L-FIRE Leadership

L-FIRE LEADERSHIP

L-FIRE leadership is significantly different from what you probably thought when you first read the title. To some of you, it may sound dangerous, or hot, or disturbing and maybe even profane. L-FIRE leadership is none of that. In truth, it is the antithesis. Therein lies the intrigue.

L-FIRE leaders change the world.

What do you think of when you hear the word, fire? Hot! Fiery? Engaged! Smokin'! On fire? And more, justifiably so. Let's stick with fiery. To be fiery is to be bold and brave. L-fire leaders are most definitely fiery. They are bold and brave because they are going to accomplish more and engage more people than others. Teams follow leaders who are bold and brave. They accomplish more. They successfully reach and surpass goals.

L-Fire leaders inspire others! How do you do that? By "doing what you say you will do." By fulfilling all of the promises you make which in turn builds trust and loyalty. Everyone wants to be inspired; we all want to do more than we think we can do. Inspire others by living up to and surpassing the expectations you have of others.

L-Fire leaders believe in reciprocity. They believe in giving back. They believe in and exhibit the ethics of the Golden Rule. They "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." They treat others as they want to be treated. Consistently, often, always.

L-Fire leaders exude energy and enthusiasm. They generate excitement. These three "Es" are highly contagious. They spread like wildfire. Energy, enthusiasm and excitement create more E3. With E3 teams produce more, do more good and influence more people than ever imagined. To produce E3 liberally express your passion. Be passionate about your goals and plans! Spread it throughout your teams.

Having covered the "F.I.R.E in L-Fire, are you wondering if the "L" has been left out? If so, I have succeeded in sparking your curiosity and keeping your attention.

At the beginning of the word, the "L" represents the best part. And the best is truly best when saved until last.

The "L"in L-Fire stands for LOVE!

• Love what you do!
• Love the people you lead!
• Love the people who lead you!
• Love the ideals and purposes of your goals!

Keep in mind, the entire concept of L-Fire leadership is predicated on making others greater than yourself. Doing so requires the practice of L-Fire Leadership. You, too, can be an L-Fire leader!

The message of this blog finally emerged in keynotes just this year. The idea has been percolating for several years. Intermittently, the points would stampede through my mind like a herd of elephants. Finally, those elephants got my undivided attention and I listened realizing the importance of the message.

"Me First" Leadership

There's the good, the bad and the ugly in "Me First Leadership."

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking there can be no good in me first leadership. It's all the bad and the ugly. Set aside the me first leadership practiced by uncaring managers, selfish employers or greedy CEOs. That's not leadership and doesn't deserve the title with or without the me first defining it.

Instead, let's explore the possibilities of me first leadership in this context. To be an effective leader, you must first lead yourself. Here's the crux of it. How can you lead others if you cannot lead yourself.

Me first leadership then, among other things, means that you learn and practice good communication skills. You know the importance of being organized, disciplined and timely. You understand the value of "walking in another's shoes" so you are empathetic. You know the importance of respect which leads to the all important trust. You fully realize if you make a commitment, you fulfill that commitment. For good measure, let's throw in another element - that of civility. You treat others with civility at all times which now seems to be out of the norm.

This is especially important in a time when our airwaves are crowded with people talking and shouting over each other; negative criticism of all actions and ideas seems to be the order of the day, every day; and reality shows featuring daily discord and disagreement run rampant. Civility seems almost archaic in its use or lack thereof.

Makes leading yourself, or me first leadership all the more important. But, only in the very beginning.

It is important that you transition out of the "me first" phase quickly. After that transition, it's no longer about you, it's about others. However, with the learning you've experienced as a foundation, you are now prepared to be a good leader. At all times, you consider the impact your actions, words and decisions has on others as well as the organization. You have moved on to "we're in this together" leadership.

In this scenario, consider me first leadership a phase, not unlike adolescence or teen age years. All about self-focus, it is a phase leaders go through on their leadership journey.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it," is one of many quotes from my favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra.

The blue heron that nests around my neighbor's pool must have thought Yogi said, "When you come to a fork in a tree, take it." Because that's exactly what the bird did. He took a fork in a tree (who knows how) and found himself in a serious predicament.

Pulling into my back alley driveway the other evening, I heard my neighbor calling. This was most unusual. I quickly got out of my car and went to see what he wanted. With both hands, he was holding a bird whose neck was stuck between a fork of two limbs in a tree. His efforts were keeping it immobile and from more serious harm. He asked me to hold it so he could get something to pry the limbs apart. We switched placed. Holding the very still creature, it felt warm and soft in my hands so I knew it was alive. Then, scant seconds later the bird was free. It quickly went from still to squirming to squawking. Not one peep of appreciation came out of it's beak.

We humans sometimes find ourselves stuck in a fork of one kind or another. It doesn't matter what kind, we're still stuck. Do we struggle uselessly or do we calmly consider options for getting ourselves unstuck? Often the options considered require assistance from others. Having received assistance that freed us, do we squirm and squawk or do we express appreciation for it.

One cannot really expect appreciation or thanks from a blue heron, however, common sense expects some acknowledgement for efforts and support even when it is freely given.

Although I love and enjoy the words of Yogi Berra, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it," I know they are not words that give clear direction. A choice must be made. And sometimes we may need the wisdom, encouragement and support from others in making the best decisions, the right choices.

The World Is NOT Flat

Do you place limitations on yourself because of old outdated beliefs about what you can and cannot do? Before the days of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci, it was common belief that the world was flat. If you came to close to the edge you could and would fall off. It was an imposed limitation due to lack of knowledge and exploration.

What are your self-imposed limitations? At a recent convention, I participated in a seminar in which I experienced a major breakthrough. And if I did, you can too. I came to what I assumed to be the edge, but I did not fall off. The only edge there was one of my own making.

Titled "Break Through!" I've attended similar seminars previously. Attended, yes. Participated, no. There's a huge difference. From the beginning the presenter promised us that if we knew we could, before the conclusion, every one in the room could and would break a board with his or her bare hand! Now, I'm a wimp when it comes to brute strength. Needless to say, I was coming up with all sorts of reasons, er, excuses, why I did not need to, or would not.

As the presenter progressed through the program, my thoughts began to change. I started thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would try. Then again, maybe I'd walk out before that time came. Sure enough, the time came. I was still in the room. In groups of ten or twelve, we gathered around a "coach." There was still time for me to back out. Then I began realizing, just maybe I could do this. Why not? We were told we had to limit our attempts to three tries. That gave me some leeway. I watched one, then two others go before me. They did it! Then I jumped in before I had a chance to revert back to my old doubts.

Coached into position I moved forward, hit the board with the heel of my hand. Smack! The board split in two! Two pieces! I did it! I did it on the first try! Like the others, I jumped up and down proud of what I had done. Yes, I broke the board, but the major accomplishment was ridding myself of a self-imposed limitation I'd long grown out of but held onto.

We've known for over five centuries that the world is not flat. It is round. A beautiful globe on which we reside and go from sunrise to sunset every day fully confident that the next day we'll have the same marvelous experience. It's our outdated beliefs in our own capabilities and potential that we now need to replace. It's easier than you think and all in how you think! If you think you can, you can.

Acknowledgement

It's interesting how one encounter gets the creative juices flowing about a particular action that serves many purposes, yet is not made often enough. Today the action, or lack of it, that got my juices flowing is acknowledgement. A very simple act, yes, but the results can be monumental.

According to surveys on motivation and what motivates people, almost more than anything else, employees want acknowledgement. Nothing big, just acknowledgement of their presence. From a smile to a pleasant "good morning." From a minor award to friendly eye contact, all are appreciated and go a long way in building loyalty and making work worthwhile.

The encounter that made me thinking about this today was not in an office or a typical workplace. It was in a coffee shop a.k.a. a bakery. Maybe it was the time of day - 10 AM, late for the breakfast crowd, early for the lunch rush. Or maybe not. I approached one cash register. The employee behind it was busy entering a vast amount of numbers into the register. It must have been the national debt. I stood there for what seemed like eons. Finally, a person with the persona of a manager came up and said, "I'll take care of you over there" and pointed to the other end of the counter. I made my way through the bakery around tables and barricades as he had directed. Again, I stood in place. An employee was at one of the two registers inputting numbers, greater than the national debt this time. Soon another employee, not the manager, walked up to the second register and started doing something that looked as if it must be terribly important.

All I wanted to do is pay for my iced tea. No, actually I wanted acknowledgement. Acknowledgement of the fact that I was there as a customer and ready to do business. All it would have taken was a little eye contact, a twitch of the lips into a brief smile. Or maybe a short sentence such as, "I'll be right with you."

It's so simple. Maybe that's it! It's too simple so it must not be important. Whether you interact with clients, family, colleagues, customers or friends, a little acknowledgement goes a long way. And it is so simple any one can do it.

Energy, Enthusiasm, Excitement and Efforts Equal Exceptional Results

There's something about the use of alliteration that registers phrases and statements in your mind so that they stick with you and are easily recalled.

"The Top of the Eye Chart." is a speech I was impelled to give when I was experiencing vision challenges. I had to read an eye chart so frequently that I reached the point I could recite it with my eyes closed. Well, not quite. However, that big, bold "E" at the top became emblazoned in my mind. From that came the speech and along with it a realization that there are numerous empowering words that begin with the letter, "E".

For example: Leaders who exhibit energy and enthusiasm engage others in their vision and mission. Individuals want to be a part of whatever it is represented by that energy and enthusiasm. The excitement builds. As a result even more people embrace the purpose and are eagerly swept up in it as the events unfold. Their united efforts result in exceptional success.

Alliteration notwithstanding, the previous statement about leadership is tried, tested and true. Now just where is the "T" on that eye chart?

Influence

There's something thought-provoking about getting back to your blog to discover a year has passed since the last post. The shocker is that it seems like only yesterday. This discovery raises awareness about all that has happened over the past 365 days.

Of note for me, is that the word influence is currently being used synonymously with leadership - true leadership. Suddenly influence is the word used by many different organizations in their themes, promotions and is considered a characteristic of great value and importance.

We influence in many ways. Through financial, political and position power for sure, but more importantly, we influence others because of who we are and how we, well, 'er, how we influence people.

Mentoring is an obvious way to influence another. Being in a leadership position allows us the freedom to influence. We influence through our actions. We influence because we have or do something others want to have or do or we have a skill or talent others want to learn.

Influence is not to be taken lightly. It is something that can be used both positively or negatively. Whether you have it because of position, personality, or persuasion, along with it comes responsibility. Everyone has influence to one degree or another. How it is used is a mark of character. Take a moment on this day and decide how and when you do, and will, use your influence.