Category Archives: Ethics

Think it, Act it, Become it. You Are Whoever You Think You Are

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personality Types, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Your internal dialogue has everything to do with the image you project externally. You are whoever you think you are – it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you can – or can’t – you’re usually right. If you feel you can’t, you’re beating yourself before you even start. David believed he could defeat Goliath. He had confidence in his ability to get the job done. Great managers and leaders aren’t born – they’re made. You need to believe in yourself and have confidence in your ability to be a great manager or leader

Worth Remembering … “Dress how you want to be addressed.” – Unknown

Image is everything. How we dress and present ourselves projects what we think of ourselves and who we are. People will judge you based on how you look and how you behave. I knew within 20 seconds of an interview if I was going to hire the person or no. Was it fair? No, I let my unconsciours bias influence my perception, and I may have missed the opportunity to employ a star performer – but our gut feelings and intuition are right more often than they are wrong. Being a great manager or leader is looking and acting the part.

Worth Remembering … ” I don’t want to be liked. I want to be respected because if you like me, you can throw me away too quickly. If you respect me, you may not like what I have to say, but you’ll say I respect that.” – Ray Lewis

Awe and respect are two completely different thngs. We all have a fundamental need to be liked and accepted – Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Some people need to be liked more than others. The danger for managers and leaders is wanting to be liked rather than respected. You aren’t participating in a popularity contest. I didn’t like everyone I worked with, and I knew everyone didn’t like me. And trust me; everyone won’t like you. But you can’t let wanting to be liked rather than respected get in the way of making decissions that not everyone will agree with. Being a great manager or leader is about making decisions based on what is the right thing to do.

Worth Remembering … “Fear and self-doubt have always been the greatest enemies of human potential.” Brian Tracey

Imposter syndrome. We all feel insecure and unsure of ourselves at times. We all have self-doubt – especially if we are doing something we’re uncertain of or doing it for the first time. No one wants to look silly or make a mistake. If we had a choice, most of us would rather back into the future instead of turning around and facing challenges head-on. We take comfort in the familiar. The error is not in taking action – the error is in inaction. Not everyone will agree on the direction you’re heading and the changes you make. Great managers and leaders are agents of change.

Think it, act it, become it. You are whover you think you are.

Copyright (c) 2022. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit – https://briansmithpld.com or email Brian directly. – brian@briansmithpld.com

We Need Leaders Who We Can Trust & Believe In

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Enduring Principles, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Teacher, Uncategorized

What does it say about the world we live in when we question the honesty and integrity of the people in leadership positions both in government and the private sector? What does it say about the world we live in when governments need to pass laws requiring Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers of Corporations to sign off on their company’s financial results? And if found to be false, they can face criminal prosecution. Now – more than ever, we need leaders who we can trust and believe in.

Worth Remembering … “Leaders walk their talk; in true leaders, there is no gap between the theories they espouse, and their practice.” – Warren Bennis

What does it say about a leader if they behave one way in public and behave a different way behind closed doors? Does that mean there are two kinds of ethics: business and personal? If there are two kinds of ethics, does that mean it’s ok to lie, cheat and con your customers and employees, but not your family and friends? At times, it must get confusing for leaders to remember what hat they’re supposed to be wearing.

Worth Remembering … “In organizations where people trust and believe in each other, they don’t get into regulating and coercing behaviours. They don’t need a policy for every mistake. People in these trusting environments respond with enormous commitment and creativity.” – Walter Wriston.

What are ethical or unethical behaviours? How should a true leader behave? True leaders keep their word and honour their commitments. True leaders don’t just promise to stick up for people and have their back – they do it. True leaders don’t just preach fairness; they practice it. And they don’t just counsel others about honesty and integrity; they live it every day, both in public and behind closed doors. What they say and their actions are congruent. They are the same. You can’t be ethical some of the time – you must be ethical all the time. You can’t be ethical at home and not at work or vice versa. You’re either ethical, or you’re not. We need leaders who we can trust and believe in.

Copyright (c) 2022. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Brian has been recognized as one of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership to Follow in 2022. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you visit, https://briansmithpld.com

Trust is a Two-Way Street

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Enduring Principles, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Sometimes you need others to take a leap of faith. Without establishing trust, you’ll have little chance of getting people to come along. If they trust you , they will follow you. If they trust you, they’ll believe that you have their best interest in mind. If they trust you, they’ll know that you aren’t setting them up to fail. Just because you’ve been given a title doesn’t automatically mean they will trust you. Managers and leaders need to earn their trust.

Are you looking to establish trust? Start here

Keep Your Word. Your word is your bond. What ever you say you’re going to do – do it. If they can’t trust what you say – they won’t trust you at all.

Be Honest and Transparent. Tell them the truth – always. If they catch you in a lie – you’ll never regain their trust.

Admit You Don’t Have all the Answers. It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers. However, you need to know who and where to go to to get them.

Communicate Often. Let them know how they are doing – good or bad. It’s important to keep them in the loop. You can’t communicate too much.

Admit When You’ve Made a Mistake. We all make mistakes. Take ownership, learn from them, apologize, and move on.

Resist The Urge to Micro-Manage. A leader’s roll is to teach them what they need to know and then get out of their way and let them do it.

Be True to Your Own Set of Values. Don’t compromize your own set of values. Be true to who you are. Integrity is more than just a word.

Walter Wriston, the former Chairman and CEO of Citicorp, understood that in organizations where people trust and believe in each other, they don’t need to get into regulating and coercing behaviours. They don’t need a policy for every mistake. People in these trusting environments respond with enormous commitment and creativity. Walter Wriston understood that trust is a two-way street.

Copyright (c) 2020. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit https://briansmithpld.com.

Would You Work For You?

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Enduring Principles, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Personal Development, Personal Values, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

choices-2[1].jpgThink of a manager or leader that you admire. What was it about the way they managed or led others that you liked? If you had to list 5 things that they did well – what would you put on that list? Once you’ve completed your list think of a manager or leader that you didn’t like. What didn’t you like about the way they managed or led? The good news is we are not born knowing how to manage or lead others. It is a learned behaviour. Now that you’ve experienced working with a good and not so good manager or leader, you can decide what kind of manager or leader you want to be.

Successful managers or leaders understand the value of the people they work with. They understand it takes a team effort to be successful. Successful managers or leaders are FOCUSED on people. They understand that if you can’t communicate and interact with others then you can’t manage or lead.

Successful managers or leaders are:

Friendly: Someone who can smile and say hello. Someone who enjoys being around people and helping them be successful. Someone who can make everyone feel important.

Observant: Someone who can recognize those who need help and those who don’t. Someone who doesn’t micro-manage the process and gets out of the way and lets you do it.

Consistent: Someone who is consistent in the way they apply policies and procedures. Consistent in the way they manage people and situations. Someone who is fair and treats everyone the same.

Understanding: Someone who is empathetic. and tries to see things from the other person’s point of view. Someone who doesn’t jump to conclusions and waits to get all the facts before making a decision.

Sincere: Someone who truly wants others to be successful. Someone who genuinely feels and believes what they say. Someone who is not dishonest and hypocritical.

Energized: Someone who is enthusiastic. Someone who looks and acts like they really want to be there. Someone who understands that enthusiasm is contagious and will be your biggest cheerleader.

Dependable: Someone who understands that if they are going to talk the talk they must walk the walk. Someone who understands that whatever they say they are going to do – you can depend on them to do it.

Are you ready to get FOCUSED on being the best manager or leader you can be? Your future depends upon it.

Copyright (c) 2019. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you, your management team and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com or contact Brian by email: brian@briansmithpld.com