Blog - Page 12 of 60 - Wheeler Coaching Systems

Oct

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum Part III

I was standing about to step off the edge into what I could not see. I would be staring at a wall of rock the entire time hoping I would not crash into the wall and break my legs or plummet to the ground uncontrollably and die. This experience of rappelling off a rock is like stepping into the unknown of building a business.

At the point of jumping for either experience we battle mental monsters. Two voices compete in our mind and more often than I want to admit the negative voice wins and blocks my momentum. This voice is the voice of limiting beliefs. This voice often pushes us toward what Carol Dweck calls a fixed mindset in her book Mindset which I talked more in depth about here. For now, allow me to suggest three ways we may limit our momentum.

Past Experiences

Up until that point I had never jumped off a rock into the unknown with someone at bottom I am trusting my life to. All my past experiences say that if I jump into the unknown I will get hurt. These same experiences impact how much we are willing to move forward.

For years I had a “secure” paycheck and to build a business required . . . well I didn’t know exactly. I knew it required a lot of work and would be exciting, but also terrifying because I still had to feed my family and pay bills. Not only at jumping point, but daily I choose to step into growth and the unknown even though I do not know what to expect. Instead of allowing past experiences to limit me, movement continues the momentum.

Results

Once I stepped off the ledge and fell into the unknown my heart was beating and then my feet hit the wall, flexed my knees, and pushed myself away. With each contact I grew more confident, and the momentum grew. This is no different in other area we are trying to gain momentum.

In other industries I had experienced success. These results encouraged my belief I could be successful in a new endeavor. Momentum is easy to maintain when we see results that are evident like on the mountain wall. The limiting beliefs creep in when we see results that could reinforce the thought we can’t do it. What do we do? Borrow belief from those ahead in the journey or get people in our life who can help us identify the lies and replace them with truth.

History

You may not be a person of faith or agree with this idea but stick with me for the sake of illustration. I’ve heard it said that when the devil reminds you of your past (failures), remind him of his future (destruction). We all fail and may think because of our past lack of experience, failures, or . . . that we can’t do what we are envisioning.

There is truth that we may have limitations we need to grow through or get people around us to help us when we are weak. Sometimes though, we are simply limiting ourselves by believing lies. One of my mentors introduced me to a great phrase. “Up until now” I haven’t or couldn’t . . . just because we haven’t done it YET doesn’t mean we will not eventually succeed.

What is limiting you? I know sometimes I need someone to come alongside me to help me get out of my own way. Maybe people on your team struggle with one or all of these. If I can help you and those you lead gain momentum through breaking through these barriers contact me so we can discover ways I can serve you. Lead well.

Oct

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum Part II

For many years I worked with teenagers and at times a young man would get himself in trouble for something done outside of school. At this point he would learn what I call my “rule of five.” The five people closest to you most impact the person you become.

This does not change for us as adults. Leadership expert John Maxwell describes The Law of The Inner Circle in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership which I facilitate masterminds and workshops around. This law states:

“A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him.”

People around us influence us either consciously or unconsciously therefore those closest to us matter. The reality with these people is that they can affect the momentum of what we are moving toward in one of three ways.

Negative

Some people create negative momentum from a lack of skill or knowledge. Because of the time required to train and equip these people the movement can slow. Slowing down to train ultimately will be a positive if the individual continues to grow and develop.

At times this negative momentum can be permanent and a major way those closest to us become negative influences is by their attitude. As leaders if we surround ourselves with people who are negative it will slow our momentum. Remember, we need people who will speak truth and help us see a different perspective, but if they have a bad attitude across all areas of their life the relationship may need to be evaluated and adjusted.

Indifferent

In his book Relentless (warning this book can be a little raw if you do read it) Tim Grover the personal strength coach for basketball legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and others says:

“Being relentless means never being satisfied.

It means creating new goals every time you reach your personal best.”

This mindset is essential to accomplish any worthwhile vision and if leaders surround themselves with individuals who are satisfied and indifferent it can be a virus. Just as negativity can be caught from those closest to us so can apathy and indifference. Indifferent people will encourage us to play it safe and to accomplish a worthwhile goal we must take risks. Evaluate your inner circle and determine if you have any indifferent people too close to you.

Positive

These people are the best people to have in our inner circle. The positive influencers are NOT “yes people.” They are people who believe in us and in what we are moving toward. They will come alongside us and help us move the vision forward whether as a thinking partner or working alongside you. These individuals will encourage us and give us perspective when we are down. Powerful positive people see the struggle of pursuing the vision but will allow you to borrow their belief and continue to help drive you forward when you are weary.

Who are the five people closest to you? Which category do they fit in? Sometimes we invest in having these influencers in our lives and sometimes they just appear. If you need help thinking into this or want to think into intentionally creating this inner circle then let’s talk. Remember the five people closest to us most impact the person we become. Choose them wisely. Lead well.

Sep

2022

Roadblocks to Momentum

I was facilitating a leadership roundtable group with a few small business owners and we discussed some roadblocks to momentum they have encountered? Based on their responses this post and later ones will address some of these challenges.

First, allow me to define momentum. Leadership expert and author John Maxwell in his bestselling book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership describes the Law of Momentum as a leader’s best friend. The best way to describe this is the idea of a train heading toward a brick wall. If a train is heading toward a wall at 55 miles per hour the momentum will drive it through the wall, but if the train is only going 5 MPH then it will bump the wall and stop with little to no damage to the wall.

For example, an individual trying to lose weight drops 5 pounds right away, then another 3 and they are seeing the payoff so they have momentum to keep following the path. A salesman keeps getting “no’s” and finally closes a deal, the momentum is starting, but it still feels slow. Once he gets rolling and closes multiple deals he begins to feel he can do anything.

What prevents this momentum? One of the obstacles is ourselves and our emotions. At times our enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm for the project we are working on prevents us from continuing the process. This lack of enthusiasm could come from multiple sources:

A lack of vision

Do we understand why we are doing what we are doing? Two bricklayers are working on a project. One is apathetic because he feels the job is tiring and monotonous while the other is whistling with enthusiasm. When asked why, the second says “I am building a cathedral!” He has vision.

A lack of autonomy

According to author Daniel Pink in his book Drive, one of the key factors for motivation is autonomy or a feeling that one is in control of his or her own life. If we see the vision, but do not have the ability to speak into the vision, our enthusiasm may quickly wane.

A lack of buy-in

Not only does buy-in apply to the vision, but equally (if not more) important is the leader. Do those who lack enthusiasm simply not like or trust the leader? Maybe they do not buy into the bigger picture and are content doing a specific role at an average level.

A lack of self-leadership

What recharges you? Are you spending enough time recharging your battery to rekindle your enthusiasm? If not, what do you need to do to renew your enthusiasm? Go to a conference, read a book, join a group of like-minded people, share new ideas . . .

These are just four possible causes of a lack of enthusiasm. The reality is no one can make you enthusiastic. What is your passion? What is your purpose? What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What makes you cheer loudly? Answer these and you may be on the path to finding your greatest enthusiasm. If you need help thinking into how to gain momentum personally or with your team, contact me for a thinking partner session. In the meantime, Lead Well.

Sep

2022

Four C’s to Effective Communication

Not long ago someone recommended reading the book Make Virtual Meetings Matter by Paul Axtell. This short book has a lot of very practical tips about leading meetings. He provides many tips on leading engaging and productive meetings. One section highlights a framework for effective communication which can help us in every aspect of leadership.

Clarity

Have you ever sat in a meeting where the leader rambles on and you are not sure where they are going? Have you been that leader? I find this happens when I do not know what I want to accomplish before we start. As the leader of the meeting my job is to come prepared with clear objectives I want to cover.

When we fail to prepare we are unclear and likely to not honor the time of those present. Clarity not only helps you lead better, but gives participants purpose and more internal motivation to engage in the meeting. As the meeting leader continually check to see if everyone has clarity on what you are trying to accomplish.

Candor

Some meetings are great at this while others are not. If we lead with candor, then we will set a tone where others feel comfortable to speak openly. We’ve all been in the meeting where there is a silence beyond the “thinking silence” and finally someone says: “can you repeat the question?” This is a gentle form of being candid.

Candor creates an environment where healthy debate occurs and people discuss differing ideas freely without fear of repercussion. When leaders create an environment that balances candor and care problems are solved quicker. Axtell defines candor this way:

“Being authentic – saying what you mean and meaning what you say.”

Commitment

Once everyone has clarity and freedom to be candid, an environment conducive to commitment exists. A meeting without action steps is often not a productive meeting. To continue moving toward accomplishing the vision people must commit to action.

I have been in meetings that dump information, but no actionable steps are set. I have also been in meetings where an action step was mentioned, but no one was assigned responsibility nor was a deadline provided. As the leader your job is to bring individuals to a point of committing to actionable items to move the initiative forward. We all have a procrastination monster lurking and deadlines help tame that monster. This leads to the last piece of the communication puzzle.

Completion

Whether in a meeting or following up on an action step, the communication loop will not close without completion. I was leading a meeting recently and I proposed an idea. The group discussed the idea and my job was to make sure all people had shared and then come to a conclusion. Once I was confident everyone shared what they needed I summarized possible action steps which were different than I originally anticipated. No action for now was the best step because we needed clarity on another topic before moving forward.

This conversation was not complete until a decision for action, continued thought, or further discussion later was made. At that point we knew we could move on.

Now that I’ve covered these four phases of communication, where do you get stuck? How can you improve in that area when you communicate one on one or lead a meeting? Do you or your team need help in meeting facilitation skills? Contact me to discuss our Maxwell Leadership Leading Productive Meetings workshop. In the meantime lead well!

Sep

2022

Non-Profit and Marketplace Leadership: A Comparison

I was talking with a leader who has led both in the for profit and non-profit sectors. He spent around fifteen years in the non-profit sector leading people and then transitioned to the marketplace. During our conversation we discussed three areas to compare leadership in these two arenas.

General Leadership Approach

In the non-profit sector leaders are surrounded by individuals who work because of buy-in to a shared vision. This leader does not get to exert the executive leadership that occurs in the for-profit sector. In the marketplace a leader unfortunately can use power and fear to move people. In the non-profit sector the leader must influence because they have little to no power.

This leader suggested a few ways we can effectively influence others:

Create buy-in through sharing the vision – as John Maxwell states in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – “people buy-in to the leader before they buy in to the vision”
Build Trust – because of the principle above a leader in the non-profit sector must build trust to get people to buy into the vision
Understand your people – to influence people, we need to understand what motivates them and align the vision with their personal vision

The difference between the two: influence vs. power. Leading from relationship or from position. Regardless of the sector, influence will be more successful in the long run.

Management

Before going further allow me to differentiate between a manager and a leader. A managers mindset is to focus on people accomplishing the work correctly. Leaders provide vision and inspiration. A manager can and should function as a leader, but if they are in the middle it may limit how much vision they can provide.

What is the difference in non-profit vs. the marketplace? Many times in non-profit work the managers are leading volunteers so they are limited in the amount of production they get out of their people. In the marketplace often managers are leading paid staff therefore they can more easily hold them accountable. The primary difference is the amount of leverage a for profit manager has to get results. Fear of punishment from a leader in the long run will not lead to a healthy environment.

Employees

The difference between the employees in these two sectors returns to number three above. The factor that motivates employees. Daniel Pink in his book Drive suggests money is only a motivator up to a point where people feel adequately compensated for the work they perform. The difference this leader found between non-profit and for-profit employees was money tends to be the primary driver in for-profit. Most likely this is because of the emphasis on money as a primary metric for success.

On the other hand, in the non-profit sector employees are wired for the vision of the organization. They are passionate about the cause. As long as they are adequately compensated they want to see the vision fulfilled more than anything else. This reality is why leaders need to keep the vision in front of their employees. A bigger vision than money will translate into a healthier culture in any type of organization.

There are three areas where these sectors differ. If we apply some of the principles of leadership from the non-profit sector, leaders will develop healthier cultures in their organizations. Which of these three areas do you need to develop within your organization or team? Need help thinking into it? Contact me for a powerful thinking partner call. Lead Well.

Sep

2022

Leading Through the Stages

I recently read The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership by Tim Elmore. He discussed Ichak Adizes stages of an organization’s life cycle.¹ This language is beneficial for leaders to evaluate where their organization presently stands. Below are a few of the stages with some modifications on terms and an idea of how to lead in each stage.

Birth

This stage is also known as the startup stage. In this stage leaders fight to get their idea off the ground. They daily hustle to prove the concept, themselves, or make enough sales to get positive cash flow. This is an exciting and exhausting stage.

As a leader the most difficulty person to lead especially in this stage is yourself. Create habits that will help you win the mindset battles. Develop habits that force you to engage in business growth activities daily. Discipline yourself to avoid chasing new ideas until the time is right. Finally, have people in your inner circle who encourage you to persist when you want to quit.

Growth

Often, I work with leaders in growing teams and small business leaders who are experiencing growth. During this stage the organization is moving fast and there is a temptation to capitalize on every opportunity. This also is an exciting stage, but if you are not careful you may fall which I will discuss in a moment.

At this stage leaders need to get clarity of vision. Take time to slow down to clarify what the organization or team is about. This clarity prevents chasing good opportunities that do not align with your purpose. At this stage it may seem counterintuitive to create time to think into this because you are so busy. Slowing down to clarify your vision will help you to grow more intentionally.

Adolescence

At this point your organization is established. You have clarity around what your organization’s purpose is. Cash flow is solid and as the founder you feel pretty good about it, but a little overwhelmed because you know deep down you are doing too much.

As the leader you need to let go and empower. Take time to evaluate what is the best use of your time for the organization and then train and equip others to lead the other areas. Just like adolescence this stage can be awkward as the founder since you are letting go of what you have done for years.

The task may be done differently than you would do it but accomplish the same result. Take a deep breath, let go, and be there to assist as needed. The reality is someone else can and probably will take care of that responsibility better than you and catapult the organization to greater results.

A Caution on Success

Jim Collins wrote an excellent book How the Mighty Fall which describes what he found causes great organizations to fall. I do not have time to go into the details here, but one I will highlight is the undiscipline pursuit of more. Success is exciting, but also elusive. If we are not careful, we just pursue the next adventure for the thrill or the financial rewards.

As a leader maintain clarity of vision in your pursuit of more growth. Collins suggests the best leaders see the need to surround themselves with a great leadership team. This team keeps the organization focused on the core values to guide their pursuit of more. More is good when it aligns with your purpose and passion, but more for the sake of more can lead to a fall.

Which stage are you in. Need help thinking into strategies on how to grow through the stage you are in toward the next stage? Contact me for a powerful coaching session at no cost to you or a strategic planning session with your team. In the meantime, lead well.

https://site.adizes.com/lifecycle/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/01/11/business-life-cycle-spectrum-where-are-you/?sh=7f0b80c1ef5e
Collins, Jim. How the Mighty Fall. Harper Collins: New York.