"The Leadership Solutions Network is an online magazine focusing on interesting and relevant topics for the student, career-seeker, and leader."


Celebrating our 50th Article: Take a Bite!
By a Whole Bunch of LSN Authors

Fifty is nifty. It’s golden. In our world there is just something special about celebrating fifty. And at TRI we’re excited to keep with that tradition in celebrating the delivery of our 50th Leadership Solutions Network article to you!

We started fifty articles ago with a simple idea of sharing with you our leadership library, intellectual inventory, and interesting insights on the world of leadership, success, and what it takes to reach the top. And every two weeks our LSN Editor and our dynamic team of leadership specialists have faithfully delivered what has become a virtual buffet of delicious leadership articles and tantalizing success treats.

What keeps us serving up this high quality leadership cuisine? There are two simple answers. First, we love leadership and making a difference. Second, we love our readers and those who we meet each day who strive to make this world we share better.

And what better way to prepare for our next fifty leadership articles than by taking a look back at the magic morsels we’ve served up for our subscribers. This issue highlights a key thought, great quote, or lesson to lead by from each of the fifty LSN articles. If you are a new subscriber to the LSN this is a great way to get caught up on all that you have missed. If you are one of our founding readers this is a perfect chance to review and see how far you have personally grown.

These leadership lessons appear in no special order or preference. They are all awesome and we’ve been overjoyed to hear how our readers have used them in their own lives, how the articles are becoming part of classroom assignments, and how leadership-based organizations use them to bring fresh insights to those they serve.

As I learned from the LSN, one way to add zest and season to the world is highlighting people in your life who lead by example and make a difference (you’ll find that quote below). That snippet really sums up my appreciation for our team of authors, my pride in the LSN, and my enthusiasm for all those who step up to lead when others stand back and watch. I’m blessed to have a life filled with dynamic, diverse, and dedicated leaders who inspire me and the universe around them. And it is with great delight that I share with you a key thought from leaders I admire, who lead by example, and make our world a richer (and a more fun) place to live and lead!

Enjoy this look back at fifty great lessons in leadership! In the meantime, our “leadership chefs" are hard at work cooking up the next fifty entrees for your menu of excellence! Bon appetit!

Ryan Underwood
LSN Publisher
TRI Chief Leadership Officer
  1. Everything you do now has a direct impact on what you can and cannot do later. (Living on Purpose—It’s Your Thing! by Byron Garrett)
  2. The key to recruitment is value... or "Show Me The Money." You will recruit a quality chapter by offering potential members value, something they take away from the experience. It's up to you as a leader to create and/or provide this value. In essence, that's your job: Making it worthwhile. (Recruitment and Retention by Skip Lemoine)
  3. The challenge with most people is that they will do what you do and not what you say, so as a leader you have to be prepared to lead by example. (Hey Everyone! Follow Me? by Darmeny Jones)
  4. One way to add zest and season is highlighting people in your life who lead by example and make a difference. (Spice Up Someone’s Life Part II by Carrie Underwood)
  5. Even when times are rough, don’t give up, keep pressing on and pushing towards the goal. Obviously that is easier said than done, but the toughest part is deciding in your own mind to keep going. The rest is just routine. (Now That Nemo Is Found... by Darmeny Jones)
  6. Most importantly, don’t let rejection discourage or stop you. Each “no" is just one step closer to a “yes." If you understand why a customer isn’t buying today, you’ll be able to determine how get the customer to buy tomorrow! (How to Take Over the World Lesson #479: I Hate Solicitors by Stefanie Botelho)
  7. Interestingly enough, leadership and love are linked. They impact each other. You cannot lead well if your heart is not well. It’s hard to love great when you cannot lead some part of your life great. (The Power of Love Part I by Ryan Underwood)
  8. What it all comes down to is that people learn more from their experiences combined with learning than from someone just “teaching" us information. In life, learn from your experiences. (You Can’t Teach Me Anything? by Darmeny Jones)
  9. Spider-Man was once told by his Uncle Ben, “With great power, comes great responsibility!" This applies to each and every one of us as well. You have the power to make a difference and it is your responsibility to use that power effectively! (Be a Super Hero in Your Community by Larinda Wenzel)
  10. One of the hardest lines to walk as a young professional, or even as a high-achieving teen, is keeping your youthful style while convincing older, more experienced people to take you seriously. If you don’t act and look the part, you may never get the chance to prove how brilliant you are until you are older. (Image, Perceptions and Blondes by Debra Lemoine)
  11. The fear of failure is something that’s held men and women back for generations. And it might be holding you back from taking home some awards, plaques, and maybe even scholarships! (Competition Season Ahoy! by Larinda Wenzel)
  12. Don’t forget that truly successful people don’t spend their lives waiting for things to happen to them; they take the initiative and make things happen for themselves. (Be a Goal Finisher by Brycen Woodley)
  13. It’s easy to complain about something, but the trick is getting results from our complaints. (Complaining the Right Way by Larinda Wenzel)
  14. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have taught me how to work as a team; Neo has given me the finer points of finding my personal style; Jet Li has shown me perseverance; the Karate Kid demonstrated the necessity of practicing my skills. Now I pass their collective knowledge down to you through these simple karate-class instructions. (Kung Fu Secrets of Leadership by Ben Murane)
  15. And here’s a big secret: often enough, high emotions, poor performers and team disharmony are caused because some members feel excluded from a team mentality. Does the team give positive feedback? Does the team congratulate individuals’ strengths and successes? Is there an effort made to reach out to everyone’s opinions, even the quiet members? (When Teamwork Fails by Ben Murane)
  16. Research has actually demonstrated that a positive attitude can strengthen the immune system, ward off illness, help fight disease, and influence healing and recovery from long-term illness. Having a positive attitude also helps us to overcome barriers in life. Like it has often been said before, “it takes but one positive thought, when given a chance to survive and thrive, to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts." (The Power of PMA by Courtney Gray)
  17. One of the easiest ways to spice up someone’s life is to do something you know needs to be done without being asked. (Spice Up Someone’s Life Part I by Carrie Underwood)
  18. If you are unfortunate and do lose, then you have to move on. You can’t get caught up in the outcome and not look back at what you have accomplished. Losing is a tough thing to do, but being a gracious non-winner is even harder. You can’t change the outcome of the election, but you can change your life after the election. (Losing Stinks by Sean Robinson)
  19. And who knows? Perhaps what you submit to the media will be considered worthy of a full article or TV news story. If you can convince the journalist that it is a good story or if you can tie your situation into a larger issue, like teaching financial literacy to students, you have a good shot. The latter is the best way to go about it; if you can connect what happened in your organization to the latest "hot" education topic, you've got a great chance of a full, feature story. (Working With The Media by Debra Lemoine)
  20. The most important thing you can do to gain trust is to do what you say you will do. (Managing through Trust by Glenn Morris)
  21. Planning and preparing take time, but execution takes character. It takes determination and hard work. Decide right now that you are the kind of person who can do anything you set your mind to. (Beating those New Year’s Blues by Laura Jo Thomas)
  22. If you can connect what happened in your organization to the latest "hot" education topic, you've got a great chance of a full, feature story. (Six Steps to Flawless Press Releases by Debra Lemoine)
  23. Simply showing up built the resume, but actually getting involved is what builds the person behind the resume: the kind of person that deserves the job. (The Resume: Not Just a Pretty Piece of Paper by Laura Jo Thomas)
  24. The trait that distinguishes poor voice from a truly motivating delivery is speaking with sincerity. (Speaking with Sincerity by Ben Murane)
  25. Everything from talking while in the restroom, checking out in stores, movie theatres, and while driving; these are just a few of the problems that most of us find annoying when it comes to cell phone users with poor etiquette. Cell phones are here to stay, there is no doubt about that, but there are some things that each of us can do in order to be more polite while using this great communication tool. (Cell Phone Etiquette by Larinda Wenzel)
  26. So, what I am hearing you say is… listening doesn’t always equate to understanding, but when a leader practices basic active-listening skills, they can form deeper connections with those they lead. (So What I’m Hearing You Say Is… by Laura Jo Thomas)
  27. Networking consists of five main points that I’ve laid out in the acronym P.O.W.E.R.: Prepare, Organize, Wow, Engage, and Relax. By following these five simple steps, any leader can be well on their way to effective networking. (Networking: Not Just for CEO’s and Corporate Executives by Brycen Woodley)
  28. It has been said that people really don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. If you want to fail, be bitter, rude, and crude in “real life." But, when you are “on stage," turn on the charm and let people see the “real you." If you believe this, YOU WILL FAIL! (How To Fail by Mike Prestininzi)
  29. In the great 80’s film Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze taught us a lot more than how to stand up for what you believe in and how to dance. Believe it or not, they taught us a lot about confrontation too. (Confrontation and Dirty Dancing by Courtney Gray)
  30. Humility, like patience, is a virtue. Modesty is truly a wonderful character trait. If you downplay your own achievements, choosing instead to focus on the good things others have accomplished, you'll make friends quickly. However, there's a time and place for all things... and the interview is not the time or the place for humility. (Five Tips for More Impressive Job Interviews by Skip Lemoine)
  31. It’s kind of scary, isn’t it – to think that all of the little choices and decisions that we make throughout the day, the ones we often don’t give much thought to, are what people are judging us and the content of our character by? (It’s All in Your Maxims by Courtney Gray)
  32. Though the interview process may not be a “bunch of bull in between," your first and last impressions, just like the horns on a bull, should be sharp, focused and to the point. (The Bull About Job Interviewing by Jay Hollowell)
  33. It takes intense pressure to create a diamond. Leadership and class often emerge under the same conditions. It’s the pressure that forms leaders, and how you shine during these times will show whether you are the real deal or just a fake. (Be the Diamond by Ryan Underwood)
  34. Never close your message with “thank you." Close with power and purpose. Most of the time the point of a presentation was not to come and thank the audience. The final point is a “call to action" - what should your fans go do next? (Grand Slam Communication—Workshops that WOW Part I by Ryan Underwood)
  35. Check your facts! Nothing detracts from credibility more than a presenter that either doesn’t know their stuff, pretends that someone else’s story actually happened to them, or doesn’t practice what they preach. (Grand Slam Communication—Workshops that WOW Part II by Ryan Underwood)
  36. If you really want to get the attention of the media you’ll have to follow the time-honored strategy of defining your who, what, where, why, and how. (Striving for Attention on TV by Adam Burgh)
  37. The key to developing your personal power of persuasion can be found by developing the Five Cs of Persuasion: Character, Compassion, Care, Credibility, and Clarity. (The Basics of Persuasion by Carrie Underwood)
  38. Great presenters do their homework to customize their message and understand the needs of their audience. (Grand Slam Communication—Workshops that WOW Part III by Ryan Underwood)
  39. When you look in the mirror each morning, you should be a person of strong character, high integrity, and great self-worth. You need to be a "go to" person. A person people look to for direction, one that others can depend on when needed. In short, you have to be a person who always delivers. (Living on Purpose—Always Deliver by Byron Garrett)
  40. The American consumer has a very high capacity for forgiveness, so long as you provide us with something we value. (Finding Boardwalk by Skip Lemoine)
  41. Stay focused and motivated, keep your goal’s time frame in mind in mind to ensure proper time management, and get other people motivated about it! (The DECA Solution Sets)
  42. Read the instructions once. Read the instructions twice. Read the instructions as many time as it takes for you to understand them. This sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked. (How to Take Over the World Lesson #328: From the Yard by Stefanie Botelho)
  43. When going into a social situation where you don’t know anyone, prepare yourself with a few topics to begin conversations. Pretend you’re a journalist interviewing someone. Ask people questions about themselves. When other people are talking, all you have to do is listen. Most people love to talk about themselves, so you’re scoring brownie points with the new contact just by asking good questions and listening. (Public Speaking Fear Factor by Shana Morris)
  44. One of the major keys to success in the business world (which few college classes teach) is not getting carried away by meaningless hype; keeping your head and always retaining your common sense. (Stupid Product-Launch Tricks by Skip Lemoine)
  45. As leaders, we often are in the role of the coach who must create winning teams out of the varied and disparate individuals who make up our overall group. By balancing personalities, strengths (and weaknesses), interests, backgrounds, and approaches among the members of whatever team we are putting together, we increase the odds that we will be successful. The greater diversity we can bring together the stronger the group. (Balancing Teams by Glenn Morris)
  46. Regardless of the situation, “to thine own self be true." Be sincere in everything you do. It will make your laughs louder, your smiles wider, your relationships more meaningful, and your purpose clearer. Be sincere in standing up for what you believe in: the quality of your work and the life benefit from it. (Values in Business by Andrew Childers)
  47. I believe that success is, in large part, a product of the experiences we have in life and what we choose to learn from them. (Sometimes It's Best to Fail by Brycen Woodley)
  48. While conflict can be extremely interesting… the only people who usually benefit from a spectacle are the spectators. For effective group work, conflict should be kept civil, like a debate. Otherwise, your effectiveness is going to be seriously hampered. (Reality Bites by Darmeny Jones)
  49. E-mailing information and dates for events is one thing, but engaging people enough to become involved in your cause/organization is the next big step. Use your e-mail list to set up meeting dates and to provide members with necessary information, but most of the work is going to be done with good old-fashioned personal interaction. (Jumping on the Bandwagon: The Next Generation of Communication by Adam Burgh)
  50. The 50th article... the one you just finished reading!



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