Blue Collar Leadership

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 13 of 17. When things go wrong, managers of people are quick to "look out the window" for someone to blame and create distrust with others. However, when things go wrong, leaders of people are quick to "look in the mirror" and take the blame which builds trust with others.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 12 of 17. Managers of people look for opportunities to take the credit and create distrust with others. Leaders of people look for opportunities to give credit to others and build trust with others.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 11 of 17. Managers of people grow slowly and accidentally while avoiding growth beyond what is required. Leaders of people grow quickly and intentionally while growing far beyond what is required.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 10 of 17. Managers of people are concerned with being right and allow their pride and ego to guide them. Leaders of people are concerned with doing what is right and allow their humility to strengthen them.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 9 of 17. Managers of people avoid conflict and hope it goes away without intervention. Leaders of people use conflict to strengthen relationships while growing and developing the character of those on their team in an effort to minimize and eliminate conflict before it becomes an issue.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 8 of 17. Managers of people avoid risk and attempt to maintain the status quo. They don't rock the boat and don't want others rocking the boat. They seek comfort. Leaders of people take smart risks. They know growth occurs outside of their comfort zone. As a result, leaders become comfortable being uncomfortable. Leaders understand embracing risk is si...

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 7 of 17. Managers of people thrive on controlling people and attempt to manipulate their team. Leaders of people exhibit passion, focus on releasing people, and attempt to motivate and inspire their team.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 6 of 17. Managers of people focus on making decisions. Leaders of people focus on facilitating decision making. A totally different mindset always leads to totally different results.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 5 of 17. Managers of people get their power from the "rights" that come with their position, title, or rank. Leaders of people get their power not from formal authority, but from moral authority which based on their character and the relationships they've built.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 4 of 17. Managers believe others are there to help them accomplish their mission. Therefore, managers attempt to manipulate others for personal benefit. However, leaders believe they are there to help others accomplish their mission. As a result, leaders attempt motivate others for mutual benefit.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 3 of 17. When it comes to looking in the mirror, managers of people see themselves one way while leaders of people see themselves a total different way. They believe they have completely different roles. The mindset of a manager is to be served by the team. The mindset of a leader is to serve their team.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 2 of 17. When it comes to change, managers of people have a very different perspective than leaders of people. Managers of people avoid change and seek to maintain the status quo. Leaders of people are focused on continuous improvement which requires constant change.

Managing People vs Leading People series Part 1 of 17. Relative to vision, managers of people have a different perspective than leaders of people. Managers focus on the short term. Leaders focus on the long term.

I find it interesting that the only people I hear complaining about millennials are low impact leaders. I've never heard a high impact leader complain about millennials. Why? High impact leaders don't have a problem attracting them, leading them, or retaining them. Low impact leaders have always blamed others for their inability to lead. It's always been that way, and it will always be that way. Y...

Discover the traits of the 5 Types of Blue-Collar Leaders: Managerial, Relational, Motivational, Inspirational, and Transformational. I first wrote about the 5 Types of Leaders in my book, Defining Influence: Increasing Your Influence Increases Your Options. Be sure to checkout the audio version if you want to take a deep dive and discover how to become more intentional about increasing your authe...

It's my pleasure to share some wisdom from my personal friend and mentor, Jimmy Collins. Jimmy retired as President and COO of Chick-fil-A in 2001 when Chick-fil-A reached $1 Billion in annual sales. Today, they are at or near $8 Billion. Jimmy retired after 33 years of following Chick-fil-A's Founder, Truett Cathy. In this episode, I'll introduce you to Jimmy's great book, Creative Followership:...

In this episode, I share a great quote related to "Managing vs. Leading" by Bob Chapman who is the CEO of Barry-Wehmiller and author of Everybody Matters. He is the best example of a high impact leader at the CEO level that I'm aware of at the moment. He has raised the bar on what high impact leadership looks and feels like. Bob leads a $2 Billion global organization made up of over 10,000 team me...

A little over 10 years ago, I was leading a process improvement (kaizen) team. The goal was to clean, paint, and organize a large area in our manufacturing plant. One of my responsibilities as the team leader was to obtain the paint for the team, so they could paint the entire area on Thursday of the event week. However, I failed to get the paint on time. As a result, I chose to work overnight, a...

Leadership is more caught than taught. The two lessons I share with you in this episode were not taught to me. They were modeled for me by a fellow front line, entry-level team member in 1995. He modeled giving credit when things went right and taking the blame when things went wrong.

What you think about and the action that flows from your thoughts are far more important than anything you will read or hear. When you hear or see something that makes you think at a deeper level, don't just nod your head in agreement. Ask yourself, "How can I apply the principle in my life? And, when can I apply it?" If you want to get to the next level and beyond, you must then take action.

Secure leaders eliminate problems. Insecure leaders cause problems. To better understand secure leaders, let's look at 7 Problems Insecure Leaders Cause.

Discover the 10 Foundational Elements of Intentional Transformation: How to Become Your Best Self.

Introduction to my book, Defining Influence: Increasing your influence increases your options. Ria and I just finished up two 1/2 day workshops on this book with the US Navy in San Diego, CA. This episode is an overview of what the book is about.

Where do high impact leaders invest most of their time and energy? With low performers? Or, with high performers? And most importantly, why?

Ria and I had a great time today in San Diego, CA supporting the US Navy with two workshops on my book, "MAXIMIZE Your Potential."