I read a great thought yesterday: Great leaders do not seek to create more followers; they seek to develop more leaders.
Several years ago I led a research project that studied executive team leadership within organizations. The experience was fascinating as I spent hundreds of hours observing and interviewing executives and their teams.
Throughout the project I sought to answer one burning question -
This week, I had a phone conversation with Mark Miller. Mark is the Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness at Chick-fil-A World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
I first became acquainted with Mark through a session he presented at the 2010 Building Champions Experience.
Photo Credit: Paul Amodio
At the Experience, Mark talked in great detail about how he managed his calendar and email. I have implemented many of these disciplines I learned from Mark and have written about some of them previously:
Mark gave me some great information this week, so I asked him if I could share our conversation with you.
We’re also going to give away 20 copies of his newest book, Great Leaders Grow
We all have dreams. And most of us believe that we have a special gift. That we can somehow touch the lives of people in a meaningful way. That we can make the world a better place.
At some point in our lives, we’ve all had a vision for what our life and work could become.
What happened to that vision? Has it taken a back seat to the busyness of life? Did it get lost somewhere along your journey through a cluttered and noisy world?
We’ve been giving our 7-year-old daughter, Madison, $25 a week since she was 5.
If you’re a parent or grandparent, you may think we’re nuts. And you may believe we’re spoiling the poor child.
Give me a chance to explain.
You’ve heard it a hundred times – if you’re not growing, you’re dying. And if this statement ever was true, it is simply no longer reality. Life IS about growth, but it’s not ALL about growth.
I’m passionate about growth. I’ve written much about planning, vision, and growth. For much of my life, anything short of growth I considered failure…until few weeks ago.
Think about this for a moment – All relationships are not important. If all relationships are important, no relationship will be important.
Developing and maintaining key relationships is a critical discipline if we are going to genuinely care for people, live out vision, and help others achieve their full potential.
Relationship development (especially with those closest to us) is not something you or I can simply check off of the to-do list. And it’s certainly not an exercise in convenience. Effective leaders genuinely value key relationships and make them top priority.
The number one problem in life planning is that people stop reviewing their life plan. And those things that have been identified as most important fade into the noise of life and work.
Your life and work are not something that you plan once and then put away. They are far too important for that! To have maximum impact, your life plan and business vision should be reviewed regularly.
When I first wrote my life plan – and when I first drafted my business vision – I reviewed them every day for 90 days. Yes, this was time-consuming, but eventually I could review them quickly in 10-15 minutes. This practice solidified the purpose and the practice of reviewing them regularly.
After 90 days, I began reviewing them weekly. I found that monthly wasn’t often enough for me. So every Sunday evening I review my life plan. And every Friday I review my business vision.
Here are four ways that my weekly review has helped me find greater fulfillment and effectiveness in my life and work:
Conflict is the byproduct of irresponsibility. And I don’t have to tell you that you’ll never reach your full potential if you don’t take full responsibility for your actions.
In every life situation involving people – family, friends or co-workers – there is potential for conflict. So learning to successfully handle conflict should be a priority, especially for those who desire to lead teams and organizations.
And the only way to resolve conflict is to accept responsibility.
Think about it – what significant problem are you facing today?
