John Hope is a leadership junkie and scours multiple sources for the latest news, trends, tactics, and techniques. He provides a weekly in review from many points of the compass and from many sources; he reads it so you don’t have to. Also a sort read, but with the intent to stimulate thoughts over the weekend when we are not at work.
Friday Thought Leadership
“Part of true success is understanding that there’s something bigger and more important than ourselves.” Marcia Ann Gillespie Team Hope spent this past week in Chattanooga at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Society of Human Resources Managers (SHRM). We had great engagement in many areas of individual and team development with numerous Human Resources …
Friday Thought Leadership
“Do it now! You become successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal.” Samuel Insull You know you want change in your life. You know you want professional growth and personal growth, two of your internal goals. But you are not moving forward. Are you procrastinating? Are you stuck? Are you afraid? Are …
Friday Thought Leadership
Friday Thought Leadership. “In naval leadership training, officers are taught that any decision that comes to the Captain will not be made on facts; otherwise, it would have already been made at lower levels. So the Captain’s job is to make the decision on the basis of principles and to be decisive.” Dean LeBaron What …
Friday Thought Leadership
Friday Thought Leadership. “Life is a book and you are its author. You determine its plot and pace and you – and only you – turn its pages.” Beth Mende Conny Life took some scary twists and turns for Team Hope this week. We lost a car and some possessions all of which are replaceable. …
Friday Thought Leadership
“A leader who displays and acts with integrity can’t do so 99 percent of the time and still serve as an example. It’s 100 percent or nothing when it comes to illustrating for others what we hope they will emulate.” Reference: “What Does It Really Mean To Lead By Example?” (Admired Leadership Field Notes, Admired …
Friday Thought Leadership
“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” Henry David Thoreau The two main tenants for Performance Coaches are “do not judge” and “actively listen.” Both of these were challenging in my transition out of the Army and into coaching. Military officers …
Friday Thought Leadership
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.” GEN Norman Schwarzkopf Character is defined as “your moral structure,” the “crown of a moral life,” and referred to as a “morale structure,” something you built through virtuous behavior. ChatGPT defines “the elements of character” as: Loyalty: …
Friday Thought Leadership
“The moment avoiding failure becomes your motivator you are down the path of inactivity. You stumble only if you’re moving.” Roberto Goizueta The immediate response for fight, flight, or freeze dwells in our ancient brains. Worst case scenario, to freeze meant you were some creature’s next meal. Fighting or fleeing are deliberate acts of motion …
Friday Thought Leadership
“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” Roy E. Disney It has been a troubling week, and I do my best to be apolitical. Two core values that are near and dear to me come from my West Point education. Value Number 1: Honor. The Cadet Honor Code states simply, “A …
Friday Thought Leadership
Friday Thought Leadership. “Adversity is an opportunity for heroism.” Marv Levy. This caught my eye this week. Coach Levy is a man of great quotes. He is one of my references for inspiration. Did you have a hard week? A frustrating week? A week of self-doubt? It’s called adversity. We all face it. And overcoming …
Friday Thought Leadership
“Follow your interests, get the best available education and training, set your sights high, be persistent, be flexible, keep your options open, accept help when offered, and be prepared to help others.” Mildred Dresselhaus What a great quote and even greater advice. Get the best education and training. One of the best human resource tools …
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Friday Thought Leadership. “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Dirty Harry Are you stuck? Are you lost? Or are you desiring more self-awareness and education? More and more, businesses and teams are turning to the use of assessments to dig deeper into themselves and learn. I am a certified trainer on many assessments, but …
Previous FTL
The Inner Core drives the Outer Core… what the world sees of you. These two concepts should be twin stakes in the ground for your character.. and your personal and professional behavior. I have embedded them in my Inner Core. I challenge you to embed them as well. They will never fail you! It all …
Previous FTL
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work. Rather, teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery Next week, be the provider of the vision and how the team is part of that vision. Have a …
Previous FTL
“If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on everything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.” Margaret Thatcher Your inner core contains your self-concept and your elements of character. A strong inner core means you will be true to your beliefs, values, and references. Review those three …
Previous FTL
“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” Steve Jobs Your inner core drives your outer core. Look below at the components of the inner core. Even Steve Jobs brilliance and creativity were tempered by the elements of his core. Do some deep thinking this weekend about YOUR inner core and …
Previous FTL
The third ring of the Inner Core contains thoughts, emotions, and behavior tendencies… a related trifecta that percolates up from self-concept and elements of character. Do you words (and actions) reflect the best of your thoughts and emotions? Next week let your thoughts be grounded in a better you.
Previous FTL
Character. No, not a cartoon figure, but the inner essence of great leaders and great leadership. My mentor John Mattone identifies 6 key elements of character: Courage, Loyalty, Diligence, Modesty, Honesty, and Gratitude. The elements of character drive your beliefs, which drive your behavioral tendencies that the world sees. Are you anchored in elements of …
Previous FTL
“I believe that by knowing what I value, I truly know what I want.” What do you really value? Your ethics? Your character? Your honor? Your selfless service? Your inner core drives your outer core. Do your values show on the outside; the positive virtues that set you apart as a leader… and as an …
Previous FTL
Two items of your Inner Core and opposite sides of the same coin. One side: Integrity. You own it; only you can give it away. Side Two: Respect. They own it; only they can give it away to you. Integrity and respect are two currencies you work with. Did you earn respect this week? Did …
Previous FTL
References. Who were/are your heroes? In Nashville of course, they’re cowboys. What it is about your own heroes that you admired? Brave? Daring? Charismatic? Fighters of evil? They are some of the references in your inner core. Take the positives from your heroes and emulate them. Lead the way!
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Fact: The Inner Core Drives the Outer Core! Look closely at the 9 components of the Outer Core! All of them are related to leadership and leadership abilities. Before we look up and out as leaders, we have to look in and down. You must look into your Inner Core before you can make positives …
Previous FTL
I wrote an article this week on Corporate Culture for a local Nashville outlet. Just like a personal leadership journey, corporate culture begins with the Inner Core. Corporate Vision, Mission, Core Values, Ethics, and Operating Principals are formed and codified from the Inner Core. The Inner Core drives the Outer Core…. What the world sees. …
Previous FTL
“As leaders, we are not only responsible for our own success, but for cultivating the success of the next generation.” Susan Collins We certainly want the very best future of our children and we want to leave them a better world for our parenting and leadership. That is why the elements of your Inner Core …
Previous FTL
Your character traits are based on your personality, morals, ethics and beliefs. Knowing your best character traits can help you to develop them further and use them to your advantage in your career, from writing a compelling resume or cover letter to requesting a promotion.” https://lnkd.in/eG8HzeN At the heart of your Inner Core are the …
Previous FTL
There are two times every year I stop and reflect on my chosen career: Memorial Day and the anniversary of the Gander plane crash. From my Inner Core, I have been committed to Duty, Honor, and Country. From my Inner Core, I have been committed to legal, moral, and ethical. I have always been committed …
Previous FTL
“Never give an order that can’t be obeyed.” GEN Douglas MacArthur A large part of your Inner Core consists of “behavior tendencies.” These tendencies originate in your Self Concept and in your Beliefs. We tend to act on the basis of what our deep Inner Core tells us. In strategic and tactical leadership, this quote …
Previous FTL
Kristi and I returned to the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) this week to conduct a 2-day Leadership Workshop. Thank you IC, IC staff, and attendees. Leadership starts with your Inner Core, your self-concept, your character, your beliefs, values, emotions. It is always enlightening to observe the “ah-ha” moments with the attendees. Your Inner Core Drives …
Previous FTL
“Integrity is all about having a high level of honesty. When someone takes responsibility for their actions, you know that they are an honest person. It’s not always easy to take responsibility for things that happen, but it is the right thing to do. People with integrity choose to do the right thing, even when …
Previous FTL
From Rotary International. The four-way test of what we think, say, or do: First – Is it the truth? Second – Is it fair to all concerned? Third – Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Fourth – Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Such a simple test, yet it embodies all the elements …
Previous FTL
“If you don’t love it leave it, let this song I’m singing be a warning: If you’re talking down my country man you’re walking on the fighting side of me.” Merle Haggard What do you value? What do you believe? What are your references? Happy 4th of July from Nashville y’all.
Previous FTL
Leadership is a state of mind and a way of life, not something that one turns on or off.” Steve Adams Because you cannot turn your Inner Core on or off. It is what it is, but with reflection and commitment, elements of your Inner Core can be changed for a more positive you. Thus …
Previous FTL
“Avoid the cowardice of silence. So-called leaders often sit on their hands when it is time to speak up. Leadership requires the courage to make waves, the courage to confront bosses when they are wrong, and the courage of one’s convictions. Every Lee needs a Longstreet.” MG Perry Smith in “Blazing Flashes of the Obvious …
Previous FTL
I am reminded of a long tradition in the military. Some person asks: “Morale check?” The answer is not printable here. It’s Friday. If you are a leader, do a mental moral check for your team or your organization. How is the moral? And who or what are your references? People join because of great …
Previous FTL
“Remember that morale always filters down from the top. It reflects the attitudes of people at every level – especially the attitudes of “supervisors” toward their own jobs and toward the people that they supervise.” Loius B. Lundburg
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“Never underestimate the power of a thank you note.” We have mostly migrated to email as a way of communication, but if something is a really big deal, I will handwrite and mail a thank you note. I learned that from Jack Welch, former CEO of GE. Team Hope has some great interactions this week …
Previous FTL
“Leadership is an attitude before it becomes an ability.” A.S. Migs Damiani Can leadership be taught? Yes, it can, and it can be further developed and coached. The key question to ask is: “Do you want to be a leader?” Enter the Inner Core element of Self Concept. During airborne school, the airborne instructors asked …
Previous FTL
Sometimes it’s not good enough to do your best; you have to do what’s required.” Winston Churchill. You have to look down and in before you can look up and out. Doing your best is what the world sees. Doing what is required comes from your Inner Core, from your self-concept, your character, your beliefs, …
Previous FTL
“I go on working for the same reason that a hen goes on laying eggs. There is in every living creature an obscure but powerful impulse to active functioning. Life demands go be lived.” Henry Louis Mencken To my comrades recently lost at Kabul Airport, Afghanistan. We who have served there, we survivors, must live …
Previous FTL
“Every action we take, everything we do, is either a victory or a defeat in the struggle to become what we want to be.” Ninon de I’Enclos The brain is hard-wired to resist change. We all attempt to establish and maintain a comfort zone. Change is stressful. Positive change requires conflict and a conscious choice …
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“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go on in.” Andrew Jackson So much goodness in this quote. We can’t control our thoughts, but we can choose what we think about. Inner Core self-concept and character drive our values and beliefs. Values and beliefs drive our thoughts. Your …
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“By centering our lives on timeless, unchanging principles, we create a fundamental paradigm of effective living. It is the center that puts all other centers in perspective.” Stephan Covey. Once again I discovered this truth during leadership development coaching. We can’t address our leadership “Outer Core” unless we first address our own Inner Core. The …
Previous FTL
Respect is not given, it is earned. Showing respect is not the same as giving respect. It is really a reflection of pity for those who have no character or integrity, even if they pretend they do. Choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong and don’t ever lower yourself to their standards. Maintain …
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“The price of greatness is responsibility.” Winston Churchill Winston Churchill is recorded in history as great because he took charge and he took responsibility as a leader in World War II. His sense of responsibility was visible in his Outer Core, but it was driven by the character, beliefs, and values of his Inner Core. …
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“Anything is possible when you believe you can… when you have a plan, and take consistent, persistent, and intentional action towards its attaimment.” Honoree Corder, Vision to Reality At the heart of your Inner Core lay your beliefs. Your beliefs flow out from your self image. If you do not belief in yourself, who will? …
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“You will become what you think about most; your success or your failure in anything, large or small, will depend on your programming – what you accept from others, and what you say to yourself.” Dr. Shad Helmsetter This book suggested to me through my International Coaching Federation (ICF) accreditation program. A really great read! …
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“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” John A Shedd I have always loved this quote. It has helped me get out of a few harbors… my comfort zones. What do you need, or what do you need to do, to leave your comfort zone? 2022 is right …
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“Hold yourself responsible to a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself – and be lenient to everybody else.” Henry Ward Beecher
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“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say, “Thank you.” In between, the leader is a servant.” Max De Pree, author of “Leadership is an Art.” Reality includes Vision, Mission, Core Values, and a current “reality check” if “how are we doing.” Work the in-between hard as a …
Previous FTL
“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” Alexander the Great There is cause for deep thinking here, from one of the most successful warrior leaders in history. He was tutored by Aristotle. What does this say about …