LEADERSHIP RESOURCES BLOG

Guidance on leadership development & strategic planning.

Leadership Resources Sponsored Giving Spirits Event At Zen’s to Benefit Tabitha Meals on Wheels

By Boyd Ober 03/19/2012
Leadership Resources TABITHA logo

On March 15th, 2012, Leadership Resources sponsored a fundraising event at Lincoln’s Zen’s to benefit Tabitha Nursing and Rehabilitation Center’s Meals on Wheels program. The event was one of a monthly series held by local fundraising group Giving Spirits.

Within its talent-building programs, Leadership Resources encourages businesses and the people who run them to become involved in improving the community and helping others in need. The company has demonstrated that principle by sharing its own time, talent and dollars.

As co-host of the weekly radio show “Pursuit of Success,” Leadership Resources’ President Boyd Ober often promotes other regional entrepreneurs and leaders who share his enthusiasm. Christie Hinrichs, President and CEO of Tabitha, is one such leader. Inspired by her energy and dedication, Ober interviewed Hinrichs on his radio show. In turn, Christie asked Boyd to become a member of the Tabitha Board of Directors.

“Meals on Wheels is a great cause, and by sponsoring this program and this Giving Spirits event Leadership Resources and everyone who participates is giving back to the community. We are supporting one of the greatest generations our country has ever known,” said Ober of the program’s elderly recipients. “Tabitha not only delivers food. They deliver comfort along with the comfort food.”

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.Leadership Resources team members often can be seen at similar events supporting the Lincoln and Omaha communities. Visit the News Listing pages at www.LRSuccess.com for more details.

About Tabitha Meals on Wheels
Since 1967, volunteers from the Meals on Wheels program have delivered meals to individuals in our community who are homebound or recovering from injury and illness. For more information about Meals on Wheels, visit Tabitha.org.

About Giving Spirits
Every third Thursday of the month, Giving Spirits designates a downtown nightspot to host a charitable happy hour from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Proceeds benefit a charity chosen to be honored at that night’s event. The events also benefit the venue and local business that serve as sponsors. To learn about upcoming events, become a friend of Giving Spirits on Facebook.

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Boyd Ober to share experience at NWU Student Business Summit

By Boyd Ober 02/27/2012

Entrepreneurs and business leaders share experience with students

What advice do some of the region’s top company officials have for college students? On Friday, March 9, approximately 200 Nebraska Wesleyan University business students will hear from nearly 40 company officials at Nebraska Wesleyan’s second annual Business Summit. Boyd Ober, President of Leadership Resources, will be among those 40 leaders, sharing his experience as an entrepreneur and leader in the Lincoln community.

Practical application for student learning

The Nebraska Wesleyan Business Summit was created to provide students an opportunity to learn from prominent business leaders’ wisdom and experience through a serious of open forum question and answer sessions. This direct interaction promotes one of NWU’s core values of experiential learning by allowing the business students to see firsthand the practical application of the education they are receiving.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.Students will learn about necessary job skills, leadership, decision-making and dealing with a recession. The summit allows students to see first-hand the practical application of the education they are receiving.

About Boyd Ober and Leadership Resources:
Boyd Ober is the President and founder of Leadership Resources. With offices in Lincoln and Omaha, Leadership Resources focuses on achieving the best ROI of any development company, period. Their services include strategic planning, coaching, professional development, leadership and sales training, assessments, and workshop facilitation. An entrepreneur at heart, Ober is also involved in several other business ventures including a publishing company, rental business, and serves as C.E.O for a technology provider of restaurant software. Since April 2010, Ober has co-hosted “Pursuit of Success,” a weekly radio show dedicated to showcasing regional entrepreneurs and leader, sharing key ideas designed to help others impact their business and community.

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Boyd Ober Served as Judge for First-Annual ACG Nebraska Cup

By Boyd Ober 02/06/2012
Leadership Resources Boyd Ober ACG Cup Logo

t’s one thing to learn about investments, valuation and other business concepts in textbooks, and quite another to experience the challenges of business in real life. The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) provides an annual opportunity for college students throughout the world to experience real-life lessons of a simulated business case through the ACG Cup Competition.

Nebraska’s ACG chapter is holding the ACG Nebraska Cup for the first time in 2012. Boyd Ober, president of Leadership Resources, served as a judge for the first round. He and fellow judges acted as board directors of a fictional company. Teams of three to five students made presentations to the judges as members of an investment banking firm competing for the fictional company’s business.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.“There are many opportunities for students to test skills and make their mark. The ACG Nebraska Cup is a first-rate option. The competition was intense with really smart MBA’s presenting,” Ober said. “It was an honor toserve as a judge—especially because Leadership Resources products closely target the goals of typical ACG businesses.”

Three Nebraska schools entered the ACG Nebraska Cup in its inaugural year: Creighton University, University of Nebraska—Lincoln and University of Nebraska—Omaha. Each school chose teams to participate in the competition’s first round at their respective schools on February 2. Two first round winners from each school will compete in round two, held on March 1st at the University of Nebraska—Omaha.

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LR and Omaha Chamber offer 2-part leadership series

By Boyd Ober 12/21/2011

This is a two-part Chamber Academy session presented by the Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Resources. Sessions take place on January 25 and February 8.

Leadership is the art of inspiring and empowering people to see and understand the company vision and perform in a way that leads to results. Management is the science of getting the job done efficiently through people. It involves coordinated processes, controls and the execution of tasks and projects to accomplish the organization’s mission. Both are important to the growth and success of an organization.

Join us for this two-part series designed to help you further understand these concepts and leverage them to improve your leadership skills and build your company. Facilitated by Dan Sedor, EVP of Implementation.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.January 25 | 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm | Leadership versus Management

  • Discuss the key characteristics of leadership and how these differ from the tasks of management
  • Discover the impact of vision, mission and purpose on goal achievement
  • Learn how to leverage effective management to increase results in your company

February 8 | 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm | Responsibilities of Leadership

  • Learn about the three responsibilities of leaders
  • Assess your own leadership skills and behaviors
  • Explore attitudes and behaviors that create a high performance culture

Cost Pre-registration (registration fee covers both sessions)
$39 for members
$49 for non-members

Register online through the Omaha Chamber Website
Questions? Call 402-423-5152. Hope to see you there!

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Leadership Resources Honors Eight With Success Awards

By Boyd Ober 12/19/2011
Leadership Resources Celebration of Success, Group Photo

On Tuesday, December 13, Leadership Resources held the annual 2011 Celebration of Success. At the event, clients, friends and guests were provided with learning opportunities through breakout sessions including “5 Technology Trends Shaping a New Reality for Business” presented by Jay Wilkinson, CEO of Firespring. Christie Hinrichs and Lyn Wineman with Tabitha Health Care Systems and Wineman Communications Group, led a session titled “Culture change and brand repositioning: Achieving success through program integration.” Patty Marmie, Facilitator and Coach with Leadership Resources, led a session titled “Goal Planning for 2012” where attendees had the opportunity to reflect on the past year and plan strategies and action steps for success in 2012.

Attendees were also inspired through leadership narratives shared by Steve Joel, Ed.D, Superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. A native of New York, Joel shared his journey to Nebraska and the many challenges and triumphs he’s experienced as a leader in education.

Throughout the event was the honoring of the 2011 Success Award winners. Developed in 2007, the awards are designed to celebrate and recognize client accomplishments and increased levels of success. Judging emphasis is placed on metrics, peer comments and documented positive change.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.The 2011 success award winners include: Ashley Krajewski, Cabela’s World’s Foremost Bank; Chad Wells, Geist Manufacturing; Derek Hilgert, Home Real Estate; Kasha Wilson, Centris Federal Credit Union; Katy Cantrell, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation; Lyn Wineman, Wineman Communications Group; and Mark Zmarzly, Acton Marketing.

“Our team was blown away by the results and stories that accompanied the award nominations. These individuals have truly committed themselves to the development process and we’re honored to help them achieve their next level of success.” said Boyd Ober, President.

In addition, Leadership Resources awarded one individual with the Leadership Pinnacle Award. This honor is awarded to a leader who has committed to developing his people to improve productivity and positively transform the culture in his organization. The 2011 Leadership Pinnacle Award winner is Scott Becker, Managing Partner of HBE Becker Meyer Love.

To download materials from the event and read more about the 2011 winners, visit www.LRsuccess.com. Leadership Resources is a results-oriented provider of organizational development. We work with companies that believe success lies within the strategic intentions of their leadership team and the productivity of their people. By combining proven processes with accountability, our services produce positive behavioral and cultural changes, leading to increased engagement and measurable results.

View Photos from the event on our Facebook page!

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Strategic Leadership – Beginning February 10 (Lincoln)

By Boyd Ober 11/14/2011

Process Overview:

The Strategic Leadership process is a monthly executive level development program that prepares individuals to become more effective leaders in their organizations. We specialize in the long-term nature of development – creating successful habits and patterns of thinking. This allows you to clarify focus, refine skills and measure progress throughout your leadership journey. Long-term development also increases the rate of return from your investment and provides you with the opportunity to deeply impact the culture of your organization.

By combining specialty content, mentoring opportunities, one-on-one coaching and peer accountability groups, the strategic executive leadership process delivers high level results and proven strategies for achieving desired outcomes.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.Development Components:

  • Clarity of Focus, Extreme Dream, Goals, Development Needs
  • Content Review
  • Specialty Content (Vignettes, Workshops)
  • Guest Speakers
  • Business Case/Advisory Board
  • Practical Skills
  • Experiential Activities
  • Progress Reports and Metric Tracking

Process Details:

  • Program kicks off Friday, February 10 at 8:00 a.m.
  • Meets monthly
  • Each session lasts approximately 4 hours
  • Bi-Monthly coaching (monthly coaching available as well)
  • Classroom facilitation
  • Renews on a yearly basis
  • Program Sessions to be held at Leadership Resources, Lincoln office

To enroll in this program, or get more information, please fill out the contact form or call a Leadership Resources associate at (402) 423-5152.

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Buy the Big O Show – Leadership and Productivity Tips

By Boyd Ober 10/20/2011

Buy the Big O! Show – Leadership and Productivity Tips

Thank you for joining us at the Buy the Big O! Show on October 12 at the CenturyLink Center.

During the mini workshop sessions, Development Dan and Productivity Patty shared many insights about leadership and productivity. Hopefully you found these discussions to be challenging and inspiring. We would like to share the full content of these presentations with you on this webpage – click on the links below:

  • 10 Effective Leadership Behaviors
  • 10 Most Common Time Wasters

Let us know if you have questions or would like to know more about Leadership Resources and how we can help you acheive your next level of success. Thank you for joining us and have a great day!

The Leadership Resources Team | 866.820.8410 | info@LRsuccess.com

10 Effective Leadership Behaviors

1. Self-motivated and goal-oriented

  • Positive outlook on life. They know they are in charge of their own destiny.
  • High Achievers – high level of energy, continues to raise the bar; always looking to improve

2. Ability to Dream and Cast Vision

  • Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Vision is defined as the ability to see the whole trip before leaving the dock. A leader will also see obstacles before others do. A leader sees more, sees farther, and sees before others. A navigator (leader) listens – he finds out about grassroots level reactions. Navigators balance optimism with realism. Preparation is the key to good navigation. “It’s not the size of the project, it’s the size of the leader that counts.”

3. Decisive and Action Oriented

  • You can’t steer a ship that isn’t moving forward. It takes a leader to create forward motion.
  • Not too quick to decide, but after carefully weighing the options, they quickly make a decision and move forward

4. Manages his/her time well

  • Leaders are short on time – they make the most of it. They plan, prioritize, and organize. They spend their time on their highest payoff activities and delegate the lower priority items to others. They avoid time wasters and procrastination.

5. Handles problems/crises effectively

  • Puts their own egos aside to resolve the situation
  • Concentrates on what’s best for the individuals/organizations involved
  • Demonstrates respect for others

11 Ways To Create Accountability And Increase Productivity At Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.6. Empowers and believes in other people

  • Only secure leaders give power to others. Mark Twain said, “Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets the credit.” Another point to ponder… “Great leaders gain authority by giving it away.”
  • Values other people’s opinions
  • Rewards good work with praise

7. Trustworthy and Acts with Integrity

  • Foundation of trust – competence and character + transparency
  • Willing to admit shortcomings/faults, mistakes
  • Honest and ethical in business practices

8. Keeps Learning

  • Read a book a month for the rest of your life
  • Keep up on business information/trends = ability to be innovative and current with society

9. Ability to balance personal and professional success

  • Professional athletes know that if they give 100% all the time, they will not improve their performance, in fact, they will achieve lower results!
  • Personal enjoyment, fun, family time are all vital to the success of a leader
  • What one thing will you incorporate into your leadership to help you balance personal and professional success?

10. Greater Than Yourself – They Train other leaders

  • It takes a leader to raise up a leader. Followers can’t do it, and neither can institutional programs “It takes one to know one, to show one, to grow one.” The potential of an organization depends on the growth of its leadership.
  • A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession. “Leadership is the one thing you can’t delegate. You either exercise it – or abdicate it.”
  • Recognizes that they are on the “stage” at all times

 

10 Most Common Time Wasters

  • Lack of self-discipline
  • Can’t say no
  • Messy Desk
  • Unplanned meetings
  • Trying to do too much
  • Failure to delegate
  • Visitors
  • Failure to plan
  • Managing Crises
  • Phone, e-mail, fax, etc.

What is your biggest time waster? How has this time waster impacted your life/results?

What are some ideas to reduce/eliminate this time waster?

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Leadership Resources Welcomes Darcy Michalek

By Boyd Ober 06/20/2011

Leadership Resources would like to welcome Darcy Michalek to their Omaha team! Darcy has been a long-time friend of Leadership Resources and has recently come on board to contribute to business development in the Omaha market.

She is passionate about leadership and helping other people achieve their true potential. She brings with her many years of business experience. She and her husband currently own two hair salons in Omaha and several convenience stores throughout western Nebraska.

Darcy is the president of Enterprise Business Group where she helps people buy and sell businesses. She is an affiliate of the Business Brokers Network, which is America’s largest network of business brokers. Joining Leadership Resources was the final piece to the puzzle as far as services to business owners. Now, in addition to her business brokerage and valuation services, she can also offer specific resources that business owners need to transition their business, including strategic planning, leadership development and assessments.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.“It just makes sense to be able to offer these additional leadership services to my clients,” Darcy explained. “I believe in long-term leadership development and look forward to contributing to the growth of Leadership Resources in the Omaha market.”

Boyd Ober, president of Leadership Resources, is excited about Darcy coming on board. “Darcy has a wealth of experience and knowledge that will be beneficial for both our team and our clients. We’re glad she decided to join our team.”

 

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Leadership Resources – 2011 BBB Integrity Award Winner

By Boyd Ober 06/20/2011
Leadership Resources Group BBB integrity award winner 2011

Better Business Bureau, Inc. and the BBB Foundation honored Lincoln’s 2011 BBB Integrity Award Winners at its annual awards luncheon at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel on September 8th. The keynote speaker at the event was Dean Emeritus Cynthia Hardin Milligan of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration.

The five local Winners of the 2011 BBB Integrity Awards were introduced by videos produced by the event’s Media Sponsor KLKN-TV. The organizations ranged in size from less than 5 employees to 150 employees.

The 2011 Winners are:

  • Nebraska Community Blood bank
  • Quick Connect Computer Services
  • Leadership Resources
  • Davis Design
  • Lincoln Federal Saving Bank of Nebraska.

Unlock The Leadership Potential Within Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.BBB Lincoln Advisory Board Chair Scott Vyskocil said, “In today’s challenging economic climate, honesty and integrity are more important than ever. These award recipients, selected by independent panels of judges, represent what is best about business in metro Lincoln. These organizations have solid business practices, based on a commitment to serve their customers with the highest standard of ethics. They have built successful companies because of the trust that has been established, and the BBB Integrity Awards recognize their leadership in our community.”

Leadership Resources is honored and grateful to receive this award. “We strive to live by the core values we put in place in our organization,” said Boyd Ober, President. “We must be doing the same things we tell our clients to do. Only by living in that manner can we truly maintain integrity and help others achieve their next level of success.”

Visit our Facebook Photo Album – BBB Integrity Award 2011 to see photos!

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Are You Drowning in Email?

By Boyd Ober 06/13/2011

Throughout the course of the day, you’re likely to get hundreds if not thousands of emails. Before you know it, your inbox looks like a disaster area. You know should keep up the best you can, or you’re likely to drown in the sea of messages. As a result you become glued to your smartphone, hoping to open, answer, forward or delete what you can to avoid the pile up.

Bad idea.

If there’s one thing psychologists have learned as they’ve studied human behavior, it’s that we achieve better results and more excellent results when we focus. Translation . . . you can’t perform at your best when you’re constantly distracted or drowning in email messages.

To end the fight with email, consider the following tips:

  • Be ruthless about what gets through your email filter. Unsubscribe from newsletters, offers, RSS feeds, etc. that don’t provide helpful information or resources. Don’t give out your email address until you know how companies might use your information. Also consider setting up a “junk email” that you can give to solicitors.
  • Build “email windows” into your schedule. These are pre-scheduled time periods in which you are devoting to composing, returning and processing email. This allows you to focus on the task at hand and do one of three things: do it, delegate it, or delete it.
  • 11 Ways To Create Accountability And Increase Productivity At Your Organization. Download this whitepaper.

  • Email only during the work day. The people you’re corresponding with come to expect certain behavior from you. If you email back and forth after the work day is over, you’re basically telling them, “it’s ok to correspond with me after hours.” If you want to respond to email after work hours, set it to be delivered the next day so the timestamp is still during working hours.
  • Teach those around you to use a “parking lot.” Instead of firing off an email every time they have a question or comment, a “parking lot” encourages employees to keep a list of items that need addressed. Once that list reaches 4 or 5 items, they can schedule a quick phone call or short meeting with you to go over those items.
  • Turn off email on your smartphone. Yes, it sounds crazy. But just because you get can email on your phone doesn’t mean you should. If you find that you’re checking your email at the dinner table, the grocery store, red stoplights or in bed, you might be taking it too far. Try going offline with your phone for a while. You might find that you’re more focused and productive. You might also send the message that people need to call you in order to discuss something important. Your family and friends will appreciate your undivided attention as well.

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