Don't get trapped in the rat race!

Getting caught up in the daily "rat race", or the grinding details of the work to do can leave one in an emotionally down state.  The effect of seeing all the work to do, the failures made, the errors occurring, or even the progress left ahead can cripple you.  In the end, your goals will not be accomplished, no one is being led and the outcome is disaster. 

In order to avoid this scenario, it is important to recognize the symptoms that are a result of not remaining focused on leading, on growth and on the broader vision.

Key areas of concern are:

• You only work on issues and problems
• You never accomplish your daily agenda priority items
• Your afternoons are filled with stress, chaos and upset people
• You don't take breaks, eat lunch or have time for fun
• You can't sleep 7 straight hours without awakening because you are worried about work

When you look at this list, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10, and be honest with yourself.  Give each point a rating, with 1 being  you never have this occur, and a 10 meaning you always do this.  If you score higher than a 35, you need to evaluate your priorities, your actions, your purpose and processes as a leader.  If you scored higher than a 45 you need to take a vacation, and then implement immediate action to avoid damage to other aspects of your life.  This is serious stuff, so start now.

Start first with your time, manage it, don't let it manage you.  There will always be interruptions, yet don't let them control what you do and when.  Respond to the highest priority item on YOUR list and address it first.  Someone else may have an item of high importance, yet you need to decide what is your highest priority in the scope of the overall vision.

Next, take a look at your goals and the methodology you are using to accomplishing them, including other people.  You may need to adjust your (and their) expectations, and possibly eliminate or change your vision, product or people.  Leaving things the way they are will only leave the symptoms as they are, and ultimately, progress will not be made.

Next step is to plan breaks into your day and week.  Allow down time, time to think, time to eat, relax and dream.  You need to acknowledge and accept that this is still work, yes, taking a break, thinking strategically and preparing for the next big task IS work.  This all allows you to be your best in each moment, which is the next point.

When you are working on something, sitting in a meeting, or speaking with a friend or co-worker, you need to be fully engaged in that moment.  Multitasking has received improper credit to represent people capable of doing a lot of things at one time.  Consider this from now on, if you are doing more than one thing at a time, you are now doing 2 things poorly.  Be where you are, period.  Fully engage and emotionally connect to the moment, nothing else. 

You will find that with a few simple adjustments in priority, time management, planning and engagement of your mind, you will see the right things are being done, and done more accurately and more efficiently. 

Perception is NOT reality

There is an old saying that perception is reality.  I would like to take some time to unveil the truth behind what perception is.  Perception is what someone believes something to be, and therefore, to them it becomes their reality.  That does NOT mean it is the actual reality, or the truth, yet it does provide for an obstacle in leading and accomplishing progress.

The reality is that a leaders needs to be able to lead, down and up, across and through and the perception of others can hinder your leadership.  The key point, however, is that to be successful as a leader, your vision, your methodology, your the ability to do the right thing, to remain focused on the larger goal and always have others' interests in mind is what makes you successful.  Trying to correct every misconception (or lack of reality) for each person is not feasible.

There is always going to be someone, somewhere, that perceives you not as your really are.  There is always someone that will bring you down, that says you aren't able or equipped.  There is always someone that will find fault in your work, and potentially personalize their message to be about you. 

This is what I call the perceptions gap.  This is the difference between reality and their perceived reality.

 The caution here, do not fall into the trap.  Here are the things to do to avoid reacting, or worse, having your self worth be based on the opinion of others and simply their perception of your performance. 

Make sure that you surround yourself with trusted leaders that give you honest feedback.  Have people that will be honest about your work ethic, about your vision, about who you are and what you do.  This can be family, friends, co workers, peers, bosses, anyone.  The quantity should be between 2-5 people, remember these are people you will allow in to the deepest part of your life.

Always reflect and be honest with yourself.  You know in your gut when you are doing your best, or not.  That deep part inside that says the direction is failing, means it probably is.  The opinion of your trusted advisers does matter, yet you know yourself the best.

Set goals that meet up with your vision and objectives.  I realize that many times in the workplace those are set for us, and we can't always change ours.  Saying that, are you accomplishing what is set before you.  Regardless of the many critics out there, if you are in alignment with your (or your set goals) then press ahead.

Communicate with others as much as possible.  Sharing the truth, the reality of what is occurring helps to eliminate the rumors and the perception gap.  Spend time sharing what is really happening, how it meets the goals and ultimately the vision.  By consistently communicating (see post on communication) you inform the reality and ultimately, change the perception. 

Your goal, is not to meet their perception, it is to influence it, and by doing so you close the gap and better align them to reality.

The winning ticket

Have you ever played the lottery?  Have you, or have you known someone, that won the lottery?  Not just a small amount, but that life changing, oh my, this is going to be crazy amount of money.  Have you ever thought about what you would do if you won a million dollars?  Well, as I write this there is a current jackpot worth over 450 million dollars to a single winner.  Wow, what could you do with 450 million dollars?

Everyone of us has a list, right.  We would give some away, we would pay down our debt, we would set up our families, we would buy a few nice things, travel and live on the rest.  No worries, life is set and we could live where we want and do what we want, forever. 

The real question is, why are you playing the lottery in the first place?  What is it about your life, the direction you have and your purpose that you can't build upon?  What makes you hunger for so much money that you are willing to give away what you do have for this remote chance of getting more.  We all hear the odds of winning big are worse than being struck by lightening.  How many people do you know that have been struck by lightening?

With the easy questions out of the way, let's get to the meat of the matter.  How many people do you know that are struggling with their purpose?  How many days do you wake up not knowing how you will make it through?  How many of you have or know someone who has cancer?  How many of you have kids, or have employees that work for you, or have siblings that count on you?

See, the real test of our character as a leader is when we stand up and face the real challenges in life.  Leading isn't about position, it is about influence.  How can you help others today?  How can you be an example of how to appreciate what you have and can control, and then build upon that to benefit others?

Start today, first, by not playing the lottery.  Secondly, invest your time in what skills you have, and where you currently are.  Whether it is your family, your co-workers, your family or friends, you have opportunities every day to win big.  The people in your life count on you, you are gifted and prepared for exactly what they need.  Dig deep, find the leader in you, the one that lights the path for others, that keeps the focus on things that matter.  The lottery, it is just a game that you really can't win.  Leading others to heights they couldn't achieve without you, that is the real winning ticket!

Blooming fruit again

Sometimes as a leader I have been so caught up with strategy, planning, execution and our progress that I don't always take time to pause, reflect and realign for improvement.  Sometimes, when we don't take the time to do those important elements of leadership, situations bring us to that point where we have nothing but time, stillness and possibly even void.

One of the most calming and reassuring quotes from scripture is "Be still and know I am God".  This points directly to the importance of pause and reflection.  It reminds us that many things are beyond our control and our reach, and that in the stillness we find many things.

I remember a time when I had spent nearly 3 years working on a new business strategy within a larger company.  We hired people, we pushed the new brand, we invested countless hours and resources to sell our new solutions.  While progress was made, many circumstances resulted in ultimately the business being shut down.  Upon finding out that decision, it was very difficult to face my staff, and also difficult to even know what to do.  My time was focused on the future and growth, and now, I had nothing to do but begin to shut things down.

When as a leader you find yourself with a failed business strategy, or a lack of direction, or a time where you are not bearing fruit, you need to be still.  You need to use this time to reflect on where you have been and what you have learned.  You need to also be completely still, just allowing this time to prepare you for the new season of growth coming ahead.

Each winter in the north the trees, the vines and fruit bearing plants go dormant, they do so and use the time to prepare for the upcoming spring.  Each year, they return stronger, bigger, with new blooms and growth and bearing even more fruit than they did previously.  Make sure that in your winter, in the stillness you let the time and stillness work, and ultimately prepare you.  Use the reflection and preparation for the spring time ahead, and even when you are anxious, don't rush spring, it will come when you are ready to bloom again.

Making mistakes

As we have said, it is important for a leader to remain strong in your vision and consistent in your direction. There will be times, however, that in hindsight it will be obvious to all, or to most, that the leader was wrong.  Maybe it was it was you said.  Or maybe, more than likely, it could have been in how you communicated or how you made someone feel based on your remarks, tone or facial expression.  It also may just be that the facts show that the decision or action taken was incorrect or in someway flawed.

What do you do when you are wrong, and know it?  Let's look at this from three perspectives, and we will start out with common myths.

Myth one:  Leaders are always right, and they aren't leaders if they make mistakes.
Myth two: Leaders show weakness when they say they were wrong. 
Myth three: People don't trust you if you admit your wrong.

Myth one:  Leaders are always right, and they aren't leaders if they make mistakes:  

We all know in our hearts that no one is perfect and no leader is either for that matter.  Sometimes, however, our society looks and analyzes our leaders, our politicians, coaches, pastors and business executives and when they are wrong, they want them fired.  When their decisions don't work, get rid of them.  When the team loses, they don't know how to coach.  Today's media and the culture of America that demands everything and everything now is tough on leaders.  The bottom line is that leaders don't always get it right.  Mistakes are made, the key is, what do you do when you make them?

Myth two: Leaders show weakness when they say they were wrong.  

Maybe you feel you will be perceived as weak if you say you are wrong.  Maybe you just have too much pride to admit to failure.  Maybe you aren't sure if they will still follow you if you are seen as incorrect, ultimately making you weak.  Whatever your reason, you are wrong, and you need to admit it:)

The reality is that people perceive you from their own eyes and with their own lens.  If you make mistakes and they know, and they know you know it, but you stand firm without acknowledgement of the mistake, they will see you as prideful.  You will become the unapproachable leader.  You actually become more weak when they realize that you don't see the truth.  The truth is, all people make mistakes, including leaders, and admitting you did is important.

Myth three: People don't trust you if you admit your wrong.

This is actually the most important myth to discover and revoke.  You want their trust, then you need to admit you were wrong.  People don't trust people that are prideful and oblivious of the facts.  You will gain immediate respect when you say, I was wrong.  More importantly, making a mistake means you need to do more than just say I was wrong, you need to apologize.  You need to amend the wrong and that is how the trust is built.

Your apology should be:

• In person (if at all possible). No text messages or emails, if you can't do it in person, do it over the phone.  Talk to the person so they can see and hear what and how you are saying it.

• Sincere.  Let them know, in voice inflection, eyes, your choice of words, you know you were wrong and you are sorry.

• A catalyst for the future.  You need them to follow you, if you want them to trust you, learn from your mistake and share that learning.  Let them know you have considered the outcomes and impact and are making changes to ensure the future is better as a result.

If you believe in yourself, have the confidence to learn from what you do right and wrong.  Share that learning with others and use the experience to be a better leader.

 

Looks like work

A common myth of making it to the top of leadership is that you don't work, others do it all.   If you study leaders and what makes them great is that what they do looks like work, why, because it is.  They may not be running machines, answering phones or teaching class, but believe that what they do is work.

Take a principal, they lead the school yet do not typically do any teaching.  My father was a principal for nearly 15 years.  Most of the students, parents and teachers that I still see from that time frame only remember him as their principal.  For the 15 years prior to that time, however, he was a teacher and a coach.  The days were spent with hands on instruction, guidance, running plays, reviewing film, grading papers and ensuring the students received the knowledge he was entrusted to provide.  As principal, however, many onlookers may just see a man that sits in meetings, that is in his office pushing papers, working on a computer or traveling to seminars.  The reality, as we all know, is that his role was to lead.

The work of a leader does look different than most of the work done by their followers.  This work, may entail more strategic thinking downtime, dealing with personnel one-on-one, moving from one person or task quickly to another, and may include more meetings.  A day in a life of a leader, though, still consists of work that requires work ethic, integrity in thinking and action, and ultimately setting and keeping the course for all of those "doing" the detailed work. 

After nearly 20 years of being in leadership roles, I found myself and other leaders in the office doing traditional work less than those that I lead.  What I also find true is that the stress level and "mind thought time" is far greater.  The mind thought time is those moments where a leader dreams, creates, runs thoughts and ideas and plans through their mind.  This is work, and how do you know.  A leader has a focused look, spends time on it, and uses it to formulate strategy and actions for the team.  This time may look like day dreaming, I say...it looks like work.

Resolute

A strong leader is willing to change their mind, yet they are not easily pursuaded by every group, idea or discontented followers.  In no way am I inferring that input and collaboration are not important, they are.  Input and feedback should always be rendered and given time to be considered prior to moving ahead.  Saying that, however, followers want and need direction that is consistent and they need to be affirmed by the leader that the course is solid and the destination is clear.  

A constant change or lack or consistency will ultimately lead to a lack of followers and a failed vision.  I have always likened consistent direction from a leader that is combined with room for individual decision making to be that similar to planning a trip.  Imagine that I told you I wanted to take a vacation and travel by car from Chicago Illinois to Orlando Florida and I wanted to arrive in less than 3 days.  I am going to allow you to plan the route, stops, food, stays and so forth and will provide $1000 to the budget to spend on all related expenses to getting us there.  

That is clear and direction communication and I have also allowed room for you to be creative, to make decisions and to act upon them.  If you come back to me and give me all the reasons why Florida is not a good way to go, or that maybe I should fly there to save time, I can listen to that, but in the end, if my destination is Orlando and I want to drive, those are not negotiable.  The rest is in your control and stays within the decision I have made.

Now take this to your world.  When you lead others at home, or in business you need to ensure they receive clear information and once the decision is made you stick with that direction.  The other key is that once movement is in place, don't get caught up in the details.  As in my vacation example, since I didn't specify what roads to take or where to stop, I shouldn't get involved in those details as the leader.  Your job is to monitor that the directive is carried out and you need to move on to the next idea. 

What is leadership?

If you were to ask 100 people the question, "what is leadership", you would more than likely receive 100 different answers.  I would also propose that many of them would be surrounded by theme of directing, managing or being someone that "gets things done".  The online dictionary at reference.com says, a leader is "a person who guides or directs a group".  Websters says, "the office or position of a leader, capacity to lead, the act or an instance of leading."

I heard a definition this morning on the radio that was from Dwight D. Eisenhower, he said, "A leader is someone that takes all the blame when things go wrong, and finds someone else to give the credit to when things go right."  Interesting thought.  This is also similar to what Jim Collins describes in his book Good to Great, when he mentions "...the best leaders look in the mirror when things go wrong and they look outside the window when they go right..."

From these two individuals, who lived their adult lives nearly 40 years apart, the definition from them is a bit different then our originals.

The dictionary definitions, which I believe are nearly the common thoughts held about leadership in our society, is that it is about position, or ability or about directing people.  I am not saying those are false, just that they might not be entirely accurate and encompassing of what true leadership is.

When we hold leaders to only specific positions, or if we only think their role is to direct our guide, then we start to reveal why our nation and our world is starving for real leaders.  Leadership is not about position or power alone.  It isn't just about vision or guidance alone.  It isn't just about communication alone.  Even though all of those are vitally important for any leader to possess, leadership is open to all.  There are so many opportunities to lead in our lives, daily, that maybe the word courage should be used in our definition.

Here is our working definition.  Anytime, anyone, is in a position to influence the actions of another person, and they have the courage to do so, that is leadership.  That's it.  It is that simple.

Don't lose sight of the little moments, with family, your co-workers, your friends, and those you see as you experience life.  There are constant moments where you can say or do something that impacts those around you, and in that moment, and forever that they remember and use those teachings, you have executed leadership for the betterment of another.

Go ahead, get out there and lead!

The Art of Intentional Dialogue

Yes, communication is an art.  When done correctly, it takes on an art form all its own.  We all know people that like to talk, (I have been mentioned in those lists) and we all know people that can write, or speak, and even can spin great ideas.  Yet, to get the message across and ensure that action is taken in the proper direction, the best leaders must communicate as if creating art.

First, you need to be aware of your subject.  As a painter, you must know who you are painting, their age, gender, profession and intentions for the painting.

Second, you must know the set, including lighting, background and props.

Third, when creating a painting, the frame, colors used, and the canvas along with how and where the painting will be displayed are factors you must take into consderation.

Being an effective leader means finding a better way to communicate.  This art form is one that must be continually perfected and adjusted.  All of the same aspects as the painter need to be considered:

1.  Who are you speaking to?  Great leaders adjust to their audience.  They know that speaking to a seasoned veteran of the industry is not the same as speaking to a college aged entry level administrator.  Understand that their needs are different, their experiences are different and how they filter what you say will be different.
2.  What is the context?  Is the timing perfect, is the climate in the office or group up or is it down?  What type of pressures are you and the person (s) being communicated to under? 
3. How does what you are saying personally effect the receiver?  Are you delivering this message in writing, in person, to a group, or one-on-one.  All of these factors will contribute to how you say the what you say.

No question, that the final product, the art of what you say, is really in the how you say it.  Always form your conversations to be focused on the issue, and done so in a direct, yet gentle manner.  When you start thinking about your communications as important as the artist does their painting, you will then take care in how and what you say. 

The final thought on this, the right conversation at the wrong time is the wrong conversation.  Even the best modern painting will not appeal if it is being displayed in a romantic period gallery.  You need to know the right time to communicate.

CPF Principle

For years I have seen first hand organizations struggling to survive and hit their objectives, and usually it is because their priorities are not aligned.  The aligned could be just that they don't agree internally, or worse yet, it could be that their formula for success is founded upon a self gain strategy.

Let's look at a proven methodology that increases client satisfaction, employee/team member satisfaction and provides for a sustainable environment for growth for all stakeholders involved.  This can be used in just about any type of organization that is a for-profit group.

This is what I call the CPF principle and I first started implementing it as my key philosophy, and team expectation set, about 15 years ago.  The CPF principle is really very straightforward, 3 key things you must do as a leader to promote success and sustainability.  Three simple words, yet three challenging propositions.

C = Client
P = Profit
F = Fun

The big idea is that if accomplished, the client is happy, your group is making money and everyone is having fun doing it.

That's it, it is that simple, right.  Well, we will take a look at each of these in further detail in the coming posts ahead.

Excellence in everything and in everything, excellence.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Well, I believe it is the chicken, but that isn't the point.  The point is that both are chickens, yet one begins the process. 

So, which comes first, doing everything in an excellent manner or expecting excellence in everything and from everybody, and therefore you get excellence in everything?  Just like with the chicken, you can make a solid argument either way.  For our purposes of looking at a better way to lead, it is the latter.

Certainly, doing things in an excellent manner is a great course of action and will yield great results.  Yet sustaining excellence in everything, and from everybody, requires that we expect excellence.  We know what we want, we know what excellence looks, feels and sounds like, and in all things, that is what we expect.  Then, from there, we perform and expect performance from our team, that will only be at or above that level.  It isn't about tasks, or doing one thing well, it is about doing all things well.

My son is a golfer and strives to play in school and beyond.  He is starting to learn the difference between enjoying golf and being a golfer.  If you have ever watched pro golf you realize how small the difference is between a good shot and a great shot.  The difference between first place and not getting paid for that tournament can be as small as 4 or 5 shots a round.   Average golfers want to be good and shoot in the 80's.  Pro golfers practice dilegently, for hours a day, expecting great results, shooting in the 60's.  They work with coaches, watching film of their swing, making adjustments, all to ensure that the results are excellent.  When the outcome falls short, they go back and adjust again.

Is that how you work, coach, mentor, lead your family or team?  Do you expect great results, in everything and from everyone?  When the outcome falls short do you reflect, learn and aim to improve?

In order to be a great leader, to create a following that delivers better results you must expect excellence.  Being average or as good as a competitor isn't enough.  Trying to keep clients from complaining isn't enough.  When things fail, making excuses isn't enough. 

Start expecting excellence and when you don't get it, ask why.  Start to learn and improve the daily practice and never lower the bar.  People tend to relax to the place where comfortable, make sure that is in the excellence zone, or take them back out the practice range.

A spirit of leadership

The world seems to view our leaders as those that just have spirits of courage, of risk, of vision and those that have made it.  The world is enamored with celebrity and those that become rich, even if what they do is a fad, or materialistic. The headlines are on scandals and stock markets rushes and on how much money someone did or didn't bring in.  The world celebrates fame and money, and highlights those that WIN at the success game.  Leaders tend to be described with phrases and words such as: powerful, dominant, aggressive, no mercy, a mover and shaker, a wheeler and dealer and the like.

Love, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, these are words that you rarely hear to describe leaders.  I have actually been told not to use those words in marketing at companies, they sound too fluffy.  I was told they were too personal and should be saved for families and parents with children, lovers, but not adjectives to describe our companies and certainly not our vision or our leaders, right?

Nothing could be further from the truth!

When you search history, and not the timeline of this week on Facebook, you will fine the best leaders EVER possessed these characteristics as part of their inner beings, in other words, their spirit.  From Jesus Christ to Dr. Martin Luther King, from Abraham Lincoln to Mother Teresa, from a long time loving foster parent to your favorite pastor, they all shared this spirit.

A spirit that showed their care for others in love. A spirit that showed their wanting for what was best by exercising patience not just pusuasiveness. A spirit of doing what was right, not popular, but always righteous. A spirit to lead by being kind, good and gentle, always acting with self control. They didn't "lose it". Each of them worked tirelessly, for the cause of who they led, without pomp and circumstance and always with critics.

Take time now to reflect on if these words described as the ideal spirit of leadership.  This "spirit" of leadership, is what comes from within you, naturally, without hesitation.  It isn't what you want to be or how you want to act, it is what you actually do and say.  Be honest with yourself and see where you can improve.

How do you react to conflict. Is it with with anger, bitterness, and malice? Do you have words that are gentle to heal, or do you speak with slander and hatred when your ideas are challenged? Take time, have the heart check and become a leader that has a spirit of true leadership and you will find yourself in some great company.

Breathe

Effective leaders in life and in business take breaks to think, to be strategic, to make room for new ideas and to just breathe.  In the rush of life, in the madness that can occur in running a business the real movement and growth comes from a leader that takes time for solitude. In these moments of solitude, the mind is free to relax, free to discover new methods and to renew the energy required to navigate the road ahead.

Follow these 6 steps below to effectively breathe and improve your performance:

1. Set a time each day to be quiet, remain still and gather thoughts.  The best time is when you first wake up and greet the day.
2. Set a time each week that you will remove yourself from fighting the fight and just dream about what the future can be.  Literally, block out your schedule.
3. Schedule one fun day/night per month.  If married or dating, regardless of your age, keep dating.  At work, schedule a lunch, a happy hour, something fun for you and your team.  Don't talk business, just enjoy the time.
4. Plan a vacation, and take it, at least one a year.  If finances are an issue to keep you from traveling, still use the time to be away from the normal routine and play.  Go to the park, have a picnic, see a movie or go to the zoo.
5. Always be reading a book that has nothing to do with your work.
6. Keep notes of what you come up with in your quiet times and breaks.  These concepts and thoughts are important to action steps needed to grow.

YOU ARE a leader!

No matter what your role is as one leading others, you are always in a position to lead.  Leading is influencing another in action, thought or direction.  Regardless of your role or position, if a person or group listens to you, or models your behavior, they have followed you and therefore you have led.

People say to me all the time, "Randy, I am just not a leader, I don't see any leadership traits in me".  Or, I will hear, "I have no title, I am just a clerk".  And one of my favorites is "I don't work, I am just a wife and mom".  Well, let me be the one to remind you that in each of those people above is a leader, and so are YOU!

Life is a journey taken with others, and in business, groups and families, decisions are rarely made without consult of others.  People working each day observe their peers in action, they refer to others for advice, they even vent and complain hoping for someone to help them.  And as for a mom or dad raising kids, is there a more fitting description for what we do...we lead our kids to adulthood.

Recognize that you are a leader.  It is tough to soak in what a leader should be and do until you accept that fact that you are one.  To someone each day, you are in a position to help them, encourage them, to guide them, for them to see you work in an ethical manner.  When you make your family priority number one, yet still get the job done, you are leading to those that have not yet found that formula.

The world is starving for leaders, for honorable people to lead the way.  Start thinking you are a leader, I promise you...many will follow!

People never disagree, argue or fail.

One thing for certain in life is that is can get messy.  People are independent beings, each bringing their set of ideas, values, perspective and solutions to the table.  When you fill a room and a team with highly skilled people, many times, they disagree.  What do you do in those moments?  How do you resolve a problem if tempers rise?  As a leader, what is your reaction when others challenge you, when your idea is called into question?  Or even worse, what happens when you are slandered and wrongly occussed of something you didn't do or didn't say?

If these types of situation have happened to you, then you know the types of emotions and tendencies that can be brought out of you.  If you haven't experienced this yet, trust me, you will.

Some great advice that I was given by a successful businessman turned leadership trainer, Jim Therrian, was this: put time between stimulus and response.  There it is, it is that simple...well to say.

Let's unpack that.  If you are challenged by someone in your team, an upset client, a family member, and they are heated in tone and words, do the following:

• Stop
• Listen
• Breathe (really, think about your breathing)
• And then wait, how long, well until you are ready

Not ready to attack, ready to talk.  You need to be in an emotional state of calm, and then when you approach them, you will be approachable.   If there tone and emotions are at a 10, and they bring you up from a 1 to a 7, you need to wait until you are back down to 2 or 3.  Then, approach them, I guarantee that there 10 has not only dropped down, yet when you have a 2, they drop further.

Two people at level 2 or 3 are passionate, yet poised.  Two people at level 9 or 10 are a disaster.

It's Your Choice

I am sure you have heard the well known phrase "attitude is everything".  Well, as a leader, and as one that pursues the interests of others to help build them up for a goal, let's expand on this concept of how your attitude really does become everything.

Attitude is really about one thing, choice.  And choices, well we make them all day, every day.  Some choices may seem simple and unimportant, like what to wear, or which sandwich to pack for lunch.  Others have much greater impact on our lives, the lives of others and ultimately the outcomes of the group, team, organization or family you are leading.

A common business element that occurs in manufacturing is late deliveries.  They happen all the time, for various reasons.  Common reasons are lack of planning, over booking of the schedule, errors requiring rework, employees not showing up, machine breakdown and much more.  As a leader, do you share the truth with the client or instruct those communicating to the client to tell the truth?  Or, do you choose to make up a story so the company doesn't look bad?

How about when someone is upset, you cannot control their emotion, yet you can choose to control yours.  If your attitude is a response to fight, you will get that.  If you choose to remain calm, the chances are you will eventually calm them down too.  It is really hard to fight someone that doesn't fight back.  Think about it, who are they yelling at?

The choice is yours, and the reality is, whichever way you choose, you will be correct, and get what you chose.

Letting go

Sometimes being a leader and ensuring something gets done means letting go.  A common mistake is that the leader is always in control, that nothing happens without their final approval, that they are paid the big bucks to tell others what to do.  Certainly, this ties into what we have discussed thus far in regards to delegation, so let's dive a bit deeper.

To grow your business, and to grow people, you need to let go.  I remember back when I was a teenager and my mom would try to dictate my schedule, what I could and couldn't do. Now, I am not talking here about inappropriate things, I am speaking to multiple school activities, church band, school trips and so forth.  I wanted (and did) do it all.  It was (is) a part of who I am, and in a word, driven.  I want to be involved in everything. 

My mom, who God blessed me with a wonderful, sweet, caring women, is not like that at all.  She sits back, relaxes, doesn't jump into too many things, just takes it slow.  I am not saying either is correct, because each IS correct for each of us.  Back to my point...she was trying to control my schedule and life to fit her desires, interests and likes.  She didn't want me to be her, yet she certainly wanted me to slow down because that isn't how she would do it.

Now there is nothing wrong with taking breaks, we need time to regenerate.  I am simply saying that what worked for her didn't necessarily translate to work for me.  So, in the world of leading, sometimes letting go and giving the other person a chance to run their own way can yield tremendous results.  In the end, you should be concerned with the destination not so much the path taking to get there.

If by holding on you get what you want, you most likely took a piece of imagination and opportunity for growth away from the person you delegated to.  If you want to expand, grow and develop people, you need to give them room to take risks, to expand methodologies and yes, even to fail.

Next time you look to lead someone down a path, let go, give them room to work.  Your absence could actually turn out to be the best strategy. 

When you have your health..cont...

Signs of a healthy organization, family, business, small group, team and of course marriages all have one thing in common, they are healthy because they work at.  There are no shortcuts, no quick rich methods, no cliff notes, this is hard work.  This is where those that just buy the running shoes are separated from those that cross the finish line of the race. The best ideas and intent is great, yet in reality the daily practice of remaining healthy and "fit" for your purposes and objectives is the real work.

As a leader, and again I remind you that everyone is a leader, it is your responsible to ensure all 5 of the below are accomplished from your perspective and from those you work/live with.  Do not rely on others to set the example and tone, do it yourself.  If you take hold of each step and put it into your daily habits, others will follow you.  Let's look at them again.

1. Communicate
2. Delegate
3. Trust Others
4. Remain strategic
5. Review and Adjust as required

Communication is the key to every relationship.  I have held this to be true since I was a young adult in my teens, and I know it to be true as a middle aged man with kids now in their teens.  You cannot expect others to know what you are thinking or expecting through some magical osmosis, you need to communicate to them.  Do so with respect, yet do so.  Make sure that what is on your mind, your dreams, your expectations, your objectives are shared.  Then be open and honest and how to get there, together.

Next, you need to delegate some of the work, some of the responsibility and ownership for meeting the objectives.  No one can carry the load alone, and actually, those you lead have different gifts, talents and desires from you, so ensure you use them.  Communicate what needs to be done and accept the help, and offer opportunities for others to contribute.

Most people don't delegate the full task, they just assign things and then hover.  You need to delegate fully, trusting those around you.  You need to be honest and trustworthy first of course, yet you need to trust that they are capable.  Too many leaders fail to let go, and what holds back growth is the inability to scale.  The bandwidth of one is just that, yet a trusted resource equates to 1+1=3.  Take my word, trust me...you will get more done when you fully trust others to do what they do best.

How often do you put your feet up on the desk?  Take a break and do nothing but dream?  How often are you willing for a task to not get done just so you can look out onto the horizon?  I challenge you to do this at least weekly, if not daily.  We need time to think.  We need to realize what could be next and plan for it.  An organization that move ahead does so because of the vision cast and communicated to the team.  As we have discussed, having the client in mind and working toward those goals is forward thinking.  Now go beyond that, go further, stretch yourself to imagine what is next.  Keep the vision lofty, and don't consume yourself with tactical plans, just for a moment.  Tasks will get done, they need to, that is why delegation and trust is so important, your plate if now open to be strategic.  To see the competition, the changing market place, the wind that is changing and you have time and energy to grasp the next great strategic move for your team.  Do it today!

As you look at the world, do you notice anything?  Movement, creation, new ideas, innovation....change.  Things do not stay the same, nor can you.  You must be willing to alter your direction, your own plans and start the process again.  When clients grow and change, so must your plans.  When your kids grow, you must adapt how you lead them and parent them.  As you accomplish your goals, set new ones, adapt, change as needed and communicate the message to those you delegate, trust and strategically lead.

When you have your health...

...you have it all.

This was another great saying from Poor Fred, and when you stop and think about it, how true it is.  When someone is healthy, anything is possible.  They can dream big, accomplish much, travel, create, and flourish.  Yet, no matter how strong someone might be, or wealthy, powerful, smart, athletic, strategic...you name it, when someone is not healthy, they are basically incapable.  They struggle to breathe, for basic things in life, for smiling, for relief from pain, even for something to look forward to.  They need one thing, to feel better.  If the health situation is more serious, their world literally stops.  Everything else is not important, seems trivial and rather meaningless compared to their healing.

Organizations, businesses, teams, families and groups accomplishing a common vision (like taking care of clients) are really no different than a human being having the need for health.  The health of an organization is vital to the success of the organization.  So, in turn, the health (and I am not referring to physical) of the leader is in direct correlation to the health of the group.

To be considered in good health as a leader, one must do 5 key things:

1. Communicate
2. Delegate
3. Trust Others
4. Remain strategic
5. Review and Adjust as required

In the next post, we will take a look at each of these 5 in action.

Keep your name and your credit good.

Why?  Because it will beat you to the next place.

My grandfather became a leader at Quaker Oats by managing grain and other goods, their exchange, the monetary transactions and most importantly, the customer relationships.  He was (in terms of American business) a success.  He spent over 40 years in his career, almost all with Quaker Oats.  He was respected by management, by the local farmer, by the local business commerce folks, and...he was extremely talented in ensuring the products, services and profits were top of line.

Most times, in today's world, a leader would need a college degree (possibly a MBA), years of understudy training, promotions, willingness to relocate, and huge potential to achieve the type of success that I just described.  Not my grandfather, who went by the name of Poor Fred.  He was nothing but poor, he was appreciated and respected at work, beloved by his family, and known everywhere he went, in advance of his arrival.  He never graduated from high school, let alone the fancy degrees our world seems to desire today, he received his education in life.  As he said, the school of hard knox.

Poor Fred had many principles that he lived by, and that I witnessed first hand in his business and personal life.  One of which is "Keep your name and your credit good, it will beat you to the next place".  Let me describe what that really means and how you need to apply it to your leadership, and life, today.

It is about integrity, truthfulness and honor.  Your word is all you have, it is all you control.  When you say you are going to do something, do it, and do it on time, as you promised.  There is no negotiation between what you said you will do, and what you do.  If they don't match, you have no integrity.   As for truth, it is simple, speak it at all times.  Never slander, never twist, no white lies, nothing that isn't the truth.  And if it hurts, so be it, be gentle, yet stay in the truth.  And finally, honor.  What is honor.  It is that undefinable image that someone has of you when your name is mentioned.  Do they smile?  Do they show respect?  Are you mentioned with words of affection and excitement to share your company? 

You may say, Randy, what about the credit part, are we really talking about credit scores in leadership?  Yes, and more.  We are talking about honoring your commitments, including loans, debts, and obligations to others (even those that aren't financial).  When you owe someone something, pay them back.  If an employee is due a raise, don't delay, give them their fair due.  If a client is owed a credit for a mistake, acknowledge the mistake, own it, offer the credit and promptly pay it.  Oh, and not on new work in the future, that is a trap.  Give them a real credit for what went wrong, and do it today.

When someone thinks of you, when your name comes up, what is being said?  When you are about to walk in a place you have never been, imagine that your name, your credit score, a history of what you owed to others, and said about others shows up first.  Everyone is prepared to meet you, the you that has been kept of record based on your word being true, your promises being kept, your payment being sound.  I hope you can be proud of that record.  And even though he was known as Poor Fred, I can assure you, he was of his...

Silence really is golden!

Have you ever tried to solve a problem, improve a situation, influence another person, or pursuade a group to your opinion?  The chances are that you have, and more than likely you have done so multiple times.  Now, think back to a situation where the group and you had different opinions and ultimately you came to agreement. 

I suggest that at some moment, there was silence.  You know, that 7 second completely quiet moment where you didn't know what to do.  The sound you didn't hear when you stopped speaking might have been like the uncomfortable quiet of awaiting for the doctor to share test results with you.  You may have been tempted to speak, hopefully, you didn't.

Many times leaders, like sales people, tend to fill the void with their thoughts, partially due to the fact that they aren't comfortable with the pause.  The waiting, the hesitation and sometimes awkward silence can create tension.  If you fill that tension you simply direct the moment, stamp your authority and even if people agree with you, in the long run, they won't. 

Whether it be a co-worker, a client, an employee, your spouse or friend, the golden moment happens when you stop.  When you completely engage the other person and do one simple thing, listen.  By hearing them out, by letting their voice be heard, you have offered them respect.  You have validated them as having worth and their thoughts of being of value.  Even if you don't agree, by simply listening, you have opened up the door for the opportunity to lead them.

Who knows, their ideas might have even been better than yours?

Client focused

The best thing of being on the road and meeting new people is that it reminds me of a simple truth:

There are good people trying to run big and small businesses, looking to provide a service for people that is honorable, and in turn provide for their families, and they need help.  

They trust partners for help, guidance and direction, and solutions that help them grow their business. 

You can get caught up in all the political posturing and disagreements, yet at the end of the day, you need to keep your focus on how what you do impacts your clients.  

Remember the 80/20 rule and live by it!

If you spend time on something that isn’t going to help your client, then you shouldn’t be doing it.

In the end, it is all about the client

Our economic culture has become one that waves the financial flag.  The stock market looks at publicly traded companies and demand higher returns.  Every hick up in the world impacts a companies "value", regardless sometimes of what that company did or didn't do.  For a privately held company, most of the time, it isn't that different.  The principle owners expect their vision to by carried out and look to their CFO's to measure success based on a smattering metrix devices and drive the organization to an expected EBIDTA.

Leaders of organizations find themselves constantly being evaluated based on how much revenue comes in and how much profit is made.  In the end, the bottom line is all that really matters...well, let's look again.

When casting a vision and leading people, is waiving the financial banner and constantly putting a KPI update in front of them helping them to be better leaders?  Does the constant focus on wealth really improve a company, inpsire people to perform and ultimately create a strategy that is followed?  The hopeful positive outcome for a business is to make money of course, this is not denying the importance of profit, just questioning the method in which to achieve those desired results.

If leaders are to successfully lead people to the financial high ground, then they must be focused on having sales that are needed in the market, that are profitable and are sustainable.  The products and solutions offered need to be ones that clients see value.  Service needs to exceed expectations and keep clients returning.  This may seem to be common sense to you, and you may acknowledge clients are needed, but are they beloved and cared for and used as the measuring stick of the health of your organization?

A leader must listen to their clients.  Yes, that was a period.  The market is built of clients and consumers that have expectations, problems, needs and objectives, and in order to meet those, you need to listen.  You need to have a vantage point and understanding of the needs of your audience and lead your team in that direction.

Simply casting your vision, setting a financial objective and ignoring your client base will result in disaster.  We have talked about starting with your people, investing in them and having a heart to serve them versus direct them.   Now, we are talking about where to lead them to...and that answer is simple, where your clients wants to go.

What is your purpose?

Today I find myself traveling across the country to meet with clients and potential business prospects, and the question is really why?  Why am I spending time away from family?  Why travel and be exposed to germs and being tired and an interruption to my life?  Why fly to meet strangers and try to "sell" them on what we do?

If you contemplate questions like this for what you do each day, that is a good thing.  Having purpose and perspective on why we do something is very important to being a leader, and leading a better life.  In order to be an influence on others, we must ensure that what we are doing has purpose.  Spending our time and resources, and sacrificing what is missed during that time, is not something that should be done lightly.  Each meeting, each trip, each decision we make impacts people.  Once done, it is done.  That time cannot be returned to you, so choose wisely. 

The purpose in my trip, and most trips, is to sell sure, yet really it is to help our clients.  See, if you only look at your outcome (selling an order, closing business, making money, or whatever it may be), then your purpose is not aligned with one for successful leadership.  The outcome may be that we sell an order on this trip, however, our purpose in going is to talk to clients about how we can offer them solutions to help them grow their business.  If they see value in what we bring, and it does help grow their business, they will sign up, buy our solutions and ultimately continue to do so.

This is really how you need to look at the methods, decisions, conversations and actions you do as a leader.  By understanding that your purpose is to help another achieve their goals, then you now have a purpose that matters.  It isn't a self gain situation, it is now leading for their cause and helping them WIN.  By aligning your purpose with the needs of others, even those that report to you, or your children, and even a peer or neighbor, you have now decided that you will allow others to be more important than you.

This may seem in conflict to you with setting a vision or with being the leader and making decisions that sets direction.  It certainly is from traditional thinking, from those that struggle for power and for how our society chases after and raises up the leaders to heights that cannot maintain.  Our culture of leadership has become one that is based on how much power, or money, or status you have.  The ability to get others to do what you want them to do and for the leader to make millions in doing so, has become commonplace.  Ultimately, however, this process and purpose for leading is rejected by followers, by employees, by children and by those that are forgotten in the wake and aftermath of those selfish decisions.

Next time you make a decision, you set a direction, you plan to "sell" something, or you just need to get your kids to listen, try a new approach.  Ask yourself "what is my purpose in making this, or doing this".  If you really are interested in helping the other person achieve their goals, you will find that the direction you set will increase their willingness to follow, and ultimately a desirable outcome will be achieved.

Who's the Greatest?

When looking at the heart of a leader, those that follow really only have a chance to see the actions of the leader.  Your motivations, aspirations and purposes come out more in what you do than what you say.  This reveals the heart of the leader to those around.

If you are running out for lunch, do you offer to buy for others?  Do you even offer to pick something up?  When you walk past them in the office, hallway or building, do you always say hello?  Do you attend meetings on time?  Do you hold meetings with purpose?  Only invite those that need to be there?  Always be respectful of their time and opinions?

In posing the question, who's the greatest?, I am asking what is your real objective?  In order to be the greatest, you must be willing to be the last.  You must be willing to serve your followers and support them in their efforts.  As a leader, your job is to provide direction, support, vision, help, mentoring, guidance.  It is not to just shout out orders, give commands, expect and demand because you can.  This is leading others by fear, not by a passion to serve the interest of the group.

True leaders lead others by helping them, encouraging them, offering the proper amount of input based on their skill level for that task.  A leader that takes time to develop a team member will achieve long term results. 

Sounds like common sense and straightforward right, but do you always do it?  The challenge today is to find out the one thing from one person you lead that could help them WIN.  What can you do for them that will help there job by easier.  Whether at home, at work, in a club or small group, ask one person what you could do for them today, as their leader, that would make their job easier.  Trust me, instead of it being your agenda, you are working on their agenda.  This is how you become the greatest, by serving the greatest need of another.

The starting point

In thinking about what it takes to lead others we have to be prepared to start at the beginning.  Contrary to some that may suggest you begin by casting a vision, I will say it begins with ourselves.  In order to lead others, we must be able to lead our own thoughts and direction, and do so from our core thinking.
A successful leader is one that begins with a passion for something or someone, and from there the motives are to help build on that passion to achieve a greater result.  Ken Blanchard in the wonderful book Lead Like Jesus states "...we are leading any time we influence the thinking or behavior of another person." The point to note is that we are influencing them, not controlling them.  That is why the best leaders are leading from a core thinking of those they lead and not the gain for themselves.

So it comes down to a heart issue.  Is your heart searching for power, or fame, or control, or for you to personally gain millions of dollars by leading?  If that is the case, it is possible you can achieve those desires, yet they will not sustain over time.  People will no longer be willing to be influenced by your leadership if the real vision is for your personal gain.

I challenge you to consider the real purpose that you have in being a leader.  Pull out the list we discussed and review each item.  Simply mark whether the end goal is for yourself, or for someone else.  Focus on those that for are others and that becomes your starting point.

This is the first post on a new blog focused on sharing how to lead others in life, in a better way.  The focus of Leading in a Better Way is realizing one key thing, you aren't leading for you, you are leading for others.

So, my first question is, why do you lead?

Is promotion, money, status, fame, power, control and the like on your list? 

I would encourage you to begin by writing down at least 5 reasons as to why you lead.  If you have 10, even better. 

My plan is to keep in touch at least twice weekly.  We will pick up soon on core thinking that is imperative to lead.  Without a proper focus and heart to lead, the results will never be achieved or sustained.