Everyone knows that trust is a difficult thing to come by.  Even those of you that are ‘trusting’ until you prove me wrong are usually just kidding yourselves.  It almost never fails that someone somewhere at some point will break that bond of trust. As someone who works with homeless and abused animals, trust is word that does not always come easy nor is taken for granted.  This past weekend I witnessed trust get shattered in a blink of an eye. We were at the park for an annual family reunion and we brought our two rescues along as they are family too.  Both dogs usually have great social skills with people and are happy to see anyone that might pet them or pay them any mind. Everything went off  without a hitch, we ate and talked and had a good time.  The dogs were the center of attention as they usually can become.  We take them with us to work on socialization and to continue building the trusting bond around other people.

Everyone knows that dogs are our best friends right.  How about dogs being some of the best mentors on Leadership Lessons as well. Here are a few ways that we can learn how to be a better leader from that same dog that licks themselves in public. Meet everyone at the door – dogs love to run to the door and get excited no matter who is at the door.  Hopefully your dog has manners and does not lose its mind when there is a knock at the door as mine does.  As leaders we need to meet people, don’t hide behind a desk all the time with a secretary or team member on guard.  Customer service is key component no matter what business or industry you are in. Lead From Behind – anyone that has a dog know that before they are going to get out in front of you well they have to check the rear.  Nothing says you are part of a pack than a nose up your butt nudging you along.  As a leader we need to push more and pull less, we cannot drag our team to success nearly as well as we can encourage them to succeed.

As men we have been given the task at birth to be great leaders of our time. Granted that sounds pretty daunting but in a manner of speaking it is true.  As men we are molded from a young age to have proper leadership skills to take through life.  Do you really think G.I. Joes, the game Clue, Magic 8-balls, Lego’s, Lincoln Logs and Monopoly had no bearing on the type of person you would become? All of these things as well as cub scouts, boy scouts, summer camps, team sports continued to mold our adolescence into our years as men and as leaders.  Using knot tying skills and archery to provide the foundation to decision-making and goal driven leadership. There are four components that make up LEAD in leadership, all of which are vital to success as a leader. Leadership – take ownership and lead both in our homes, at our church and within the community including at our workplace exemplifying the moral character of leaders of past.  Take lessons from the likes of John Wayne or Charlton Heston as to what a man should be.  Lead with integrity, passion and raw courage every day of our lives. Use the skills of developed in reading Marvel and D.C. Comics, there was always a hero that lead . “All battles are fought by scared men who’d rather be some place else.” – John Wayne Click To Tweet Evaluate – always be prepared to take a step back and evaluate, reorganize and re-engage.  As men we are generally thinkers […]

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