Tag Archive - Trust

Leaders: Make A Decision!

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   0 Comments
Tags: ,

Ready - Shoot - Aim! Unfortunately that can be my decision-making process. On the other end of the spectrum are leaders who tend to be Ready - Aim - Aim - Aim….

Both styles can be problematic. One causes a lot of starting and a lot of stopping to happen. The other causes nothing to happen.

I may be tipping my hand and giving everyone an insight into my personality, but I also know I speak for a lot of people who are waiting on their leaders, when I say, “Pull the dang trigger!” Continue Reading…

Trust Before Trust Is Earned

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   6 Comments
Tags: , ,

Trust in a relationship, whether it is at work or at home, is the foundation to the success of that relationship. Without trust between individuals or on a team, mediocrity and failure are the most likely results.

I have worked for people who told me I had to earn their trust. I have worked in organizations that made the same thing clear, without someone verbalizing it. In both situations, the team was dysfunctional and selfishness prevailed.

I believe the first thing a leader needs to establish on a team is trust. The fastest way to establish trust is to be the first one to trust! Continue Reading…

3 Words That Prove I Own My Actions

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   6 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

Who Owns It!

Ownership or excuses. One is the mark of a leader. The other is a sign that I am bound for mediocrity and failure. In the long run, people who make excuses stall out.

Making excuses is a habit. I wrote about how West Point deals with this habit in West Point: How Leaders Seize Accountability. But what are the results for me if I habitually make excuses?

Continue Reading…

Five Ways Leaders Build Trust

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   10 Comments
Tags: ,

My team didn’t trust me. It was my first leadership role outside the Army. I had been in charge of this team of 10 sales representatives for almost 6 months.

I believed I was trustworthy, but the truth was a hard pill to swallow. I thought just being a good guy would make my people believe that I was trustworthy. But, for some people and for some teams, trust does not come that easily.

As a leader I learned how important it was to build trust. I needed to be intentional and have a plan. Continue Reading…

Leading Up - 3 Keys To Confronting Your Boss

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   4 Comments
Tags: , ,

Leading Up is Up To Me!

Confronting your boss is not fun. When I have done it, I have been met with anger, indifference, and/or passive aggressiveness. I have also seen some very positive reactions as well.

When I speak to groups about Building A Culture of Leadership within an organization, I always discuss the need for those without the title to speak up and lead up. I can usually count on someone approaching me after the program with a problem.

Some people tell me about their boss and the issues they will encounter if they attempt to lead up. I usually respond with empathy and one of two quotes from my dad:

• Just because it isn’t easy to do does not mean you should not be doing it!
• Whoever said leadership was going to be easy?

These quotes have some bite to them, but they are true nonetheless. Continue Reading…

Four Leadership Lessons From 20 Years of Marriage

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   2 Comments
Tags: , ,

On my wedding day my dad, General Jim Anderson shared with me his secret to a successful marriage.

The General: “Buddy, before your mom and I got married we decided that I would make all the big decisions and she would make all the small decisions.”

Me: “I really like the sound of that!” I said through a grin.

The General: “And in 30 years of marriage there hasn’t been a big decision yet.”

I have learned a lot about life, love and leadership from being married to Elizabeth. Not all of the lessons were easy to learn. But, they have made me a better leader not just at home, but at work as well. Continue Reading…

Buzzword Defined (Part 3): Courage

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   1 Comment
Tags: , , , ,

Courage To Act

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.” –C.S. Lewis

Wow. Opening this post with this quote from C. S. Lewis just heightened my level of attention to a subject that has been watered down through over use and misunderstanding through the years. How do we recover the word Courage from the Buzzword purgatory it’s currently relegated to?

My answer is to define it and to continually discuss it. That is the problem with corporate values statements as well. They are inadequately defined and communicated infrequently.

Continue Reading…

Compliant Vs. Committed Teams

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   2 Comments
Tags: , ,

Committed Teams Beat Compliant Teams

My last 5 years leading sales teams I noticed a shift in our corporate culture. Because of increased regulations corporate compliance became a mantra throughout the organization.

Playing within the rules is a given in business. But, the increased communication around compliance had a negative side effect. Compliance became a goal in and of itself. The implication was that if I had a compliant team, I was a successful leader.

Continue Reading…

My Un-Resume: Arrogance with Good Intentions

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   4 Comments
Tags: , , ,

My Un-Resume

“You are one of my projects. I want to help you and teach you some of the things I’ve learned the hard way.” Mitchel took a drink of his beer, looked at me, nodded and thanked me.

I had just transferred to a new geography. Mitchel and I were peers. The only difference was I had been in leadership in our company for 5 years and Mitchel had recently been promoted. I knew he and I would work well together and become fast friends.

I was right…and wrong. Continue Reading…

The Deaf Leader- Oxymoronic Leadership Yarn #9

By: Dave Anderson  |   Category: Leadership My Dad's Way   |   3 Comments
Tags: , ,

The Deaf Leader is an OxyMORONic Leader

Bill finally cut bait. He was done coaching Travis. The national sales meeting was the last straw. Travis was astonished. “Why now? I thought the meeting was a huge success.”

“Travis, for six months you have paid me for advice, and you have never once tried to follow any of my directions. You nod your head and then you ignore what I have said. And I am not the only one!” Continue Reading…

Page 3 of 4«1234»