{"id":27083,"date":"2025-07-25T08:47:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/?p=27083"},"modified":"2025-07-25T08:47:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:47:55","slug":"becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming a Better Leader One Day at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Scott Nichols<\/em><\/p>\n

One of my goals I constantly think about is how to become a better leader. Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad.<\/p>\n

The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit.<\/p>\n

I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader.<\/p>\n

Check My Mood Daily<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days?<\/p>\n

Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think.<\/p>\n

As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day.<\/p>\n

Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more.<\/p>\n

I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader.<\/p>\n

A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with.<\/p>\n

Other People\u2019s Comments<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. We would get a complaint from a customer that would start a wave of thinking.\u00a0 Should I change the way we are doing something because we had this one customer complaint? I would go through these thoughts in my head, and I would fool myself into thinking this part of the system is broken. In reality, Iwas wrong.\u00a0 Yes, we had one complaint, but there were thousands of people who didn\u2019t complain!<\/p>\n

I have people in my life who, when I answer their phone call, it\u2019s nothing short of\u201d the world is coming to an end.\u201d Know the source of the conversation and put the conversation in perspective. In addition, if you\u2019re having that bad day, just ignore these types of calls.<\/p>\n

Being a leader can be a very lonely place. When things aren\u2019t working out well, the fingers are pointed at you. My goal for you is to limit the number of bad days by recognizing what your bad day is really about. And, if something is more serious, please make sure you get the proper help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Scott Nichols One of my goals I constantly think about is how to become a better leader. Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBecoming a Better Leader One Day at a Time - Smart Tan News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Scott Nichols One of my goals I constantly think about is how to become a better leader. Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit. I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader. Check My Mood Daily Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days? Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think. As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day. Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0 I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more. I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader. A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with. Other People\u2019s Comments I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. We would get a complaint from a customer that would start a wave of thinking.\u00a0 Should I change the way we are doing something because we had this one customer complaint? I would go through these thoughts in my head, and I would fool myself into thinking this part of the system is broken. In reality, Iwas wrong.\u00a0 Yes, we had one complaint, but there were thousands of people who didn\u2019t complain! I have people in my life who, when I answer their phone call, it\u2019s nothing short of\u201d the world is coming to an end.\u201d Know the source of the conversation and put the conversation in perspective. In addition, if you\u2019re having that bad day, just ignore these types of calls. Being a leader can be a very lonely place. When things aren\u2019t working out well, the fingers are pointed at you. My goal for you is to limit the number of bad days by recognizing what your bad day is really about. And, if something is more serious, please make sure you get the proper help.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Becoming a Better Leader One Day at a Time - Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Scott Nichols One of my goals I constantly think about is how to become a better leader. Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit. I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader. Check My Mood Daily Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days? Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think. As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day. Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0 I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more. I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader. A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with. Other People\u2019s Comments I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. We would get a complaint from a customer that would start a wave of thinking.\u00a0 Should I change the way we are doing something because we had this one customer complaint? I would go through these thoughts in my head, and I would fool myself into thinking this part of the system is broken. In reality, Iwas wrong.\u00a0 Yes, we had one complaint, but there were thousands of people who didn\u2019t complain! I have people in my life who, when I answer their phone call, it\u2019s nothing short of\u201d the world is coming to an end.\u201d Know the source of the conversation and put the conversation in perspective. In addition, if you\u2019re having that bad day, just ignore these types of calls. Being a leader can be a very lonely place. When things aren\u2019t working out well, the fingers are pointed at you. My goal for you is to limit the number of bad days by recognizing what your bad day is really about. And, if something is more serious, please make sure you get the proper help.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Tan News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-25T12:47:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Improvement-7-25-25.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1180\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"smarttannews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SmartTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"smarttannews\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"smarttannews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#\/schema\/person\/722dc7049af55e0ed743d67ce9ed4819\"},\"headline\":\"Becoming a Better Leader One Day at a Time\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-25T12:47:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/\"},\"wordCount\":936,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Improvement-7-25-25.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/\",\"name\":\"Becoming a Better Leader One Day at a Time - Smart Tan News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Improvement-7-25-25.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-25T12:47:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"By Scott Nichols One of my goals I constantly think about is how to become a better leader. Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit. I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader. Check My Mood Daily Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days? Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think. As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day. Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0 I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more. I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader. A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with. Other People\u2019s Comments I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. 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Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit. I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader. Check My Mood Daily Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days? Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think. As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day. Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0 I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more. I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader. A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with. Other People\u2019s Comments I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. We would get a complaint from a customer that would start a wave of thinking.\u00a0 Should I change the way we are doing something because we had this one customer complaint? I would go through these thoughts in my head, and I would fool myself into thinking this part of the system is broken. In reality, Iwas wrong.\u00a0 Yes, we had one complaint, but there were thousands of people who didn\u2019t complain! I have people in my life who, when I answer their phone call, it\u2019s nothing short of\u201d the world is coming to an end.\u201d Know the source of the conversation and put the conversation in perspective. In addition, if you\u2019re having that bad day, just ignore these types of calls. Being a leader can be a very lonely place. When things aren\u2019t working out well, the fingers are pointed at you. My goal for you is to limit the number of bad days by recognizing what your bad day is really about. And, if something is more serious, please make sure you get the proper help.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/becoming-a-better-leader-one-day-at-a-time\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Becoming a Better Leader One Day at a Time - Smart Tan News","og_description":"By Scott Nichols One of my goals I constantly think about is how to become a better leader. Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit. I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader. Check My Mood Daily Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days? Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think. As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day. Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0 I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more. I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader. A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with. Other People\u2019s Comments I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. We would get a complaint from a customer that would start a wave of thinking.\u00a0 Should I change the way we are doing something because we had this one customer complaint? I would go through these thoughts in my head, and I would fool myself into thinking this part of the system is broken. In reality, Iwas wrong.\u00a0 Yes, we had one complaint, but there were thousands of people who didn\u2019t complain! I have people in my life who, when I answer their phone call, it\u2019s nothing short of\u201d the world is coming to an end.\u201d Know the source of the conversation and put the conversation in perspective. In addition, if you\u2019re having that bad day, just ignore these types of calls. Being a leader can be a very lonely place. When things aren\u2019t working out well, the fingers are pointed at you. My goal for you is to limit the number of bad days by recognizing what your bad day is really about. 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Being a leader isn\u2019t always what it\u2019s cracked up to be. When most people think they want to be a leader, they only see the good, because a good leader can and will hide the bad. The problem is, it\u2019s hard to be a good leader when you\u2019re having a bad day. But I\u2019ve come up with a few items I\u2019ve found throughout the years to work for me when I\u2019m having a bad day. I think it\u2019s important to work on this most days because, if you don\u2019t, bad days can make you want to quit. I am not claiming to be a specialist or doctor of anything but what I can do is share my experiences with you in the hopes you can realize how to become a better leader. Check My Mood Daily Pause, stop! I want you to listen to yourself. I want you to take a moment and realize what type of mood you are in today. Maybe you\u2019re having a great day or you\u2019re having a bad one. Maybe you\u2019re like me most of the time and you\u2019re somewhere floating around in the middle of good and bad. I fight this all the time. Why can\u2019t we just have all good to great days? Now, literally pause, stop, and listen to yourself.\u00a0 What put you in this mood? Was it how you woke up?\u00a0 Lack of sleep? Was it a comment someone else made? Why is your thinking negative or positive? If I\u2019m having a crappy day, I try and change that by fixing my surroundings. I might change the music I\u2019m listening to, read success stories, and find people who are having a good day and surround myself with them.\u00a0 f I am having a bad day due to work, I\u2019ll find a coffee shop where I can create a plan and think. As a leader, I think it\u2019s vital to figure this out. It\u2019s important because, in my eyes (which isn\u2019t always right), leaders are supposed to absorb all the punches thrown at them and find a way to fix the problem. This is a constant battle because if you are dealing with the punches, it\u2019s hard to find the victories. Find the victories; it\u2019s important! Leaders like to win, and winning is what brings them back every day. Surround Yourself With Other Leaders \u00a0\u00a0 I have taken notice in the past few years of who I want to surround myself and spend time with. I was feeling like my life was like the rat race. I didn\u2019t want what I was currently doing to be it. I wanted more, and I knew to get more I need to learn how to get more. I started to spend a lot more time with people who were leaders. One of my friends from high school owns a 40-million-dollar business. Another runs the second largest soccer club in the state. Another is the Vice President of the largest property management company for warehousing in my area. And, lastly, I really start to pay attention to my boss and question (politely) his decision-making. I made sure to have lunch and phone conversations with these people and do anything I could to get in front of them. I learned a lot from them, and I feel it has allowed me to become a better leader. A lot of the advice I received didn\u2019t come in the way of \u201cdo this,\u201d \u201cdo that,\u201d and \u201cthis is how it\u2019s done.\u201d It came in the way of hearing stories and sharing stories. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to stay focused on the goal you\u2019re pursuing. Don\u2019t allow others to come in and derail you from reaching it.\u00a0 This was one area I struggled with. Other People\u2019s Comments I started to notice when I was having a good day it was because I received good news, and when I had a bad day, it was because I received bad news. If I was placed somewhere between the good and bad days, it was usually because I had little to no news. I allowed myself to get up or down based on what other people would say. We would get a complaint from a customer that would start a wave of thinking.\u00a0 Should I change the way we are doing something because we had this one customer complaint? I would go through these thoughts in my head, and I would fool myself into thinking this part of the system is broken. In reality, Iwas wrong.\u00a0 Yes, we had one complaint, but there were thousands of people who didn\u2019t complain! I have people in my life who, when I answer their phone call, it\u2019s nothing short of\u201d the world is coming to an end.\u201d Know the source of the conversation and put the conversation in perspective. In addition, if you\u2019re having that bad day, just ignore these types of calls. Being a leader can be a very lonely place. When things aren\u2019t working out well, the fingers are pointed at you. My goal for you is to limit the number of bad days by recognizing what your bad day is really about. 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