• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Mark Slemons

  • About
  • Podcast

Mark Slemons / October 30, 2017

LTL 034: A Consistent Trait Found In Great Leaders


I guarantee that today’s episode will inspire you. If it doesn’t, you can have your money back! We all aspire to be great leaders. So, if there was one thing that we could work on to grow our influence, what would you choose? I’ll bet you think of your speaking skills or networking. Maybe you think about managing conflict or inspiring your team toward greatness. Those are all great leadership traits, no doubt. But today, I’m going to talk about an equally great trait, this is a consistent trait found in great leaders.

My good friend, Tom Jackson, is the President of Steel Encounters which is a large commercial construction company here in SLC. He invited my wife, Ginger, and me to join Steel Encounters at the Titan Awards being presented by the Sandy Chamber of Commerce. For those of you who don’t know SLC, Sandy is a suburb on the south-east side of the SL Valley. I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about what I heard and learned from these great leaders in our community.

These leaders demonstrated several striking consistencies:

  • All of them had great parents,
  • Each one prioritized long-lasting relationships (with their spouses and with their community),
  • They had mentors who had given them key guidance in their journey, and
  • Most importantly, they all served with the talents and capabilities they had developed

Think about the most simple things we know, or take for granted, that might be useful to someone else:

  • balancing a checkbook
  • establishing an emergency fund
  • picking the right insurance coverage
  • understanding health savings accounts (HSA) and how to take advantage of them
  • how to participate in a company 401k with a company match or an employee share purchase plan
  • routine car maintenance like checking the oil, brake or transmission fluid, or just where to fill the windshield wiper fluid reservoir
  • darn a sock or make a quilt
  • update a resume or apply for a job online
  • doing taxes at the end of the year
  • maybe it’s as simple as self-care, good grooming habits, or how to eat healthy on a budget

Don’t prejudge who you will serve. It might be a co-worker or colleague, a parishioner at your church, someone at the local homeless shelter, senior or community center. Get out there!

The key to serving well? Do it with enthusiasm and eagerness. Be willing to throw yourself into a situation where you may not fully understand the outcome.

Great quotes from this episode:

“You find talent by performing tasks! The world opens up to you when you take fearful steps, presenting a beautiful landscape of opportunities.” – First Lady of Utah, Jeanette Herbert

“You must be present to win.” – Ron Jibson

“There are many things in life that will catch your eyes, but only one that will catch your heart.” – Chinese fortune cookie

“My dad told me numerous times that “we are darn lucky to be born in this country and we should repay that through service.” I believe that service can include any number of occupations where the end goal is to help someone or something become better than before. Building Navy ships fits that description but so does teaching or research or community service. It’s about doing something that is bigger than yourself.” – Mike Petters, President and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries

“Do not look at the bottom of the pyramid or emerging markets as a problem to be solved; see it as an opportunity to make a difference, to change the quality of the lives of the under-served by giving them dignity. Nothing is wrong with maximizing shareholder value by serving the underprivileged.” – Hikmet Ersek, President and CEO of Western Union

“What folks need is to know that they have been seen and that they matter.” – Denver Moore

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” – Viktor Frankl

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Leader to Leader Episode 33: Your Higher Purpose: An Interview With Kevin Monroe

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Thanks for Listening!

I’m interested in hearing from you. Reach out and:

  • Leave a note in the comment section below.
  • Email a question to mark@markslemons.com.
  • Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Subscribe to the show using your favorite platform: iTunes | Stitcher | Android | RSS

Finally, I would appreciate your honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Now, go lead like someone you would want to follow!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Leader to Leader Podcast Tagged With: Chris Crosswhite, Denver Moore, Dominion Energy, First Lay of Utah, Garner Company, Governor Gary Herbert, Greg Summerhays, Hikmet Ersek, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Jeanette Herbert, Kem Gardner, Mike Petters, Questar, Rescue Mission, Ron Jibson, Same Kind of Different as Me, Sandy Chamber of Commerce, serve, Steel Encounters, Titan Awards, Tom Jackson, trait, Viktor Frankl, Western Union

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • LTL 144: Global Leadership Summit Takeaways Part Four December 9, 2019
  • LTL 143: Global Leadership Summit Takeaways Part Three December 2, 2019
  • LTL 142: Global Leadership Summit Takeaways Part Two November 25, 2019
  • LTL 141: Global Leadership Summit Takeaways Part One November 18, 2019
  • LTL 140: Consistency Revisisted And The Difficulty Of Things Worthwhile November 11, 2019
  • LTL 139: A Controversy Regarding Forgiveness November 4, 2019
  • LTL 138: The Value Of Humility And Momentum October 28, 2019
  • LTL 137: Move Past Resentment To Take Control Of Your Future October 21, 2019
  • LTL 136: Why Leaders Can’t Afford The High Cost Of Resentment October 14, 2019
  • LTL 135: Four Solid Principles Supporting Team Growth October 7, 2019
  • LTL 134: Distinctives And What Makes Us Different September 30, 2019
  • LTL 133: Responding When Thrust Into The Unexpected September 23, 2019
  • LTL 132: Building People, Teams, and Processes with Micah Rowland Part Two September 16, 2019
  • LTL 131: Building People, Teams, and Processes with Micah Rowland Part One September 9, 2019
  • LTL 130: The Labor Inspector September 3, 2019
  • LTL 129: Your Past Makes You Human August 26, 2019
  • LTL 128: Creating A Thriving Environment For Growth August 19, 2019
  • LTL 127: Overcoming Your Pain To Step Into Your Greatness August 12, 2019
  • LTL 126: Excellence: We Are What We Repeatedly Do August 5, 2019
  • LTL 125: Four Areas Of Focus To Increase Excellence July 29, 2019
  • LTL 124: What Does Excellence Look Like In Leadership July 22, 2019
  • LTL 123: Why Winning Does Not Equal Success July 15, 2019
  • LTL 122: Preventing Expectations From Producing Failure July 8, 2019
  • LTL 121: Taking An Unconventional Path To CEO With Carey Jenkins Part Two July 1, 2019
  • LTL 120: Taking An Unconventional Path To CEO With Carey Jenkins Part One June 24, 2019
  • LTL 119: Obsession, Opportunity, and Superstition June 17, 2019
  • LTL 118: The Business Of Language – An Interview With Lelani Craig Part Two June 10, 2019
  • LTL 117: The Business Of Language – An Interview With Lelani Craig Part One June 3, 2019
  • LTL 116: Why Success Start With Service May 27, 2019
  • LTL 115: To Be A Great Leader You Must Have This May 20, 2019
  • LTL 114: Now That’s A Good Question May 13, 2019
  • LTL 113: The Unintentional Impact Of Careless Conversations May 6, 2019
  • LTL 112: Some Final Thoughts On Liminal Space April 29, 2019
  • LTL 111: The Best Actions To Take During Uncertainty April 22, 2019
  • LTL 110: Getting Comfortable With Uncertainty April 15, 2019
  • LTL 109: Leading While Leaving – When It Was Not Your Choice April 8, 2019
  • LTL 108: Leading While Leaving: My Story April 1, 2019
  • LTL 107: Leading While Leaving – Things You Must Never Do March 25, 2019
  • LTL 106: Leading While Leaving – Things You Must Always Do March 18, 2019
  • LTL 105: Why It’s Good That You Don’t Know Everything March 11, 2019
  • LTL 104: Level Up Your Leadership March 4, 2019
  • LTL 103: Where Are You In The Five Levels Of Leadership February 25, 2019
  • LTL 102: I Need To Set Limits But Where Do I Start February 18, 2019
  • LTL 101: The Art of Female Leadership: An Interview With Manu Sood Part Two February 11, 2019
  • LTL 100: The Art of Female Leadership: An Interview With Manu Sood Part One February 4, 2019
  • LTL 099: Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow January 28, 2019
  • LTL 098: Why You Fail To Connect January 21, 2019
  • LTL 097: Stop Toying With Dragons And Get Intentional January 14, 2019
  • LTL 096: The Definition Of Success January 7, 2019
  • LTL 095: Are You Measuring The Right Things December 31, 2018
  • LTL 094: What You Don’t Know About Stress December 24, 2018
  • LTL 093: On The Edge Of Burnout: The Indicators And How To Stop It December 17, 2018
  • LTL 092: A Burnout Tale December 10, 2018
  • LTL 091: Reducing Resistance When Approached With Need December 3, 2018
  • LTL 090: What Is Your Big Dream November 26, 2018
  • LTL 089: When Trust Is Broken (Part Two): Five Steps To Recovery November 19, 2018
  • LTL 088: When Trust Is Broken (Part One): Five Steps To Restore Trust November 12, 2018
  • LTL 087: The 180-Degree Leader And The Power Of Consistency November 5, 2018
  • LTL 086: 3 Reasons Why Marketing Matters In Leadership October 29, 2018
  • LTL 085: Catch Me If You Can: Detecting Lies When Negotiating October 22, 2018
  • LTL 084: A Massive Advantage As You Prepare For Your Next Negotiation October 15, 2018
  • LTL 083: Wake Up: Lessons From An Uber Driver October 8, 2018
  • LTL 082: Leading When Disaster Strikes October 1, 2018
  • LTL 081: Great Questions: The Key To Growth Part Two September 24, 2018
  • LTL 080: Great Questions: The Key To Growth Part One September 17, 2018
  • LTL 079: Endurance, Entrepreneurship, And Patience: An Interview With Brandon Bruce Part Two September 10, 2018
  • LTL 078: Endurance, Entrepreneurship, And Patience: An Interview With Brandon Bruce Part One September 3, 2018
  • LTL 077: The Question You Should Never Ask When Meeting Someone New August 27, 2018
  • LTL 076: Authentic Relationships As The Basis For EPIC Conversations August 20, 2018
  • LTL 075: Powering Through Discomfort To Authentic Connection August 13, 2018
  • LTL 074: Adapting To Change August 6, 2018
  • LTL 073: Acquiring A Positive Mindset July 30, 2018
  • LTL 072: Assess And Plan To Avoid the Pain Of Inaction July 23, 2018
  • LTL 071: Stop Acting Like The Smartest Person In The Room July 16, 2018
  • LTL 070: Wilting From The Inside Out: Get More Of This Critical Element! July 9, 2018
  • LTL 069: This Ability Will Determine Your Success As A Leader July 2, 2018
  • LTL 068: Reflect and Respond: Don’t React Part Two June 25, 2018
  • LTL 067: Reflect and Respond: Don’t React Part One June 18, 2018
  • LTL 066: Questions That Will Reveal Your Emotional Intelligence June 11, 2018
  • LTL 065: How To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence June 4, 2018
  • LTL 064: On A Scale Of Zombie To Oprah Rate Your Emotional Intelligence May 28, 2018
  • LTL 063: Sleep Facts You Can Use May 21, 2018
  • LTL 062: A Great Response To An Offensive Comment May 14, 2018
  • LTL 061: Recommit To The Battle Against Discouragement May 7, 2018
  • LTL 060: Do You Have Control Of Yourself April 30, 2018
  • LTL 059: Community Service: It’s Not Just For Hardened Criminals On Parole Anymore April 23, 2018
  • LTL 058: The Battle Against Self-Limiting Beliefs: An Interview With Val Brown Part Two April 16, 2018
  • LTL 057: The Battle Against Self-Limiting Beliefs: An Interview With Val Brown Part One April 9, 2018
  • LTL 056: Four Steps To Restore Calm After Losing Your Job April 2, 2018
  • LTL 055: I Have Some Bad News… March 26, 2018
  • LTL 054: A Leader’s Response To Abuse: An Interview With Marty Liccardo Part Two March 19, 2018
  • LTL 053: A Leader’s Response To Abuse: An Interview With Marty Liccardo Part One March 12, 2018
  • LTL 052: Why Consistency Is King March 5, 2018
  • LTL 051: Failure Isn’t Final February 26, 2018
  • LTL 050: Journey From Work Site To Corner Office: An Interview With Tom Jackson Part Two February 19, 2018
  • LTL 049: Journey From Work Site To Corner Office: An Interview With Tom Jackson Part One February 12, 2018
  • LTL 048: Influence Anyone In Seven Minutes Or Less February 5, 2018
  • LTL 047: Maintaining Momentum When Harassed By Hardship January 29, 2018
  • LTL 046: The Number One Priority For Every Leader January 22, 2018
  • LTL 045: How To Get The Feedback You Need January 15, 2018
  • LTL 044: Four Perspectives On Service January 8, 2018
  • LTL 043: Why Looking Forward Can Be As Distracting As Looking Back January 1, 2018
  • LTL 042: Leaders Listen December 25, 2017
  • LTL 041: Brag, Swag, or Sway: Why You Must Talk About Yourself – Part Two December 18, 2017
  • LTL 040: Brag, Swag or Sway: Why You Must Talk About Yourself – Part One December 11, 2017
  • LTL 039: The Most Difficult Person To Lead December 4, 2017
  • LTL 038: Respect: Stop Building Your Resume And Start Building A Legacy November 27, 2017
  • LTL 037: Unity: Primary Ingredient For Producing Exceptional Results November 20, 2017
  • LTL 036: Optimism: Greatness Awaits You November 13, 2017
  • LTL 035: Fortitude: Six Steps To Increase Your Ability To Endure November 6, 2017
  • LTL 034: A Consistent Trait Found In Great Leaders October 30, 2017
  • LTL 033: Your Higher Purpose: An Interview With Kevin Monroe October 23, 2017
  • LTL 032: No Excuses: Never Count A Great Leader Out October 16, 2017
  • LTL 031: Lonely At The Top: Tearing Down A Popular Leadership Myth October 9, 2017
  • LTL 030: Leading Through The Pain October 2, 2017
  • LTL 029: How To Cope With Difficult People September 25, 2017
  • LTL 028: The Floundering Founder: Character Matters For Great Leaders September 18, 2017
  • LTL 027: Your Leadership Ability Determines Your Effectiveness September 11, 2017
  • LTL 026: The Power Of Purposeful Connection September 4, 2017
  • LTL 025: Why You Must Resist The Urge To Settle August 28, 2017
  • LTL 024: Five Things I Learned At Influence & Impact August 21, 2017
  • LTL 023: Dream Stealers: Handling Encounters With Those Who Do Not Get You August 14, 2017
  • LTL 022: Are You My Type? More Tools For Building Team Trust August 7, 2017
  • LTL 021: Building Team Trust With Vulnerability July 31, 2017
  • LTL 020: The Science Of Trust: Characteristics Of Male And Female Leaders July 24, 2017
  • LTL 019: Can You Guess What Your Team Wants More Than Anything? July 17, 2017
  • LTL 018: Leading Without Manipulating July 10, 2017
  • LTL 017: Leading When No One Else Is July 3, 2017
  • LTL 016: Five Familiar Communication Challenges: Which One Will You Commit To Avoid? June 26, 2017
  • LTL 015: Leadership Advice From 30 Years In The Corner Office June 19, 2017
  • LTL 014: What To Do When Your Attitude Is Causing Your Implosion June 12, 2017
  • LTL 013: At The Roots: Leadership Lessons From A Charter High School June 5, 2017
  • LTL 012: I Do Not Need You May 29, 2017
  • LTL 011: Nothing To See Here…Move Along Please May 22, 2017
  • LTL 010: Brand vs Wild with Jonathan David Lewis May 15, 2017
  • LTL 009: You Want To Do What? May 8, 2017
  • LTL 008: Helping Women Live A Rich Life May 1, 2017
  • LTL 007: What To Do When You Are Asked To Compromise Your Integrity April 24, 2017
  • LTL 006: Uh This Does Not Look Like I Thought It Would April 17, 2017
  • LTL 005: What To Do When You Are Overworked And Underappreciated April 10, 2017
  • LTL 004: How To Get A Promotion When Your Boss Doesn’t Even Know Your Name April 3, 2017
  • LTL 003: What To Do When Team Morale Is Lower Than Congress Approval Rating March 27, 2017
  • LTL 002: What To Do When Your New Boss Is 20 Years Younger Than You March 20, 2017

Copyright © 2023 · Digital Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy