Author: CVShields

LEADERS GIVE THE CREDIT AND TAKE THE BLAME

leaders gives the team the credit

I was in a meeting with roughly 100 project managers recently. These are the leaders of a fairly large and well run business.  They were taking turns briefing the President of the company on the status of their projects.

On two instances the President stopped the meeting to give praise for projects well done. These  projects had aggressive schedules and were high profile. The projects were completed on time and the President had received great feedback from stake holders.  It didn’t surprise me that the President stopped and acknowledged the accomplishments of his people because he is a true leader.  The growth, revenue, and moral of the company reflect his strong leadership.

What did surprise me was that in both cases the Project managers never mentioned their teams, they simply took all the credit, said thank you and left it at that.  No one from one of the PM’s team was present but wouldn’t it have been a great opportunity to put in a good word for the team.  I know this team worked seven days a week 12 and 14 hours a day for weeks to make the project a success.

The second project manager had two team members in the room. What an awesome opportunity to call these two members out in front of the crowd and acknowledge their contribution.  Instead these two received no recognition.  Despite what some may say, everyone wants to be recognized, acknowledged , and appreciated.

These PM’s had the perfect opportunity to build respect, trust, and loyalty but they missed it.

Powerful leadership

Leaders give credit and take the blame; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ykCykMUcCA

If you are going to lead and want to build dynamic teams grounded in trust and loyalty give your team all the credit.  Keep empowering others, lifting others up, lead by example , and give your team all the credit.  That’s the leader who gets recognized as a winner

 

 

 

High achievers set their bar high to rise above mediocrety

 High achievers set their bar high to rise above the mediocre.

Its easy to do the bare minimum, and most do.    I tell my boys this all the time.  It is easy to get ahead and stand out from the crowd because the bar for so many is set so low.  The bar is low and many make no attempt to rise above it.  All you have to do is put some effort in wanting to be better and wanting to achieve at a higher level. High achievers know that personal development is essential in distinguishing themselves from the crowd.  The key lies in what the Great Jim Rohn jimrohn.com/  said, “work harder on yourself than you do on your job, working hard at your job can make you a great living, working hard on yourself can make you a fortune”.

Now Mr. Rohn didn’t mean didn’t mean be a slacker at work.  You still need to produce and bring value to what ever task you are performing.  If the task is your job then bring the greatest value you can to it.  Many believe if they just show up that’s enough. True achievers and people who are at the top of their fields no that is the bare minimum.  High achievers know that while they bring value to their jobs they are continually improving themselves, they are on ferocious pursuit of their own greatness, to make themselves more valuable.                     

The Pursuit of personal development and self education

I’m going to use the construction industry below as an example as this is my background.  Having said that this lesson applies to anyone in any field who wants to do more, be more, and achieve more in any field, discipline, or life in general.

The pursuit of personal development and self education is one that is lifelong that should be never ending. High achievers who understand the need and have the desire to continue learning and sharpening their skills will always rise to the top of any field.  The construction industry is no different.

It is imperative for todays Superintendents (or anyone) to continue to learn, train, and study all the different trades and disciplines involved with construction. Means and methods of building are evolving every day. A Superintendent who is not on a continues mission to learn and understand what his subcontractors are doing on his site will in some form or another cost the project time, money, and a lot of stress.

What if you picked a subject, a trade, or discipline and for 90 days you studied that discipline. For example for 90 days if you were to study concrete, what the different mixes are, what different additives do and how they impact the placement and finishing of concrete. After that 90 days you would know exactly what your subcontractor is doing, why they are doing it, and most importantly you’ll know if it is being done correctly.

Separate yourself from the crowd.

If you were to apply this self determined training in your career, whether it be construction, Accountant, or Web Developer you with out a doubt will stand above the mediocrity. When you continue to improve your self and stand above the crowd rewards follow, money, acknowledgment, and options.   Stand above the crowd, as I often say, anyone can do the bare minimum and most do.    Rise above mediocrity.

 

 

Leader VS Boss, which are you?

boss-yelling-at-employee-high-resolution-istock
Bosses find blame, build insecurity, point the way

The Leader

Leaders assess a problem, they look for the cause of the problem to determine the most efficient cost effective method of correcting the problem.  The leader if at all possible will allow the person who has made a mistake that has caused the problem a way to save face.

 

whoismyboss
A Leader leads with vision, build trust, show the way

The Boss

A boss seeks to blame first,  escalates the situation, makes sure the person who has made the mistake knows he is to blame. The Boss lets

others assume responsibility for their mistakes or problems.

 

 

The boss in the short term may make progress but in the long run the true leader leads by setting the vision and strategy for long term strategy for success.  The leader then shows his/her people how its done leading by example and building trust. Be the true leader if you want to build a team that is enthusiastic and achieve long term successful results.

What is the Number One Personal Development Book

Dale Carnegie
How to win Friends and influence People Dale Carnegie  A personal development classic

We are well into the new year and its a great time to re-read Dale Carnegie’s personal development classic, How to win Friends and Influence people.  If you haven’t read this book I suggest you stop what you are doing right now and order it on Amazon or run to the nearest book store.

This book is a must read for anyone who works with people, has any relationships business or personal, wants to excel in a career and or as an entrepreneur. Okay I think that covers all human beings.  This is more than just a book that you read once and maybe pick up a few ideas you could apply in your life. Its more of a life and relationship manual that you need to keep on your desk to refer to once a month to review and hold yourself accountable to the teachings.

We live in a day and age where soft skills and being able to lead people in the true sense of the word is paramount.  You have got to have the people skills to be able to inspire and influence other to buy into your vision, perform at high levels, or to buy your product.  Dale Carnegie was way ahead of his time and that is why this book is more relevant today than when it was written in 1936.

You will find that there is a lesson on every page, you will need a new high lighter and a pen. My copy is high lighted, marked up with notes in the margins with many dog eared pages. While its highly educational its really interesting as well. The anecdotes about the tycoons of industry in the 30’s and 40′ like Charles Schwab, John D. Rockefeller, and Carnegie himself are fascinating.

How to win Friends and Influence people is a book for the individual who wants to succeed in business and in his/her personal relationships. If you want to improve your leadership and interpersonal skills this is a must read personal development classic.  We suggest reading it once a year and then refer to it once a month and scan over your highlighted passages and notes to keep the lessons fresh in mind.

 

Whats really keeping you from Success

There are two major factors that keep us from success, achievement, and living the life of our dreams. What are they? Fear and comfort.

comfort-zone
All success and achievement comes from outside your comfort zone

It’s the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, and the biggest fear of all in my view the fear of what our family and friends will think of us if we dare to be different, for daring to have dreams and goals so big they could never even contemplate achieving them.
It’s those fears that weigh on us and make our ability step out of our comfort zone to take the action required to achieve our goals seem impossible. It’s much more comfortable to sit on the sidelines never taking a risk. It’s easier to live in mediocrity than it is to step away from the pack and chase your dreams with a burning desire and passion.
The life of your dreams is out there but you must go after it. You must take action and here’s the secret. It’s not on your couch, you don’t learn how to achieve it by watching three hours of television a night.
To truth is that greatness and success is found outside your comfort zone. Goals, success, and abundance is achieved when you take action and get uncomfortable.
There are many things successful people don’t like to do just like less successful people the difference is successful people do them anyway. I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, don’t let those who won’t even try tell you that you can’t do, be, or achieve anything.
Dream big dreams. Write down those dreams in detail. Create an action plan and then take action each day. You do not have to have it all figured out you just have to start and once you start consistent action compounded over time equals results. Surround yourself with positive like-minded individuals who will support you and hold you accountable. There will be fears but be courageous, you can do it.
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear–not absence of fear.” –Mark Twain

Are you a Leader or a Boss?

business-woman-thinking-61
A Leader inspires

A true leader who is confident in his or her self doesn’t rule over his subjects.  The good leader respects others and is especially careful to treat those working under her direction with respect.  The person with the title whom treats his people disrespectfully is a boss and not a leader. There is a difference and the results the two get are typically a lot different.

  • A leader treats his employees just as respectful and courteous as he does his clients.
  •   A leader recognizes the work load and time constraints his people are working under and respects the effort of a loyal and hardworking employee.
  • A Boss has two personalities, a respectful cheerful tone with clients brimming with politeness and concern.  And then the less respectful easily frustrated tone.  The Boss types are famous for the do as I say not as I do or do it because I said so management style.
  • A Boss comes in and barks out orders and direction with out ever determining what the employee is currently working on. He often doesn’t know what it is, when it needs to to be done, or who the work is for. All that is on his mind is what is important to him at that moment with no respect for the others.  There are situations when a fire needs to be put out and priorities need to quickly change. I’m not talking about these cases. It is the boss I’m talking about who manages through the lenses of his own ego.

Be the leader who shows respect, courtesy, and understanding. Obviously as the leader and being in a managerial role there are times where you have to be firm with people and you have to make tough decisions and have frank conversations.  But this can be done with respect. By building trust through the day to day operations treating your people firmly but respectfully the tough conversations are easier, people want to perform for you, company moral is high, and the work environment is better for all.

My greatest fear

My biggest fear when I really think about it is not death but dying without truly living life to the fullest.  I fear most dying without leaving anything for my children, without leaving any real legacy, without coming close to realizing my full potential.

What it all boils down to is when I am done here on Earth I want to leave a mark, some sort of proof that I was here and made a difference. I’m not there yet, not even close…………..you?

Its gone on too long, living in mediocrity. Its easy, its comfortable, just do what most others are doing muddling along through life scared to be different.

As I get older mortality becomes more real and the fear of not achieving all the dreams gets greater.   I will use these fears as fuel to the fire of my desire to be more, achieve more, and create a legacy.

I challenge you, face your fears and use them.  We are NOT here to be mediocre. We are here to be great, to be significant, and to impact others. My mission is to help and inspire others to go after their goals and dreams and test the limits of their potential.

I’m not afraid of dying but I am afraid of dying without really living

 

Opportunity for success is there if you do your part.

The opportunity to achieve success in all areas of our lives are out there for all of us.  The fortunes of the universe do not discriminate. I am a firm believer in the teachings of Napoleon Hill’s “whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve”.  Its true for all of us regardless of race , religion, or social status.

In order though for the mind to bring that dream to reality and the forces of you universe to work in your favor you must do your part.  You must perform the following five steps;

  • Dream big bold dreams. The write those dreams out on paper in detail. You must do this and keep this where you can review each day.
  • You must develop a plan of action.  this plan must have daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, and yearly goals if necessary.  This must be written out and reviewed daily.
  • Every morning and every evening before sleeping give thanks for the achievement of the goal as if the goal has already been brought to reality.
  • Take consistent action on a daily basis.
  • Celebrate all victories and achievements along the way.

Perform these five steps consistently and you will find the universe working in your favor to bring your dreams to reality.  You can achieve anything the can conceive, if you believe, and take action.

“Opportunity has spread its wares before you. Step up to the front, select what it is you want, create your plan, put the plan into action and follow through with persistence. “Capitalistic” society will do the rest. You can depend upon this much – Capitalistic society guarantees every person the opportunity to provide useful service and to collect riches in proportion to the value of the service.

This system denies no one this right, but it does not and can not promise something for nothing. The law of economics itself irrevocably controls the system that neither recognizes nor tolerates for long the getting without giving. ”

Passage from the book – Think and Grow Rich. Napoleon Hill

Let me introduce myself

I am on a mission create the life of my dreams and to stretch the limits of my God given talents and potential.    We’ve been given the beautiful gift of life and it is our responsibility and duty to maximize our full potential and live life to the fullest.

I ask you to join me,  step out of your comfort zone once and for all.  Our past does not have to dictate our future.  For our future will be what ever we make of it.  Decide what it is that is important to you, what you really want to do, be, and achieve. Then create your plan, your blue print if you will, and then take action every day towards your dream.

I am creating the life of my dreams, building a legacy , and I am on a mission to help as many as I can do the same.

Join Me

Carl V. Shields

When I am done here I want to leave proof I was here