My friend Erick Erickson spent the weekend with us. He came to Colorado with a friend to hike and then arranged to spend a couple days in our home.

Erick is a neat guy: he is a master builder and when he comes to visit, he makes a list with his host of some things that need to be done. What was even better for me–home-repair impaired as I am–is that he taught my boys some basic building skills while he was at it. We worked on our fence, poured a footer, plugged a hole in the deck and took care of some other nagging repairs.

While he was once a commercial contractor, today Erick is a speaker and trainer. He specializes in experiential and adventure training and just released a new book called Seeking True North. He’s one of those guys who is always up to a dozen interesting things, often traveling abroad to do them.

After he left to fly home to New York, I started thinking about all the things I like about him, and what stands out most is his heart. He loves: people and life, nature and experience, books and ideas. He’s a kind and gentle spirit but an outdoorsman, too. 

And my life is better because he’s my friend.

I live in a subdivision that hasn’t hard a community party in years–at least not as far back as I can remember.

So it was especially nice that one family took it upon themselves to bring us all together last night. They got a band, put a waterslide in their backyard for the kids, set up a keg and arranged for everyone to bring drinks or appetizers. It was great fun.

Community doesn’t happen accidently. It is created. In tough times it is created by tragedy. More often than not it is created by those willing to make a little extra effort to bring folks together.

Creating community is something leaders do, and you don’t need a title to do it.

In this month’s Leadership Lessons ezine, Mark writes about living as though your life depended on it.

The quality of your life is a choice! You can feel fully alive and joyful most of the time, not just some of the time. The key is to live like your life depends on it. But how?

For the answer to Mark’s question, you can read the entire article here. When you’re done, we invite you to come back here and leave us a comment with your insights and opinions on this issue.

Thanks!

I’m attending our annual meeting of Speakers Roundtable, a group of 20 colleagues in the profession that meets to share ideas and enjoy some great fellowship.

Here’s a quote from this morning’s session that everyone should contemplate if they’ve been blaming the economy for all their problems:

“The economy is only a factor IF your business development activities are maxed out; otherwise the economy has only exposed the real problem.” Bill Bachrach

These are lessons I either learned early (thankfully) or I wish I had learned earlier (regrettably).

1. The responsibility and service of leadership always outweigh the recognition and status.

2. Responsibility is rewarding, but it isn’t about rewards

3. Anyone can lead but not everyone should lead. If you don’t have your heart in it, you’ll be mediocre at best.

4. Leadership doesn’t make a difference; leadership makes the difference, personally and organizationally.

5. Anything the leader does that benefits only him- or herself was done out of ambition; leadership done right benefits others as well.

6. Consensus building is harder but far more powerful than control.

7. Your impact will rarely be bigger than your vision.

8. People draw big conclusions for little gestures and interactions.

9. As John Maxwell says, “It shouldn’t be lonely at the top.” If it is, you’ve done something wrong getting to the top.

10. I learned from the autobiography of John Ashcroft that as a leader more people will befriend you than be your friend. Understanding the difference is critical.

11. The best way to gain cooperation is by asking, “How can I help you?”

12. Leaders make time for what’s important.

Good leaders make us mad.

Bad leaders make us mad, too.

What’s the difference?

A bad leader makes us made at him or her. We get mad about how they treat us, questionable ethics, bullheadedness, going the wrong direction and a plethora of other reasons. They make us mad because they aren’t good leaders.

Good leaders make us mad about the right things; about things we should be mad about.

Good leaders make us mad at problems–mad enough to solve them.

Good leaders make us mad at bad situations and circumstances that we can make better or change.

Good leaders make us made about inferior outcomes so that they won’t happen again.

Good leaders make us mad about injustice we’ve become comfortable with so that we’ll permit it no longer.

Good leaders make us mad at ourselves sometimes, because they show us by example that we could do better and be better people.

Who have you made mad lately?

You’ve heard that phrase many times. I think I first ran across it in a book by Bennis and Nanus (how’s that for two great names for co-authors?).

Not only does familiarity breed contempt; it can also breed neglect. Sometimes we discount the value of an idea because it is familiar.

Andrew Carnegie said, “Reading should be carefully planned as a diet for optimum mental growth.”  How many leaders plan their reading carefully? My experience and observation is that most of what leaders read is thrust upon them. They read more out of obligation than by choice.

William Godwin said, “He that loves reading has everything within his reach.” A leader can get a handle on almost any problem or opportunity if he or she knows who to read in that area. The biggest challenge today is finding wisdom in a sea of often dubious information.

Would you like a strategy for your reading? Here’s a suggestion that is as true today as it was when written 100 years ago: “There are three keys to reading profitably: intention, attention and retention.” The classic self-help author Orison Swett Marden said that.

Read by intention, rather than just obligation. Give your attention to items of importance and not just interest. Then highlight, outline and synthesize so that you can retain the nuggets of wisdom.