Month: November 2019

Who do you see when you look into the mirror?

Have you ever worked for a leader who was in the wrong role? In some situations, a leader lacks the skills and experience for the role. At other times it a personality mismatch. The leader is the wrong person for the job because of who he is. For example, I worked for one leader who was not a people person, at all. He knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it. The organization put this leader in charge of people-related activities. He floundered, and the organization suffered while this leader struggled. As you might imagine – it was painful for everyone involved.

Low morale is a direct result of poor leadership - it will infect the organization
Team morale will suffer if the leader is the wrong person.

It is tough working for a leader with the wrong personality

Another time I worked for a leader who was a complete disaster. My army unit was deployed and our commander was fired for a lack of judgment in personal matters. That is a nice way of saying he was sleeping with one of his subordinates. A horrific mistake for any leader to make. The unit went into complete turmoil as a result of the poor personal decisions this commander made. His wife did not deal well with the news.

Lance Armstrong confesses to Oprah that he cheated to win.
It is hard for a leader to recover from serious personal problems.

The leader who replaced him was well suited for the job

Shortly after a new commander was sent to lead our unit. This commander arrived and immediately went about the task of restoring morale to the organization. She was a people person. She visited everyone in our unit and let them know everything was going to be okay. Troops listened to her and trusted her. Morale improved rapidly. I watched in wonder as she turned around a bad situation in less than 90 days. It was a pleasure working for a leader with the perfect personality type for the situation.

Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.

John Maxwell

A novel framework for new leaders

All The Way Leadership! created a novel framework for new leaders. Fundamentally this framework communicates that it is vital for you to possess integrated integrity as a new leader. Having individual integrated integrity means that ‘who you are’ aligns with ‘what you say’ and ‘what you do’. If you do not demonstrate individual integrated integrity your team will not trust you, and your impact as a leader will be limited. We will start by discussing the all-important topic of knowing ‘who you are’.

All The Way Leadership! Individual Integrated Integrity Framework. ©2019

Three key components comprise ‘who you are’

All The Way Leadership! believes it is important for every leader to know ‘who you are’…really. Who you are as a leader is comprised mainly of three key components – your personality, your strengths/weaknesses, and your expertise. Figuring out your personality is the topic of this blog. It is not difficult to do. Your strengths/weaknesses and expertise as a leader will be addressed in future posts. For now, let’s focus on who do you see when you look in the mirror. What type of person are you?

Who do you see when you look into the mirror?

A tool to discover your personality

It is important that you truly understand ‘who you are’ as a leader. Not who others think you are, but who you really are. What is your personality? How are you wired? I am a big fan of diagnostic tools. They are a great source of data for personal growth. When it comes to personality tests the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an excellent starting point. There are other tools available, but I recommend the MBTI first. This website (https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test) allows you to identify your MBTI for free. The site also provides a detailed description of each personality type. It is well worth reading through your results.

There are 16 MBTI personality types.
There are 16 MBTI personality types. This chart shows them all.

Why All The Way Leadership! recommends this personality test

All The Way Leadership! recommends that all leaders take the MBTI test so that you know your personality type. Some people do not know their MBTI.  I did not know mine until much later in life. The earlier you identify your MBTI the better. This data point provides insight into your personality. It helps you understand what makes you tick. How you respond to certain situations. Now that you know your MBTI, spend some time reading about it. Learn more about yourself. It will help you in many ways as a leader.

Some personality types are rare like ENTJ.
Some personality types are rare like ENTJ.

Why knowing your MBTI matters

Understanding your personality can help make you more successful in many situations. Make the most of these insights. Just so it is clear – I am not saying that your MBTI is 100% accurate. After all, we are all unique. The entire human population cannot be placed into 16 specific categories. Rather All The Way Leadership! believes the MBTI helps provide you a fundamental understanding of your personality. If you want to be an effective leader, you must first know who you are.

The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.

Thales

What about you?

Do you know ‘who you are’ as a leader? Have you taken the MBTI personality test and reviewed the results. If not, then take the test and leverage the findings. If so, you will enjoy the next few blogs. We are going to explore how to leverage the MBTI as a leader to include points to ponder, tactical tips and lessons learned about this topic.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

A special Veterans Day tribute to the best leader I know

I looked over at my dad to check on him and noticed he was crying. It is not often that my father is moved to tears. He usually does not cry on veterans day. My dad, we call him Opa, is one of the toughest people I know, and he has a big heart. He cries when family members pass away. He almost cried when the Nationals won the world series. I have to confess that I was close to tears as well. What a great day.

Opa in front of the WWII memorial in Washington DC.

Veteran’s Day 2017 was a special one

My brother and I had the privilege of escorting my dad to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. Opa participated in a ceremony with his 1956 West Point classmates. Each year those who are still here gather at the wall to honor one of their classmates who perished during the war. They read the names of the fallen, share the story of one in detail, and then walk down to where the name of that person is etched on the wall to place a wreath.

My father in front of the Vietnam War memorial.

Family members of the fallen participate

It is a simple ceremony – nothing fancy. No long speeches, no politicians, no fanfare. Just a small group of veterans honoring one of their own. It was one of the most powerful Veteran’s Day events I have ever witnessed. I can understand why my dad cried during the ceremony. I teared up more than once while there. Below are some pictures from that special day.

Kicking off the informal ceremony for the USMA class of 1956.

Visiting the wall is difficult for many veterans like my dad

I am really glad that Opa was brave and decided to participate in the ceremony. He usually does not. My dad is a Vietnam veteran. He served three tough tours there. He lost a lot of friends in the war. Visiting the wall is a draining event for him. It is an emotional one. The wall reminds him of the war, battles fought, lives lost, and the complicated aftermath.

My brother and Dad read names on the wall.

Many veterans thrived after Vietnam

Fortunately, my father was able to return to the states and live a healthy and productive life after the war. My brother and I are the direct beneficiaries of my dad’s ability to put the war behind him and fulfill the American dream – to provide for your children so that they have an even better life than the one you lived. I have the same dream for my sons and will do all that I can to make that happen. I want them to have a better life than mine. The reason veterans fight is for a better tomorrow.

Several of my dad’s classmates went on to be generals.

Veteran’s Day is for telling stories

My dad is a generous person, and always willing to help others in need. I have experienced this first hand as his son and witnessed it as he interacts with others. I saw another example of it during this ceremony. After we walked down to the wall Opa called over one of the family members who attended. He was the grown son of a fallen classmate. He is probably my age, or maybe even a little bit older. My dad let this family member know that he was good friends with his father many years ago. Opa shared a funny story that the man had never heard before.

Veteran’s catching up and telling stories.

Veteran’s know stories that family members need to hear

Dad proceeded to tell this son of his fallen classmate about his father. What his dad was like as a man. How he was a strong, smart, and brave soldier. Opa thought the world of his classmate and was very sad when he learned about the untimely death of his good friend. My father was emotional – his eyes welled up with tears. Fond memories mixed with painful blasts from the past. It was a difficult thing for my dad to do, but he did it anyway. Opa gave this man a special gift that morning. The gift of knowing that his own dad was a great man. Afterward, the man thanked Opa for his service, and more importantly for letting him know about his father.

Opa talking to son of fallen classmate
Opa telling a story to the son of a fallen classmate – the gift of memories.

Thank you to all veterans

It is impossible to calculate the toll war takes on a nation, especially its veterans. So it is important that we honor those who have served. The brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. They deserve our respect and gratitude. My father is from a generation that fought an unpopular war, in an unknown part of the world, for reasons that are still somewhat of a mystery to this day. It was tough, but he and his generation did their part.

From this day to the end of time, without our being remembered: we few, we happy few, we band of brothers—for whoever sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother. However humble his birth, this day shall grant him nobility.

Henry V by William Shakespeare

Today’s veterans deserve our thanks

Nowadays our country remains entangled in a long war that has cost our nation dearly. Today’s veterans face many of the same challenges that my dad and his classmates did many years ago. One day many years from now they too will gather together and talk about the wars they fought. As for you – do your part. If you see any veterans – thank them for their service. They deserve it, just like my dad.

More stories about fellow veterans.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!