Leadership Love from LinkedIn

Moments after I wake each morning, I greet my love:

Hello, coffee.

My bride won’t be out of bed for another hour.

In light of my passion for a good cup o’ Joe, I recently purchased a coffee maker with all the bells and whistles.

Digital display, time zone settings, filtration...

It happens when we least expect it.

I was walking out of Starbucks, overpriced iced latte in hand.

When I looked up, I stopped dead in my tracks.

A driver had parked their car exceptionally close to mine.

I looked around in disbelief.

There were at least a dozen empty parking spots around us.

...

I’ve written a LinkedIn post nearly every day this year.

There have been plenty of times when I considered giving up.

Staring at a blank page is hard, but that’s not what tempted me.

I felt alone.

As if my passion for inspiring others was pouring out into a void.

As if I wasn’t...

My bride never lets me drive.

I don’t particularly mind—she’s a much better driver than I.

I also appreciate the leadership reminder she imparts.

Most days, she drives a monster truck that’s very well-suited to hauling around horses.

It’s not-so-practical for quick...

There are two types of leaders:

Invisible and visible.

Invisible: Attends a meeting, but hesitates to speak up.
Visible: Attends a meeting, and adds value by sharing their perspective.

Invisible: Receives an instruction, and quietly sets out to complete the task.
Visible: Receives an instruction,...

Of course it’s difficult—how else would reach your next level?

Don’t give up.

Show us how to persevere so that we can follow your lead.

As an aspiring leader, your confidence is key.

But confidence in what exactly?

Here’s my list of essentials.

You want to be confident in your:

Path—Do you know what your next level looks like?
Plan—Do you know how you will get there?
Progress—Can you see exactly how...

Want to be a great leader?

You’ll need to be great at solving problems.

This means mastering your timing and emphasis—here’s how:

BEGINNING - Very light
When an issue or opportunity presents itself, avoid jumping straight to solution mode. Make time and space to fully understand...

There are two ways you can look at your packed schedule.

One gets you more of the same.

The other gets you to the next level.

1. Average leader:

What do I have coming up this week, and am I prepared?

2. Aspiring leader:

What do I REALLY want to achieve this week, and what do I need to move,...

Comfort is a killer.

If we don’t push ourselves we stagnate, atrophy, stall.

Here’s how I made myself uncomfortable this week:

1. I shared my art.

For the past few weeks, I poured my creative energy into my shiny new “Ultimate Leadership Starter Kit”. (Link in comments.)

...

“You should never comment on your own posts, Matt.”

Oh yeah? Watch this.

COMMENTS

I comment on my own posts whenever I feel like it.

Oops I did it again, Britney.

My point is this: If you want to be a great leader, you need to LISTEN to lots of input, but you ultimately need to...

My favorite people are big time losers.

Failure is a great teacher.

Here’s why …

1. Coming up short gives you perspective.

2. Falling down tests your resolve and commitment.

3. Self doubt shrouds the seed of your purpose.

Ask your followers: “If you stretch—what’s...