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Have you ever wondered the difference from those who are wildly successful and those who are not?
In one of our recent blogs, The Truth About Being An Entrepreneur, we discussed misconceptions about being successful. The strategies to be successful are simple, but the difficulty is putting them into practice consistently.
Read MoreI’m not a fan of scary movies. And if there’s anything I dislike more than a horror movie it’s a horrible leader. Horrible leaders are not only scary, but they can be a living nightmare.
I know you have experienced a bad leader. Many research studies agree that three out of four employees report experiencing a bad boss that increases their level of stress. If you haven’t had an encounter with a horrible leader, you are a rare exception.
Read MoreThe thought of becoming an entrepreneur was appealing. After joining the team of business owners/entrepreneurs in 2012, I discovered many facts and myths associated with being an entrepreneur/business owner. There are so many misconceptions about what a successful business owner or executive look or perform like. Here are just a few...
Read MoreSome career experts these days are saying when starting a new job that you should already be planning for your next job. And I agree. If you don’t take control over your promotion planning for your self, who will?
Read MoreWhether we are in the workplace or enjoying our personal lives, we all will have to deal with failure at some point in our lives. There are some people who run from failure, but there are others who thrive from failure. The question is how do you handle failure?
Read MoreWhat control do you have over the influences on your thinking? Where might you go to find interesting people, intriguing thoughts and boundless creativity?
Believe it or not, the way we think determines everything we receive in life. If you discover a flow of good things happening to you, it is highly possible that those good things are stemming from your good thoughts. But if you are constantly experiencing misfortunes, maybe it is because you need to adopt a new style of thinking.
Read MoreReceiving a paycheck doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness. Even if it is a hefty paycheck. There are some people making millions of dollars a day and still are unhappy.
The money makes it a little more tolerable to live an unhappy life. But why live “day in” and “day out” in unhappiness?
When you are choosing a job, what determines if you will choose one job over another. All the research suggest that there are 4 key determining factors to a happy work life.
Read MoreDisasters such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Harvey prove the remarkable resolve that we as humans have within us.
So when it comes to the remarkable resolve of humans, I want to share a few reflections from Harvey. I think we would all agree that we are all better together. The same resolve exhibited in our responses to these disasters, I think we should exemplify these attributes with our families, businesses, and any other aspect of our lives.
Read MoreWhat separates a winner from a loser? What is the difference between someone rich and the person that is lacking? Why are some people slim and trim, while others are stuck carrying extra weight they wish would just disappear?
Well that’s thing, nothing just happens by chance.
Read MoreDiversifying is making different investments. Although diversification is commonly used in the financial sector, it has also been a bit of a hot topic in the workplace for the past 1-2 years. One of the reasons why it is a hot topic is because of the overwhelming research that supports how organizations benefit from diverse teams, diverse thoughts, diverse creativity, and diverse growth. Many of these same research studies also prove how diverse teams outperform their less diverse counterparts.
Read MoreWho doesn’t like winning?
This isn’t a blog to explain how everyone is a winner. Or that everyone will or should win. Matter of fact, eventually everyone loses.
In this blog, let’s talk about how to create win-win situations. I don’t think you need any convincing or motivation regarding why YOU should be winning. But how many people are actually creating wins for other people. There is nothing wrong with you wanting to win, but also seek to help others win. It’s called a win-win situation.
Read More
Our world is in need of effective and functional leaders, but to be a this kind of leader you must be a healthy leader.
If you have ever been sick, you understand how difficult it is to be at your best. I became too familiar with this after my Achilles repair. There were many times I had the strength mentally, but physically my body would not allow me to perform various tasks.
Have you ever been in this situation?
In the study I will share with you this week, we will discuss the health of a leader. To help with this discussion, we will look at the life of Daniel in the Bible.
Daniel was an effective and functional leader because he was healthy. Let me share with you what made Daniel a healthy leader and how you can become just as successful as Daniel. Daniel practiced three strategies causing him to be a successful leader. If you would only try these three strategies, you too will enhance your effectiveness as a leader.
1. Refuse to be distracted. In Daniel 1:8, Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor the wine he dank.” As leaders, we are not immune from being distracted. Matter of fact, it can easier for us as leaders to be distracted with the many responsibilities on our plate. At times, we can get so caught up in everything around us. We lead others and sometimes we forget to lead ourselves, which includes our health. Daniel committed and determined in his heart that he was going to take care of himself. We cannot help others, if we don’t first help ourselves.
2. Realize your strength. Most of the time, we know what we need to do and how we need to do it. Don’t get caught up in taking short-cuts with any part of your leadership. Daniel refused the food of the king because he knew what his body needed to effectively lead. Daniel say in verse 12 of chapter one, “…let them give us vegetables, grains, and water to drink.” A valuable point we can all take away from this passage is how Daniel did not want what everyone else was eating and drinking. Daniel saw how others start to look after partaking in the king’s meat and drinks. This applies to our health, but also applies to our work ethic. Know where you strength lies. Eat right, work hard, and trust in God.
3. Maximize your potential. Once you take care of the first two points, you will be in a great position to maximize your strength. Daniel was blessed because of his loyalty and devotion to God. In verse 17 of chapter one it says, “God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom.” Not only was Daniel blessed, but also his friends were blessed as well. They had such a great reputation that “the king inquired about them” and needed their help. We do things the right way; we will be blessed beyond our wildest imaginations.
Wherever you are in life, it is never too late to improve your health. It’s what you eat, drink, read, and watch on TV. It’s how much sleep you get. It’s who you hang around. It is our responsibility to manage our own health. Your health as a leader today will determine your success as a leader tomorrow.
Question: What can you do to improve you health as a leader? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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Life can be pretty demanding making it quite hard to take control of your life.
My father and mother taught me as a child to take ownership of my life and avoid letting anyone else dictate my life’s outcomes. As a child, I thought this was a difficult task due to peer pressure, identity crisis, etc. However, I believe it can be more of a challenge as an adult.
What do you think?
As adults, expectations are high and demands are great. It can get pretty ridiculous because of others unrealistic expectations.
I believe we all are leading something or someone, which places even higher expectations on our live. Expectations are high, whether you are a father, mother, sibling, Christian, worker, or business owner. Just to name few.
This is why everyday you must "Show Your Title!"
I’m not talking about your title or position at church or work, but I’m talking about showing you have control of your life.
In property law, a title is when a person “out-right” owns or has equitable interest in a piece of property.
So, I say again, “Show Your Title.”
I completely understand why it is impossible to control any external stimuli, but I do believe we as leaders can control internally what we feel, say, and do. With that said, I love the attitude quote by Charles Swindoll.
Your title is your life, but more importantly like Charles Swindoll it is your attitude.
If you don’t have control over your attitude, then you may want to quickly figure out who has your title. Once you have full ownership of you title, “Show Your Title.”
Show your title by being kind to others, leading with compassion, taking accountability, and enjoying your road to success.
Question: Do you own your title? How have you shown your title? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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Everyday we live brings new opportunities for leaders to grow, love, dream, and live with purpose. Leaders think the best before thinking the worst. They aren’t envious of the prosperity of others. As a matter of fact, good leaders are happy when others experience success.
I have never been one to be jealous of another person’s success. If anything, I have always been excited and happy for the success of others.
Any jealousy creates negative energy that can limit your ability to grow. So, jealousy is quite counter-productive to your personal and business success.
Whether you are jealous or not, opportunity will knock.
What will you do when opportunity knocks?
It is not a matter of if, but when. Opportunity will knock, but will you be ready when it does?
Since we know opportunity will knock, I want to prepare you for your opportunity when it knocks. There are 3 strategies you can use to prepare for your success.
1. Embrace your challenges. When you are able to see your trying times as stepping stones, you will focus less on the struggle and more on growth that will occur from the difficulty. It has been proven that we grow stronger in the presence of adversity. That is one of the reason why Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”
2. Be happy for the small things. Many times we look for big opportunities to present themselves. To be completely honest, you will come in contact with more small opportunities than the bigger opportunities. How you handle the small opportunities will determine two things:
1) How you will handle the big opportunities and
2) How many big opportunities you will experience.
3. Surround yourself with people who are opportunistic. I don’t believe opportunities are a matter of dumb luck (something good happening by chance, without being planned or deserved). When you are intentional about surrounding yourself with people who are engulfed with opportunities, it is only a matter of time before you will experience your own opportunities.
Opportunities will knock, but make sure you are prepared for your opportunities.
Question: Are you preparing yourself for your opportunities? How will you handle opportunity when it does knock? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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In today’s fast-paced world, it easy to get lost in the noise when seeking leadership advice.
I have seen many leaders in different settings from church to our business world. I believe the foundation of leadership begins with the Bible.
When was the last time you learned a leadership principle from the Bible?
Whether you know it or not, leadership started with the God and His inspired Word. There are many great leadership books, but I don’t think there is a better book on leadership than the Bible. The Bible doesn’t just talk about effective leaders, but also it describes ineffective leaders and their rise and fall.
There are many misconceptions about the Bible. I have heard people use the Bible to condemn, but God sent the greatest leader to our Earth for one reason.
John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
A roadmap for all leaders can be found in Christ.
You may not be a consistent Bible reader, but I encourage you to take a look at the life of Christ. Study how he handled His twelve disciples, His followers, and even His enemies.
If you are looking for leadership advice, look no further. The world’s greatest leader has already graced our Earth.
Whether you believe in Him or not, He is undeniably the most influential leader of all time. To this day, Jesus still has more followers than any leader that has ever walked this Earth. You could add all the social media platforms together and Jesus would still have greatest following of all-time.
Every leader needs a mentor. Who better to have as a mentor than Jesus the Christ?
Here are 20 reasons why leaders should use Jesus as a mentor.
1. He is the Most Influential Leader
2. He is God
3. He is Head over All Things
4. He is the Truth
5. He is Just
6. He is Faithful
7. He is a Rock
8. He is a Savior
9. He is a Mediator
10. He is Creative
11. He is Perfect
12. He is a King
13. He is Caring
14. He is Love
15. He is a Provider
16. He is a Protector
17. He is All-Powerful
18. He is the Great Forgiver
19. He is Wisdom
20. He is Life
Even with these 20 reasons to make Jesus your mentor, there are still literary a million other reasons to let Jesus be your mentor.
Question: How can Christ help you as a leader? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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People have different feelings when it comes to the word, KILL. It is a strong word to use. However, when it comes to the building successful leadership and living out your dreams, you must daily kill your fear.
Every move our business, MTN Universal, has made to move forward has taken a great level of faith to kill fear primary because of the unexpected/unpredictable.
What fears do you have? Have you ever avoided making a decision or taking action with something due to fear?
Having a fear/fears doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t make you a “scary” person. It just makes you human.
We have to find a way to kill our fears daily because each day will bring its own set of fears.
It may not be a fear of dying, public speaking, etc. It could be fear of change. It may be fear of more responsibility. It may be fear of connecting with other leaders. One of the biggest fears for most people is fear of failing. Whatever kind of fear it may be, you have to take these three steps to kill it.
1. Acknowledge your fear. One of the most powerful steps to releasing your mind from any restrictions is acknowledgement of a specific problem. In the case of fear, acting like you have no fear when you are fearful will only give room for your fear to grow. Recognize what is holding you back as a leader and start the process of bringing an abundance of prosperity into your life.
2. Face your fear. When you have recognized what you are fearful of, then you can face it. Don’t run from it, hide from it, or even play with it. Face your fear. This is beneficial for you because it will break you free from any limitation in your life.
3. Fight your fear. In most cases, fear is present because of the absence belief. We fight fear with faith. Hopefully you are attached to a company or people who believe in your vision. One crucial key to success is killing fear by believing in the possibilities for your success. If no one else believes, you should believe.
As leaders, it is quite easy to become paralyzed by fear. Everyone has challenges they will face, but leaders have to make tough decisions that affect many people and themselves. Kill your fears by believing. Believe in God. Believe in yourself. Believe in your vision as a leader, whether it is a Fortune 500 company or just a small business. Believe! Believe! Believe!
Question: What fears are keeping you from advancing in your personal and business life? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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Words can be a powerful asset to a leader, if used the right way. Regardless of whether you are leading one person or thousands, a good leader is careful with his or her words.
In the past, I have worked for supervisors who were unable to effectively communicate their vision. In these cases, words were used carelessly. Careless use of words doesn’t inspire change, but rather discourages your followers.
Have you worked for a leader that carelessly used his or her words?
Obviously, leaders use many effective words, but here are a few simple words we will discuss today that will help with your success. Consistently adding these words to your vocabulary will assist you in receiving favorable outcomes as a leader.
1. Thank you. Saying “thank you” is one of the easiest ways to let your followers know how much you appreciate them. Never fail to say these two simple words because you wouldn’t be where you are without those who have helped you.
2. Yes. We hear the word no a lot these days. More than likely, you have heard “no” at least a hundred to a thousand times. The same goes for your followers, so find a way to say “yes.”
3. No. Everything can’t be a “yes.” There are times when you have to say, “No.” Some may believe “no” is a negative word to use, but it can be helpful to you and your followers if used in the right way.
4. Sorry. You will make mistakes. When you make a mistake, acknowledge your mistake and it will help you move forward. Hiding mistakes will only lead to further failure.
5. Awesome. Some people don’t like words such as you rock, you’re the best, you’re awesome, etc. However, as a leader if you want to inspire someone to follow your vision, you will discover these types of words will light a fire under your followers. Understanding how to be a source of encouragement will help you tremendously. Simultaneously, your encouragement will do two things for your followers:
1) Praise their gifts/abilities and
2) Show appreciation.
6. Care. Any relationship we are invested in, we want to know that the person on the other end cares. Take for an example, a doctor operating on your heart or maybe just a minimally invasive knee surgery. I want to know that the doctor cares about the success of my surgery. Your followers want to know that you care and that you won’t lead them carelessly. TIME magazine did a poll and one of the Top Reasons Why Americans Stay At Their Jobs included “I feel connected to the organization.” A person feels connected when they know someone cares. Find a way to tell and show your followers how much you care.
7. Serve. Many people believe leading is all about being a boss. As a leader, your first goal and responsibility should be to serve. We serve our followers. We serve our customers. Leadership is all about serving. Let your followers know that you are here to serve them.
8. Forgive. Not only will you make mistakes, but also your followers and customers will make mistakes. If you want others to accept your mistakes and move on, leaders must do the same with those who wrong them. One of the biggest downfalls of a leader is pride and ego. If you have any of these destructive characteristics, remove these traits and forgive.
Words carry power. What type of words are you using? If you will consistently practice using these kinds of words, you will notice an improvement in your leadership skills and an increase in the number of people that will follow you.
Question: How do you use words? Are you taking every opportunity to powerfully lead and influence others with your words? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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Most people have dreams and goals. With those dreams and goals, are you working on making your dreams a reality or your goals an achievable accomplishment?
As a child, I once questioned many of the stories in the Bible. And still to this day, I have questions about certain stories. However, I believe. One of my studies this week was Noah and the ark. I was blown away by Noah and his leadership.
During my meditation time, I discovered Noah’s ark represents our life and leadership. We are flooded with countless responsibilities daily, but our leadership is the ark that will get us to our dry land. The dry land is our dreams, goals, and aspiration.
Our dreams and goals will suffer without sufficient time and work on nurturing them.
What are you doing to build you ark?
When I was studying Noah and the ark, I noticed Noah had three leadership qualities that any leader should have.
1. Noah believed. When you look at the story of Noah, he built an ark when it seemed foolish to most. He did not have any good reasons to build an ark looking at the geographical and meteorological conditions during that time, but Noah believed in the instruction and vision God placed on his heart. There are times when your aspirations will seem foolish. To be honest, there will be times when others will think your thoughts, ideas, and actions are quite bogus. But don’t worry or panic, just continue building your ark. Keep believing, keep building your leadership, and watch your dreams and goals come true.
2. Noah was disciplined. Noah wasn’t concerned about the drought they were experiencing or that no one believed him. He was on a mission. His focus was to build the ark. When we recognize the importance of our dreams and goals, we will develop a focused-discipline about improving our lives. How important are your dreams and goals? Take time to nourish and care for your dreams and goals.
3. Noah was diligent. When Noah was instructed to build the ark, he did not have the material. In fact, Noah had to create tools to manage the materials needed to build the ark. Frequently, I hear some entrepreneurs say they don’t have the resources, but that is the time when you should be resourceful. Other times, I have seen people wanting something for nothing. Noah worked hard. To make our dreams and goals a reality, it will take hard work.
No one can build your life like you. So wait no longer, your life and leadership is waiting for you to act. If you incorporate these three leadership qualities Noah practiced, you will build a reliable ark that will get you to all the personal and business success you will need.
Question: What are your dreams and goals? How are you currently preparing to make them a reality? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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Success is a term we use loosely. There are some people who spend their entire lives searching for success, but are unaware of what defines success.
I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t want to be successful, but what defines success?
I have heard so many people speak of success in terms of money or materialistic possessions. I believe success will take care of itself if we are able to develop successful practices. Forbes describes these practices in The Most Successful Leaders Do 15 Things Automatically, Everyday.
I believe success is greater than the money or material items one can possess, but I think those things will come with successful practices.
How do you define success?
However you may define success, if you do these three things you will discover how to enjoy your success.
1. Prepare. The most successful people on our planet prepare. It is not say that they will get it right every time, but they are prepared for the good and bad. Some people may consider successful people “lucky.” Successful people may even consider it luck. It was Lucius Annaeus Seneca that said, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” Whether you consider success being “lucky” or not, if you prepare you will soon enjoy success.
2. Practice. With any sport, athletes have to practice to be the best. Leadership is no different. To improve your leadership skills, you have to discover ways of practicing what we desire to be. As leaders, we must practice making good decisions, communicating effectively, leading by example, etc. Our consistent practice of being a successful leader will lead form good successful habits.
3. Progress. Leaders prepare, practice, but more importantly they progress their leadership. When we are able to prepare and practice the right way, it naturally successfully positions our leadership.
Preparation, practice, and progress will help you enjoy your success. Matter fact, you will discover unimaginable success with your leadership.
Question: How are you enjoying your success as a leader? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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We all have been blessed with unique gifts, but what are you doing with your gifts?
One of my life goals is to be blessing to everyone who enters my space. I want to serve and assist as many people while I have life. So I try to take every opportunity to first serve, and then look to be served.
Is it possible for us to go through life daily and take for granted our gifts?
I believe our lives are like cups and we should be pouring our lives into others. Good leaders lead with integrity and live pouring these five gifts into others.
1. Positive Attitude. One of the biggest tools you can someone is the ability to be positive. A positive attitude can make a big difference. It will turn an inopportune situation into an opportunity.
2. Belief. There’s nothing better than helping someone to believe. When the chips are down, we all need affirmation to believe that things can get better.
3. Confidence. One common denominator of the successful is confidence, not arrogance. Yes, you may run into some successful people that are arrogant. However, you need and must be able to inspire confidence in those following you.
4. Humility. There’s nothing wrong with being confident so you can be at your best, but it needs to be coupled with humility. Humility keeps away arrogance. The last thing anyone needs is arrogance because arrogance can destroy a person.
5. Compassion. When it comes to gift of compassion, it all boils down to three words - Good leaders care!
As a leader, we should be pouring these gifts into any and every one who enters our lives. If we do not have these gifts to give, then we must find a way to surround ourselves with leaders with these gifts.
Question: How are you pouring out your life? Leave your comments below.
Peace and Prosperity, Bryant Hall MTN Universal, LLC
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