To Cast a Shadow - Part 2 of 5

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To Cast a Shadow

Part 2 of 5

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What we do matters and how we do it matters as well. ?Below is a collective of short thoughts on being a leader, the impact it has on others and the way to leave a positive impression that ripples outward to grow in ways unimaginable.??

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I have presented these concepts in part to numerous professional organizations and offered them then, as I do now, to many as guideposts to assist along the path of leadership.?Many of the thoughts are not original but still offer guidance; I didn’t invent “Magnetic North”, but I know why it is important for navigation and I can pass that on to those that are willing to learn. ?

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You will find some of the thoughts directly contradict each other – that is not an accident.?Find the selection that best aligns with the situation you are in and apply it; that is a key part of what will make you a leader; don’t just pick one concept and make your life fit into the parameters of it or you will never be as successful as you can otherwise be.?

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These are thoughts I’ve had that have helped shape my own decision-making process.?Some of these thoughts are original and many are borrowed from others, things I’ve read, and more than a few from getting it wrong the first time.?These ideas have served me well; not all these thoughts will be a perfect match for you.?Live by your values and make your personal principles part of your core.?

Several of the thoughts seem to be specific to areas I found myself working - such as security, emergency operations, planning cells or on assorted military teams – I hope they are still worthy of reading and helpful to a broader audience.?

These have been previously presented by me to groups as “Swimming with Stones – Lessons in Leadership”.?

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This is the second of a five-part series titled To Cast a Shadow; may you find them useful and they give you cause to reflect on your style of leading and tenets that shape you.?

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1. Fair and equitable in all that we do.?
2. If you always yell, your yelling becomes meaningless.?
3. Swearing doesn’t make you stronger.?
4. Know what your job is and strive to be the best at it.?
5. Seek self-improvement.?
6. Sometimes you’ll be wrong; live with it and learn from it.?
7. Each time you walk past an unmet standard, you set a new one.?
8. If something bothers you there are three options: let it kill you, fix it, or get over it.?Those are the choices.?You decide.?
9. When things go bad you better have a plan; chances are the opposition has one.?
10. A hasty plan is better than no plan.?
11. If you’re waiting for dispatch and your backup to guess where you are and that you need help- understand that it may take a lifetime to arrive.?
12. Have a hero.?
13. Have a mentor.?
14. Be someone’s hero.?
15. Be someone’s mentor.?
16. If you come to work with a poor attitude - you’ll go home the same way.?[aka: If you come to work looking like crap – you’re going to be sent home looking like crap.]?
17. Know the standard, hold the standard; then exceed the standard.?
18. You can’t lead from an office – get in the trenches and root about.?
19. Don’t lie to those you lead.?If you can’t tell them something; then explain you can’t or tell them what you can.?Lying erodes the foundation and shuts down vital trust.?
20. Don’t let the job define you.?You define the job.?
21. It doesn’t take guts to quit.?
22. There may never be a perfect solution. There will always be a best solution.
23. Read when you can.
24. Appreciate where you are in life socially, morally, spiritually, geographically, in brotherhood or friendship. If you can't, then change it.
25. Avoid having hourly employees cover expenses, even if they are reimbursable, if it cannot be avoided reimburse them rapidly.????