Brandon W. Jones

As leaders there are many people that have gone before each of us.  These people have helped each of us through their examples and the work they have done.  Just as there are people that have gone before, there are people that are always around us to help.  From the secretaries, employees, coworkers, to friends there are so many people that help us along our journey. 

That is where gratitude comes in.  As leaders, we should show gratitude to those that have helped us.  Say “Thank you” frequently to those that help you.  As you do this, you will gain a deeper appreciation to those around you.  You will also gain a greater sense of humility in your role as a leader.  Your expression of gratitude will develop trust in those you lead.  Your expression of gratitude should be sincere and heartfelt. 

The following video shows the power of gratitude.

As you show gratitude, you will become a better leader.  What effect has gratitude had on your life?

Please comment!

Recently, I had the opportunity to eat lunch with an influential person I know.  She has had a lot of success throughout her career, but she has managed to keep her humility.  She is very approachable and maintains a down-to-earth persona.  That got me thinking about what it takes to maintain humility as you see success in your career.

In order to maintain your humility, you should regularly remind yourself of where you came from and the progress you made as to get where you are now.  Although you may currently be very successful, you may not have always been.  There were probably leaders that helped you on your path to success.  Read More…

I am an engineer and have a master’s degree in business administration.  Through my work on various work and school related projects I have found that attention to detail is very important.  In the professional world, there are people that pay close attention to detail and there are those who don’t.  Those that pay attention to detail tend to be more successful because they don’t miss steps or overlook details of their work.

So why is attention to detail so important?  I once heard an analogy that is very fitting for describing the importance of the small details.  When you look at a hinge on a large gate you will notice that as the gate is opened and closed, the ends move significantly while the hinge itself has a very minimal amount of movement.  Read More…

Change is a word that seems to get a reaction out of everyone.  Some people cringe when they hear the word, while others get excited.  There is one constant in life that you can always depend on – change will always happen.  So how can you embrace change effectively?

Because change will happen in life, you should look at it in terms of the opportunities it creates.  When change happens, there are opportunities for learning and growth.  Read More…

As leaders we are always trying to be the best we can be.  We are always striving to get more with less.  As we focus on being better, it is really easy to look for that which is bigger, faster, more efficient, etc.  When we are constantly looking forward, it gets really easy to stop looking at the present.  We look forward so much that it becomes very easy to look beyond the mark.

It is good to set goals and work to achieve them on a regular basis, but we must not look too far beyond the mark.  I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people get so far ahead of themselves that they stop preparing for that which they are currently working on.  They are focused on tomorrow, next week, next year, but not on the present.  They fail to be the best they can be in the moment.

Looking beyond the mark leads to trouble.  In becoming great there are no shortcuts.  You must work hard, be dedicated, and always do your very best.  Read More…

Recently, I purchased a smart phone. It took me a while to buy a smart phone, but now that I have one I love it. I have found all kinds of applications (apps) to make life easier. I have also found that there are many companies without apps that are missing out on profit opportunities. They have not entered the market smart phone market yet so they are now behind the competition.

In many cases there is wisdom in waiting to see if a trend sticks before spending time, money, and effort following the trend. When the trend is temporary the companies that invest early lose a lot of money which may cause challenges for survival.
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In life there are many choices that must be made on a regular basis. There are choices in all aspects of life including family, work, religious activities, education, etc. All the choices alone may seem insignificant, but they lead to the type of person you are as a whole.  When making choices it is very important to prioritize so that you make the most effective use of your time. A little while back I heard a speech given by Dallin H. Oaks.  He spoke on the importance of making correct choices and effectively prioritizing your time. He spoke about the difference between good, better, and best choices.

One important point he made was that, “We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it.   Read More…

There are many people in the world that settle for mediocrity.  They become complacent in their current state and stop striving to be better.  Different people hit this state at different times in their lives, but it is a state that will be hit by everyone unless they actively work against it.

So what does it take to be exceptional?  There are three qualities I have seen in the exceptional people I know.  Those qualities are the following:  an unrelenting desire to become your very best self, hard work ethic, and dedication.

Becoming Your Best Self – In fighting off the desire to be complacent, it is very important to constantly work to improve yourself.  There are many ways you can work to improve yourself.  All self improvement starts with goal setting.  It is important to regularly set goals and review your progress.  Read More…

I am sure most of you have had leaders that were very consistent, as well as, others that were inconsistent.  Consistency is very important as a leader.  I want to address two points related to consistency.

Inconsistency In order to understand the importance of consistency, you must first understand what happens with inconsistency.  When leaders are inconsistent many problems occur.  The inconsistency comes in many forms.  Some forms of leadership inconsistency occur when leaders treat certain employees different than others.  Read More…

To be an effective leader, you must have good writing skills.  Writing skills are essential for communicating in a professional environment.  There are two things people can do to improve their writing with little effort.  

Make an Outline.  Before you write, take time to organize your thoughts.  Ask yourself, “Why am I writing this?  What message am I trying to convey? What points am I trying to make?”  Once you answer these questions, make an outline of how you will address these questions.  Make sure your thoughts are organized.  Read More…