leadership | The Caleb Barney Collection

Setting an example

“Great dads know that they are setting the example for just about everything in their child’s life. How to handle adversity. How to be a friend. How to treat those less fortunate. How to succeed with humility. How to care for the people you love. How to be a good parent.” – From Daily Dad (the creators of The Daily Stoic)

Think about that everyday. How are you acting? Would you want your kids to see that and emulate you? Are you throwing an adult tantrum when things don’t go your way? Are you pouting? Are you mean?

Show your kids how to act and speak with dignity, how to apologize when they’re wrong, how to stand up for themselves, how to control their emotions. Be the best version of yourself for you, but also for them. Because you are teaching them how to respond in these situations, whether you think they’re looking or not…

Being busy is not a sign of achievement

The busier I am, the more I have failed. If I’m to busy or overworked, that means I don’t have systems or processes in place to ease the workload. Or I haven’t hired enough people (or the right people). Or, if I have the people on my team, I haven’t delegated enough.

Instead of doing everything yourself, ask who, not how. Figure out who can do this for me. If you want to become the best, you need to scale, or else you’ll reach your limitations so quickly that you’ll never become the best. Figure out who the best person is to hire for the job. Figure out how can I outsource this, not how can I do this.

Telling the truth

Regarding telling hard truths…perhaps with a bit more tact and better awareness, these important messages could be heard earlier or more receptively than if you just always hammer home “the truth.”

Telling the truth is important. And sometimes you must tell the truth even if it’s news that others don’t want to hear or if it will make you unpopular. But use your judgment wisely. You don’t need to go around constantly correcting others or “enlightening” others with your so-called truths.

Pick your battles. If it’s not a big deal, let it go. You don’t always have to be right. But if it is something important to you or that you feel will help someone, tell the truth.

Requirements for success

“The three things you need in life to be successful are: hard work, stick to-it-ivness, and common sense.” – Thomas Edison.

My modified version: The three keys to success are diligence (working hard, smart, and with an end goal in mind), persistence (not giving up, OR knowing when it is right to let go), and pertinent intelligence (not just book smarts or common sense, but intelligence in the field of study that you are pursuing).

What are you doing today to lead to your success tomorrow and beyond? What quick wins can you get to build momentum? And what are big action steps you can take that may take a while to see the result, but are still incredibly important?

Trust

Always be conscious of your decisions and the long-term effects (or side effects) they may have. You can spend years doing the right things, but if you cut corners or are involved in questionable activities, it can take seconds to ruin your reputation. Once you break that trust, it will always be in the back of that person’s head on if they can trust you again or not. It could literally take a lifetime to repair that trust, but who knows if it will ever happen.

The best way to maintain and strengthen relationships is by thinking about the long-term. Don’t acquiesce to immediate gratification. You might feel pleasure once (in the short-term), but then live with regret for the rest of your life. Do yourself a favor and live with integrity. It will help others to like and trust you, but more importantly, it will allow you to like and trust yourself.