Welcome to the first edition of the Higher Road Leaders newsletter. Higher Road Leaders are values driven people who choose to lead others by their actions not their words. Higher Road Leaders are people who choose to make a positive difference in every life they touch. They are people who know their strengths and weaknesses and are able to identify when their own personality or motives get in the way of serving others effectively. Higher Road Leaders know they can always learn something and never believe they have arrived. Are you a Higher Road Leader?

The Traps of Success-Part 1

In my coaching work, I find it more difficult to coach and teach successful people. Most people are only open to coaching when things are going bad, not when things are good. One of the key characteristics of successful leadership is one's ability to realize when a change of course is needed. There are many good reasons why successful people don’t see an immediate need to change.

Mr. Marshall Goldsmith reports research that shows successful people believe they are doing what they choose to do because they choose to do it. They are self determined people committed to their path and their goal and are not easily sidetracked. Persistence and focus are key factors in achieving goals and becoming successful. People who change too easily or readily can be seen as wishy-washy or lacking commitment. These strengths can become a devastating trap if one is not careful. read on….

The Trap: A person's personal commitment can make it hard for them to change when they need to. Many a business case study has been written companies whose leaders were so committed to the goal they missed or denied key market shifts that ultimately placed them out of the running for new business or put them out of business all together. Self determination in combination with an unhealthy dose of pride and ego can ruin the ultimate success of any venture.

How does one guard against falling into this trap?

1) Surround yourself with talented people you respect who will tell you the truth and who don’t always agree with you.

2) Listen to them!

3) Humble yourself and admit you could be mistaken. You might have missed key details or you made a decision too late for the present course to work.

4) Don't dwell on the past, take appropriate action.

There are three other traps of success that will be covered in future newsletters...stay tuned!

Research for this article was taken from the book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith.

 

Effectively Leading Kids in Youth Sports

 Research shows that one of the most significant people in a child's life outside of their parents, is a coach. Coaches have a tremendous opportunity to sow seeds of confidence and character into every child’s life. Whether you have been coaching for years or are just getting started, here are some key points to think about in getting yourself and your team off to a good start.

1) Evaluate your motives for coaching. Why you are coaching? Why this age group? What are my goals for the time I have with these kids?

2) Talk to the parents of each kid on your team and understand why the parents want their child to play organized sports. Understanding a parent's motives will help you determine whether their goals are the same as yours. If not, you have a potential for conflict. Partnering with parents early in the season will make for a less time managing them and more time managing practice.

3) Most importantly, ask your players what they want to accomplish. When you take the time to do this, you teach kids a valuable skill of goal setting. Helping a child understand what it takes for them to reach their goal sets them up for understanding why practice and drills are important.

When all is said and done, the best coaches help others achieve their goals and celebrate along side them in their success. That is the ultimate gift any coach can receive, experiencing the satisfaction of seeing the excitement on a kid's face when they accomplish a goal and knowing you helped prepare another person for the challenges of life as they grow older.

For more practical tips on coaching kids, check out the new book "I Just Want To Play". It is full of practical tips for effectively coaching kids and working with parents in Youth Sports.

Do Self Help Principles Apply To Christian Leaders?

 One day in 2005, I was conducting a performance coaching session with a manager of a Fortune 500 company. We talked about his personality traits, how he could leverage his strengths more effectively and feel more satisfied with the work he was gifted to do. We talked about thinking positively and visualizing an outcome that placed him in a higher level position than where he was at the time. By the time we were finished working together, a well defined plan of action was put in place and both parties walked away feeling very good about the experience, until I got out to the parking lot. Then it hit me, actually the Lord hit me. He asked me "How can you have these great conversations with people and leave out the main ingredient? Me! Basically, what the Lord showed me was I only taught this manager how to work in his own abilities, which is the main flaw of most "self help" theories.

I helped this manager understand his natural tendencies through valid psychological tools. I helped him learn how to use that information to work more effectively with other people. We did not talk about he could effectively serve other people. We talked a lot about his mind and how to control his thoughts which is another focus of self help teachings. We spoke not a word about his heart and what was driving his motives and desires.

Now I could legitimately argue the vast majority of companies I work with are secular and discussions of spiritual matters like God or Jesus are a violation of policy or a function of separation of church and state. Political correctness is the reality when content is decided upon in leadership development classes. With that in mind, what is a Christian leader to do? Not attend the classes offered? No, there is valid information being shared that can help. The Christian leader knows that self help and psychology will only get them so far. Christian leaders know they must supplement their learning with biblical truth regarding leadership, personality gifts, occupational choices, motives and behaviors. God's word trumps Maslow, Jung and all the other great psychologists who have contributed to the understanding of natural human behavior and thoughts and

Higher Road Leaders is dedicated to providing this supplemental education for Christian leaders at any level and in any occupation through the Higher Road Leaders Personal Success Series. click here to learn more