Successful Leaders Big Believers

By Frank Clay

A GUIDE FOR PREPARING LEADERS TO LEAD!

The experienced and successful leader, Frank Clay, Jr. shares his practical wisdom and timely advice about how to lead others during challenging ti

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authors Press
• Release date: Aug 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781643145549

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A leader must be prepared for the unexpected and must understand and trust their people. Through training and reinforcing the importance of coping with mental challenges in any crisis, leaders will learn how to perform at their best when called upon.

"In order to impact change a leader must have the trust and understanding of an individual’s capabilities. You must challenge those you lead to put their best foot forward.

Change only happens when a leader believes in what is possible.

A leader must eat and breathe…what they believe and desire to achieve."

—William R. Johnson

Chief of Police

(2007–)

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall

Arlington National Cemetery

My Nephew

Fellow Veteran

"To my nephew and all Successful Leaders who are Big Believers…

Thank you for your service!"

—Frank Clay, Jr.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

DEDICATION ix

PREFACE xi

PART 1

SUCCESSFUL LEADERS MUST BE BIG BELIEVERS IN A CRISIS!

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? 1

VALUES AND PRINCIPLES 9

WHAT A LEADER MUST AVOID 15

DO THE RIGHT THING 19

RESPECT AND RAPPORT 25

UNDERSTANDING THE 5 R’s 29

NO PROCRASTINATION 35

STOP PROCRASTINATING 43

THINGS WILL GO WRONG 47

PREPARATION 53

7 ESSENTIAL BELIEFS 57

ASKING FOR HELP 61

PART 2

ESTABLISHING AN IMPECCABLE WORK ETHIC

IMPECCABLE WORK ETHIC 67

BENEFITS OF AN IMPECCABLE WORK ETHIC 69

NO ONE IS PERFECT 75

BETTER CHOICES 77

PASSIONATE HARD WORK 81

DOING THE IMPORTANT THINGS 87

THE SITUATION WILL GET BETTER 91

PART 3

SEEKING SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

SUCCESSFUL CHANGE 97

THE SEVEN C’s 101

PART 4

EIGHT CONSIDERATIONSFOR SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

#1 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE IS A CHALLENGE 113

#2 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

REQUIRES A RESET OF THE MIND 119

#3 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

CAN HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES 125

#4 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

IS USUALLY AN EXPERIMENT 129

#5 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

WELCOMES HEALTHY CONFLICT 133

#6 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

IS THE ANSWER TO MOST QUESTIONS 139

#7 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

HAS TO BE A PRIORITY 143

#8 SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

REQUIRES A SHIFT 149

PART 5

RIGHT NOW LEADERSHIP

RIGHT-NOW LEADERSHIP 165

HOW TO LEAD EFFICIENTLY RIGHT NOW 171

WHAT THEY WANT FROM YOU RIGHT NOW 175

A RIGHT NOW CRISIS (EXAMPLES) 179

PART 6

WE MUST BE BETTER PREPARETO LEAD

SURVEY FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 189

PART 7

SUCCESSFUL LEADERS MENTOR FUTURE LEADERS

MENTORSHIP RELATIONSHIP 203

MENTORING A SUCCESSFUL LEADER 207

A LEADERSHIP REFLECTION 211

"Successful Leaders will lead the way to reduce

Racial Injustice and Discrimination"

—By the Author

HUMANITY BUTTON 215

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 217

Bibliography 221

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the medical and emergency response professionals, the front line workers, food service providers, businesses, the working parents, the virtual school teachers, the isolated caregivers, nurses, doctors, janitorial staff, law enforcement, clergy and all those who put their lives on the line to save others and keep us alive physically, mentally and spiritually during the COVID 19 coronavirus pandemic of 2020. This is also a dedication to those individuals and businesses who were innovators and creators in revamping their production lines to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) that was desperately needed. The way leadership in these companies innovated so quickly to save lives provided all of us vivid examples of what it means to be a Successful Leader and Big Believer in successful change.

During all the uncertainty of the 2020 COVID pandemic when way too many were getting hospitalized and dying— when the curve was rising—so many people and businesses mobilized to meet the urgent needs of those effected medically and economically. The essential workers who found ways to do their jobs and to stay alive, clearly demonstrated the meaning of successful change. Their impeccable work ethic was on full display and the tough job of leading during challenging times did not go unnoticed. Talking about what it means to be a Big Believer… anyone in leadership had to believe in order to survive and sustain dominance over the crisis.

This book is a dedication to Successful Leaders at every level of leadership, who found a way to lead successfully during some very uncertain times during the COVID 19 coronavirus pandemic that started in 2020.

This dedication would be incomplete without these words—Thank you for every sacrifice made to keep us all alive and to sustain our livelihood in this county of ours.

PREFACE

Throughout my career in various leadership, management and ownership roles in business, in organizations, in associations, or the military… I have made the observation that the most Successful Leaders are the ones who are Big Believers in their people , their process , their principles, their purpose and in that one thing or outcome that they are leading others to produce… particularly in a crisis or when faced with a major challenge. What I have noticed is that leaders are not as prepared as they could because they have not taken the time to reflect on their own awareness, abilities and potential to be an effective leader during challenging times.

KOBE BRYANT–January 28th, 2020 Kobe Died in a Helicopter Crash

Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, we lost a Successful Leader who was a Big Believer; he wore #24 and #8 on the basketball court for the L.A. Lakers. The person I am referring to is none other than the late Kobe Bryant. His achievements as a professional basketball player, having won five NBA Championships in his 20-year career, clearly points to how much of a Successful Leader he was. Many of us witnessed his impeccable work ethic on the basketball court. However, off the court, Kobe’s preparation to be an effective leader during the most challenging moments to close out and win a game is legendary.

Kobe was known for setting the example for his teammates to practice preparing to win by repetitively shooting winning shots over and over again. Diligently very early in the morning, Kobe was putting in one more practice than the average player would normally do. His attitude was that if he could get in just one more daily practice, over a 3-year period he would be that much better than any other player in crunch-time situations and be able to lead his team to victory with a winning shot simply because he put in those extra hours of practice.

Kobe’s impeccable work ethic during practices allowed him to anticipate and simulate various game-time situations with his teammates where challenging circumstances required on the spot changes or adjustments in the game plan to respond to the opposing team’s defense. Because of his preparation, Kobe was able to improvise and make successful adjustments to his own game which allowed him to lead his team to victory and overcome unforeseen circumstances, especially during his championship runs. Preparation is the key to being a Successful Leader and a Big Believer in ones ability to lead during challenging times.

These important questions must be asked of anyone in leadership who seeks to be a Successful Leader

- Have you properly prepared yourself to lead effectively during challenging times?

- Should an unforeseen crisis emerge, are you prepared to lead and achieve successful change?

- Do you have an impeccable work ethic that will prepare you for successful change and exceptional success?

- Are you a Big Believer in your people, your processes, your principles, your purpose and what you are leading others to produce or accomplish?

Each leader must find the appropriate answers to these revealing questions to determine their ability and confidence to become or remain a Successful Leader during challenging times.

COVID 19–January 20th, 2020 First Case Diagnosed by CDC

During the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed our healthcare workers providing emergency care around the clock to patients with inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) that put their lives at risk as they attempted to the save lives of their patients. Clearly, there was the opportunity for leadership to have prepared their people for this healthcare crisis.

I know first hand that more could have been done. As an executive with a major medical company in the early 80’s where I headed up strategic planning sessions, we were always mindful of having the capacity to support our military in case of a nuclear-biological-chemical attack. A certain amount of stock (gloves, masks, etc.) was set aside for this possibility. And, as a Commander in the National Guard, I personally inventoried stock piles of medical supplies (Personal Protective Equipment–PPE) to make sure expiration dates were current and everything was in order in case these items were needed in a national crisis.

There is so much we can learn about what it takes to be a Successful Leader during challenging times by reviewing what leaders did and failed to do during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. First, the creativity in giving care to millions of people demonstrated to the world what an impeccable work ethic can look like and how important that is in a crisis. For example, leaders had to improvise and discover how they could re-sterilize (reuse) masks with ultraviolet light to extend the usage of each mask because leadership did not plan and execute for this medical emergency.

Leaders had to put aside normal protocols for wearing mask, not as a preference, but as a necessity to minimize exposure to the deadly

COVID-19 virus due to a lack of PPE. We even saw leadership allow the use of anesthesia equipment to be reconfigured to help out with the ventilator shortage. This creativity in a crisis saved lives. Everyone worked around the clock to meet the COVID-19 challenge as circumstances varied day by day. The questions each of us must ask are these:

- Were our leaders prepared?

- On what basis did leaders set priorities?

- What could have been prevented by establishing better contingency planning?

- Was there controls put in place to manage the uncertainties and unknowns?

- Were staff people allowed to be creative and innovative?

- How were leaders able to get their teams to work effectively under extreme circumstances without proper PPE?

From my experience, Successful Leaders realize they can never be fully prepared for a major challenge or an untimely crisis. There is always a need to be better prepared to lead others to have an impeccable work ethic and to prepare those you lead to achieve successful change. This is why I believe Successful Leaders are the ones who have to be Big Believers in their people, their process, their principles, their purpose and in that one thing or outcome that they are leading others to produce… particularly in a crisis or when faced with a major challenge.

THIS BOOK

This book is wake up call for leadership to make it a priority to better prepare your leaders to lead during challenging times. The content of this book is based on many years of experience as a Successful Leader helping others to achieve successful change and exceptional results.

Use this book of leadership wisdom and practical advice to:

Create an awareness for yourself about what is required in today’s times to lead others effectively during challenging times. Be honest by asking these questions: Do I believe I am a Successful Leader? What do I believe as a leader? Am I confident and ready to lead others?

Explore all the potential possibilities that you believe will provide answers or solutions to a leadership challenge you