Leadership Answer Man | For Leaders Managers Entrepreneurs & Influencers With Dr. Hans Finzel

Change is great when you are in charge of it, but not so much when it is thrust upon us. In this episode I want to discuss how leaders manage a major change initiative, get others to see the vision, and recruit them to help you lead the change into fruition.“A Change imposed is a change opposed.”-Spencer Johnson from Who Moved my Cheese?Today we are talking about urgency for change and the human nature of making this happen. Change often seems difficult, but not changing can be even riskier. We need to change so we can improve. You have to watch out for the condition that I like to call “The hardening of the Categories” that prevents us from staying lean, flexible, pliable, and open to change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Good News! After many requests, we are working on producing my best selling book “Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make” into an audio book, which should be out sometime later this year. To celebrate, I will be reading from some of the chapters of the book here on the podcast. In fact for this episode, I will be reading from Chapter One.What I cover in the podcast this week:A reading of the first chapter of “Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make” which deals with the most common leadership style, the top-down attitude.Why this leadership style is so prevalent, and why it is so ineffective.The development of new, more effective styles of leadership over the last 40 years.An explanation of Servant Leadership, which is what I teach my students, along with the greatest example of this style in Jesus Christ. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

OK, I am so confused. I love parts of my job but there are some that I just hate. Some weeks I am ready to hang in there, but more weeks I am ready to move on. I feel beat down. I have lost hope most weeks. I just don’t know whether to hang in there or start looking for work somewhere else. What I cover in the podcast this week: A common question, “How do I know when it is time to move on?” (Many people struggle with this every time there are setbacks and discouragement’s).The Grass is greener syndrome.Ten Signs that It is Time to Go.Necessary Endings. “An unfulfilled vocation drains the color from a man’s entire existence.” Honore de Balzac See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Thoughts from Henry Deneen:In determining fitness for hiring, or incompetency once hired, many employers focus on the so-called hard skills, including indicators such as aggressiveness, follow-through, speed, being fast and persistent. While these are important issues in hiring, training, and equipping employees, they are by no means the only or even the most important factors. Incorporation of so-called soft skills may be of equal importance in determining the types of people to seek to represent an organization. These skills are defined as creativity, listening skills, team skills, being open to criticism, and being team players as well as areas of “Personal Competence” (self-awareness, self-management) and “Social Competence” (Social Awareness, Relationship Management) and constitute an individual’s emotional intelligence (EI). It is possible that “people can improve their EI and make lasting gains that have a profoundly positive impact upon their lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more

I had a board member of my organization that told me a couple of years ago, “Hans we don’t need to think outside the box, we need brand new boxes!” So how many of us are really comfortable with thinking that way? For most people, change is hard. But leaders have to change and they have to embrace dreamers.This podcast is about learning to take risks, think outside the box and dream a new dream. I hope you will listen. Peter Drucker says this about living with risk-takers in our organizations:Every organization needs risk-takers, to discover…1. Risks you can afford to take.2. Risks you cannot afford to take.3. Risks you cannot afford not to take. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This podcast: Seven failures in my leadership and what I learned from each. What can we learn from our mistakes?I highly suggest you do a couple of things. First of all, listen to the podcast!1) Make a list of your greatest mistakes that YOU have done and what you learned from them. Reflection is a powerful tool for learning.2) Listen carefully to what I am sharing with you today – try to avoid this common mistakes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Thanks to all of you who wrote me tough leadership questions. I am going to tackle them today on my podcast. I am not going to mention the names of who wrote these questions because it could get you in to trouble with your supervisor or your direct reports! But thank you for sending them to me! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen, guys . . . you’ll never get to the bottom of the complex nature of the female heart. But try as best you can to learn all you can. It’s worth it.This is the challenge put to husbands as Hans and Donna Finzel humorously and poignantly engage a hard but true principle: If you don’t understand how you do it wrong, you’ll never know how to do it right.But the Finzels are quick to add, this book is not a put-down on men. It is a fresh glimpse into how most women are wired and how their men can run with, not against those currents. Drawing from their surveys of dozens of married couples all over the world, as well as from their own 25 years of marriage, Hans and Donna explore how to turn the top ten notorious marital faux pas into doable acts that say louder than words, “I do love you.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mentor is “an experienced and trusted adviser.” This episode I share about all the people that have helped me along the way in my journey of life. Have you ever taken the time to list these people in your life? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen to this interview with Rick as we discuss our new book, and why Boomers will reinvent retirement in the coming years.A lot of boomers we are asking the post career question, What’s next?” Our book is the answer to their question. Boomers must learnto be intentional about finding meaning and purpose in their sixties, seventies, and eighties (the 60-80 window). With the average U.S. life expectancy reaching eighty, the authors’ purpose is to help readers recognize that they are entering a new life stage, identify the positive changing landscape of late life development, and discover how they have the potential to maximize their new role as elders in this culture. No longer retiring at 65 and dying soon there after, people are ending up with a whole lot of life left after their main careers.+ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Are you guilty of dictatorship in decision making?How do you rate yourself as a decision maker? Great? Controlling? Dictator? Empowerer?You might be saying, “NO way am I one!” But lets start with the symptoms:What are the symptoms of being a dictator? – Control FreakWhy is dictatorship so popular? it is easier! It is natural! It is power! It is cultural.Dictators dominate How to make decisions with the input from the team. Consider Proverbs 15:22 “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Even leaders find themselves searching for the right fit. In this interview with Dan, I ask him to unpack some of the realities of moving from your day job to your dream job. Here are some of the questions I posed to Dan:How do we know when it is time to move on?What can we do to make the shift?What is your advice to leaders in a rut?You deal with leaders who are unhappy. What advice do you give them?Can you give us a success story of someone who moved from one leadership assignment where they were withering away to a fulfilling new position?How do I know when it is time to move on? We know that the grass always has to be mowed!Failure: What advice do you give leaders that have failed and are trying to bounce back?Tell me about what you are excited about as we approach the end of the year? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How are you at confronting people? Me? Not so good. I am the world’s greatest conflict avoider. But I have learned that in leadership we have to do it. Leadership is not a popularity contest!!!! There are right ways and wrong ways to confront. This guy could use a few tips…. What we cover in this podcast:Definition: What do I mean when I say “confront”Why do leaders need to confront?What are situations that require confrontation?Why do we naturally resist confrontation?What happens when we ignore the need to confront?Practical tips on how to confront See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What we cover today in this podcast:Why it is important to know yourselfStrengthsSpiritual GiftsNatural AbilitiesPersonalityWe in leadership need to understand ourselves. It’s probably more important than understanding what followers. Effective leadership is a combination of the leader, the followers, and the situation. When we think of who we are, I always look at it as a combination of personal strengths, spiritual gifts, natural abilities and our own personality. In this podcast I explore the different ways that we can understand each of these four dynamics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week I had the opportunity to interview a great friend and leader, David Beavers, of Nashville, on my podcast. This is an amazing interview you will want to listen to from a great leader about bouncing back from great disappointment and setbacks.I have know David for decades, and I respect him for overcoming great odds to excel in leadership despite a lot of personal failure. He describes this journey in my podcast and gives some great insights into bouncing back.David Beavers is a very successful business leader with the Juice PLUS+ Company. He leads a team of thousands of people who are making a difference and changing the world. Check out his book mentioned at the end of these notes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I think we all know that the idea of being a servant leader is a good thing. Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, says that the best leaders out there are Level Five Leaders. And a Level Five Leader is characterized by humility and concern for the employees. That is servant leadership. More about Colliins later in this post. If you are a follower of Jesus, you know that He set that example for us. But I find that there is a LOT of confusion out there about what servant leadership is and is not. In this podcast, I clear up the confusion. I hope you will listen to episode #18. What I cover in this week’s show: What Servant Leadership is NOTWhat Servant Leadership really ISDefinition of servant leadershipA great example of servant leadership from the medical world See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The best way to learn how to lead people well, is to know what they need the most. In this episode I answer the four questions every follower asks. It is all about good delegation.Has this ever happened to you when your boss gave you a job to do? Or do you do this to people who report to you? I hope you will listen to this weeks podcast.BOSS DISASTERS…I am given a big project to do – I get it done and the boss no longer wants it. They already made a decision to go a different directionI am given a big job to do but NO authority to make any decisions.I am given a big job to do – I turn it in and get ZERO feedback!I am not given any clear assignment at my work – confusion reignsMy boss takes all the credit for a big job that I DID! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How are you at selecting leaders? Hiring great people? What is your batting average? Mine is probably a little over 500.Leadership selection is one of the greatest jobs of a leader. Some of us have the ability to hire and fire. But others can’t pick your team. Or your followers. There are many times in leadership when we inherit a team and have to play the cards we are dealt. When you do have the chance, what are some essential practices that will help you get the right people on your bus? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One thing we all have in common as leaders… we all have hearts! And sometimes our hearts grow cold through the pressures on leadership.Is my heart fresh and alive, or have I become a poser?Pastor Peter Pendell knows a lot about this topic, having been a dead leader running himself. Listen to this great podcast interview with Peter as he tells his story of reviving his heart after some false starts!Peter Pendell is the retired senior pastor(30 years) of Millington Baptist Church in Basking Ridge, NJ. He is currently the interim pastor of Queens Christian Alliance Church in Flushing, NY. www.qcac.org See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.