"In leadership, success is succession. If someone coming along behind me is not able to build take what I have offered and build on it, then I have failed..." pg. 11

Competence

"Only do what only you can do." pg. 19
"Strive for balance organizationally, but it is not realistic to strive for balance in the area of our personal leadership abilities." pg. 23
"discover your zone, stay there, and delegate everything else." pg. 24
"leadership is not always about getting things done 'right.' Leadership is about getting things done through other people." pg. 27
You are most valuable where you add the most value. - John Maxwell
Success in delegation looks like "people constantly complimenting me on facets of my organization that I have nothing to do with." pg. 42

3 projects to improve awareness of competencies

Self-evaluation
Outside evaluation
Write personal job description

Courage

Leaders go first. And going first is scary.

"Leaders must challenge the process precisely because any system will unconsciously conspire to matain the status quo and prevent change. Organizations seek an equlibrium. People in organizations seek stability. Both can be deterrents to progress because progress requires change and change is viewed as the antithesis of stability." pg. 49
"Leaders challenge what is for the sake of what could and should be." pg. 50
"A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately. It is not his insight that sets the leader apart from the crowd. It is his courage to act on what he sees, to speak up when everyone else is silent. Next generation leaders are those who would rather challenge what needs to change and pay the price than remain silent and die on the inside." pg. 51
"As leaders we are asking men and women not only to follow us to a place they have never been before; we are asking them to follow us to place we have never been before either." pg. 52
"Without courage, we will simply accumulat a collection of good ideas and regrets. A leader's regrets generally revolve around missed opportunities, not risks taken." pg. 55
"An unsuccessful enterprise is simply a lesson in things not to repeat." pg. 56

Fear versus caution

"Unfortunately, fear often disguises itself behind the mask of care. Fearful people often excuse their fear as caution."

Careful is cerebral; fearful is emotional.
Careful is fueled by information; fearful is fueled by imagination.
Careful calculates risk; fearful avoids risk
Careful wants to achieve success; fearful wants to avoid failure.
Careful is concerned about progress; fearful is concerned about protection.

"What do I believe is impossible to do in my field...but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business?" pg. 66

"What has been done is safe. But to attempt a solution to a problem that plagues an entire industry requires courage." pg. 66

"The jury is still out on whether this was a good solution - but the only way to know is to try." pg. 67

"The courage to dream always precedes the capital needed to finance the dream." pg. 68

"Don't let how intimidate you." pg. 68

Courage in action:

Courage to say NO
Courage to face current reality (retrospective meetings)
- "Leadership does not begin just with vision. It begins with getting people to confront the brutal facts and act on the implications." pg. 73
Courage to dream

Clarity

"Uncertainty is a permanent part of the leadership landscape. There will be very few occasions when you are absolutely certain about anything. You will consistently be called upon to make decisions with limited information. You must develop the art of being clear in the face of uncertainty." pg. 80

"The cost of success as a leader is greater uncertainty, not less." pg. 81

"Were we certain about the outcome? No.
Were we clear about the direction? Absolutely." pg. 82

"Decisions have to be made. Clear decisions. And those decisions, made in the intangible realm of ideas and projects, are eventually judged in the real world of revenue." pg. 85

CAUTION: "The individual in your organization who comunicate the clearest vision will often be perceived as the leader. Clarity is perceived as leadership."

"As you gain clarity, you gain influence."

Managing uncertainty:

"Clarity of vision will compensate for uncertainty in planning."
"A clear vision, one that has truly gripped our hearts, has the ability to push us through our uncertainty."
"Write your vision in ink."

Coaching

"You will never maximize your potential in any area without coaching. It is impossible. You may be good. You even be better than everyone else. But without outside input, you'll never be as good as you could be." pg. 104

Coaching versus:

Counseling: counseling focuses on the past in order to help us in the present. Coaching helps us assess the present to help us in the future.
Consulting: consulting is a short-term engagement focused on problem solving. Coaching is medium- to long-term and focused on performance enhancement.
Mentoring: coaching is mentoring, with more proactivity to it. "Good coaches function as if they have something at stake in your performance." pg. 109

Good coaches:

Observe and Evaluate- watch closely and evaluate performance "in the trenches."
Instruct and Teach- actually give advice, teach from their experience, tell stories.
Inspire- "instill in your a mental image of what could and should be true of you as a leader." pg. 122

How to engage? Ask someone to evaluate a specific facet of your leadership. Be specific. Once they begin initiating the next meeting, you've got yourself a coach. He's now moved from observing to instructing.

Areas to consider asking for input: meetings, public presentations, decision-making, visioncasting, writing, conflict resolution, personnel selection, strategic planning, budget development.

Character

"Character is the will to do what's right, even when it's hard."

"Leading with character necessitates a series of pre-decisions. As a leader you must decide ahead of time what is nonnegotiable as it relates to right and wrong."

On Moral Authority

Position vs Moral Authority: position can command people to follow you, but only moral authority causes people to lend you their hearts.

"Moral authority is established once it becomes clear to those who are watching that progress, financial reward and recognition are not the leader's gods." pg. 139

"People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision." -John Maxwell

"Every decision you make will either add to or detract from the influence you have with those who have chosen to follow you–even those decisions that are not directly related to your profession." pg. 140

"If you make the right decision and choose to embrace the consequences, you will find a level of freedom that you did not know existed." pg. 150

"To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart." pg. 152

"Your natural talent will eventually outstrip your character if you do not develop a parallel track upon which to run. To ignore the condition of your soul is the equivalent of planning to fail." pg. 153

"What do you want to be remembered for?" - write the obituary. Make it public: post it.

To Pray With My Kids: "Lord, give me the wisdom to know what's right and the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard." pg. 158

#books #books/summaries

Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley