Blog - Page 45 of 60 - Wheeler Coaching Systems

Nov

2018

Thanksgiving and Leadership

I had to leave the house because I knew I would not be nearly as productive if I stayed home. The boys had school cancelled due to an ice storm and when I work from home with them romping around I am not nearly as effective. I had some meetings scheduled and drove to one of the coffee shops and started working.

My wife had been hard at work at home that day. . . . she is amazing that way. I noticed she had hung some pictures up, organized, but one decoration caught my eye.

“Laugh.”

Right above the towel rack in our master bathroom she hung this word. I don’t think it was a secret message for me, but since then it has served as a great reminder. I see this word every morning now when I wake up and before I go to bed. This one word reminds me to relax and enjoy life.

What this really reminds me is to be thankful. As we move into Thanksgiving week three words come to mind to inform why a mindset of gratitude will help my self-leadership and maybe it will help yours as well.

Perspective. When I choose to be thankful for my three sons, my wife, the house I live in, my body that functions . . . fairly well . . . clothes on my back, food on the table, and more my mindset shifts. I may not have the biggest house or best clothes or a perfect family (who does though), but I have a lot of opportunities and experiences that many others do not. When I maintain the right focus, it puts the petty first world problems I have in perspective.
Positivity. Have you ever met a thankful person who was negative? I am not saying as a leader we wear rose-colored glasses, but might there be an opportunity out of the negative circumstance? I may not get the result I want in a business or family interaction, but if I choose gratitude and look for what I can learn I will be more positive and continue to move toward the goal.
Passion. Gratitude, perspective and positivity all fuel passion. Passion is the desire to continue no matter what obstacles may be in front of us. This fuel enables us to persist toward the goal we are pursuing. I find a direct relationship between how thankful I am and the level of passion I feel. When I fix on the problems instead of pursuing the solutions, I become less grateful and effective.

What about you? How does being thankful help you in your leadership? What is one way you can laugh, be thankful, and be positive to help you lead better at work and home? Lead well and continue with me to grow in gratitude.

Nov

2018

What Can Youth Teach Us About Leadership?

Sitting at the fourteenth annual Power of Children awards presented by the Indianapolis Children’s Museum which I had the privilege of attending at the invitation of one of the award recipients. This is a young lady I have gotten to know over the past year through The John Maxwell Team.

This lady has been impacting the world through an organization she started called S.T.E.P. where she provides shoes to people around the world who cannot afford shoes. This project started years ago after experiencing a terrible flood where her family lost everything.

She was one among six young women that evening joining a special group of over 66 children who have led by stepping out and pursuing a vision to make the world a better place.

Before each individual was recognized, presented their grant check, and had an opportunity to share a brief story we were able to see videos describing each recipient’s story. While I watched these videos and the following morning watched more on The Indianapolis Children’s Museum website, I was struck by three leadership principles we can all learn.

Vision Each of the recipients have seen a need in the world. Often those needs came from a pain they experienced personally. One individual created an organization to help individuals with dyslexia because of her struggle with it. A past award winner created resources for youth with autism because of a need he experienced. These young men and women saw a need and then had an idea on how to meet that need.
Passion I don’t know each of these young men and women, but I sense they suspended the need to know how and just took the first step. Each of these young people exemplify a person with a burning passion to solve a problem in the world and do something. How often do we as leaders see a need and hesitate? We plan, we prepare, but when do we go? Passion is the fuel that helps us go as leaders.
Initiative When we have passion as our fuel, initiative comes easy. These young men and women did not sit and prepare, plan, and worry. Each of them took initiative and moved forward toward fulfilling their purpose for this time in their life. They started . . . that is all initiative is and now they as a group impact thousands of lives.

I look at what these young women and men are doing and am inspired. What about you? What is the need you feel passionate about and compelled to do something about? This may be a need directly or indirectly related to your professional or personal life. You see a solution, what is holding you back? Be like these young men and women and take initiative. What is your first step? No one climbed a mountain staying at the base, but they took the first step and kept going. Take the first step toward your dream and lead in a manner that will meet a need in this world you are created to meet. Lead well.

Nov

2018

What Can We Learn From a Leader in Education?

As I sat across from the superintendent of one of the largest school corporations in Indiana I didn’t realize what kind of leader I was sitting across from, but I would soon find out.

Over the course of twenty-nine years Dr. Bourff has served as superintendent in three different school corporations, but like most superintendents he did not start there. He began as an English teacher in Knox Community Schools where he learned how to bring out the best in students. This same skill he continues to implement as a school corporation leader.

During his tenure at one school corporation he was able to see the graduation rate rise from 55% to 95% even though free and reduced lunch eligible students increased and the community dynamics did not improve. This man knows something about leadership.

Dr. Bourff recognizes problems are everywhere whether in a rural, urban, or affluent suburban community. As a leader he sees part of his job is to bring people around problems and address them. The people he brings around him are community leaders who serve on the board as well as internal leaders who serve on his team.

As we talked three guiding principles arose that direct how this man leads an educational institution:

Dignify people. People are any organization’s most important asset. Dr. Bourff learned early on a way to dignify others. Once when teaching he had a student question him about something he had said, but instead of getting defensive he took pause. After a moment he admitted, with humility, the student was correct and he made a mistake. One may think this lost his credibility with the students, but it did just the opposite. This increased their trust and respect in him because he honored the student and did not cover up his error.
Perspective. During Dr. Bourff’s time at one school he was part of a terrible student tragedy that caused a student to lose their life. He was the one who contacted the parents and even was a part of the funeral procession of this student. Recently he had a challenge that affected the community he is in on a minor level, but was important to the community and had to make a change after the decision was made. This could have really been a problem for some leaders, but he keeps everything in perspective with the bigger picture of life. This perspective helps him manage leadership challenges in a healthy way.
Faith. Whether leading an established institution, starting a business, or simply venturing into some new unfamiliar territory faith is required. One of the best definitions I have found for faith is “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) As leaders we venture out on faith, often calculated, but rarely are we 100% assured the plan will work out. For Dr. Bourff faith gives him confidence that how things unfold are how they are supposed to be and everything has a purpose. He did not state this, but I have a feeling this idea gives him peace and confidence amidst the multiple challenges he faces.

These were his guiding principles, but I asked what he would want people to know about leadership in general and two ideas arose.

Constantly and Actively Listen. Actively listening is a skill and it requires energy which I discuss in my book. Tune into not just what is said, but how it is said. The second part of what he said about this idea was there “always is a lesson to learn.” We never know what we will learn from those around us so tune in fully and learn.
Lead with Beliefs. Why? When a leader is initiating a change the people need to know why this is occurring. As people understand the rationale they may not agree, but they at least know there is logical reasoning. Change leadership expert John Kotter has written extensively on this topic of change and says: “people will not make sacrifices . . . unless they think the potential benefits of change are attractive and unless they really believe that a transformation is possible.”¹ This concept explains why people need to understand the beliefs, purpose, and why behind decisions. These beliefs will help people make better decisions.

I hope you learned as much as I did from this humble, authentic leader. When you look at these principles, what do you need to apply? Are you maintaining perspective based on faith and a desire to dignify people? Do you need to listen and communicate more effectively? Whatever the application may be let me know and contact me if I can help you think into your leadership results. Lead well.

Kotter, John P. Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, 1996.

Oct

2018

Lead Yourself Like Rocky

I was sitting on the couch watching Rocky for the first time in a long time. This was the introduction of this iconic movie series to my children.

I don’t know if you remember or have even watched the movie, but there is a scene the night before the fight where Rocky walks around the ring. You can tell he is battling the voices of self-doubt. After returning from his walk he sits next to his girlfriend, future wife, Adrian.

In that moment he makes a decision as he contemplates the reality he was about to face the world champion. He tells Adrian he is going to do something no one else has ever done with the champ, Apollo Creed, he is going to go the distance. Rocky set in his mind that he was going to fight him to the final bell.

What does this have to do with leadership?

Everything!

I have heard people pose the question to me: do you buy you? As I think of Rocky in this movie three key principles of self-leadership come to mind.

Clear Vision. One of my mentors uses the phrase “hold your image” and this is a challenge to hold the image in your mind of where you see yourself. As a leader what is the vision you have of where you are going? Do you have a clear picture in your mind of what it looks like? I know a leader who over twenty-five years had a picture of what he wanted the organization he leads to look like and now twenty-five years later he gets the chance to see that image becoming a reality.
Persistence. We have a clear picture of where we want to be, but as another mentor of mine says: everything is uphill. Rocky had a once in a lifetime chance to contend for the heavyweight championship of the world and in the beginning he barely could complete his run, but he continued to train to the best of his ability and pressed on toward the goal. Why is the leader I know seeing his vision becoming reality, because he kept climbing even during the uphill battles when he was the only one who could see where they were headed.
Inspiration. Rocky had a team who inspired him. One of his biggest inspirations was the woman he loved. She believed in him and was by his side no matter what. He had a manager who stood beside him during practice and fortified his belief in himself through words he said to help Rocky see where he could be.

Where is it you want to go that you may not believe you can go? Who is in your corner to encourage and inspire you? Maybe there are people you know or people’s examples who inspire you like I am inspired by the fictional character Rocky or the words and stories of authors I do not know personally. Anything worth having is worth working for, so are you willing to persist toward your goal and pursue what might seem impossible right now? Rocky’s first step . . . he got up at 4 AM, drank a glass full of raw eggs and went for a long run. What is your first step in leading yourself today? Lead well friend.

Oct

2018

Leading in a Gig Economy

John McDonald, CEO of ClearObject, and I were sitting in his open office space discussing leadership and at the beginning of our time he introduced to me a concept I was unfamiliar with: the gig economy.

When I Googled this concept the dictionary definition states: “a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.”

What does this reality mean for leadership? McDonald had a few suggestions related to personal leadership:

We all have to be leaders of our own business which is ourselves. In a world where there is no “job security”, first and foremost we have to invest in our growth and become the best we can become. The world is ever-changing so we have a responsibility to ourselves to seek to continually grow and learn or be left behind.
Initiative and Drive. In this gig economy people are not going to hold our hands because the speed of change decreases the amount of time for that process. As leaders of ourselves we have to take initiative to solve problems and press forward each day despite difficulties.
Growth mindset. Let me explain this concept by describing what it is not. This is how we have always done it . . . it will never change . . . that is just how I am. In an ever evolving world we must seek to become the best version of ourselves we can. This means continually looking for ways to grow in our personal and professional skills. Those who grow will continue to go.

Those were a few impacts the gig economy has on personal leadership, but McDonald had multiple insights on how the gig economy impacts the way leaders effectively lead their organizations:

Flat and Empowering structure. This principle was visible in the layout of his office and even the location of his personal space . . . a cubicle in the corner where everyone could hear his conversations and see his work. Hierarchy slows the process down. In the fast-paced technology sector ClearObject works in communication must be efficient and people must be empowered to make decisions without multiple layers.
Feedback to increase creativity. When leaders in an organization are open to feedback they do not slow down progress. This feedback can also fuel creativity. If the leader is the smartest and most innovative individual in the room then he or she easily stops or slows progress. When the leader has a growth mindset and learns from those around him or her innovation thrives.
Trust. At the foundation of the first two principles there must be a culture of trust which starts with the leader. I know in my leadership journey this can be challenging because I like to understand and to some degree control everything. In order to progress at a rapid pace I must trust those around me until evidence shows me otherwise. This is such an important concept that Stephen M. R. Covey wrote an entire book The Speed of Trust on the topic and I can explore some of those principles at a later time.

These six concepts help individuals lead more effectively in a gig economy, but there was one final idea Mr. McDonald shared which summarizes the way to lead in this ever evolving environment.

Transparency, Humility and willingness to admit mistakes.

These traits will fuel the ability to live out the above principles and lead effectively in the gig economy. No matter how the world or market evolves, certain principles will continually guide effective leadership.

After looking at these principles, what is one you need to work on in order to lead more effectively and not slow down the process and therefore the potential results with what you lead?

Oct

2018

What is Your Stress Level Like?

Have you ever chosen to create stress in your life? I do it on a daily basis.

I know, you are thinking I am crazy, but this stress is for my own good . . . to avoid the natural course of gravity as I age.

For years I have made it a daily routine to workout and that includes lifting weights. A brief course on the stress of lifting weights. We overload the muscle with a certain amount of weight in order to stress the muscle. This stress causes micro-tears in the muscles which if we allow time to recover appropriately will heal and the muscles will grow.

Have you ever over done this process? I did it to my father-in-law once. . . . I promise it was not on purpose.

He and I went to his local YMCA and I took him through a workout using all the strength training machines. He seemed fine during the workout, but a week later he was still sore! I didn’t hurt him, but I did work him a little too hard since it had been awhile since he had lifted any weights. The man could barely move his arms for days. . . . I felt bad.

How do we know if we are taking ourselves or our team outside the appropriate stress range?

Observe. Just as there are ongoing physical signs of us overstressing our bodies there are signs of ourselves and those around us being overstressed. Some of those signs can be increased anxiety, a short temper, fatigue, and even depression just to name a few. If you are seeing these in yourself or those around you then pay attention. Does the workload need to be adjusted or the time working?
Communicate. Spend time talking and listening to others on your team. Not only do we want to listen to their needs, but also their feedback. They may be seeing something in us that we are blind to. If we listen, we may get a step ahead of our own overstressed situation before it derails our performance the performance of those we lead.
Pain. When we overstress our bodies we have nagging pain that doesn’t seem to go away. When we overstress ourselves in other ways it can be manifested physically by illness or the pain of strained relationships.

Stress is normal and appropriate stress stretches us and helps us grow, but when we get outside of the appropriate range we are becoming ineffective and will negatively impact our results.

What about you? How are you doing in this area as a leader? Do you have a good sense on how appropriately stressed or stretched your team is? Do you need to adjust personally or for those you lead? What is one way you can stay in the appropriate stress range today? If you found this helpful and have not joined the other people who receive these directly to their inbox then go here and click on “receive updates” and you will get a free e-book on leading better and other great tips and encouragement straight to your inbox. Lead well!