Virtual Leadership: Part Three of How Leaders Respond Timely

A big part of leadership is presence. My first employer had this power over me to make me stand an inch taller when he was around. I wanted him to see my best work. I wanted to be a part of every project he was implementing. His presence alone inspired me.

I’ve heard conversations about who should really be “on” social media sites. Should leaders take part? Yes! Whole-heartedly, yes! If ever there is a place where people need to be held accountable, stand taller, and maintain high standards, it is within online social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Why? First of all, that is where people are spending their time. I just read a report that stated the average American spends as much time online in these social networks as they do watching television. Both numbers are high. Second, for some strange reason, some people mistakingly believe that they can lower their guard while online. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality, more first impressions are being made by a couple of search engine results before you ever get a chance to email, call, or write. Yes, leaders should be online and they need to know what to do. It doesn’t involve much time, there are shortcuts, and leaders simply cannot allow their online representation to be left up to chance or other people’s posts.

Twitter: An awesome resource for

Phone Mastery: Part Two of How Leaders Respond Timely

Leaders must be able to make effective phone calls. It always surprises me how poor some people’s phone skills are, but it shouldn’t. No one really teaches people how to effectively use a phone. Without practice making calls, how can a person improve? This post will help you master your phone and better manage your time. The calls I am referring to in this post are business calls not personal. Business calls need to be short and effective. Like my email inbox I want to keep my voicemail inbox at zero and return calls to an absolute minimum.

Answering: I always answer, “Hi, this is Kelly Croy.” It eliminates the other person asking if Kelly is available and me acknowledging I am Kelly and all of that nonsense, plus they immediately introduce themselves and state their purpose. I then thank them for calling, ask a couple of probing questions, tell them I am short of time, and will get back to them via email if that is acceptable to them. This eliminates future calls and frees up time. (This is also why I have multiple email addresses. You graduate to my personal email over time.)

Journal: I do not write notes on scrap piece of paper, on the back of napkins, or type them on the comptuter.(Rude typing noises is a big turn-off.) If this number or message is important enough to be written down it goes in my journal. Everything goes in the journal. Get and use a journal.

Keep it short: Track the time you are on your phone. This can be done with a watch, a timer, and most cell phones have elapsed time of call on the phone. Set goals at the start of the call. Let the person on the other end know that you have somewhere to be, someone else to talk with, or something else to do.

Twenty-Four-Hour Rule:

Dominating Your Email’s Inbox: Part One of How Leaders Respond Timely

Communication is essential to leadership, but how do we keep up with email, voicemails, texts, Facebook messages, Twitter, and everything else, let alone work, parent, and chase a dream? Without a plan it can be overwhelming.

Poor response times in dealing with communication can create some problems and a negative impression of yourself as pointed out in my last post, Great Leaders Respond Timely. And it’s true; great leaders do respond to all of their messages in a timely manner. Some have the luxury of assistants and a spokesperson, but most manage to do it all themselves, and so can you.

I would like to share some of the communication secrets I have gleaned from the greats, and a few I have probably mistakenly credited to myself, in hopes it will not only help you tame your inbox, but dominate it.

This will be a four-part series: Email, Phone, Social Networks, and the Lost Art of Letter Writing

Part One: Dominating Your Email Inbox

Here is the Email Rule: Get Your inbox to zero by the end of each day.

Here is how you do it:

Great Leaders Respond Timely.

What’s your response time?

Communication is essential to leadership. To communicate well is to influence others into making a difference. Most leaders understand the importance of communication, and they spend a great deal of time on what they want to say and how they want to say it. Unfortunately, many emerging leaders do not understand that WHEN they respond is as important as their message, and in some cases even more.

A leader must master responsiveness.

The story of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission is a highlight in history of how leadership emerges during times of trouble, and how great response time identifies leaders within an organization and in life. The story of Apollo 13 mission is full of heroes, but what I love most about it is how the men in mission control, not just the astronauts themselves, are proven to be heroes for responding timely. They emerge as leaders.

In a world dominated with the ability to communicate quickly with smart phones, laptops, and social media sites, it is sad that so few do. Calls are not returned promptly. Thank you cards are never sent. Emails fill inboxes. Text messages hang in limbo. Assignments miss their due date.

What is the consequence of not responding timely?

Much. You may not be leading a mission to safely return wayward astronauts from a mission gone wrong, but you really should respond to every message with a sincere level of diligence and importance.

Remember, you’re not replying to a message, you’re replying to a person.

How do you feel when you wait on hold, an email remains unanswered, a call unreturned? If you’re like me you begin to question whether it was received, question the person on the other end, become frustrated or worse.

When questions go unanswered people fill in the gaps. They often assume the worst. False information is spread, and negative impressions are formed. Am I not important enough to merit a reply? Is my question less important than others?

Some leaders mistakenly believe that to respond quickly (aka promptly) is a sign of weakness: they’re afraid it will show they don’t have more important activities, and that others will judge them inferior for too quick of a response. But what does a quick response mean to the person receiving it? It tells them, “Hey! I matter. I’m important.” We like people that recognize us, spend time with us, and reach out to us. We admire them. We become enchanted. We want to do business with them. We want to help them. A quick response is endearing. It fosters loyalty. It matters.

I’m hoping that the leaders that dig these communication moats around their castles don’t mistakingly believe they are protecting themselves or their business by delaying their response. They’re not. They are, in actuality, creating more problems, creating more work and damaging the positive image they work so hard to make.

The solution: Respond Timely.

But I don’t have time to respond to everyone. Wrong! You can’t afford not to.You will be surprised how little time it actually takes.

What does a leader need to make timely responses? Some courage, some time, a good attitude, and most importantly a plan. In a future post I will address some productivity secrets that I have gleaned from the greats, and some I probably mistakenly credit to myself. These will be helpful, but you have to convince yourself of the need to respond to the people that contact you.

Great leaders in all walks of life master the timely response. They don’t react. They don’t shoot from the hip.  They measure, weigh, and time their response accordingly. Please consider your communication habits and see if timeliness is an area you may wish to give some greater attention.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

Action: Leadership Series Part Seven of Seven

If I could sum leadership up in a single word, it would be a difficult task, but it would have to be ACTION.

Leaders speak when others remain silent. They stand up when others remain seated. They right the wrongs of the world, and create something that never existed before, simply because it was needed. Leaders recognize their part in the world, and understand they have a responsibility to others. They seek to serve a greater calling, and fill their life with a genuine purpose.

Leaders are willing to take a chance to make a change. They risk criticism. They understand leadership is no popularity contest. They ‘get’ that people might not appreciate what they’ve done, and dislike their words and actions. But they understand that not trying is worse. Leadership isn’t really about them.

You can possess every element of leadership I have mentioned: attitude, communication, wisdom, vision, tenacity, and authenticity, but if you don’t follow it up with the final ingredient, ACTION, nothing will ever happen. Nothing.

Leaders not only hear the call to lead, they answer it.

I have decided early in this life that I cannot possibly be right 100% of the time, and probably not even most of the time. I cannot control what other people think about me. I will make mistakes, but I will not allow that to deter me from taking action. While this may be the shortest article on Leadership I have ever posted, it is perhaps also the most important. Leaders take action.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

 

Authenticity: Leadership Series Part Six of Seven

Do you act the same way regardless of who is around? Or are you a different person to different people? As a teacher and coach I have observed that student athletes often act differently depending on who is watching them.

If you assembled all of the people you know, together in one room, would they describe the same person? Authenticity isn’t about being perfect, but it has everything to do with trust, integrity, and loyalty. Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaing your credibility as a leader and leaving a lasting impact on others. We trust and admire those who live authentic lives. Leaders are people who live by set of core values.

Authenticity is about who you say you are, who people say you are, and who you really are. Tell me what you value and I’ll tell you what kind of person you will become.

Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together. Without it a leader falls apart. Nothing will weaken your impact more, or destroy your accomplishments faster than a breach of trust or a lapse in your integrity.

To be a leader you must have integrity, and you must be trustworthy. These are the elements that make up your authenticity, and authenticity is the glue that holds the leader together.

A friend of mine graduated from the Naval Academy, where authenticity is ingrained into each and every graduate. We went out to eat with some friends once and he was given the incorrect change. He was calculating the error as we were leaving the restaurant. He told us he had to go back in and fix the error. A buddy of ours pointed out that the error was in his favor. He was given too much money back! He replied, “I know! I have to get back in there.” The overpayment was for thirty cents, but he explained that someone at some point was going to have to account for that thirty cents and that doing the right thing, every time, is priceless.

A man with integrity doesn’t do the right once in awhile, not most of the time, and not just when others see it. The authentic leader does the right thing every single time. Sure, he will make mistakes, but once he knows he has, he will immediately move to correct it.

During my college football practices the team had to run warm-up laps around the field. While running those laps a few of the guys would round off the corners of the field. They didn’t go all the way around the corner, and shaved off a few feet and some time and energy. They didn’t stay outside the white line like we were told. It was easier to round the corner off.

Well, our line coach would yell. “Hey! You cheat on these laps and you’ll cheat on your wife! You cheat on these laps and you’ll cheat your whole life.” It had a nice rhyme and by midway through camp we’d all repeat it once he started and no one ever rounded a corner again.

I still remember that lesson today. There is a lot of truth to it. To cheat in life you have to start somewhere. I’m pretty certain that the guy with a machine gun robbing a bank probably started smaller, and this isn’t his first time. Did he take a nickel off his brother’s dresser? Did he steal a paperclip from a teacher’s desk? Graduate to taking classmates’ lunch money? It had to start somewhere.
You aren’t born with integrity. Sure we’re innocent enough when we are little. Integrity, trustworthiness, loyalty, these qualities are things you build upon your entire life. They’re like bank accounts. Every time you keep your word, and do the right thing you make a deposit. When you lie and cheat, well you potentially go bankrupt. Work at being authentic.
Authenticity is about not placing anything above your integrity, your word, or doing what is right.

Take Responsibility for your actions. If someone compliments you for your work or gives you praise, accept it, but quickly pass the praise along to those you lead. However, when you make a mistake or things just don’t go the way you thought, be just as quick to accept the hardship.

We expect our athletes to take responsibility on the field. Nothing upsets me more or disappoints me more when an athlete blames someone else for a mistake. Nothing makes me more proud when a person immediately owns up to their mistakes.
Lets face it, mistakes are going to happen. If you’re not making mistakes you aren’t doing enough. Take responsibility.

To lead for any duration a leader must possess authenticity. To be truly authentic we must practice it at every moment of every day.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

How’s Your Bracket? Taking Time to Plan Your Life

How’s Your Bracket?

A lot of people will be evaluating their NCAA bracket results, if they haven’t done so already.

Sadly, it occurred to me that some people spend more time plotting and planning their basketball brackets than they do their day, their week, or even their life. I have friends and acquaintances that actually conduct research and some that fill out multiple brackets in hopes of creating a winner. Yet, some of these very same people just allow their day to happen. When bedtime rolls around, or the week ends, they are the first to wonder where their day or week went and why they accomplished so little.

A simple fact we all must learn early in life, is that planning is a always key factor in determining success and failure whether it be in sports or in life. We must invest in a plan to fully enjoy the benefits of a rewarding life.

I don’t believe in planning every minute of my life, but I do know the value of living each day with a plan and list of goals. We’re blessed with just twenty-four hours each day, it’s our responsibility to ourselves and our families to maximize each and every hour.

I’d like to share some thoughts and tools with you on how we can get the most out of each day, and ultimately our life:

1) Download Michael Hyatt’s free eBook Creating Your Personal Life Plan. Michael share’s his secrets to accomplishing so much. He is an extremely busy person, yet he finds time for others, his dreams, exercise, and so much more. He credits a lot of his success to his Life Plan. I recommend downloading his eBook.  It’s free, and I believe you will be very thankful you did. http://michaelhyatt.com/life-plan

2) Start a journal. If you follow my writings with any regularity you know the importance I place in keeping a journal. A life worth living is truly worth recording. I use my journal to record workouts, plan vacations, document success and failures, list the things I want to own, the books I want to write, and the pictures I want to draw. It’s my brain on paper. The keeper of my great ideas.

3) Use an index card to plan your day. Again, this is one of my favorite secrets. I use index cards to make my to-do list each and every day. I list the things that really matter and I focus on them until they are accomplished. It is that simple, and it works. People to call, my workout, time to write, and anything that needs to be done goes on the list. You must include the actions to your dreams. Want to write a novel? Put that on your list most days and it will get done.

4) Incorporate the use of a shared calendar. My wife and I use Apple’s MobileMe iCal syncing calendar to plan for our family. It’s great having everything on one calendar. You can do the same with Google Calendars and others. We can access our calendar from any computer, anywhere, including mobile devices, and that clunky computer in the hotel lobby. We know where we need to be and how we can help each other out.

5) Schedule your dreams. You will never find or make time. You either schedule it or you do not. You must learn to schedule and reserve time for what you really want in life. It’s great when spontaneous moments occur. I’m all for it, however, I can’t rely on them, so I plan too. I make sure my wife and I have dates on the calendar. Others appear, but we always have some scheduled.

6) Use technology; don’t let technology use you. If you have voicemail or answering machine then let it take your messages while you are spending time with your family. If you have a mobile phone, eliminate some of those emails while in the checkout line. These are great examples of using technology wisely. Sitting in front of computer mindlessly for hours at a time is an example of technology using you. Be a creator of content not just a consumer. I highly recommend online services like DropBox, Instapaper, Evernote, HootSuite, and others to help you manage your time better.

7) Use a timer. Yep, I’m serious. Use the timer on your phone or watch to set mini goals to get things done. Ten minutes can accomplish a lot. then move on.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

 

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.