Resources to Help Prepare You for a Leadership Role

Blog Resources to Help Prepare You for a Leadership Role
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Steve Scherer

Sep 20, 2021

Preparing for a Leadership Role: Top Resources

Preparing for a leadership role is a huge responsibility. Many of the leadership lessons I learned came from consuming content from inspiring leaders who prepared me for new challenges ahead. Here are some of the top resources that have helped me to develop better leadership skills.

You Fall to Your Highest Level of Preparation

Stepping into my role as the VP of Sales at CCB Technology, I knew I was taking on a role that exceeded my ability. I’ve heard it said that “you fall to your highest level of preparation” and so I began absorbing as much advice as I could. My goal wasn’t (and still isn’t) to just be known as an excellent leader. I want to be someone worthy of having followers.*

*Clarification: when I say followers I’m not talking about social media influencer-type followers. I’m talking about people that look to me as a leader. And not primarily because of a title that changed – but because of influence.

Over a nine-month span, I read/listened to 13 books, tuned into 100s of hours of podcasts, and had several face-to-face discussions regarding leadership and how to not mess it up. Quickly I learned that no one has it all figured out, but I also learned that these resources were going to be invaluable for me.

But the most impactful/valuable/lifesaving resource wasn’t a book or a podcast.

It was having a mentor.

My advice is: get one. If you have questions about mentorship, we’ve got a podcast that will help. Episode 72 – Mentorship with Jon Nelson.

Here are a few books and podcasts that I’ve found particularly helpful in my first year as an executive.

1. The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

Listen while you’re on a run or walk in the morning. And make sure you send yourself an email with notes because you’ll love this content. Craig brings practical application for parenting, running a business, serving at a non-profit, and being a healthy human. This is one of my favorites.

2. Entreleadership, book, and podcast

This has been the knowledge base I’ve referred the most to people this year. To me, the Entreleadership podcast is one of the most content-rich I’ve found. It’s an interview style format focusing exclusively on excellence in leadership. Their tagline is “of leaders, by leaders, and for leaders”. The book was written by Dave Ramsey and is what the podcast was born out of. Definitely worth the time of any entrepreneur, executive or someone aspiring to be. It’s a holistic approach to leading people with stories of how Dave failed & stumbled forward to land where he is today.

3. Never Split Difference-Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It, book

No matter how well you prepare, there will inevitably be surprises in life. This seems especially true when goals are big, and the stakes are high. In his book, Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator and founder of Black Swan Group, outlines negotiation tactics that he used during his 24-year tenure with the FBI as a hostage negotiator. Yes – part of being a leader is negotiating.

We had a member of Chris Voss’ team, Derek Gaunt, on our podcast and bought him back for a more in-depth webinar. Podcast Episode #28 – Leading Like a Hostage Negotiator. Webinar Understanding Tactical Empathy.

3. Building a Storybrand, book, and podcast (the podcast is now called Business Made Simple)

Star Wars, Tommy Boy, and just about any other movie follow the same line of storytelling – and we love it! Donald Miller works through the ‘Storybrand framework’ in his book and teaches us how to tell a story that will keep people listening. Humor, practical application, and genuine approachability come across in both the book and the podcast.

My favorite line from Don is, “If you confuse, you’ll lose. Noise is the enemy and creating a clear message is the best way to grow your business.” This is how he starts every podcast and the theme is continued throughout each episode. A major takeaway I’ve gotten from Storybrand is, “The key is to be seen, heard and understood”.

Self-reflection and some social experimenting revealed that most people didn’t understand what CCB did after talking with me. The uncomfortable next question was, “Does that mean my team isn’t communicating clearly either?” *gulp*

5. The Ideal Team Player, book

Business books can be painstakingly boring. This book isn’t. Patrick Lencioni lays out a fable of a family business going through a transition of leadership. It’s written in a way that helps the reader learn along with the characters instead of being in a lecture hall with a professor. (Spoiler alert!!) Here are the ingredients for an ideal team player: Humble, Hungry, Smart. Don’t worry, I knew the punchline before I got the book as well and it made reading the book even better.

How do these work together? All in equal portions? What questions should be asked to know if someone’s an ideal team player? Wait…am I an ideal team player? *eyes shifting around the room, palms sweating a little*

Change can be crazy hard

Most of us will need a ton of help in preparing for a leadership role if we’re going to be successful. Some things I’ve learned are I MUST surround myself with people that complement my weaknesses. I HAVE to ask colleagues ‘how am I doing?’ and then listen to uncomfortably honest responses. I HAD BETTER learn from others who are further ahead than I am. If I don’t…it’s a matter of time before pride will creep in and I’ll be off course. So the leader goes, so the team, organization, the family goes.

True story: I recently went to a friend and asked for feedback about starting a podcast, the response was priceless. “Having a podcast is this generation’s lower-back tattoo.” After wiping the tears from my eyes because of laughter I read more of the email and realized I now have to go through with it. (Then I moved the email to my ‘Bad Day’ folder for future use.)

Leadership Resources & Community

We were created for community and leadership can be isolating. As you step into a new role or undertake a new assignment, know this—you’re not alone. Impact of Leadership exists to equip, connect, and grow you. And have fun along the way.

Become a member of the IOL Community today! Our Promises

Connect with me on LinkedIn and check out IOL on YouTube & LinkedIn

Listen to episode #84 with Sarah Sloyan talking about her unlikely career path

The last thing I’ve got for you is something I was told and find encouragement in.
“No one becomes a great leader overnight. Be patient with yourself and take the next step in the right direction.

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My wife and I have been attending a six-week parenting class at our church. Even though we’ve been parents for over eleven years, we’ve got a lot to learn. We have three boys and one girl; ages range from eleven to five. It’s a lot. It’s wonderful. It’s challenging. And time slips away like water in your hand. Being a parent is more important than anything you do at the office. To keep that idea going, the following are a few inexpensive ideas to help us in our parenting. Presence I had the greatest interruption of my adult life on a recent Friday afternoon. One of my best friends showed up at my door unannounced. He lives in Washington D.C. I live in WI. The 40 minutes together were so sweet. We smashed as much as we could in that conversation. Why did it feel like I’d not talk to Troy for another year? I could text or call him anytime. And why was it such an enriching moment in my day? (Outside of not expecting it) He was here. We were together. My very good friend was at my house. We were focused on the conversation. The only distraction was the limited time we had. As parents, our presence can not be understated. Much like the difference between a text exchange and a friend at your door, our kids need us WITH them. Ideas: Put your phone away Weekly alone time, just you and the child A surprise visit to your kid’s school Take them out a few hours early? Here’s a quote Troy dropped on me during our time together. “The essence of parenting is presence.” -Kevin Vanhooser Fun Kids must see their parents laugh, be silly and enjoy simple games. One of the main reasons I believe this is that fun aids in building relationships. It communicates something words sometimes can’t. Fun knits conversations together and becomes a pattern of interaction. As parents, we know it’s not all fun and games. It’s a ton of correction, guidance, and discipline. Relationship precedes effective discipline. Ideas: Dinner time, play the question card game Or Pieface BirthDATE = special night Monthly The date is of the child’s birthDAY Stay up later, eat something sweet, watch a movie, play a game Mini “Yes Day” I am not advocating for an all out yes day like the movie...that’s cra cra Dollar amount, timeframe, parameters Family movie night! Weekly/monthly Rotate who gets to pick Structure The creativity of your child will not be damaged by you setting boundaries. Mary Shelly--words and ideas to produce Frankenstein. Jackson Pollak--paint and a canvas to produce paintings. Stevie Wonder-- notes, time signatures, and instruments to produce music. Christopher Nolan--180 minutes or less to convey an epic story. I’m oversimplifying to make a point. These creators all have restrictions. The rules of their craft don’t dampen their creativity. The rules of your family don’t have to damage your child's creativity. One functional way to look at boundaries for our kids is to establish routines. Routines give comfort to children because they know what to expect. And they know what’s expected of them. I’m not saying routines will spark creativity. My point is that structure/boundaries/restrictions/routines don’t have to result in impeding creativity. Ideas: “Books before breakfast.” My buddy Ryan does this with his kids No TV, video games, or toys before breakfast It doesn't mean they MUST read before breakfast Bedtime Starts at *enter specific time* Read, sing a song, ask one animal question, say a prayer...etc. Celebrating Saturday Doughnuts, chocolate chip pancakes, or some other goodness Mom gets to sleep in; coffee and breakfast brought to her by the kids Pajamas all-day Take what you like, leave what you don’t. Soak up the kid years; they’ll be gone before the work years are. NEED MORE? Hire us to speak at your next event Check out our library of 100+ podcasts aid in your growth as a leader! Go to our YouTube and LinkedIn pages for more encouraging content.

Happy New Year. Now Fire Yourself!

My dad taught me that it’s important to fire yourself at the end of the year, wait 10 seconds, soak up that horrible feeling, and then rehire yourself. Why in the world would my dad tell me to do this each year? Give yourself a scare and new outlook. It’s better to pretend to fire yourself before it happens for real. Now strategize! What would you do differently if you were fired and rehired for the same job? You can’t grow to greater success if you don’t look at your failures and change them. Yes, my dad could have been a Jedi Knight because he motivated himself and others through mind games. Most of those mind games made him and others extremely successful. I thought he was crazy when I was younger. Now I try to do everything he taught me. It’s better to pretend to fire yourself before it happens for real. When people get comfortable, they can become lazy, which can lead to poor results. Poor results can eventually lead to one being fired. Don’t wait for that awkward and regrettable moment. I’ve never met anyone that enjoys losing. Go ahead and make that awkward firing moment happen on your terms. Write yourself a termination letter and put reasons behind it. Punch yourself in the gut(words not literally) and make it hurt so you can learn. What would you do differently if you were fired and rehired for the same job? It’s so important to motivate yourself to think about new strategies to prevent becoming comfortable. You want to drive in better results every year, but you don’t change anything. How is that working for you? Nothing changes if nothing changes! If you had a record-breaking year…good for you…now get over it. No one cares what you did yesterday, last year, or five years ago. Business is about what you produce month-over-month and year-over-year. People don’t get fired because they are growing. People get fired when they get lazy or stop taking initiative to learn. How can you continue to push yourself to prove to everyone you are not playing it safe? What must you do to grow your success? ACTION ITEM: Take 15 minutes and make a strategic list. Make sure you put these strategies into practice by putting each one on your calendar. You can’t grow to greater success if you don’t look at your failures and change them. No Time Management Your day is chaos. You feel no control in your day. You feel like nothing ever gets done that you want. Poor Communication You hold people to expectations that you did not share with them. People don’t live in your head. Use your words! No routine Schedule your work duties, and don’t get distracted. Give yourself time to think. Make sure to take PTO and recharge your batteries. Boring Meetings No one is excited to be there. No conflict. Watching the minutes for it to end. Talk Too Much – Poor Listening Don’t dominate the conversation. Make sure you shut your mouth and open your ears to hear what others have to say. Show respect to others by listening. Too Many Excuses For Missing Deadlines Nothing is worse than a boss demanding deadlines but the boss lives by double standards. Get your work finished on time. Set the bar with your actions. No Humility Say the words “I’m sorry!” and “It’s my fault!” No one wants to follow a leader who is arrogant and full of pride. Lack of Passion Zap your heart and get excited about your work. No one wants to follow someone who is lukewarm or passive. No Accountability You need someone who will speak TRUTH into you. Make sure to ask others how you are doing and listen to their advice. Broken Trust With Failed Promises Let your YES be YES and your NO be NO. Follow through on your commitments, and show up in mind, body and spirit when you arrive. Need more? Book us to speak at your next event, and we’ll light it up! Check out our YouTube and LinkedIn pages for more encouraging content. If you’re looking to take your growth as a leader to the next level, we’ve got you covered. Join the Impact of Leadership Community today!