Coffee & Content: Uncommon Leadership, Networking Hacks & Authentic Connections

Sometimes I think I can do anything, then the coffee stops working.

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Happy Friday, Brew Nation!

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Grab your favorite coffee cup and get ready to embark on a transformative journey. The Champions Brew Newsletter is here to invigorate your mornings and ignite your drive for personal growth and impact! ?Fuel your mornings with motivation and purpose. As you savor your first cup of the day, let the Champions Brew infuse you with the insights and strategies you need to make each day a stepping stone towards your aspirations. Let’s Go!

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·?????? Uncommon Leader Insights –In a recent episode of The Uncommon Leader Podcast, Mark Henderson Leary shared meaningful insights that resonate deeply with leaders struggling to navigate the complexities of a broken system. Here are three key leadership characteristics that I took away from our enriching conversation:

1.?????? Humility matters: Mark emphasized the importance of having "humble confidence" when working with leaders. This means approaching leadership with the confidence to implement essential principles like delegation and accountability, while remaining humble enough to adapt and learn from each of their unique circumstances. This approach requires compassion, empathy, patience and candor.

2.??????? Principles matter: Rather than prescribing exact solutions, Mark teaches principles that guide decision-making. By focusing on these core principles, leaders are empowered to make informed choices and face the consequences, with the flexibility to course-correct when needed. This outcome-oriented mindset helps in creating sustainable changes, ensuring that leaders maintain momentum in improving their practices.

3.??????? Culture Matters: One of the most powerful stories Mark shared was about leading a cultural transformation in a healthcare organization. Despite financial success, the clinic struggled with a toxic culture. Through intentional changes and embracing difficult decisions regarding leadership and staffing, the organization evolved. This transformation not only relieved the excessive stress on key figures but also fostered a more supportive and empowered work environment. Addressing cultural health creates long-lasting benefits for the entire team and organization success.

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I encourage you all to watch & listen to the fantastic episode and consider how these takeaways can influence your own approach to leadership. ?

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Being successful as a leader requires intentional leadership habits. That's why I developed the Ideal Week template – a tool that helps me identify disciplines and habits needed for success and allocate the necessary time. It guides you through planning your ideal week, ensuring you dedicate time to the activities that bring you closer to your goals.

Want to give it a try? Email me at [email protected] ?with the words ‘IDEAL WEEK’ in the subject line and I'll send you a copy of the Ideal Week template complete with a sample to get you started!?

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·??????? Network Well – For me, LinkedIn is quickly becoming a valuable ?tool to connect, collaborate, and grow my influence and impact. To maximize its potential, it's essential to engage actively with your network. Here are a couple strategies I use ?to build meaningful connections on LinkedIn:

1.??????? Engage Authentically – The first thing you can do is like and comment on posts from individuals you have either connected with or followed. This simple act can spark conversations and strengthen relationships. A way to even further enhance this engagement is to share posts with your network. This not only showcases your connection’s expertise but also boosts your credibility as a learning leader with your network.

2.??????? Multiply Your Network - Reach out to people in your industry or field who inspire you. A personalized connection request can go a long way.? When you ask someone to connect, be intentional and ?add a short note to the connection request outlining your reason for inviting the person to connect.?

3.??????? Make and Seek ?Introductions: Once you've built credibility, this provides you with a window of opportunity to introduce two people in your network that you believe need to connect and don't hesitate to ask your connections for introductions to people in your target network.

Building a strong network takes time and effort. Be patient, be consistent, and focused.?

How do you use LinkedIn to build your network? Share your tips and strategies in the comments below!

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·??????? Read More & Build Faith– I am enjoying traveling through a new book I am reading, Jesus the High Road Leader, ?by John Maxwell and Chris Hodges. While faith plays a central role in this book, I believe that the leadership principles it explores are timeless and applicable to everyone.?

Behavior #6 – Jesus Embraced Authenticity

Authenticity as a leader occurs when you are the same person at work as you are in line at Starbucks or at home with your family.? High-road leaders practice authenticity by doing what they say and aligning their actions with their words.

Biblical example: Jesus valued authenticity.? He specifically challenged his followers to focus on their own shortcomings rather than looking to blame or condemn others Matthew 7: v 3-5 illustrates this point: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of our own eye, and they you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Another line I have used and hear myself is to ‘be careful when you point the finger at someone else as there are 3 fingers pointing back at you.’?

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Here are three of my takeaways from the chapter:

1.??????? Self-Awareness: Understand and admit your strengths, weaknesses, values, and motivations.

2.??????? Situational Awareness: Develop the ability to recognize and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.

3.??????? Vulnerability: Share your experiences, both successes and failures, to build trust and connection.

By embracing authenticity, leaders can create a more positive and productive work environment. Remember, true leadership is not about perfection; it's about being real and connecting with others on a deeper level.

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·?????? Quote of the week: ??

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"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What, you too? I thought I was the only one.” – C.S. Lewis

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What You Need to Do:

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Call to Action: Are you practicing humble confidence in your leadership? Are your choices guided by solid principles rather than rigid outcomes? And how healthy is the culture of your organization?

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It’s an honor to be your trusted “Friday Coffee Guy”.? Each week, I’m excited to provide yet another round of curated content that I’ve been reading, listening to, watching, or thinking over. The purpose of the Champions Brew is to inspire, equip and encourage you to become the uncommon leader you were designed to be. I am so grateful for your decision to invest a few moments with me! I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.

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Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!

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P.S. - Are you a podcast fan?? Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you.? ??Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast?? Do you have a story to tell?? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!