Leadership When the Heat's On Quotes

“Motivation is the by-product of desire. Desire and motivation can’t be separated. They are always at the same level. True motivation can’t be cranked up any higher than the level of desire. To best understand how desire increases, and motivation along with it, you must learn more about the three levels of motivation. Level Three: Commitment Level Two: Goal Identification Level One: Compliance The lowest level (Level One) is compliance, which is essentially doing something because you were told to do it. There isn’t much motivation or personal desire involved. Character is not built at the compliance level. The next higher level (Level Two) is identification with the goal. Identification gives the individual a feeling of investment in the goal and produces increased desire and motivation. The highest level of motivation (Level Three) is commitment. There is no greater motivation than when someone feels the goal is truly their own. “Because I said so” is all the management ability needed to get somebody to Level One. Simply order the person around as if they can’t think or reason for themselves and have no special ability or investment in getting the job done other than to avoid being fired. To help people reach Level Two, you must clearly and simply communicate the benefits of achieving the goal. Include them in why the job needs to be done and how it’s in their best interest for all to do it well. When there is something to gain, people invest more. Many a company turnaround has started at this level. To reach Level Three, a person needs to understand why they’re uniquely suited for the task. Show that person how his or her strengths (not yours) can be used to help achieve their part of the goal. Not only will they feel that there’s a personal benefit for a job well done, but more important, they’ll bring a part of themselves to the job. Nobody in your organization will be able to sustain a level of motivation higher than you have as the leader. If a person rises above the leader’s level of motivation, they have to leave you and go somewhere else. Therefore, it behooves you to internalize the goals of your organization and build everyone else up to your level of commitment. I’ve heard it described as “organizing energies around a goal.” What a responsibility! What a challenge! What a growth opportunity!”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On

“Everyone in your organization has strengths inside, just waiting for you to talk to them. There’s no telling how helpful these strengths can and will be to you once you become aware of them and communicate with them. Peter Drucker pointed out that strong people always have strong weaknesses. That’s logical when you think about it. Show me a successful person, and I’ll show you someone with a few chinks in his or her armor. Drucker then went on to stress that focusing on strengths makes demands on performance. Once you identify a strength in a person and talk to that person about it, don’t be surprised if they say, “You’re exactly right, and watch this.” They want to confirm your insight by putting that strength into action. Sarah Bernhardt, the great actress, understood this. She said, “When you tell a woman she has a beautiful profile, she begins to live sideways.” I think the same is true of the male gender.”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On

“Your enthusiasm for the continuing development of your team members will never wane. There’s a great old classic movie called Magnificent Obsession, in which the mentor tells the star, who is about to make a major life change, “This will obsess you, but it will be a magnificent obsession.” Finding strengths will be your magnificent obsession. The only time you get to work on your people’s weaknesses is when they ask you to. Any attempt on your part to work on their weaknesses before they’re ready is wasted time, both yours and theirs.”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On

“If you feel that the thrill is long gone out of your leadership position, I guarantee if you will commit yourself to identifying and developing the strengths in your people, you’ll experience a resurgence of excitement in your career. It will require you to really observe, analyze, and study each team member’s habits, actions, and responses to critical situations. It’s a quest that will help you continue to discover new strengths in individuals, including your kids.”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On

“I communicated with their weaknesses. How is that possible? By saying, “If I were you, I would …” Trust me on this, if you’ve ever used that phrase, no one heard the end of your sentence. All they hear is you comparing your strengths to their weaknesses. You can understand what an explosive situation that is. You might as well be saying, “If you had my strengths instead of your pathetic pile of weaknesses …” Quickly, I dropped “If I were you, I would …” from my vocabulary and started saying, “With your strengths, I feel the best way to handle the situation you’re involved in would be for you to …” People will listen to that. Their response, stated or unstated, is essentially: “Coach, you understand my strengths better than anyone I’ve ever worked for. You always have good ideas about how I can use my strengths, not yours, to handle the situation. Thanks for taking this time with me.”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On

“When you begin to thirst for knowledge, you drink it in. You need not go out for it, nor away. The ocean of it surrounds us as the atmosphere.”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On

“The answers to leadership challenges of the future are, in many ways, similar to the answers my ancestors left behind. They are the intangible human qualities, rooted in the soul. The souls of all leaders, past, present, and future, are connected by an unshakable sense of purpose, unquenchable spirit of adventure, and unending personal growth. When these qualities become infused into the fabric of your organization, through your efforts, you’ll have courageous leadership at all levels. The result is a memorable, long-lasting organization.”
― Danny Cox, Leadership When the Heat's On