revolyoution30 day leadership challenge

Week One - Purpose

The Cheshire Cat said it best, “If you don’t know where

you’re going, any road will get you there.”

True leaders have a well-defined sense of purpose,

both in terms of where they are going and in that they

find their work personally meaningful.

Week One is all about defining where you want to go

and why doing so will matter to you deeply.!

Fact: In his study of exceptional people in “Outliers”, Malcolm

Gladwell found that high-achievers consistently considered

their work personally meaningful. In fact, this sense of purpose

was what allowed them to spend the long hours necessary to

be the best at their craft.!

Quote: “People who find their lives meaningful usually

have a goal that is challenging enough to take up all

of their energies, a goal that can give significance

to their lives.”

- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Day One - My To-Do List

Make a list of all of your long-term goals; everything on

your big picture To Do List. Since this is a leadership

challenge, be sure only to include goals that will require

the support, participation or buy-in of others.

Day Two - My Mission

Create a personal mission statement by answering the

question, “Why Do I Exist?” Once you have answered

that question, create a mission statement of less than

eight words and commit it to memory. In addition, keep

a written version of the statement in a place where you

will see it frequently.

Day Three - My Vision

Create a personal vision statement of less than ten

words by filling in the sentence, “Before I die I will...”

or “I hope someday to be thought of as...”

Consider who you want to be and what you want to

accomplish, either personally or professionally, and

commit this to memory. Additionally, put your vision

statement in writing and display it in a place of

prominence.

Day Four - My Values

Make a list of your personal values; the things that

you hold so true that you would never violate them

for personal gain or expediency. Once you have

created the list, choose the 3 to 6 values you find

most enduring. Write them down alongside your

personal mission and vision statements and commit

them to memory.

Day Five - My Goals

Review your list of goals from Day One alongside your

personal statements of Mission, Vision, and Values.

Choose the goal that you feel best embodies your

personal statements, but don’t worry about the ones

you did not choose. There will be ample time to reach

all of your goals if you focus and stay true to the

RevolYOUtion methodology. Once you have chosen

your goal, make sure that it is S.M.A.R.T. – specific,

measurable, aligned, realistic, and timely.

You will learn more about S.M.A.R.T. goals during

tomorrow’s challenge.

Day Six - Is My Goal S.M.A.R.T.?

Aligned

Measurable

Specific

Realistic

Timely

A vague goal would be: “I will be a good leader.”

A specific goal might be: “I will improve my leadership

skills by developing my emotional intelligence.”

Are there specific metrics in place to let you know

that you’ve crossed the finish line?

Is the goal you have chosen personally meaningful to you?

Are you capable of succeeding at your chosen goal?

The goal should exist within a time frame

– 30 days in this case.

Week Two - People

Leadership is most succinctly defined as “the ability to

influencea group of people to work toward a common

goal.” Leadership is fundamentally relational, and while

someone with poor people skills may be exceptional,

they cannot accurately be called a leader. In Week One,

you determined where you are going.

Week Two will focus on strengthening your ability to

develop the relationships that will get you there.

Fact: Emotional intelligence, or the ability to identify and

control emotions in yourself and others, was found to be

twice as predictive of exceptional performance as

technical expertise in a Harvard Study.

Quote: “If your actions inspire others to dream more,

learn more, do more and become more, you are a

leader.”

– John Quincy Adams

Day Seven - Self-Awareness

Make a list of five adjectives that describe your

greatest strengths and five for your most significant

developmental opportunities. Now, ask your friends

to complete the same exercise on your behalf.

Adjectives that your friends selected that you did

not may be personal “blind spots” that can inhibit

your ability to lead. Now that you are aware of these

blind spots, what can you do to ensure they do not

diminish your potential?

Day Eight - Active Listening

Practice your active listening skills today by freeing

yourself of distractions and focusing deeply on what

is being said. Ensure that your phone and computer

monitor are off and that you are free of whatever

technology might distract you from full engagement.

As you listen, focus deeply on what is being said, and

resist the urge to formulate a counter-argument or

response as the person communicating is still speaking.

As the day progresses, notice the depth of engagement

today as you actively listen versus times when you are

distracted by technology or the noise in your own head.

Day Nine - Reading Others

Take at least 30 minutes today to “people watch” in a

park, mall, or airport. Notice the people around you;

their mannerisms, their dress, their body language, and

their tone. Now make hypotheses based on what you

have observed. What motivates them? How might you

effectively communicate with them? What are their

fearsand dreams? As you learn to thoughtfully observe

others and tailor your interpersonal approach to meet

their unique needs, you will find yourself with increased

influence as a leader.

Day Ten - Empathy

Think of someone with whom you share an opposing

viewpoint. Approach that person and express an

interest in deepening your understanding of where

they are coming from. Ask them to express their reasons

for espousing this viewpoint and use follow up questions

to deepen your understanding. At no point should you

share your own views or seek to convince them to your

way of thinking. Do all that is in your power to understand

without needing to be understood. The challenge is

complete when you have experienced empathy for

their viewpoint and can understand how they have

arrived at their worldview (without necessarily needing

to agree).

Day Eleven - Make it Personal

Take the ten people with whom you work most closely

and write each of their names on the top of an index

card. Beneath their name, write the name of their

spouse or partner, the names of any children, as well

as a list of any personal hobbies or interests of theirs.

Review these cards regularly, and make a point to

inquire about personal interests and loved ones from

time to time. Taking a personal interest in those with

whom you work will boost morale and increase team

cohesion.

Day Twelve - Thank You

True leaders understand that, whatever their talents

may be, they cannot do it alone. Take time today to

thank those who have helped you along the way.

Make a list of the ten people that have been most

central to your success thus far and write each of

them a hand-written (no emails!) thank you letter.

Don’t forget to be specific and cite actual instances

in which they have been a support.

Week Three - Proficiency

You have now charted your course and begun to rally

the troops in support of your mission. Week Three will

focus on developing proficiency or skill in your area

of focus. Communication can be powerful, but

exceptional people “walk the talk” and let their

expertise inspire others to follow their lead. Take this

week to hone your craft, understanding that nothing

is as influential as the example of a skilled craftsperson.

Fact: 42% of college graduates never read

another book post-graduation.

Quote: “Force has no place where there is

need of skill.”

- Herodotus

Day Thirteen - Be Curious

Skilled leaders are intellectually curious and always

alert to opportunities. Reflect back on your chosen

goal from Week One and seek out a variety of sources

to deepen your knowledge in this content area. Find

one blog post, one academic journal article, one

audio lecture, as well as a video presentation that will

enhance your understanding. Now, choose your favorite

of the four and share it with others with similar interests.

Congratulations! You have just taken the first step toward

thought leadership!

Day Fourteen - Choose a Mentor

The word mentor literally means “wise advisor” and is

taken from Homer’s Odyssey where the character

Mentor served as a trusted friend to the story’s

protagonist. By the end of the day, select a mentor

who is wise in your chosen area of focus. When

approaching your mentor, please list specific reasons

why you chose them and why you feel as though you

could benefit from their experience and wisdom.

Schedule mentorship meetings at least once a quarter

– you’ll be amazed at how much you will grow!

Day Fifteen - Reward Yourself

People who excel at self-development and skill

acquisition are able to do so because they make

the process enjoyable. At the halfway point of the

leadership challenge, cultivate this enjoyment of the

process by rewarding yourself today. The only rule is

that this reward must be something out of the ordinary

and qualify as a special treat.

Day Sixteen - Prioritize

Make your to-do list for the day (as I hope you’re

doing every day). Now break your daily tasks out

into three categories – Essential, Important, and

Non-Essential – as they pertain to the goal you chose

in Week One. Practice doing essential things first,

rather than prioritizing in terms of ease or immediacy.

Getting in the habit of aligning work with larger goals

will keep you from always “putting out fires.”

Day Seventeen - Practice

Malcolm Gladwell’s examination of outliers taught

us that roughly 10,000 hours of practice are needed

to achieve virtuoso status at a given skill. Take ninety

minutes today to practice and develop the skills

necessary to reach the goal you chose in Week One.

Given that you’re likely a very busy person, this may

require you to wake up a little earlier or stay up a little

later. No guts no glory!

Day Eighteen - Teach Others

Once you have mastered a skill it only makes sense

that you would share that knowledge with others. To

do so, contact a local school, library, civic or

professional organization and offer to share your

expertise in a formal setting, free of charge. Teaching

always unearths gaps in your own understanding and

allows you to see the problem in a new light through

the eyes of your pupils.

Week Four - Persuasion

Whether they are getting buy-in around an idea, selling

a product or service, or trying to move the organization

in the direction of a new goal, leaders are frequently

called on to be persuasive. Luckily, there is a great deal

of research on what people find influential, with much

of the best science coming from the lab of Dr. Robert

Cialdini. Week four will revolve around Cialidini’s

“Six Weapons of Influence”, the six factors consistently

found to undergird successful persuasive efforts.

Fact: We are more likely to be persuaded by people

who admit to having made mistakes. It seems as though

we have an intuitive sense that no one is perfect and that

we trust others who cop to having made mistakes in the past.

People tend to operate under the assumption that, if it seems

too good to be true, it probably is.

Quote: “Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do

something you want done because he wants to do it.”

– Dwight D. Eisenhower

Day Nineteen - Reciprocation

It is a simple truth that kindness begets kindness. The

road to influence is lined with acts of selfless service

and while service should not be done for this reason,

it is a truth about humans that we tend to want to repay

favors. Take a moment today to perform a charitable

act, be it buying lunch, paying a compliment, or simply

sharing an article that reminds you of that person.

Day Twenty - Commitment

When someone makes even a small commitment, they

are prone to continue to act in ways that are consistent

with that commitment. Take the large goal you chose

in Week One, and divide it into a series of small goals

that are steps along the way. Now, commit at least

one of your co-workers to assist you in achieving one

of these small goals and thank them for their commitment

to helping you achieve this larger goal. While people

may be loathe to bite off the whole vision, committing

them to smaller goals can help motivate them through

small wins and a desire to finish what they have started.

Day Twenty One - Social Proof

Let’s face it, humans are herd animals and are

influenced by what others are doing. Determine

a person whose behavior you would like to influence

en route to meeting your goal. Now create a narrative

where a person similar to the person you are trying to

influence engaged in a behavior like the one you are

trying to influence, with positive results. Share this story

as a means to motivate them and help them understand

how taking the same steps might result in similar rewards.

Day Twenty Two - Liking

Choose three people that, if you could positively

influence them, would greatly impact your efficacy

as a leader. Write down each of their names and

underneath write a list of at least five things you share

in common with that individual. You might share values,

a political worldview, a commitment to volunteerism,

or even an affinity for the same sports team. Once you

have populated this list, be sure to weave these shared

interests into future conversations. A large body of

research shows that we do business with people that

we like, and that we like people who are a lot like us!

Day Twenty Three - Authority

9 out of 10 doctors agree that people are influenced

by appeals to authority. Rather than tout your own

expertise, which can be off-putting, take today to

build up someone with whom you work. One way to

do this would be to introduce them to someone in

your own network that they might benefit from meeting.

When making the introduction, take a moment to brag

on some of their accomplishments and areas of deep

expertise. Remember, what goes around comes around

and you’re likely to receive similar treatment at some

point down the road.

Day Twenty Four - Scarcity

Why are diamonds so valuable? The confluence of

events that must occur to produce a diamond make

it exceedingly rare, which drives up the price. Consider

whatever it is that you are hoping to influence. What

makes what you are trying to do special? Why is it

unique? What does your approach offer that no one

else can lay claim to? If you can convince others that

they are face-to-face with a scarce opportunity, you

will be well on your way to persuading them to act in

the desired manner.

Week Five - Perserverance

All too often, talented people fail to meet their goals

because they have not yet learned to endure to the

end. Real leaders persevere against all odds and

develop the stamina necessary to see their projects

through to completion. Indeed, a leader’s ability to

persevere sets the ceiling on his or her own development.

As you approach the final six days of the Revolyoution

challenge, take care to internalize the lessons of

perseverance and finish strong!

Fact: Surveys suggest that a scant 8% of Americans

achieve their New Years Resolutions.

Quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,

therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

- Aristotle

Day Twenty Five - Delegating

People who make it to the top do so with a great

deal of help from those around them. What is one

thing that you are hanging on to at work that would

be more appropriately delegated to someone else?

Find that one task and make the handoff, remembering

to delegate in terms of aligning work tasks with personal

strengths rather than getting rid of less preferred

responsibilities. Real delegation is about giving people

tasks at which they will excel, not the old “poop rolls

downhill mentality.”

Day Twenty Six - Enjoy the Journey

Most things worth doing take both time and effort.

Given that this is the case, learning to enjoy the journey

is an excellent way to ensure focused effort over time.

Take one minute out of every waking hour today to

be mindful of how good life is. During this one-minute

time out, take a deep breath and reflect on something

positive in your life.

Day Twenty Seven - Practice Patience

All too often, we switch gears or lose focus in our

business or personal lives, just as we are about to

achieve breakthrough success. Review your to-do list

for the day and identify the potential triggers that

might cause you to lose patience in the next 24 hours.

Having recognized these sticking points up front,

make patience your goal during each of these

encounters. At the close of the day, rate your level of

patience from 1 to 10 for each of the identified triggers.

You might just be surprised how patience can be

improved simply by anticipating the lack thereof.

Day Twenty Eight - Simplify

Gifted leaders cultivate laser focus by continually

reexamining and decluttering their lives. Consider

your own life – what is one thing you are hanging on

to that is weighing you down? Is it a past, toxic

relationship? Is it a faulty, negative belief about yourself?

Is it credit card debt? Whatever is holding you back,

take action today to unencumber yourself on the way

to reaching your true potential.

Day Twenty Nine - Visualize Success

Everyone knows that star athletes visualize success,

but this skill is just as applicable to those of us working

to improve our leadership performance. Close your

eyes and imagine that you have now reached the

goal you determined to work on in Week One. How

do you feel? In what ways has your life improved?

How are you better positioned to respond to future

challenges? As you begin to imagine success, you

will become re-energized and find the strength you

need to continually move in the direction of your dreams.

Day Thirty - Celebrate!

Celebrating success is a vastly underutilized and poorly

understood leadership principle. It is a simple truth

that people persist in doing things that they find

pleasurable and personally rewarding. Leaders who

push for results without pausing to celebrate success

will find themselves fatigued and incapable of sustaining

their performance over the long haul. You have worked

hard for one month to improve your life and the lives

of those you lead, so celebrate! Take time to recognize

how far you’ve come and how much you’ve learned,

and celebrate accordingly. Doing so will increase your

desire, and that of your team, to tackle whatever

challenges will come next.