Nic received two packages—and on a Saturday of all days. Tarina says she never gets packages on Saturdays. One of them is a new “sock cap” for Nic’s bald head because it’s still cold in Oklahoma.

The most important proof of leadership is Ownership. This is the fifth and final proof. When you make a mistake do you “own it” or do you make excuses?

We all struggle with admitting when we mess up, especially when holding a leadership position. For some, there’s an explanation for everything. When things go wrong, these folks don’t take responsibility and avoid accountability.

The work of “owning it” takes development (see Proof #4). This applies whether it is in the rearing of kids or raising up future leaders at your organization. Ownership is fundamental to building trust as a leader and in modeling (see Proof #3) for potential leaders how to build trust.

Mistakes are not the problem—perfection isn’t the goal. Performance issues often are fixable. When someone justifies their actions or makes excuses, this is an integrity issue. When we bend the truth we risk breaking trust.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina mention “snow-megadon” in Oklahoma. While they were looking for warm clothes to fight the chill, Tarina wanted her robber mask. Nic, bumfuzzled, confirms they have plenty of robber/ski masks.

In this episode, Nic says that when leadership happens we’re developing others. This is the fourth proof of leadership.

It’s important to note that teaching and development are not the same thing. Teaching a skill is one thing. Developing the person is different. Leaders focus on technical skills, on the how-to, whereas developing focuses on a person’s capacity.

Teaching is showing. Developing someone’s capacity is drawing out and raising up—and it takes patience. Capacity to handle more responsibility, make better judgments, or handle more stress—this takes patience and a focus on the long-term.

As a leader, you show proof of your leadership by asking more questions, engaging your team in thinking for themselves. You also show proof of leadership where you let your people struggle and figure it out.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina launches with a question for Nic: “Can you help me improve?” Nic immediately knows it’s a trap—and he questions whether to take the bait, which he does.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about the third Proof of Leadership: Model. They take the idea of leading by example further—giving substance to the practice of modeling the behavior you want to see in others.

The question they ask themselves: If we aren’t leading by example, then what happens to our influence? Modeling is a discipline not just a skill. You have to develop the capacity to do the hard things, whether it’s strapping on the tool belt or doing the paperwork.

The easy thing is to just send an email or schedule a Zoom call. The hard thing is to go to the job site, pull on your steel-toe boots, the hardhat, and look at the crusty sheet metal workers in the eye. Behavior is communication and doing the hard thing builds trust over time.

Nic shares a story about how to model the communication you want to see. He concludes, “Just because information is bad doesn’t give you permission not to communicate it.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here