Thank you for joining the Champion forum podcast with Jeff Hancher! Everyone has the opportunity to grow, but readiness is what allows us to take full advantage of those opportunities. Great leaders take the responsibility of being ready very seriously and understand the potential negative effects of being unprepared.
In this episode, you will learn how to prepare yourself for whatever opportunity presents itself to you. It is your responsibility to be prepared to embrace that opportunity. In order to be in a state of readiness, you need to learn to be accountable, improve yourself, and stay motivated. We will learn that while there is pain and sacrifice in holding yourself to this high standard, the pain of preparation is much more welcome than the pain of failure if we do not prepare.
3 Ways to Enhance your State of Readiness
1. Be Accountable
Leaders understand that they alone are responsible for their progress. If you are not qualified for a new opportunity, it is no one’s fault but your own. You are accountable to 1) know the skills that you need to go to the next level and practice them, 2) get critical
feedback from people who are not afraid to tell you the hard truth and 3) be prepared for the unexpected. Great leaders not only
accept this responsibility, they own it. Great leaders know that they are not leading to just build a name for themselves, but to change
the lives of their coworkers, customers, and family.
Q: What does it mean to be prepared for the unexpected in your work position? In your family? How has your accountability to your family, coworkers and customers affected your determination to be in a state of readiness?
2. Continuous improvement
Confidence and natural ability can only carry you so far. Great leaders know that what got them to where they are will not keep them there, and what got them there will not get them to where they need to go. Sometimes there is pain in preparation, but there is also
pain in failure. Great leaders avoid the pain of failure by putting in the hard work to grow every single day.
Q: Why do you think people avoid the pain and sacrifice involved in reaching a state of readiness? Why does being ready require a daily investment into yourself?
3. Engage your Motivation to Improve your State of Readiness
Motivation comes from knowing not only what your goals are but why you want to achieve those goals. It could be that you want to
build a better life for your family or you want to change the world with an innovative product. When you know why you need to work
hard, it makes it easier to overcome seasons of discouragement. You are not always going to be motivated. Sometimes you may face
intense criticism or feel embarrassment. In these moments, great leaders dig deep and know that if they continue to put in daily effort,
what is coming will be better than what was.
Q: What do you think caused people to lose their motivation? Why is having a “why” so important? What do you think great leaders do when they feel embarrassed or face criticism?
Reasons People Fail
They were were afraid to fail.
They were unwilling to endure discomfort.
They never took the first step
They did not know their “why” and lost their motivation.
Q: Why do you think people are willing to abandon their dreams? Do you think this is an intentional or accidental process? What would you say to a team member who was struggling to recover from a past failure?
Becoming a great leader and a person of excellence is not an easy task. It requires sacrifice, dedication, and determination. But, each of us has a responsibility to reach our fullest potential and help the people around us do the same! Great leaders choose to embrace daily sacrifice so that they can see long-term results and enjoy their own success and the success of those around them.
Activation Activities
Make sure that you enter the drawing for John Maxwell’s newest book Leader Shift by emailing jeffhancher@thechampionforum.com and say, “My name is [your name here| and I want to improve my state of readiness.”
Consider your “why.” What makes you willing to get up every day and go to work? What keeps you moving forward when you are facing a difficult situation? Write down your why and put it somewhere where you will read it every day. Set a reminder on your whole and say it out loud at least once a day to keep it before you and allow it to help motivate you.
What was the last time you failed? Maybe you didn’t get a promotion you wanted or you didn’t achieve the savings goal you had for your family. What is one thing you needed to do differently? Create a plan to improve in that area by doing something daily for the next three months. Maybe you are going to read one business article, or put 2 dollars into savings every day. Make a plan to establish a habit so that you are ready for the next opportunity!
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