Leadership First

"When people feel safe enough to raise their hands and say, "I made a mistake" or "I need some help." The leader has created an environment where people feel safe to be themselves.” When employees are scared to make mistakes, they become preoccupied with protecting themselves from the forces within the company as opposed to helping the leadership protect the company from forces externally. How do you know when someone doesn’t feel safe in their organization? If you have to email your manager after every conversation or meeting, you know a CYA, then the company’s culture is so toxic it shouts NOT SAFE, everyone for themselves. If someone is so focused on “covering themselves,” people don’t feel safe in that company. If there’s a lack of inherent trust and your company is more concerned about getting a doctor’s note to justify your absence from work rather than asking about your health and what they can do for you. This clearly shows that you’re only a commodity; you are not valuable and not safe. Great leaders create an environment where their people can become the very best version of themselves because great leaders know it’s never about them; it’s all about the people they serve. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “The Inspirational Leader, Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible. “This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/upoYlX Explore our audiobook version, available on popular platforms like: -Spotify -Apple Books -Google Play #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

Stay positive. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

Great leaders are great listeners. Being a leader should not be viewed as a license to increase the volume of rhetoric. Astute leaders know there is far more to be gained by surrendering the floor than by dominating it. Show me a leader who doesn’t recognize the value of listening to others, and I’ll show you a train wreck in the making. According to Mark Graban, I’ve heard leaders complain that “my employees won’t speak up.” Instead of labeling them as bad or uncaring employees, these same leaders should maybe look in the mirror and ask themselves how their people ended up that way. Listening is a core aspect of what Toyota calls “Respect for People?” but many people in leadership positions don’t listen; they may be hearing, but they are not listening. While some may be impressed with how well you speak, the right people will be impressed with how well you listen. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

A newly minted CEO held a meeting with his executive team to discuss the company’s growth. One of the CEO’s direct reports recommended how the company can grow its market share. The CEO, listening very attentively, was clueless about his manager’s suggestion; he wondered, “Should I ask a question? If I do ask, that will reveal my lack of knowledge, and I may appear incompetent.” In today’s world, the executive’s job is no longer to command and control but to cultivate and coordinate others’ actions at all organizational levels. Only when leaders see themselves as incomplete, having both strengths and weaknesses, will they be able to compensate for their missing skills by relying on others. Most CEOs believe that “not knowing” will somehow send their staff a signal that the leader is somehow inept. However, leaders cannot be all things to all people. This is why building great teams with the expertise to help the organization fulfill its purpose is not a sign of weakness but a strategic move that empowers the team and the leader. Remember, leadership is not about you; it’s about all people: inspiring, developing, and genuinely caring for people to become the very best versions of themselves. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate. When toxic employees' negative behaviors are tolerated, they can have a hugely detrimental effect on the company's culture, decrease collaboration between teams, affect how customers are treated, and so on. People in leadership positions often look for a quick fix, but it’s not that simple. It’s easy to blame the hiring process or one individual employee, but unfortunately, the buck stops with you as the person in the leadership position. You need to take full responsibility for your department or organization's low morale and urgently address the situation before all the good employees leave and the toxic remains. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

You deserve the very best. #giffordthomas #leadershipfirst

You shouldn't let guilt hold you back from going after what you truly want in life. Remember, this is your life, and it's important to make the most of it while you have the opportunity. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

You can only grow as a leader if you embrace new challenges, face your fears, overcome something difficult, or do something you’ve never done before. To achieve the highest form of success, you must embrace the prospect of failure. Whether you are a renowned business owner, executive, politician, father, mother, writer, priest or pastor, I assure you that no one is without mistakes, and I am 100% sure they have failed countless times before. To become one of the greats of leadership, you must be comfortable with things going wrong sometimes because everything will not always go according to plan. You must get comfortable with being uncomfortable to continue your leadership growth because the best things in life are often found outside your comfort zone. Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

Leaders are called upon to make countless decisions; sometimes, things inevitably go wrong. Many leaders may see admitting a mistake as a sign of weakness, but the opposite is true in many instances. A true leader is one who is humble enough to admit their mistakes. Admitting your errors has the potential to strengthen your relationships with your team. Admitting your mistakes communicates in a powerful way that you believe in the relationships you’ve developed. People around you need to know that you are human. They need to know you have the trust in them and in your own leadership to say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t handle XYZ well. I take full responsibility. Here’s what we need to do to get things right and back on track…” The sign of a superior leader is not that they avoid making mistakes; it’s that when they do, they are humble enough to admit it and learn from them. Credits: Steve Adubato, PhD Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership

Don’t react; respond. It is mostly our reaction that gives power to negative situations or negative comments by people. If we don’t react, then these situations have no power to affect us. When you take a moment to respond, you are not allowing anyone to take your power away or invoke a reaction from you. Take responsibility for your own thoughts, your own feelings, and actions. In doing so, you will no longer give your power away to forces outside yourself. When something negative comes your way, you will pause, and instead of reacting, you will RESPOND to everything and everyone. You will no longer be a victim but a person aware of your inner strength and power. Credits: Luminita D. Saviuc and Best Daily Thoughts Inspire your team with our Amazon bestseller, “Unlock the Hidden Leader: Become The Leader You Were Destined To Be.” This book has already transformed countless leaders; now it’s your turn. Click below to discover more. https://geni.us/4JmlQU #leadershipfirst #giffordthomas #leadership