The 5 Pillars is a project that I have been working on for almost two years and had a great time with the official launch of “The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership” Coaching program on May 23th.

Why the 5 Pillars?  I have spent more than 30 years in the business world and although it has been primarily in the Construction world, the 5 Pillars philosophy works across all industries.  In fact, while developing this program I realized that it can have a significant impact on your personal life as well.

I will break down each Pillar into three sections, personal, business and community. Any growth or improvement needs to start within, with the end goal of influencing the community you live in.  In this post we will take a look at BUSINESS COMMUNICATION.

Whoever said “Communication is the key to everything” was right.  John Maxwell dedicated an entire book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, to connecting with others when we communicate.  Never forget that it takes two to communicate.

ACCOUNTABILITY

My two words that are required to achieve almost anything … intentionality and accountability.  Being held accountable is the one thing that will get you over the hump.  The simple fact is that very few of us can successfully hold ourselves accountable.  Make your goals known and have someone hold you to them.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Some people are good at it.  Some people are bad at it.  Most people simply run from it.  The longer you put off resolving conflict, the more difficult it will become.  Communicate early and often and although conflict is inevitable, it can also be a great way to come up with new ideas and concepts.  The key is to remain calm, rational and respectful.  Right or wrong, everyone’s opinion matters.  Approach conflict with any other mindset than that and you will struggle.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Funny that I include this, when I actually don’t believe it is possible.  I believe that we really can’t manage time.  We can only manage ourselves.  The best way to manage time is to schedule out your time (in writing) and follow the plan.  If you want to call it time management, fine, but you better be clear on what it is that you are managing.

RECOGNITION

Recognizing the accomplishments of others will not only provide the accolades they deserve but will help fulfill the human desire to feel wanted.  Recognition for a job well done actually rates higher on the list of what keeps employees loyal and engaged than monetary compensation.  Interesting … how much does it cost to say Thanks?

PROBLEM SOLVING

Solving problems can be done much easier when there are many hands involved in the process.  When faced with a problem, make sure everyone knows exactly what it is and more importantly, the expected outcome upon solving the problem.  You would be amazed at how many times two people are working on the same project, headed in completely different directions.

DECISION MAKING

Making a decision requires saying “NO” to something.  You have to say no in order to say yes.  “Keeping your options open” only makes the decision that much more difficult when you finally make it.  Most of the time we know the answer, we are just afraid to say no.

ENCOURAGEMENT

Everyone needs a little encouragement now and then, right?  Wrong!  Most people need a lot of encouragement a lot of the time.  Never assume that all is good.  Be positive and encouraging even in the best of times.  We can always do just a little better and sometimes all it takes is a little nudge.

PLANNING

Do you have a plan?  Is it a good plan?  Life doesn’t happen by accident and if you want to be in control of your life, you better have a plan. Plan your work and work your plan and you will have all the time you need to succeed.

AFFIRMATION

I believe that what most people want is to be valued.  That happens through affirmation. Even though many people could not answer the question “What is your purpose” they want to feel like they are serving one.  Use every chance you get to make someone feel like they matter.

The 5 Pillars coaching program will take each topic to a much deeper level.  We will explore open ended questions and how they are directly impacting your life and more specifically in this segment, will allow you to evaluate and understand your role in growing your business.

In the mean time, start asking the type of questions that will result in better answers. When you ask “How can I”  you get an answer that will move the needle.  “What can I do today to improve the way we communicate together?”  Answer that question, act on it, and you will succeed.

RELATED:

• Click here to see Part 1
• Click here to see Part 2
• Click here to see Part 3
• Click here to see Part 4
• Click here to see Part 5
• Click here to see Part 6
• Click here to see Part 7
• Click here to see Part 8
• Click here to see Part 9
• Click here to see Part 10
• Click here to see Part 11
• For more on The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership and to view my video click here
• To view my guest post in the 2013 International Leadership Blogathon click here

***********************************************************************

Don’t miss a single post from Building What Matters by subscribing at the top left of this page. 

Help support us by clicking here and Liking our facebook page

Barry Smith    6/27/13   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2013

The post The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership – Part 12: Our Communication appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.

I will be honest, I did not look these words up and I might be totally wrong with the way I define them.That being said, it really won’t matter, because it is not about what they mean it is about the difference between them and how we deal with the difference.

Oh, I forgot to tell you the words.  Sorry!  Here they are … skill, talent and gift.  I know – way too much excitement!  But here’s the deal; I hear these words used interchangeably all the time and I know that is not right.  He is the way I would use these three words and how I think they are very different.

SKILL

I think a skill is something we 100% develop.  We might have some personal characteristics, or even gifts or talents, that might facilitate the development of that skill but it still is developed nonetheless.

TALENT

I see talent as something you are born with but can improve upon with additional effort. Most, if not all athletes, are born with some athletic talent but must be life long learners if they want to be one of the best in their sport.

GIFT

This I believe, is something from God (not trying to push anything on you here – just my definition, remember).  I think we are born with gifts and no matter what we do, we will always have them.  Doesn’t mean we will use them, but we have them.

If you are still reading, you are interested or you just wanted to see if my definitions were even close to what you thought.  How did I do?

Remember when I said it didn’t really matter if I defined them right or not?  Here’s why … it doesn’t matter because the point is this … If you are not using the gifts that you were brought into this world with, you are not living the life you were designed to live. I don’t care what you call them – if your life circumstances are not allowing you to use the gifts that the good Lord blessed you with, you are not where you need to be.

I imagine I will get some push back on this but that’s OK – it’s what I think and I will own that.  If you agree with me great.  If you disagree with me great.  I would suggest being more concerned with what you think about you than what you think about me.

Let me put it another way – How much sense does it make that you ignore the things that come easy, that come natural, in trade for the things that you have to work really hard for.  I’m not a big “destiny” guy and I am not even going to try and define it but I do thing some things were meant to be and some were not.

This I definitely believe – we were all created to become the person that God designed us to be.  Who are we to mess with His plan.  Again, no “faith” statement here, I am simply telling you what I think.  I am not trying to convince you of anything.

But I do have a question for you to think about – “Are you trying to become something that you do instead of focusing on who you already are?”  Just a thought!

***********************************************************************

Don’t miss a single post in this series from Building What Matters by subscribing at the top left of this page.

For more information on my next Deeper Path Cohort click here

Help support us by clicking here and Liking our facebook page

Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 4/13/13 photo by author

The post Skill, Talent or Gift? Which One Is It And Does It Even Matter? appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.