up for free things.   They work if you have enough people excited about what you are asking them to sign up for.  If you are asking them to sit outside in the hot sun all day, with no breaks, and do monotonous work - your signatures might be limited.

Here's some of my observations when it comes to sign-ups:

1. Sign-ups can be a great way to get people involved that wouldn't normally be involved.
When you offer sign-ups, you are inviting people to come and join something that they may not previously been able to be a part of.  You might be signing up people to find out more information about a club, an event, or to help out with an event.  Sign-ups can mean opportunity.  It can be a point of connection between you and people in your community that you hadn't considered previously.

Key tips: Have a designated area on your campus or in your building for sign-ups.  That way people always know where to go.  Plus, piggy back your sign-ups on top of each other.  They may be drawn to one and then see another opportunity that they'd be interested in.

2. Sign-ups can be a cop-out because you are too scared to ask people face-to-face.
Sometimes, there are tedious jobs that need to get done and you might just be unwilling or afraid to ask people to do it.  So you hide behind the sign-up sheet.  But sign-ups need to happen alongside communication.  People want to know what they're getting themselves into.  If you trick them into signing up for something that they'll later regret, then they'll be less likely to sign up for what you are offering later on.

3. People want to know as much information up front before they sign-up.
Let them know the benefits, the costs, what they can expect.  People want to know the details.  If you promise you are going to give them more information, then make sure you do just that.

4. Sign-up sheets should include more than just a person's name, they should include contact information for the person as well.
If you want someone to sign up for something, you'll need to know how to get ahold of them later.  Make sure you create a space for their name and some type of contact information.  Ask them to write legibly and to print out their name.  It's not a contract, so signatures aren't necessary.

5. Sign-ups work best at the beginning of a semester or at the outset of a project/event.
People are excited at the start of things, that's why it's the best time to recruit and publicize through sign-ups at the beginning.  If you wait too long into the process, you'll limit those that might have signed up earlier.

6. Sign-ups need a cheerleader/spokesperson.
Sign-ups that just sit on a table or on a wall with no one pointing them out will be ignored.  A sign-up sheet works best when it is handed to a person by another person.  If the invitation to sign-up is impersonal, the person being asked won't express as much interest.  But the personal touch will go a long way.

Have you discovered what works and what doesn't when it comes to signing people up?  Please add your thoughts to the mix.