Happy Friday, Brew Nation !
Grab your favorite coffee cup, sit back, relax, and get ready to sip on some enriching and thought-provoking content that will equip you to thrive in all areas of your life:
- Work Hard – Accountability is a four-letter word Do you agree or disagree with that statement? In my coaching and consulting, one of the key words I talk about is accountability. Sometimes people cringe and sometimes people grab it and run with it. This past week, I listened to the Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast hosted by Chris Goede and Perry Holley titled “Can Leaders Teach Accountability?”. In this episode I heard what I believe to be one of the better definitions of accountability: “when we say accountability, we mean the willingness of people you lead to accept responsibility for their actions and decisions AND to be responsible for the results.” Being responsible for behaviors AND results can make a powerful leader. SO, how did they suggest we teach accountability? They have 5 points:
1) Set clear expectations – goals, standards and potential consequences need to be clear
2) Lead by example – It goes without saying that leaders need to model accountability themselves.
3) Provide feedback – Now, we are getting a bit sensitive. Leaders need to provide regular feedback, both positive and negative to have people embrace accountability rather than run from it.
4) Encourage self-reflection – I am a big believer in this process and have written about it several times in the Brew
5) Provide training and development – Are we equipping our team members with the tools they need to be able to be successful?
I would consider adding a 6th point to this list – 6) caring for your people. It is the first step towards creating an environment of accountability. Even if it’s not visible, it’s palpable when it’s absent, and it can make all the difference in the success of your team or organization. As the saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When you create a culture of caring and trust, you set the foundation for holding people accountable with candor and respect.
As leaders, we talk a good talk about the importance of accountability. However, accountability is not just about swinging the hammer of authority. It’s about creating an environment where people feel safe and cared for, so that they can take ownership of their actions and decisions. On the other hand, if you don’t show that you care, accountability can become a dreaded A-word, and you might be seen as a different A-word altogether!
Without a caring environment, accountability becomes a burden instead of a shared responsibility.
For the full podcast episode I referenced, CLICK HERE
| Are you aware that The Champions Brew explores various topics that I frequently coach and consult on with other leaders and organizations? If you or someone you know is seeking to elevate their business or personal life from underperforming to uncommon, I would love to connect with you and discuss 1:1 or group coaching, as well as performance consulting. In fact, click the following link to schedule a FREE CALL to explore how coaching could benefit you and your team. Let’s work together to unleash your full potential and achieve your goals! |
- Exercise Daily – I bet you knew that daily exercise helps to prevent heart attacks. But do you know how much is suggested to prevent heart attacks? One of the newsletters I subscribe to is Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s Fitness & Health Ezine – I usually read the headline and decide whether to open it. This week, the headline read: “Exercise and Heart Attack Risk…”. This got my attention as my family has a history of heart disease. Here is a little of what Dr. Mirkin had to say:
You Don’t Need a Lot of Exercise to Help Prevent a Heart Attack
Exercise has been shown to help prevent heart attacks (JAMA Intern Med, 2015 Jun;175(6):959–67), and a new study suggests that you can gain protection with as little as 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, or 75 minutes per week of more vigorous activity.
Heart attacks have little to do with arteries being narrowed by plaques. A heart attack usually is caused by a sudden immediate complete blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle itself. First a plaque breaks off from the inner lining of an artery leading to the heart. This is followed by bleeding and clotting. Then the clot extends to block all flow of blood through that artery to deprive the heart muscle completely of oxygen, so that part of the heart muscle dies.
His recommendation: Exercise helps to prevent heart attacks, and it appears that you may gain the protection if you follow the most recent physical activity guidelines, which recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate exercise (such as brisk walking) per week, or 75-150 minutes per week of vigorous activity (such as running).
Caution: Exercise can cause a heart attack in a person who has blocked arteries or heart damage. Check with your doctor before you start a new exercise program or increase the intensity of your existing program. (of course, he had to finish with that caution!!)
If you want to read more about this, including more about the JAMA study he mentioned, you can subscribe to his newsletter here.
- Read More –So, I am finding my groove with John Maxwell’s newest book, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication – Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message. Each week, I will travel with you through a new chapter of this book. I hope that you have purchased a copy of this book and are following along with me! This week we review Law # 3 of 16:
Law # 3 – The Law of Conviction
The Stronger You Believe It, the More People Feel It
This chapter gave me energy. This chapter also forced me to reflect. Do I communicate with conviction those things that are most important to me? In this chapter, the author states that “If you want to be an energetic and effective communicator, you need to be a person of conviction. He discussed three convictions that every good communicator (and I would make up that every Uncommon leader!) has:
1) Personal Conviction – A great communicator must believe that they can make a difference in the lives of others. They have to believe that they can change their world. When I decided to get into consulting back in 2009, I was going into a field that I really didn’t know that much about from the inside – Healthcare. But, there was something inside of me, a belief, that I could make a difference in that space and I got excited despite my relative lack of knowledge.
2) People conviction – Good leaders and good speakers believe in people, believe they can change, believe that can grow, and believe they can improve. Good leaders/communicators help them to accomplish this!
3) Purpose Conviction – “When I know my WHY, I know my WAY” – This is so true. When your strengths line up with your purpose, the potential is more exponential than just additive. There is a visual that I have utilized in the past when teaching that creates the story. There are three variables inside of this circle: Passion, Strength, and Need:
| Am I passionate? | Is it in my area of strength? | Is there a market need? | Result |
| Yes | Yes | No | Hobby |
| Yes | No | Yes | Frustration |
| No | Yes | Yes | Bored |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | FULFILLMENT!!! |
Keep searching for that fulfillment in your work. When you find that, you WILL be willing to live for it and give your life for it!
Quote
“Having convictions changes YOUR life. Communicating with conviction changes OTHER PEOPLE’s lives! (emphasis added by me).” – John C Maxwell
What You Need to Do:
Call to Action: So, what do you truly believe in? What Value do you hold so dear that it’s deep in your heart and soul? A value is a belief that is so strong that you would be willing to live your life for it, so important you would give your life for it.
It’s an honor to be your trusted “Friday Coffee Guy”. Each week, I’m excited to provide yet another round of curated content that I’ve been reading, listening to, watching, or thinking over. The purpose of the Champions Brew is to inspire, equip and encourage you to become the uncommon leader you were designed to be. I am so grateful for your decision to invest a few moments with me! I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time, Work Hard, Read More, Exercise Daily and Grow Champions!
P.S. – Are you a podcast fan? Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you. Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!
