Trust in Our Relationships

How do you build trust?  I mean how can we really build trust in our relationships?  What is it that makes others trust us or not?

Very interesting questions, and some tough ones too I might add.

In hosting a John Maxwell Mastermind Group, we have been studying John C. Maxwell's book called, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership."  In chapter 6 of John's book, he defines the 6th Law of Leadership called "The Law of Solid Ground."

In reviewing this law I came across a YouTube video that John did on that very law.  In the video, John says that trust is composed of two things.  In other words, we can gain and build the trust of others with two things and we need them both:  character and competence.  Competence alone is not enough, we must all have ethics/character as well.  John says, "the two together is the Law of Solid Ground."

Here is the YouTube link to John's video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5XwteEDckY

After you watch the video, think about the ways in which you can help others to trust you more.  How is your competence?  How is your character?

If you want to grow more and know more about Mastermind Groups or John Maxwell and his material, consider visiting:  http://www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/danedeutsch/

Until next time, keep leading with Character 1st!  Heidi Ho - Dane:)

High Impact Leadership

Begins with

Investment in Self

Let me ask you a very important question. Do you make it a goal to invest in yourself?

Now, I am not talking about sports or hobbies or even how to improve you technically. What I am really asking is whether or not you are making it a goal and priority to grow yourself in regards to soft “people” skills like leadership, relationships, attitude, communications, character education, etc.

Recently, it has become clear to me that one of the reasons people may not lead well, may be a result of not leading themselves or investing time and energy in growing themselves as leaders.

Without investing in ourselves as individuals, we probably won’t be able to invest in others. Without having received anything from investing in ourselves, it stands to reason that we most likely won’t have anything to give or invest in others either. I love what John Maxwell says, “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.” That means we really need to make it our goal to invest in ourselves and grow with soft “people” skills on a daily basis so that we become stronger and better leaders who in turn are able to invest in their team, family, or organization.

So, why not start today? Find a person who can mentor you, or go to a seminar where you learn more about yourself in leadership or management, or even read a book that focuses on an interest of yours where you can invest in yourself and add value to your own life. When you do that, you will be ready and able to invest in others and add value to their lives as well.

I guarantee you that no matter what occupation you are in, your quality of life will improve and your feeling that you are leading a balanced life will improve as well. Bob Burg said it best in his successful book titled, “The Go-Giver” (visit my Go-Giver website), when he focused on the Law of Authenticity and said, “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” Are you ready to “gift” yourself to others? Start today to invest in yourself and you will find that not only will you be more successful and feel better about yourself, but you will add value and significance to others and serve to make them more successful as well. Invest in yourself! For more info and resources on how to get started growing and investing in your leadership training (LMDC website) or visit my John Maxwell website.

Is Character and Integrity Important When Outsourcing IT Services?

People hear me talk about Character all the time, but how does it get measured? Here is one article that talks about how important character is to the workplace when customers are outsourcing, and a measurement of its impact on business.

Remember Character is a lot of things like integrity, but specifically it is easy to remember when you think about it encompassing the 6 Pillars of Character from www.charactercounts.org: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.

Here is the link to this article: http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=26804

Clearly, some employers and customers are starting to realize that outsourcing people is important, but hiring the right company and/or person with Character (Fairness and Loyalty in this case) is KEY!

Stay focused on your True North and you will do well for yourself, your family, your company, and your customers.

Character and Honesty go a long way. Make it a great Day!

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What is Success? Have you found your purpose yet?

"What is the most common question asked of me?"

“ What is the most common question

asked of me on the campaign trail?”

We have less than 90 days until the November elections. Almost every day, people ask me what the most common question is that I have been asked while campaigning. The answer is: Do you support Term Limits?

I think that is a very interesting question. Why don’t they ask about jobs, or economy, or any other of a myriad of questions that could possibly be asked? The answer is that the people who ask the question eventually also answer their own question with, “I want term limits, because I am tired of career politicians.” So, they really ask me that question to find out if I am going to be a career politician or will I be authentic and genuine and represent the people again? I have learned that people do not care what I know or what I can do for them until they know that I am someone they can trust. The way they seem to be filtering that trust is by asking the question, “Do you support Term Limits?”

The answer is: “YES, I do!” I support 2-3 terms in office. That equals 8-12 years. Statistics show that after 10 years, the majority of politicians do not create useful and productive legislation any more. To truly be a citizen legislator, term limits are necessary. For those that think voting is the way to limit terms…don’t believe it. Many of us are still complacent citizens who don’t study the candidates and don’t take the time to really educate themselves responsibly. In addition, there are advantages that an incumbent has that a challenger does not have. Voting is a right and a privilege.

So, I encourage you to get involved in some form or fashion with a candidate of your choice this voting season. Most importantly, educate yourself on the candidates and turn out to meet them personally if you can. You will be glad you did.  You might even find that there are candidates that are just normal citizens like you and I, and they can be trusted.

To find out more about where I stand on issues and what the “planks” are in my senate candidate platform, please visit: http://www.daneforsenate.com/planks.asp

Come and “Run with Dane!”

Why am I running for Senate?

Today, I am returning home from the 2010 Wisconsin GOP Convention. The last three days was spent networking and talking with some of the best and most conservative minds in America including: Karl Rove, Congressman Paul Ryan, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and more.

During the last three days, I listened to numerous candidates campaigning for every political race available in Wisconsin’s 2010 elections. Most of those candidates expressed why they were running for office. You know, the usual reasons and logic pervaded all of the speeches. In my mind I kept saying that I was running, because I wanted to make a difference. In fact, many of the speeches that espoused conservative values and principles I could have written and/or given. Many times recently I even did so. Yet, in my heart and mind there was something more. Somehow I knew there was something other than just wanting to make a difference, but I could not express it in words.

While waiting for my flight from Milwaukee, WI to Orlando (to spend the week with my wife, and two of my children and their families) I realized what had been missing that I couldn’t put into words. The reason I was running all of a sudden occurred to me after a stranger in the security checkpoint line asked me why I was going to Orlando. I quickly told him that my second oldest son, Moses, was being deployed to Iraq soon and most likely this would be the last time I would get to spend with him before he deployed.

Yes, that was it. I was running for the office of Senate for my family, and more importantly for my son and others like him that were sacrificing so much on the battlefield to keep our American way of life free for us. It was then that the reason I was running all of a sudden became very real. I was running for the Wisconsin Senate so that I could ensure that I was going to give him a chance to have a voice that represented “duty to country.” I was going to work for him and all of the soldiers like him. I was going to work for the children, families, companies and people of Wisconsin to offer leadership and strong moral character that would ensure we had effective leadership again in our government, leadership with ideas and work ethic that once again were steered by a moral compass. I realized that my son was soon going to be fighting in a battle zone for not only my freedom and liberty, but also for the freedom and liberty of all who call themselves Americans, and more specifically, Wisconsinites.

Just as my son will soon be fighting in Iraq under a military campaign, it would now be my duty to honor my country by fighting to win our political campaign, for his sake. I now know it is my responsibility to campaign for the senate seat and WIN so that “WE THE PEOPLE” ensure at least one more seat in government is filled by someone who will be “leading with character and common sense” to ensure our 2nd amendment rights, pro-life, traditional marriage, pro-family, and all of our rich constitutional rights and conservative values/principles.

Yes, I now know why I am running. I am running to make a difference, and it will be a “bigger” difference indeed.