Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Transforming Power Book Blog Tour Update

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/asemotivation 9 pm EST - Call-in Number: (718) 508-9600 Feel free to call into the show to ask questions.
For more information about Hugh Ballou – visit www.hughballou.com. Book information is available at http://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Power-Transformational-Encouragement-Inspiration/dp/0881775312

For full tour details, visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/06/transforming-power-virtual-tour-with.html
A SPECIAL BONUS TO EACH PERSON WHO PURCHASES TRANSFORMING POWER TODAY – Hugh Ballou has compiled a list of great FREE bonus gifts for anyone who purchases Transforming Power today. To see a sample of the items that are being given away, visit http://www.transforming-power.com. Just buy a copy of Transforming Power, return to this page and click to submit your invoice number to receive the web page link to download all of these gifts for FREE.

Nikki Leigh – Author, Publicist and Tour Coordinator
www.nikkileigh.com – Book Promo 101: Learn the Basics of Book Promotion

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Foundations for Transformational Leadership

Building strong foundations is key for the Transformational Leader. In order to succeed, it is crucial to know what you want. To know what you want, it is important to know who you are and what you value. The worksheets in this section provide a format for discovery and planning. Start where you are by first identifying the current reality. Identify what you value before going on to structure your Vision and Mission. Once these steps are complete, then it’s time to identify specific goals and write them down.
Another other key factor is: winners don’t work in a vacuum. The concept of a “Mastermind Alliance,” developed by Napoleon Hill in 1937, is still as valuable today as it was then. Hill interviewed numerous successful leaders and constructed his theory of success.

Permission is given to copy the worksheets. Copy and use them for drafts before making a final version. Copy and update them each year. A five-year plan remains relevant if it is revised and updated each year. It is an organic model that remains five years in the future each year as it is revised. Do not fill out these worksheets and put them away where they will be forgotten. Put them in a place that will provide a prompting to view them on a regular schedule. Major goals may be important enough to view each and every morning! Keep these positive affirmations in the front of your thinking constantly. Believe it can be accomplished and it will!

Delve deep for rich and complete thoughts using specific language. Know what you want. Identify it exactly. Then you will know how to get there. Use the objectives section to articulate “baby steps” toward your goal. Don’t get discouraged by a big picture goal that seems too big. Give yourself small steps and celebrate accomplishing each one of them!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Tools for Transformational Leaders

Foundational Tools

Values, Vision & Mission
On 3x5 index cards, make a list of what you value, group the list by category, subject or some other method and name each group. You can use a large flat surface like a dining room table or countertop. After you finish this exercise reflect on the results. After all this, type the results into a word processing document and print it out. Post is where you can review it for at lease one week.

Next, lest statements about your personal vision for your life, your career or your family. Group those statements in the same way and write a “Vision Statement” in a single, comprehensive, but brief form. This is a “Defining Statement” that describes your primary purpose, your vision for your life. Create a statement about the future and express it in present tense. A vision statement can be expressed in a brief response to a question in an elevator. It describes your purpose as a concept.
A Mission Statement is the application of your vision. Repeat the steps for constructing the vision statement, but do not limit the content. Let the content of this statement describe how you will accomplish your vision.

Powerful Goal Setting
Once you have identified what is important in your life and career, then and only then will you be able to construct and accomplish powerful goals for transformation. Goals should be S M A R T! That is:
Specific – define exactly what you want to accomplish
Measurable – define the quantifiable results, exactly as you want them to be
Accountable – share the goal with someone who will hold you accountable
Realistic – set goals that you have a reasonable chance of accomplishing
Timed – set a target date for completion

Transformational Leaders have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and enlist the leaders around them to build the path to accomplishing that vision. It is essential that the leader articulates and shares the vision through SMART goals.

Alliances
Alliances with professionals in a Mastermind group will provide unique support for success. Here are some basic tips for a Mastermind Alliance:
• Choose people you respect – learn from those who are successful.
• Set the size of the group – 4 to 6 is ideal; there is time for everyone to interact.
• Plan to meet on a regular basis – weekly or bi-monthly, but often enough to do good.
• Set the length of the meeting – one hour works unless there is a meal.
• Set a schedule that allows time for each person to share – stick to it.
• Ensure that each member is committed to the common goal.
• Challenge each other to stretch because of this group.

Relationship Tools

Collaboration vs. Competition
Ineffective leaders and dysfunctional teams work in a competitive environment. This is counter-productive to success in many cases. Establishing a collaborative climate where everyone celebrate the success of each team member and the success of the team as a whole will empower and enable maximum achievement with the least amount of conflict.

In some organizations, a collaborative climate is counter-intuitive and must be taught. Once the team experiences the power of collaboration, there will be no other choice that will suffice.

Team Strategies
Clearly define the structures and systems for process, especially the process for decision-making. Communicate each step to each person present as well as those missing from team session. Consider who else need to know the information. Those not on a team in a formal way can contribute in surprising ways to a project’s ultimate success.

Covenants
Teams come together with a variety of skills and diverse background. Each person has an idea of how team process works and how decisions are made. Therefore, in order to prevent unproductive conflict, it is important that the team defines its guideline for operation and guidelines for what to do when decisions cannot be made easily and also what to do when things do not go as planned.

Empowering Those Whom You Lead
In order to have the leaders around you support a common vision, it is crucial that you let go of things that others can do and get out of the way so they can get going. Getting out of the way, however, does not mean abandonment. Give the encouragement, information and structure needed for success. Remember, if they look good, you look good.

Systems: Tools and Techniques

Effective Time Management
In order for the leader to be a effective leader, that person must be in command of his or her own schedule. Modeling good systems will inspire and encourage others to do the same. Integrity in leadership is doing what you preach. Manage your time and lead others to do the same.

Conducting Energized Meetings
One of the biggest quenchers of team enthusiasm is holding boring, unproductive meetings. If team members fell that their time is wasted, they are not encouraged to be productive in their own areas of responsibility.

Define the systems for process and have effective structure for defining options and making decisions together. Use visual aids when working with groups. It is important not only that team members know what to expect in team meetings, but moreover it is crucial that they know what their role is and what to expect next. It is also important that information for decisions be visible for a reminder of what the options are.

Leading Teams
Be the leader. Know who your team members are and what you can expect of them.
Working “Smarter” not “Harder”

Plan for success or you will be planning for failure. Working smarter means that you are in command of your schedule and that you know how much is expected of you and when it is expected. Planning prevents failure which saves time and energy. This is smarter!

Quality of Life: Tools for Balance

Personal Relationships
Make and keep relationship outside the workplace. Provide a change of pace and change in personalities for balance and variety. Don’t burn out with the same routine with the same people hay after day. Variety and rest will make a leader more productive.

Spiritual and Physical Health
Set and maintain a reading and exercise schedule for mental and spiritual balance an physical health. If a leader is felling good, then they can think more clearly and get more done.

Balance and Wholeness
Schedule reading, planning, rest, spiritual renewal time just like you schedule work. Keep track of your schedule for at least two weeks to see how its working.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Transforming Teams

Develop Effective Process
Relationship BECOMES Process
Process CREATES Trust
Trust FORMS Community
Community BUILDS Relationships

The Transformational Leader works with people. Working with people means establishing systems that people can understand and follow. The sequence above is true about teams. You recruit persons for your team because you know and trust them. However, factors in a personal relationship do not necessarily transfer to a good team relationship. You tend to overlook the faults and inconsistencies of friends. In a team, that is not always possible. Each team member must depend on other members to perform effectively. If the leader overlooks the faults of a friend, then the relationship with other team members is damaged.

Therefore, you recruit a person because of a relationship, but process replaces that relationship and creates trust, community and a different relationship for the team members as a whole.

Transformational Leaders understand change. Change is necessary for transformation. The leader, however, must be willing to change first before expecting others to be willing to change. The transformation begins with the leader--and then moves to the team.

The templates and worksheets that follow are intended to give the leader some structure for discipline, both personally and for the team as a whole.

In order to be creative, there must be a foundation of planning, structure and commitment to excellence. It is possible to be creative and work in a structure. Computer programmers and musicians must be creative and have to work within an unforgiving structure. Leaders can be more creative when a structure is in place, thus giving the team the freedom to focus on being creative and not on structure.

Look at your skill set first--then help others do the same. They will respect your discipline and preparation. Do not, however, prepare all the content, if you expect team participation. Plan what results you desire then let the team build the journey together, then they will own it, also. As each person learns to trust the process, the team will mature and the new community will be created.

The Transformational Leader must give attention to the details of leadership and group dynamics to keep the process moving. If the leader wants to be involved in all the tasks, then there is no need for a team. Delegate and follow up as the leader.

Get transformational leadership resources at: http://www.leaderstransform.com/products.htm

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Building Leaders

Get to know all the people in the group over which you have leadership responsibility. Know their skills and desires. Know who can do what task and who will likely want to do what task. Leaders must be an example of the traits they expect their volunteers and staff to manifest in their duties. A good leader must also know what to ask from people and where to assign them. Do not expect a duck to act like an eagle. All of the positive modeling in the world will not change reality.

Choose wisely, and it will make you happy. It will make them happy. It will make the church happy. And you will get more accomplished! This means asking questions and listening carefully to the answers. Do not make assumptions here. Listen carefully to your staff and volunteers, and ask specific questions. Consider giving people a choice of different tasks and see how they respond. Sometimes people will agree to perform tasks that are not their first preference if they have previously been affirmed by the successful completion of a task they do prefer. Leadership is about relationship and personal fulfillment. If they feel affirmed and you have earned the right to ask because of your relationship, then they will be more willing to do more for you.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Transform Yourself, continued

Getting too focused on programs, goals, and strategies can and will keep a leader away from the main focus on the spiritual journey. Keep your focus on God’s work through your work. God transforms people through the talents given to you.

Set and keep a daily routine for personal devotion. Read constantly. Listen constantly to God’s messages in the readings, through others, and in prayer and meditation. God leads; we follow. We lead, and others follow. Don’t let that chain be broken. It is through God’s power that we succeed. Read and remember scripture that relates to following God and that relates to God’s equipping.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Transform Yourself

Continually sharpen your skills for proficiency, and continually focus your devotional life so that you are Transformational Leader transforming followers spiritually. After all is said and done, the end result should be spiritual renewal, spiritual transformation and spiritually equipping people for Christian service.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Disciplinary Skills

The strength of the leader sets the speed of the team. Model the type of behavior that you want. Give your best – expect their best. Know what you want – know how to handle the situation when things don’t go right.

There are times to reign in your staff, the volunteers you’ve recruited, and yourself. Remember how it feels when people speak harshly to you, so when going about this reigning in, don’t be harsh.

Remember always that the Transformational Leader works through people. You work through people by enabling, coaching and encouraging, not by forcing or with raw power.
Transform yourself

Disciplinary Skills

The strength of the leader sets the speed of the team. Model the type of behavior that you want. Give your best – expect their best. Know what you want – know how to handle the situation when things don’t go right.

There are times to reign in your staff, the volunteers you’ve recruited, and yourself. Remember how it feels when people speak harshly to you, so when going about this reigning in, don’t be harsh.

Remember always that the Transformational Leader works through people. You work through people by enabling, coaching and encouraging, not by forcing or with raw power.
Transform yourself

Disciplinary Skills

The strength of the leader sets the speed of the team. Model the type of behavior that you want. Give your best – expect their best. Know what you want – know how to handle the situation when things don’t go right.

There are times to reign in your staff, the volunteers you’ve recruited, and yourself. Remember how it feels when people speak harshly to you, so when going about this reigning in, don’t be harsh.

Remember always that the Transformational Leader works through people. You work through people by enabling, coaching and encouraging, not by forcing or with raw power.
Transform yourself

Monday, November 13, 2006

Working Through People, Part 4

Working through others depends on their empowerment. It also depends on clear definition of the vision and clear directions along the way. If you depend on those whom you lead to follow this model, then empowerment is essential. Let go of things that others can do. Help them develop the skills to do these tasks if they do not have all the skills necessary. Build their skills, as they are able to learn. Encourage, nurture, coach and let go. Let them put their personal stamp on the work. Use their ideas, as they apply to the vision. Do not discount their contributions, even if these ideas are not exactly what you would have done. They will do it differently. Get over it. Delegate and transform. As they develop ownership in the project, they will develop their own momentum.

Be sure to reinforce good work and acknowledge results. Celebrate their contributions. If they do not have all the information, knowledge or skills to pull off the objective, give them some of yours. Contribute to their success in any way that you can. It’s not about your achievement it’s about their journey towards transformation. Your achievement is wrapped-up with their success.

Transformation is not an event - it is a process. You are not a dictator you are an enabler, a coach and a Transformational Leader. Those who have experienced transformation will impact the world in which the live, work and worship.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Working Through People, Part 3

Getting people to follow you to fulfill a vision takes strong leadership skills, good communication skills, enthusiasm, charisma and most of all trust. If people know they can trust you, then they will follow a path that is not yet clear to them. They will follow, trusting that the path is clear to you, or that you know how to find the way to the final goal. This requires that the leader model the way he or she desires his or her followers to act. The group will learn quickly if the leader is sincere or not. The actions of the Transformational Leader must be the same as the spoken beliefs. These actions will speak louder that any words ever will. So, the leader must lead the way be acting in ways that fulfill the spoken and or written vision.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Working Through People, Part 2

Working through people is the foundation of this form of leadership. Respect for the individual and for whom they are personally. Building a strong vision and continually selling that vision to participants is one of the key roles the Transformation Leader plays. And it is a role that is fundamental to the organic make-up of the Transformational Leader. The charisma and enthusiasm that the leader shows is the inspiration to those who follow. It is the encouragement that followers need when days are dark and the going gets tough. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel when there is no end in sight.

The leader raises the emotional energy in the group by their level of enthusiasm and support. Those who will follow need a strong vision, a strong encouragement and strong affirmations along the way. If there are little signs of success along the way, then the belief systems for those who follow will be strengthened.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Working Through People

Impacting people’s lives and moving toward a strong vision is what the Transformational Leader endorses totally. Maintaining the unswerving commitment to the vision and encouraging others is one of the key driving forces toward success. Music directors especially recognize that they are in the business of transforming people and their productivity. The other transformation that takes place is the key: transforming people’s lives through their participation in programs and events.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Transformational Leader vs Charismatic Leader

Transform means change. How does the leader inspire, enable and empower others to bring change into an organization? By encouraging, sharing, coaching, trusting, modeling, valuing, reinforcing and many others. Being a Transformational Leader is similar in many ways to being a Charismatic Leader. The major difference is the focus of the Transformational Leader on working through people and not through one’s own power.

Monday, November 06, 2006

The root of the word transform

Examine at the word Transform. It is not merely change, or we would use that word. It is a verb with an expanded vision and is much more transcendent. It implies a deeper, more fundamental alteration of our very form. (trans – form) The continuing process of transformation begins with the moment of inspiration and continues in us through times of action, rest and reflection.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Daily Transformational Disciplines

The daily duty and delight of the Transformational Leader is to empower the leaders in his or her organization by sharing a common vision and by constant encouragement for each leader as they seek to work toward achieving that vision. Encouragement comes in the form of mentoring, coaching, cheering and teaching. Be constant in encouragement.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Transformational Leaders focus on the success of the team and only not on their personal success. Leaders must know the value of teams and understant the benefit of successful teams to the organization as a whole.

More information can be found at: http://www.synervisioninternational.com/transformation.htm

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Defining Transformational Leadership

The Transformational Leader
1. Lets go of things others can do
2. Encourages initiative, ideas, and risk taking
3. Ensures that people have clear goals and the support to accomplish those goals
4. Delegate to challenge, develop, and empower
5. Coaches to ensure success.
6. Reinforces good work and good attempts
7. Shares information, knowledge, and skills
8. Values, trusts, and respects each individual
9. Provides support without taking over
10. Practices what they preach

The transformational leader is similar to the servant leader in that the T/L is out in from service as motivator, trainer and enabler for those in his or her care. A transformational leader seeks first to transform themselves, then to transform others and then the organization.