Three important skills that, if developed, can produce outsized results.

Several years ago, in a cohort I led with leaders, a younger leader said that he doesn't have time to get his job done because of all the distractions from those he leads. 

A wise more experienced leader said to this younger leader "The job is the people. When you are 'dealing' with people, that is the job." 

As a leader, your focus must be the people you lead.

Yes, there are other responsibilities and tasks that you are accountable for...but none more important than leading people.

With this being said, I think there are three important skills to develop as a leader.

These three things are not usually thought of as skills and we rarely think to practice/work on them. 

However, practicing and growing in these important skills can produce outsized results and a huge ROI.

These three skills are:

+ Question asking

+ Storytelling

+ Encouragement

Question asking

When we learn to ask better, more thoughtful questions, a whole new world opens up to us.

+When we ask better questions, we gain insights from and about those we lead.

+When we ask better questions, we gain influence from those we lead.

+When we ask better questions, we learn things. 

+When we ask better questions, we help those we lead learn at a higher and deeper level.

+When we ask questions (vs just telling), we get buy in from those we lead.

Story telling

When we are intentional about telling stories, it unleashes a power in our people and organizations.

+When we tell stories, we move the human heart.

+When we tell stories, we help those we lead gain greater clarity of our message.

+When we tell stories, we paint a more vivid picture of the message we are trying to communicate.

+When we tell stories, we help those we lead remember what we said at a drastically higher rate.

Encouragement

When we learn to and are intentional about encouraging others, we are blowing in the sails of our people. 

+When we encourage those we lead, we actually give them courage.

+When we encourage those we lead, we give them fuel for higher performance

+When we encourage those we lead, we get more of the behaviors that lead to success.

+When we encourage those we lead, we move people from compliance to commitment...from 'have to' to 'get to'.

We often are looking for a life or leadership 'hack'. I am not sure I believe in 'hacks', but these three skills are about as close to a leadership 'hack' as I have seen!

CLICK here to order my book The Leadership Greenhouse

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One of my weekly disciplines is scouring the internet for articles/tweets I can learn from and/or use with those I work with. Below are two that I hope help encourage and equip you.

Article 1- Developing in the face of adversity

Article 2- Awesome metaphors!

Podcast: Keeley Hagen, Soccer coach at Colorado State. Super sharp!

Three Ways I Can Help:

1 on 1's - A powerful solution to combat the isolation and loneliness that often accompanies leadership. Leading with excellence can be an uphill battle, but you don't have to face it alone. My 1-on-1 coaching is designed to be your trusted thought partner, offering thought-provoking, perspective-enhancing questions that ignite fresh insights and clarity. Together, we will delve into the depths of your leadership role, helping you gain a profound understanding of yourself and your program. Our personalized approach ensures that each session is tailored to meet your specific needs and goals.

Here is a testimony from a 1 on 1 client: "Travis has helped me become a better leader. Travis has helped me organize my thoughts and has given me so much clarity on how to lead on a day to day basis. There is no doubt that he is the biggest asset to my leadership and has reenergized my coaching style." Jeff Duncan, Head Baseball Coach, Kent State

Training Day - During this transformative experience, I will guide you through the essential principles that lay the foundation for an elite environment in your program. Our approach is entirely interactive, ensuring an engaging and dynamic learning journey for all participants.

The Tribe - What are your pain points? What do you need to do to become a better leader? To create a better environment? Join a group of like-minded coaches who get together (via Zoom) every 2nd and 4th Monday to discuss and work through principles and frameworks to help you become a better leader.