You Don't Need Rank to be a Leader...

By Safe Call Now®'s Steve Gutzler

Did you know that you can lead from wherever you are? If you are a ranked leader or a personal leader, you have the power to influence those around you.

If you are working on improving your leadership capabilities, here are 17 qualities that leaders need to have:

1)      Think "we" instead of "me." Your greatest joy and passion comes from creating team-based wins. 

2)      Have great self-awareness and understand that moods, attitudes, and emotions are contagious. 

3)      Understand that being a leader is a service job, the role of a servant - service to team, family, social causes, and friendships. 

4)      Keep it about others, not you. 

5)      Grow others and focus on personal development. Make it possible for others to use their abilities and shine. 

6)      Don't just focus on being busy... get clear about true accomplishments - think big!

7)      Build an inner-circle of like-minded, optimistic solution finders. 

8)      Take responsibility for your own weaknesses and work to improve them. 

9)      Keep whatever team you lead moving.

10)   Never underestimate the power of each day to make a huge impact. 

11)   Renew your daily mission to influence others, not impress them. 

12)   Spark the ambitions of others by how you live with purpose and excellence. 

13)   Make choices, minute by minute that make you better in your professional and personal life. 

14)   Treat people as equals not subordinates. 

15)   Have dynamic "thinking time" each week that turns challenges into opportunities.

16)   Commit to body, soul, and spirit, not just business. 

17)   Live in gratitude, compassion, and kindness to others. 

Being the smartest, fastest and best at something does not make you a leader. People choose who they follow. They select men and women they respect and admire. 

Leaders who encourage the ambitions of others, who lead by example and do the small things translates into big wins. 

Regardless of your rank, title or position, focus on being the best leader you can be. It will inspire others and generate new success!

Emotional Intelligence & the #1stresponder

By Safe Call Now®'s Steve Gutzler

"Great leaders inspire us. They ignite the best version of ourselves. Most importantly, they motivate us to accomplish our best work and they make us feel important. 

 A leader who is capable of that inspiration and motivation has a high degree of Emotional Intelligence. Here are the basic competencies:

1.    Emotional Self-awareness - Leaders with high self-awareness are attuned to their inner signals, recognizing how their feelings and moods affect them and those they interact with daily. 

2.    Self-confidence - Self-confident leaders take on challenging assignments. They possess a sense of presence, poise, and self-assurance. 

3.    Emotional Self-management - Leaders with emotional self-control find ways to manage their challenging emotions and impulses. Staying calm and clear-headed is a hallmark of a great leader. 

4.    Transparency - Leaders who are transparent communicate their values and live them. They are open about their feelings, beliefs, and choices. They are leaders who can admit fault, apologize... and move forward. 

5.    Optimism - A leader with optimism can quickly shift from a problem and convert it in to a challenge to be solved. They see life through the lens of possibility and positivity. They believe the future can and will be brighter. 

6.    Developing Others - Leaders who are adept at cultivating abilities show a genuine interest in the success of others. They ask about their goals, strengths, what they enjoy. These leaders provide constructive feedback and lift the vision of those around them to see the next level of what's possible. 

Working with leaders, I find the #1 enemy to personal leadership effectiveness is their ability to manage their emotions. This is a challenge because of the stress hormone cortisol. 

#1stresponders... Are You a Personal Leader???

By Safe Call Now®'s Steve Gutzler

Did you know that you can lead from wherever you are? If you are a ranked leader or a personal leader, you have the power to influence those around you.

If you are working on improving your leadership capabilities, here are 17 qualities that leaders need to have:

1)      Think "we" instead of "me." Your greatest joy and passion comes from creating team-based wins. 

2)      Have great self-awareness and understand that moods, attitudes, and emotions are contagious. 

3)      Understand that being a leader is a service job, the role of a servant - service to team, family, social causes, friendships, and clients. 

4)      Keep it about others, not you. 

5)      Grow others and focus on personal development. Make it possible for others to use their abilities and shine. 

6)      Don't just focus on being busy... get clear about true business accomplishments - think big!

7)      Build an inner-circle of like-minded, optimistic solution finders. 

8)      Take responsibility for your own weaknesses and work to improve them. 

9)      Keep whatever team you lead moving.

10)   Never underestimate the power of each day to make a huge impact. 

11)   Renew your daily mission to influence others, not impress them. 

12)   Spark the ambitions of others by how you live with purpose and excellence. 

13)   Make choices, minute by minute that make you better in your professional and personal life. 

14)   Treat people as equals not subordinates. 

15)   Have dynamic "thinking time" each week that turns challenges into opportunities.

16)   Commit to body, soul, and spirit, not just business. 

17)   Live in gratitude, compassion, and kindness to others. 

Is Your Administration Killing You???

By Safe Call Now® President & Founder - Sean Riley

 

There is one common theme that is presented to me by first responders over and over as I travel around the country for Safe Call Now®…  “  I can handle everything on the streets but my “Administration” is killing me… literally.”  If you’re an administrator reading this, please take note, your own are reporting that you are taking their lives.  Did you know by the year 2020 one of the top workplace disabilities will be anxiety and depression???  Where is this coming from, the studies indicate it is from you…  The number one concern from the “boots” on the ground is that words do not match actions which leads to a double standard.  This is an unhealthy balance in boundaries and ego states, I’ll go into this later.

In an informal survey first responders reported to me that the phrases they most commonly hear from administrators that frustrates them such as, “breadth and depth, threshold, projections for the future, committed towards growth and advancement, committed to ensuring, internal and external initiatives, as we traverse into the future, and the administration engages in periodic discussion, along with many others… “  This circular talk demonstrates to them that the administrator can’t or won’t answer the question or has no idea what they’re talking about.  For the “boots”, everything you said before these terms is now hollow and the rest after these terms means nothing and they stopped listening.  I once heard about a chief that was let go over the term breadth and depth that was used over and over.  As William Shakespeare presents in Macbeth… “A tale told by an idiot… full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

3 Habits of Great #1stresponder Leaders...

By Safe Call Now®'s Steve Gutzler

Before I share the three habits, I'd like to remind you that every day, leaders must wake up and lead themselves before they lead anyone else. Others depend on us, and because of that we must keep the fire burning within us.   

We must:

• Know where we are going - Our Vision
• Know why we are going there - Our Motivation
• Know how we can help others - Our Leadership

To stay energized and on course - leaders can sustain themselves by:

1. The Habit of Passion -

Your passion will give you two distinctive traits: energy and credibility. Pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh said, "It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you have wanted to so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane."

When you love what you do and do what you love, others find it inspiring. I also believe it's the job of the leader to turn up the passion – the energy – the emotion.

My challenge: today show more passion and heart for those who serve and lead!