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Wisdom: Leadership Series Part Three of Seven

Part Three of Seven on Leadership: The Seven Commitments to Answering the Call to Lead

You hear the word ‘wisdom’ and I’ll bet many of you picture an old guy with a long white beard. Right? Quit it. A great definition of wisdom is simple: the ability to see the future consequences of the decisions you are making right now.

How do you obtain wisdom? Well, that question has been bouncing around for thousands of years.  For a start, try surrounding yourself with great people, great books, quality experiences, travel, and most importantly spend time each day in reflection. Wisdom is a journey, not a destination. Are you on it?

While this is a very simple definition, the process combines all of your talents, experiences, and resources to put it into action.  Intelligence would be just one small part of wisdom. Intelligence serves you right now.  Wisdom serves others long after you are gone.

I believe wisdom is journey, not a destination.  A great leader is always pursuing wisdom, and the sad truth is that its attainment is never recognizable, but that is also the essence of wisdom’s brilliance.  If you are constantly on the journey toward wisdom and filling yourself on its fruits along the way, never knowing how close you are to the prize,  you will never stop developing this essential leadership skill.  You will be constantly seeking it, and therefore constantly obtaining incredible growth.

Seek Wisdom. Some people confuse wisdom with age.  This unfortunately is too common and incorrect. There are many who over time acquire a great deal of wisdom, but just because someone is young does not mean they are not capable of obtaining wisdom. Just because someone has lived for many years does not necessarily mean they are wise.

So where do we begin in our quest for wisdom? Well, it certainly starts with education, but that is far too limiting. Wisdom is the sum of the intelligence you gain educating yourself, the experiences of traveling, the life experiences and insight from friends, as well as the discipline and awareness gained from private reflection.

Have you ever noticed that successful leaders seem to do many things well? It is by no accident that this occurs.  Successful leaders are committed to excellence and possess a desire to be at the top of their game and make an impact in the world.  They hold themselves to a higher standard than anyone else does.  They seek self improvement.  This drive to make a difference in their lives and in others is the foundation of the wisdom I mention.

The measure of wisdom can be determined by four factors: 1) The books you read  2) The people with whom you surround yourself 3) The time you spend in contemplation  4) Your combined experiences.

1) Read great books.  Read books that will change your life.

2) Surround yourself with people who you admire, hold you to a higher standard, challenge you to become a better person, that are  steadfast in the morality and ideals.

3) Spend time each day in reflection.  This can be accomplished through journaling, contemplation, silence, or prayer.  (Not napping.) This can be a time for formulating the questions that guide us, or a quiet time to work on a virtue.

4) Continuously add new experiences to your life.  Travel. Meet new people. Take on new challenges.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

1-800-831-4825

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

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Why ‘On My Honor…’ Still Matters: The Importance of Keeping High Standards


This week’s news of Brigham Young University’s suspension of basketball phenom, Brandon Davies has surprised and shocked the nation. Many were upset by the decision to suspend the leader of the nation’s number 3 basketball team just days before March Madness begins, but not me. I am proud of BYU’s enforcement of such high standards. I applaud their action.  It is an example that will serve us all well.

Bad behavior among athletes at both collegiate and professional levels has become accepted.  Hollywood bad boys and girls like Charlie Sheen and Lindsey Lohan dominate television, press, and the internet.  No one wants to be anyone’s role model any more. People don’t want consequences, they just want left alone. It’s a private matter. I’m not hurting anyone but myself. I’m special. I’m the exception to the rule. Move along.

I beg to differ. We have an obligation to our families, friends, colleagues, and communities to maintain high standards. We owe it to those who came before us, and to those who will follow after us. We should always give our best, live by a creed, and draw lines in the sand that we will not cross. Ever. But if we do, we need to accept the consequences and atone. It’s not easy when mainstream television reality shows sell the concept to win at any cost.

We begin with high standards but allow them to dissipate over time. With each success and failure we lose sight of the standards we hold ourselves and others to. In Scouting we recited our Oath and Motto aloud.  It was a commitment we made in front of each other verbally each week. It was stitched into our uniforms, embossed on the covers of our books, and displayed in posters on the walls of our meeting rooms. It was a regular part of our routine and life. I can still recite the Oath, Points, and Motto. More importantly, I still follow them.  I know they make a difference.

Davies’s actions, however, were not criminal and would not be seen by the majority of the country even as wrong. (He had premarital sex with his girlfriend.) Brigham Young enforced its honor code this week that forbids it. They chose not to turn a blind eye to a breach in their policy, which in this case may very well cost them placement in the NCAA Tournament.   I cannot even think of another college that would enforce this rule.  Still, it is their rule. Their incredibly high standard.

What happens when you set and keep incredibly high standards? You achieve incredible accomplishments.

Do you have an honor code? Does your family have standards? Do you know your company’s policies on misconduct? What rules have slipped into that gray area of indifference?

Renew, refresh, restore, and reinitiate your personal high standards. Surround yourself with people who hold you to a higher standard. The Marines and others known for their incredibly high standards incorporate them into their emblems and logos. They follow them, enforce them, and reward them. Do you?

I hope BYU and the hard working athletes on the team that kept to the rules do well. I hope Davies returns and becomes one of the great, memorable players of the game. I hope BYU’s high standards become the example of class for universities across the nation to follow. And I hope everyone looks at this news story as a personal opportunity to set or renew high standards for themselves.

We need to become better men and women, not lower our standards. Applaud and recognize those who maintain high standards. Call out those who do not, and ask them to renew their commitment or exit.

What an amazing example of leadership!

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and wherever people come together to be entertained and improve their lives. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

Please visit Kelly’s website to book him  for your next event.

www.kellycroy.com

info@kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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It’s Not Time for That… Yet.

A good friend of mine is a successful writer and speaker. His books quite simply change lives. An aspiration for any writer. An aspiration for any speaker. An aspiration for any person.

Every now and then I contact my friend with an idea that I truly believe he must act on immediately. He casually responds nearly every time with, “Great idea, but it’s not time for that yet.”

Brilliance.

I’m blessed with Attention Deficit Disorder, better known to all as ADD. Blessed? Yes, because it is one of the muses that feeds me such creative, out-of-this-world ideas. I love it. One of the drawbacks, however, is of course the fact that I get so many ideas that I want to jump from project to project and then I don’t finish things. I never, ever, refer to my ADD as anything but a blessing.  I mean that. It’s as much a part of me as my blue eyes. In fact, I try not to refer to my ADD at all. (I love it so much I feel it’s like bragging about how much you can bench press. After all, I consider ADD one of my super powers.)

When all of these creative ideas start flooding my brain and pushing out the project that I really need to buckle-down on and finish, I just need to remind myself that it’s not time for that, yet. And I do. My brain starts  screaming, “Let’s do this!” I just say to myself, “It’s not time for that brain.” I take out my journal and I write down the amazing idea that just popped in there. I date it. Sometimes I even do a very quick sketch or two of what it’s suppose to look like or do. I give the idea a bold heading  so when I flip through my journal I see it.  Then I skip a line or two and write why I need to return to the project I interrupted and what it will mean to me and my family when I am finished.

It’s very important that you complete that last step. Once that new idea pops into your brain it steals some of the excitement and energy from the project you are working on. You have to invigorate that passion and energy into your project again. You will need to recapture that purpose and energy. Then immediately jump back into that project and make some real progress. Remind yourself of why you want to finish, what it will mean, and the date you want it completed. Being successful is not just knowing what to do, but knowing when to do it.

Here are the steps to take when your project gets interrupted by a new, wonderful idea:

  1. Remind yourself, “It’s not time for that, yet.”
  2. Take out your journal and write down your new idea quickly with a big, bold heading, and a quick sketch if needed.
  3. Reinvigorate your current project with a brief journal entry highlighting your passion, interest, and what it means to complete.
  4. Dive right back into the project you were working knowing the epiphany you just had is safely locked away and won’t be lost.
  5. Use visualization and self talk to restart the project and regain your energy and commitment.

Finish that project. Everyone loves and respects those who do what they say, and follow-through on their dreams and ideas.

Dream big, but finish!

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and wherever people come together to be entertained and improve their lives. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

Please visit Kelly’s website to book him  for your next event.

www.kellycroy.com

info@kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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Create a Monthly Billing Statement for Your Goals!

My recent natural gas bill arrived. While bills are my least favorite piece of correspondence each month, I have to admit the helpfulness of the statement. It included a nice graph of my usage over the last year.  It let me know how much I have paid and what I owe. Interestingly enough, it even predicted my usage for the following month. Each statement serves as a reminder and holds us to a certain level of accountability of what we owe. It lets us know where we are.

Wouldn’t it be great if we received a similar billing statement each month for our goals?

Seriously! Most people never know where they are with the goals they wish to accomplish. It would be awesome to receive a statement each month telling us how much time we’ve put into our dream, what we owe, where we are at, and what we need to finally finish it.

Well, we can. My billing statement each month is in my journal. I choose the 28th of each month as the due date for my dream statements because I was born on the 28th of July and that’s easiest day for me to remember.  It’s like a private monthly celebration of my life and what I plan to do with it.

You can do the same.

You see, if we don’t review our life goals regularly we get behind, just like we would with a real bill. Unlike the natural gas company, we won’t receive any late notices, but what we owe starts piling up. (Most of the time to a level that makes it appear impossible to accomplish. That’s why people quit.)  Can you imagine how hard it would be if you tried to pay two months at a time, or your entire bill all at once? Ouch! The same is true of our goals and dreams.

Just like our billing statements from our utilities we need to make monthly contributions and track our progress.

So, bust out that journal daily or weekly if you can, but especially on the date of your birth each month. Create a reminder or alert on your phone or calendar if needed.

Write down the big three questions that will drive you toward success:

  1. What do I need to continue doing?
  2. What do I need to start doing?
  3. What do I need to stop doing?

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and wherever people come together to be entertained and improve their lives. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

Please visit Kelly’s website to book him  for your next event.

www.kellycroy.com

info@kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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First to Fix or Find Fault?

When something goes wrong how do you react?

Are you first to identify it? That’s good. We need people that can identify areas for improvement, but something still needs to be done about it.

Are you first to vocalize a complaint about it? That could be good, because others could suffer or be harmed by a fault that hasn’t been identified, but again, something has to be done? Did your vocalized observation put some solution into action?

Are you first to fix it? That’s great! We really need problem solvers in the world. There are a lot of people quick to identify problems, but so few to act.

People pride themselves on delegating problems onto others. I think that can be very useful at times, but more often than not, there are just so many little things we can all do that would make the world easier for each other. We are so quick to evaluate problems of all different sizes as not our problem. That piece of paper in the hallway, not mine. The snack machine isn’t working, well, someone else will report it. And so on.

We spend our day with our list of to-dos, and job descriptions, but we fail to realize there really is a whole world of problems that aren’t on anyone’s list. They grow, multiply, and eventually hurt people.

Every now and then we spot someone special that seems to go out of his or her way, to fix a problem that clearly isn’t their problem. And we think, “Wow! I’d like to be like them.” And we either do, or don’t emulate their actions. In reality, we would find that they didn’t really go out of their way much at all. In fact, they not only made their day easier by fixing that problem, but ours’ as well.

So, go ahead, and be first to fix it.  See what happens.

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Do You Really Want Your Child to Be a Leader?

I hear parents say it a lot, but I cannot help but to question their sincerity. In my twenty years of teaching and coaching, and my travels as an inspirational speaker and artist, a common theme among parents is the importance of leadership in their child’s lives.  Or so they say.

Do you really want your child to be a leader?

My experience says no. I think most parents confuse leadership with being the star. They don’t want a leader. They want their child’s picture in the paper, the trophy on the mantle, or the name on the record board. They want to tell relatives that their daughter is the captain of the team, that their son is the president of the club, and add another title to the college entrance application. They want their child to be well liked and admired. That is what I believe most parents want.

The truth is that while leadership can often be a truly rewarding experience, it is often a lot of hard work.  Leaders have responsibilities whether their team wins or loses. They are often ridiculed, criticized, and they work well beyond ‘their fair share’ with little to show for it. Leadership is not a popularity contest and it isn’t about being the star.

Do you really want your child to be a leader?

If you are still answering yes then I must ask you what you are doing to encourage that leadership? Do you criticize public leaders in front of your children? Complain about the decisions a leader has made? Do you volunteer in leadership roles? Do you offer your child opportunities to make decisions and take leadership roles? When they do, do you support them? Click to Read More

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The Eight Actions to Take When Faced With a Challenge

Eight actions to take when you are faced with a challenge:

1) Remain confident. Your confidence will serve you well and get you through hard times. You can’t panic or worry. That’s not what leaders do. If you are starting to feel that way it’s time for you to review your assets and visualize a successful outcome. If at all possible find something good about what happened and make solving it admirable and if at all possible, fun.

2) Don’t worry about embarrassment nor take it personally. Time will wear those concerns away, and success will do the same even more quickly. Your energy should be spend on solutions. Worry robs us of our creativity and vitality.

3) Focus on and accept the problem. Don’t look for someone to pin this on nor pretend it’s not actually happening. Leaders aren’t looking for problems, but when one pops up they should be the first to identify and address them. Remember, you’re not really a leader unless you are facing a problem. The rest of the time you are just a person with a title. Greek and Roman myths teach us much and one point is clear: the bigger the problem the greater the hero.

4) Rally the Team. Yes, you are the leader, but you don’t face challenges alone. (Would you accept all of the credit of a success?) Now is the time for you to call your advisors forward and get help from your team and network. You are surrounded by people that can help and want to help. You need to delegate responsibilities and keep everyone focused. You don’t have to be a complete original. Get your team figuring out who has successfully dealt with this problem and see if it may will work for you. Bring them on board as a consultant. Leaders maximize the utilization of all of the resources they have in confronting a challenge.

5) Formulate and communicate the plan. In times of crisis it is best to figure out who needs to know what is going on and inform them. That list must include those that will be impacted negatively despite how uncomfortable it may feel. Be flexible. In times of challenges and crisis you must keep the lines of communication open and be willing to try multiple tactics or new approaches.

6) Take action! Hoping the problem goes away is meaningless. Get involved and get after it. Make certain that you, the leader, are involved in the work, especially some of the unpopular jobs. Doing so will

7) Evaluate your outcomes. What is working? Should you try something else? Are your resources and team being utilized effectively? What do we need to start doing, keep doing, and stop doing?

8.) Repeat steps 1-7.

Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.

Please visit www.kellycroy.com to book Kelly for your next event, or contact him via email at info@kellycroy.com or by telephone at 1-800-831-4825.


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Why You Should Have Lunch With TED Each Tuesday.

Lunches are an important part of the day. It’s like halftime for your mind and body; it’s a chance to reboot, relax, catch-up, enjoy the company of friends and more.

Many people use it as a time to take care of some personal business; they make a couple of phone calls or perhaps a trip to the post office. Others choose to relax, have some fun, maybe order out, and share a few laughs with their colleagues. Then there are those who schedule ‘power lunches’ as an opportunity to hold an important meeting,  meet influential business contacts, or plow through some priority work.

How do you spend your lunch? With whom do you spend it? Allow me to offer an alternative.

I challenge you to have lunch with TED each Tuesday of this year. No, not Ted, the guy down the hall, but TED, an incredible online collection of some of the greatest ideas and presentations on the planet. And it will only take a few minutes. TED is a nonprofit that is devoted to spreading good ideas. That’s it. All they want to do is spread good ideas.  TED.com makes the outstanding TED talks and their partners available for free and encourages you to share them whether it’s attaching one to your status update or using one to open a meeting. TED talks are awesome! There are currently over 700 TED talks available and they are adding more all the time. The best part, each one is purposely economized to be short, powerful, and to the point.  Perfect for your lunch. You don’t need to stare with full attention at the screen nor hang on to every syllable; you can still do some of your other tasks and enjoy a Ted talk. It’s easy.

What will you lose? Nothing.

What will you gain? Much.

You’ll probably find yourself becoming more productive. You’ll learn much about how to give a great presentation.  You will think. You will learn.

Imagine having lunch each week with some great thinker.  That’s what you will be doing!

Willing to check it out?  Here’s how I’m going about it.  Every Tuesday I’ll pack my lunch and fire up TED.com on my computer.  I’ll eat my lunch with some great thinker from a different part of the world. Join me. We will be entertained. We will be challenged. Each Tuesday I’ll update my Facebook and Twitter Sstatus to share the the link of my Tuesday Lunch with TED. Maybe you can do the same.

Ideas change lives, and they change the world.

Always forward,

Kelly

Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
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