Taking Risks

Leaders take calculated risks.

Leaders are not foolhardy, wild-eyed maniacs who throw away the rule book.

On the contrary:  leaders continually evaluate the elements of a risky project in comparison to the potential for gain from taking those risks.

They speak out in the heat of controversy.  They take a stand when right, but not necessarily popular.  They dare to try new ideas, sure in their own minds that their ideas will work.

They do not risk the safety of their subordinates or someone else's career-- only their own.

If nothing is ever ventured, then nothing is ever gained.


It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks.
Theodore Roosevelt

The Social Leader on Orrin Woodward

Strive to be the Best

Leaders strive to be the best in everything they do.

Leaders also instill this attribute into their subordinates.

Leaders seek to be the best-- for their own satisfaction in knowing they can be.

Get a good idea and stay with it.  Dog it, and work at it until it's done and done right.
Walt Disney

The Best Leadership Nuggets

Take Responsibility

True leaders are in charge, and they are responsible for every facet of the project or task at hand.

When it is successful, they are the ones responsible.  When it is unsuccessful, they are also responsible.

Taking responsibility relieves others, and shows them who the true leader really is.  Anyone can choose to be a leader and accept responsibility.

A chief is a man who assumes responsibility.  He says, "I was beaten."  He does not say, "My men were beaten."  Thus speaks a real man.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Adversity or Opportunity

We've all heard "When handed a lemon, make lemonade."

The leader follows this advice and looks for any opportunity to combat, and thrive against, adversity.

Every cloud has a silver lining.  True leaders look for that silver lining at every opportunity of adversity.

Since the house is on fire, let us warm ourselves.
Italian Proverb

The Social Leader on Orrin Woodward

Leading the Pack

Leaders stay a little more progressive.

The do so by:
Being a little more innovative.  A little more creative.
By taking that extra step.
Spending a little more effort.
Getting a little more accomplished.
Getting a few more results.

However, leaders can't run too far ahead of the pack without bringing others with them.  They need support from others to be successful themselves.  Leaders stay ahead but make sure others are with them.

It is a mistake to look too far ahead.  Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.
Winston Churchill

Keep Moving Forward

Leaders are always going forward making progress in some fashion.  Sometimes in tiny steps, but often in quantum leaps.

A leader's group is the first to adopt new ideas, first to try new technologies, and first in efficiency and productivity.  They pay attention to percentage points of increase and decrease.  They pay attention to the score.

True leaders make things happen.

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
Arthur Godfrey

Example

One Fortune 500 executive told his people, "You may do anything you see me doing."

People will emulate, consciously or subconsciously, their leaders, bosses, and managers.  If you are forward-thinking, innovative, and progressive, then your team or department will move consistently forward.

True leaders are also willing to roll up their shirt sleeves and do whatever is necessary to make a project succeed.  Their commitment and dedication in such a situation sets the example for all of their people.

True leaders are excellent role models.

The example of good men is visible philosophy.
English Proverb

Having Vision

To be able to visualize the completed project or task, the final goal and all of its rewards and consequences, is the ultimate test for true leaders.

In addition to visualizing "the dream," they must also be able to visualize each task that must be completed, and the integration of those tasks to successfully complete the project.  They must also be able to effectively communicate this vision to the group.

To true leaders, vision defines the final goal, and action is the path that leads to the vision.

We have always help to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Blame

When in a position of leadership, everything that occurs in your responsibility, even the errors.

Rather than spending effort in placing the blame on others, your job is to mitigate the damage, and to learn from the mistakes, take steps necessary to solve the issue, and make sure the problem does not recur in the future.

The buck stops here!
Harry S. Truman

Jealousy

True leaders focus on their own career and accomplishments.  Others, including those in competition with you, will also garner accomplishments and awards.

Rather than wasting energy on jealousy, share their joy of accomplishment.  Seek them out as friends and colleagues.  Learn from them.

Winners associate with winners!

Of all the passions, jealousy is that which exerts the hardest service and pays the bitterest wages.
Charles Cabet Colton

Excessive Pressure

Leaders prevent excessive pressure on both themselves and them members of their team.  Set realistic goals for yourself and your team.  You should be able to see the end in mind the means of achieving it.

If an unrealistic task is given, realize it and break it down to a realistic, seeable, achievable goal.  Expectations set the motivation of the group.  Excessive pressure on members serves no purpose and often kills initiative and creativity at all levels.

We are more often frightened than hurt; our troubles spring more often from fancy than reality.
Seneca.

Humility of a Leader

Don't be caught up in the power and prestige of your position.  Nothing is beneath a true leader.  You must always be willing to help your team and teammates, even in what may seem to be the most mundane tasks.

Remember that you and your fellow co-workers will occasionally make mistakes.  You know that, and they know that.  If you have an arrogant attitude, you can expect no help from your fellow teammates in preventing or correcting your errors or theirs.

To be vain of one's rank or place, is to show that one is below it.
Stanislas I

Leaders Don't Lose Their Temper

There is little in the world worthy of losing your temper.  Yet frustrations in every aspect of our personal and professional life are common and can be difficult to deal with.

As a leader, always try to stay in control.  Discuss problems openly with the people involved.  Be open in thought and firm in your demands, but remain in control.

Superiors, suppliers, peers, customers, teammates, and subordinates will sometimes (often times) be infuriating, but losing your temper will probably only compound the problem instead of solving it.

When angry, count ten before you speak.  If very angry, a hundred.
Thomas Jefferson.

Leaders of Today

True leaders have an understanding of the present, and a vision for the future.  To be successful as a leader in any industry, you must:

• Prepare to be a leader.
• Understand leadership.
• And then be prepared to assume the leadership role in your organization.

Your journey must not end here.  In fact, your journey will never end as a true leader.
Leadership is about reaching for the stars, and when you reach one, reach for the next one,  It's exciting, it's fun, and it's the essence of life.

The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well. and doing well whatever you do.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Leadership Gurus 2011

The Best Leadership Gurus Voting for 2011:

by Orrin Woodward on Thu 16 Sep 2010 12:59 PM EDT

The voting is now taking place for the Top 30 and Top 25 Leadership Guru list.  I will attach the links if you would like to vote. Thanks in advance and keep leading and learning on your journey to success. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

http://leadershipgurus.net/index.html - Vote for Top 30
http://www.topleadershipgurus.com/index.php - Vote for Top 25

 

 

From the Leadership Gurus 2011 Poll:

Leadership Gurus is your ultimate compass in directing you to the world's Top 10 and Top 30 leadership gurus, leadership speakers and leadership trainers across the globe 2010. If you are looking for the best presenters in leadership, change management, leadership development, leadership training, change leadership, leading leaders, and MORE, then let Leadership Gurus International be your guide.

Who are the worlds Leadership Gurus?

Leadership Gurus International, combined with public feedback, independently rates leadership trainers and leadership speakers from Asia, the Americas, Australia and Europe to determine if they have attained “guru” status. Only those leadership speakers and trainers who have attained “guru” status are featured on this site. Each of them has also been bestowed the GURU Award of Excellence based on our criteria.

Vote for the Best Leadership Gurus 2011 here.

Read on and vote you will find wisdom from top Leadership Guru's and Leadership Trainers such as John Maxwell, Ken Blanchard, Orrin Woodward, Arthur F. Carmazzi, and Robin Sharma.

More on Reading

"A man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read." - Samuel Clemens

If you're not a reader, then what Mark Twain is saying here should hit you like a cold slap in the face.  A lot of people you and I know almost proudly proclaim that they "haven't read a book since high school"!  Amazing! That's like saying "Let me tell you how stupid I really am. Even though I have the ability to read, I don't, and I'm proud of that!"

You have time to do what you choose to do. The more you read, the better you read -- and the more you enjoy it.  One of the most attractive elements of the MonaVie Team leaders is their passion for reading.  And it shows  - in their writing as they share their experinces and views with us in their books and on their blogs.


People who don't read cheat themselves. By not reading, you limit what you can achieve, make mistakes you could avoid, and miss opportunities that could improve your life. Soon, as the gaps in your knowledge will become apparent to you and to others. Think about that.
 
Why read?
Read to learn the lessons of history.
Read to keep up with the issues.
Read to understand why others succeed.
Read to avoid mistakes others have made.
Read for your personal enjoyment.
Read to familiarize yourself with what interests others.
Read to increase your value to an employer.
Read to improve your vocabulary.
Read good writing to learn to write well yourself.
Read to share wisdom with others.
Read to lead.

Read to improve your life. Whatever your circumstances, YOU created them by the accumulation of decisions you have made over time. Question: Would your decsions possibly have yeilded bettter results if you had had more and better quality information on hand when you made them? 

The great news is that your future decisions can be better decisions.  Why not make one now and decide to be a reader?

Reading

A vice-president of a Fortune 500 company was getting to know a newcomer in his division, so he asked him what he liked to read. "I'm not really interested in reading," the man said. To which the vice-president said, "Then you aren't really interested in succeeding around here."

Morton Blackwell of the Leadership Institute said: "People who don't read cheat themselves." In a speech titled "Read to Lead" Blackwell continued: "By not reading, they limit what they can achieve, make mistakes they could avoid, and miss opportunities that could improve their lives. Finally, as the gaps in their knowledge become apparent, they must reconcile themselves to not being taken seriously." (emphasis mine)

Glad that's not the case with the leaders of MonaVie Team. As near as I can tell, the top 10 leaders devour 75-85 books a month between them and they've been doing that for the past 7-10 years.  How confident are you that the leaders in your organization are that committed to self improvement? 

Leaders are readers. Period.  If you're not a reader, you're NOT a leader.  You may be a manager, but you are no leader.  And if that bothers you (as it should) then start reading.  Find a mentor who you know is well read and ask for guidance in selecting books.  I suggest you begin with these 5:

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz, PhD
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing With People by Les Giblin, and
Positive Personality Profiles by Robert Rohm, PhD


Don't like to read?  Then start with Read and Get Rich by Burke Hedges.  The info in this book will blow you away!  And if you haven't read the top 10 books ever written, he gives you the list. Any person who wants to be taken seriously would have these ten in his or her library - and will have read them!

So, how's your reading going?

Or have you just decided to not be taken seriously?

ACTION

A couple of great quotes:

"We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once."- Calvin Coolidge

"An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied."- Arnold Glasow

One thing I've always admired about the MonaVie Team leaders is that they are men and women of action. They get things done. Because they take action, the MonaVie Team has become an idea whose time has come. There is no stopping it. It will become the biggest business on the planet.

That's pretty big.

Thanks for your example Team. Keep moving.

Code of Conduct

On page 140 of Jeffrey Marx’ book “Seasons of Life”, we find that Joe Erhmann’s code of conduct revolves around four masculinity traits which Joe claims form ”the moral and ethical foundation” of a man built for others. As I read, I couldn’t help but think of the MonaVie Team leaders - men truly built for others, who

Accept responsibility.
Lead courageously.
Enact justice on behalf of others.
Expect God’s greater rewards.

I encourage you to get the book to read what he has to say about these traits. It will be food for thought. I’ve personally watched many Team MonaVie leaders accept responsibility, lead courageously and enact justice. That’s what the Team is all about - teaching men to embrace these traits themselves by taking advantage of the Team training system which levels the playing field for anyone with the courage to want to improve their life.

As far as expecting God’s greater rewards, let me quote from the book as to what Joe meant by that. Here’s Joe explaining it to Jeff: (p145) “I think there is a time when God is going to reward people that were relationally just and lived a life filled with cause. You don’t need to “get it all” in this world. You can say “no” to an awful lot of things (italics his) so that you can be focused on other people. Ultimately, there is a day of reckoning. And that is for all eternity. You don’t have to have the biggest house, the biggest car, all that kind of stuff once you get there, and by knowing that, by expecting God’s greater rewards, you can free up your time and energy to be about other people, to be about your causes.”

A few years ago, two men - Dallin Larsen and Orrin Woodward decided to be about other people and to be about their cause – creating, with God’s grace and hard work, the best business on the planet. It's the best because it gives everyone an equal opportunity and a proven game-plan or receipe, that when followed, creates success.

When they got started, Dallin and Orrin didn’t necessarily expect great rewards; but they did decide to share whatever rewards came with others. Take a moment to research the MORE Project, and All Grace Outreach. They did expect that God would be true to his character and would be just. And of course, God is.

Because these men had great vision, were willing to take responsibility, lead courageously, and were willing to teach others to do the same, the MonaVie Team will one day be a household word.

Question: Are YOU a man built for others? Or maybe I should just ask, Are you a Man?

Here at last are the final 10 of the behavioral maxims so indelibly self-imprinted on our country's first President, and for that matter no doubt, countless other future leaders, many of whom are currently growing in abilities and stature on the MonaVie Team.

101st Rince not your Mouth in the Presence of Others.

102nd It is out of use to call upon the Company often to Eat nor need you Drink to others every Time you Drink.

103rd In Company of your Betters be not longer in eating than they are lay not your Arm but only your hand upon the table.

104th It belongs to the Chiefest in Company to unfold his Napkin and fall to Meat first, But he ought then to Begin in time & to Dispatch with Dexterity that the Slowest may have time allowed him.

105th Be not Angry at Table whatever happens & if you have reason to be so, Shew it not but on a Chearfull Countenance especially if there be Strangers for Good Humour makes one Dish of Meat a Feast.

106th Set not yourself at the upper of the Table but if it Be your Due or that the Master of the house will have it So, Contend not, least you Should Trouble the Company.

107th If others talk at Table be attentive but talk not with Meat in your Mouth.

108th When you Speak of God or his Atributes, let it be Seriously & [wt.] Reverence. Honour & Obey your Natural Parents altho they be Poor.

109th Let your Recreations be Manfull not Sinfull.

110th Labour to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience.


Well, there they are. A few additional table manners and bringing the list to a close, a final strong three regarding spirituality. I need not elaborate, but I cannot resist imploring you dear reader, to pay the closest attention to #110.

I hope that as you read these 110 nuggets of wisdom over the past few weeks, they got you thinking. I'll wager that most you weren't exposed to these in your history classes in school. In fact, I'll bet you were taught few of the founding principles, and little if any of the truth about the founding of this great nation.

Would you like a better America? Then you must become a better American. And that starts with a better understanding of what made this country great.

As Orrin Woodward said in his article referenced above, "Few people will sit down and slog through a 250 page book on historical, political, religious, or even personal development anymore. I would love to see everyone do so, but in order to create the hunger, Chris and I wrote bite sized morsels to get people thinking in these areas and more."

Orrin was referring to his book, "Leadership and Liberty" which I highly recommend. You will find it easy to digest and very illuminating. Hopefully, it will stir your interest to discover truth!