Tag: Growth

Overcoming The Barriers of Empowering Others

The truth about empowerment is that it’s powerful. When a leader, schoolteacher, or parent allows those they are responsible for or have authority over to grow and expand their potential, that is exponential power!

When you empower others, you give them the license to develop and the freedom to express their talents and abilities to expand themselves and the organization. 

“Empowerment has an incredible high return” (John Maxwell,2007). Empowerment is a win-win for everyone in the organization, including the employee’s life, because it helps them find meaning and purpose in their work.

To quote John Seely Brown, an expert in organizational studies, “The job of leadership today is not just to make money, it is to make meaning.”

Research shows that when an employee finds meaning in their work, they are more productive, more energetic, and have a sense of mental and physical wellbeing.

It saddens me greatly when I come across leaders who fail to empower their employees. This creates barriers within the organization that the employee cannot overcome. If these barriers remain, people leave the organization to find other organizations where they can expand and express their talents and abilities. Hence, the Great Resignation, which dominated the headlines in 2021.  

There are three main reasons that leaders fail to empower their workers

  1. Job security
  2. Resistance to change
  3. Lack of self-worth

Job security

Fear is the big enemy of progress—fear of losing our positions or status. So, we cross our arms to growth in our lives, which affects others. We worry about ourselves and what we may lose if we help our subordinates. With this frame of mind, we believe we will become dispensable, which creates a weak leader. This leader does not value the organization; therefore, the leader becomes a liability. The truth is when you empower others; you empower yourself. This is a powerful concept; when you elevate others, you elevate yourself. Personally, it’s an exhilaration unimaginable when I see people grow into leadership positions that I once held. When you become valuable to the organization, you become indispensable.

Resistance to change

Coming up through the military ranks, I found that the military was ever-evolving, with new training, new equipment, and new policies. This was because, in the bigger picture, the world was changing, new enemies were on the rise, and threats to our national security and their militaries were introducing more sophisticated weaponry, which threatened our sovereignty as a nation. 

To stay competitive in this changing world, we had to make modifications to our forces, so a change was inevitable.

When you empower people, you encourage them to grow and innovate, as change equals progress. In the military, change was an accepted norm. To maintain the competitive edge in any organization, change is inevitable.

Effective leaders embrace change, leaders are agents of change.

Self-Worth

As a leader, if you are self-conscious about how you look or what people will think of you when you stand in front of them, you will not be an effective leader, as you do not have the confidence to lead others.

“Self-conscious people rarely become good leaders” (John Maxwell).

Throughout my life, when in leadership positions both in the military and in civilian life, I was not always well-liked, but I was fair. I always had this adage to work my way out of a job. So, when I saw a subordinate desiring more responsibility, they were mentored and trained in the next highest position. When they proved they could handle the next step, they were put in a position of authority. I was very successful in this approach in developing leaders within the organization.

Throughout my years, I developed “thick skin.” Leaders must have a strong sense of self-worth. As a leader, you must believe in yourself and the mission, then people will believe in the mission also. 

I love the phrase “follow me”. This saying refers to an army infantry soldier charging forward into battle while suggesting others follow them.   This should be a leader’s motto, not being self-conscious of what others think.    

My encouragement to you is that empowerment of individuals assures individual and organizational success. This translates into the organization having a competitive advantage in its industry. This also enhances the workplace culture within the organization. Remember, whatever leadership role you play in the organization, if you allow people to be creative, innovative, and have the freedom to grow and develop, your job becomes easy.    You begin to work your way out of that job and transition to a new one. Think of yourself as a servant and not the taskmaster as a leader.

Reference:

Maxwell, J (2007). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Harper Collins Leadership.

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Are Your Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Working?

Today diversity and inclusion efforts are a part of the core strategy amongst top organizations, no longer are most companies giving lip service that in order to be competitive in a global workforce, a diverse workforce is necessary.

Although the business case for diversity and inclusion (D&I) may be clear to you, everyone in your organization may not be on board. One reason is that while people usually understand the benefits of D&I in theory, they sometimes find them harder to relate to their everyday experiences at work. Even teams that are highly effective because they are diverse might not connect their performance to their composition.

Not having your employees on board can put your organization’s efforts to build a diverse and inclusive brand at risk. To create a culture of inclusion that everyone subscribes to is not a quick and easy task. If you want to prevent a disconnect between your D&I goals and the on-the-ground experiences of your employees and clients, here are five pointers to bear in mind.

1. LEADERSHIP PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE
An organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts will fail without leadership commitment. As important as bottom-up initiatives are, diversity and inclusion need to be embedded in the way the organization operates. It needs to be a strategic priority and not an optional add-on. It’s the leaders who show what is important for the organization. They are also the role models who shape the organizational culture.

2. EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ON BOARD
If any of your employees feel excluded from diversity initiatives, they will most likely not subscribe to the messaging. Make sure you consult regularly with staff representing all the different groups in your workplace to get their input and have them shape your diversity and inclusion activities.

3. GOOD COMMUNICATION IS KEY
To ensure that everyone on your team sees the link between diversity, inclusion and business success, it is crucial for leadership to be thoughtful and consistent in communicating the reasons behind D&I efforts.

4. START AT THE BEGINNING
The hiring and onboarding process is the first contact a new employee will have with your organization and can leave a lasting impression. Look at your recruitment and onboarding procedures. Where do you distribute your job postings? What questions do you ask in an interview? What does your onboarding process look like? Simple things like assigning a new employee a mentor or creating a list of frequently used acronyms can be quite helpful.

5. INCLUSION IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION
Being inclusive is something you need to keep doing, consciously, again and again. An organization should regularly examine its practices and policies through a D&I lens and provide training to employees so they all have the awareness, skills and knowledge required to build a more inclusive work culture.

It might seem overwhelming at times, but through collaboration and taking small actions, you will make progress. As the famous proverb goes, “the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”hey are diverse might not connect their performance to their composition.

by Anna Kostecka

Are Your Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Working?

Main Website:http:thecarolyledestinygroup.one

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Start the New Year by Adding Value to Yourself

                           Start the New Year by Adding Value to Yourself

Why can’t people see potential in themselves? Why can’t people believe in themselves? Why don’t people add value to their life on a consistent basis?

The main problem is that people don’t see value in themselves. Therefore, they don’t add value to themselves. People will never go beyond their belief system in themselves. No matter what you may think you are capable of doing, if you don’t invest in your growth, you will not go beyond those limiting beliefs. Another way of looking at this is in the area of self-image. On a scale 1-10, if your self-image is three, you will never raise above two.  

In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell explains in “The Law of the Lid in order to be effective in leadership, you must raise above the lid – those limiting beliefs to be effective.” 

With my own story, I should’ve been a negative statistic—a black kid in the ghetto. Born one of ten children in the great city of Newark, N.J., I lived in abject poverty and was raised by a single parent who worked multiple jobs to keep her family afloat. Statistics said I should’ve been in jail, on drugs, or dead, but I’m not because one day I took a hard look at myself in the mirror and asked myself, am I’m worth it?  You’re damn right, I am! That self-talk did me good, and my life changed.  I became the first in my family to graduate college with a Ph.D. and the first to finish a career in the military and retire honorably.  Now, I’m a senior Department of Defense civilian in the areas of logistics, acquisition, and contracting along with my entrepreneurial ventures—speaking coaching, and training. All of this didn’t happen overnight. It happened because I believed in me and in my self-worth. Wayne Dyer says it best, “Self-worth comes from one thing- thinking that you are worthy.”   

I needed to change my direction. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see.” I took an assessment of myself and saw a few areas of weakness. I wanted to change my direction and destiny.  Like John Maxwell said, “Tomorrow’s destiny becomes today’s direction.” I did what it took to succeed – increased my learning power by taking classes. I got around the right crowd of people. I fed my mind with pure and powerful thoughts along with reading those books that outline the destiny I wanted.  How did I change my direction?

  1. Change my thinking towards my self-worth. I reprogrammed my thoughts towards pure and powerful thoughts, and I guarded what I read and listened to. One of my favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 23:7, “As a man think in his heart so is he.” In James Allen’s famous book  “ As a Man Thinketh, he says, “The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its uncharted desires- and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.”  You are the master of your thoughts. You are the planter of the seeds you have sown in your mind, and you are the harvester of the fruits your mind will reap.
  2. Stop comparing myself to others. This is your journey and no one else. When this became a reality to me, I didn’t have to be like Johnnie, Billy, or anyone else. I had to be myself, which took a lot of weight off of me. “Your life is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” Steve Jobs once said.
  3. Go beyond my limiting beliefs. The Bible verse in Romans 8:37 says, “But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who love us.”  God doesn’t see us as defeated. Why should we see ourselves as defeated? Get rid of the negative thoughts and fill your mind with pure and powerful ones.
  4. Add value to others as you are adding value to yourself. If you want to lift your spirits, make a difference in someone else’s life.  John Maxwell said, “It’s hard to feel bad about yourself when you’re doing something good for someone else.”
  5. Practice consistently and persistently small disciplines in your life on a daily basis. If your life is overwhelming with health, work, family, or something not mentioned, try tackling those overwhelming circumstances a little at a time daily. How do you get rid of the elephant in the room? A little at a time. Be consistent in your efforts. Be determined, motivated, and focused. Be disciplined.

 If you want to change your life, you must take control of your life and make positive changes. Yes, I was born in the ghetto, but it wasn’t born in me. I changed my thought patterns daily. Now, I am successful in everything I do. You can do this, too.

So, in 2020 take a look in a mirror, see value in yourself, add value to yourself, and then add value to others. I am a true believer that whatever you sow into others you will reap.  If you want value and self-worth to become your reality, invest in someone else’s life the same way.

Derrick Darden, PhD

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Goal mindset versus growth mindset

I set a lot of goals for my life. Many of them I have hit the bull’s eye. Others I have fell short of the objective, and we have certain milestones or targets that we need to hit along the way in order to realize the goal. When you hit the target or goal, you feel good or ecstatic.

Earl Nightingale said it the best—that success is the realization of a worthy ideal.

But the problem with goal setting is our tendency not to see what’s next on our journey. Some would say, “Derrick, I have reached the peak of this mountain that I set for myself.” Sadly, many lose the drive, no stamina or no desire, and they stop at that point. It’s like you accomplished a small success, and then you  rest on that small success. You never move forward or beyond.

When you think about a growth conscious person, they continue beyond that goal and take on a different mindset. In fact, they want growth. You will continue growth, and you will hit all your goals when you look back on your journey five or ten years later. 

Man, that is a great feeling to move on to greater heights. You keep climbing the ladder until you reach heaven, and then you can stop. This reminds me of the song from the TV show, The Jeffersons, which is a part of my story, “We’re moving on up to the east side.” I remember in the early days when I was in my 20s. I had just started a family and had a new job, which was 20 miles away from home. I needed transportation, and I didn’t have a lot of money. Neither my mother nor my siblings had the money to lend me to buy a decent vehicle. I saw an ad in the local newspaper that a private owner had a 1970 Plymouth that was once a taxicab for sale. The private owner removed the decals and the taxi cab signs. But it still had the painted colors of the local taxicab company.

 On occasion I would get flagged down on the street by people wanting cab service. Many times I would stop to the anticipating customer and explain that my vehicle was privately owned, and they would have to call the local taxi cab company. Some would get really upset at me. This vehicle was always in the repair shop. Finally, I got tired of folks flagging me down and shoveling out wasted money for a beat-up vehicle, so I brought another used car, a Chevrolet Vega, which had an aluminum engine block. That car lasted a few months. The engine block cracked, and blue smoke traced my path down the local streets. I kept working through my trouble vehicles for three years when I bought a new Caravan off the showroom floor. That was a good feeling. However, I was in the military and serving my country and paying big monthly payments. Suze Orman taught me the lesson to stop using finance companies. But that took growth and hitting goal after goal after goal. During this time, I developed a growth plan for my life and started getting mentors in my life. Each mentor taught me growth principles that helped facilitate growth and maturity in my life. Looking back over my present journey, I see the growth, and the pain of growth. You may say that was great and proud of you. But I just don’t have the energy, knowledge, money, or time to plan for other growth challenges. 

John Maxwell said, “now is the best time to start anything.” Ask yourself, if not now WHEN? Growth is intentional, not accidental.

The real process of growth begins with your thoughts. Those thoughts become words, and the words become actions! James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh, says, “You cannot travel within and stand still without.” Think about it. All life, except mankind, grows to its full potential. It’s only mankind that circumvents the process. For example, how tall will a tree grow? A tree doesn’t decide to stop growing. It continues growing all its life. 

So, I challenge you not to stop or do away with goal setting but go above and beyond goal setting and latch on to the growth mindset.

I love personal growth and development. And I think you will, too, once you start seeing a difference by applying what I have shared with you in this blog.

Derrick Darden, PhD