Leadership

Dec

2018

Are You Limiting Your Potential?

Have you ever looked at a lamp and thought how it relates to your life? Strange question, I know. That is what I thought when I first learned this concept. Think of it this way. The outlet is your personal potential . . . which is unlimited. The lamp is us and the light bulb is our output, what we give to the world.

Now obviously we each have different wattage in our light bulb. Some of us are 100 watt and some of us are 40 watt . . . but we can always grow. What provides the light? Is it the lamp? Kind of. The lamp only provides light when it plugs into the source of energy . . . the outlet. What keeps us from plugging in to our potential? Our limiting beliefs.

NO LIMITS

Limiting beliefs are like walls in our lives. Imagine standing in front of a large mountain . . . you pick the mountain. It looks like there will be an awesome view when you get to the top, but the climb is daunting. In this instant our limiting beliefs about our ability to climb the mountain kick in. Let me provide a few limiting beliefs I experience in my life.

Fear

How am I going to do this? I have never done this before so what makes me think I can do it now? I am not qualified? These are all fear-based questions. How do I cure it? Author Maxwell Maltz suggests in his book The New Psycho-Cybenetics that when we constantly expose ourselves to the object of our fear it will immunize us against that fear. So are you afraid to speak in front of people, well start doing it with small groups and gradually the fear will dissipate until you can reach your dream of speaking in front of thousands.

Control

I am a recovering perfectionist and struggling control-freak. This has a few plus sides . . . maybe (my wife would probably argue with me on that). I limit myself because big dreams require teams and if I have to control everything I will not lead well and allow team members to flourish. This control freak tendency also makes me want to know every detail of the plan and make sure it goes right. How do I grow in this? I must walk through life one step of faith at a time and trust even when things don’t go the way I want, they will work out to get me where I need to be.

“I can’t”

Often I am tempted to quit because the mountain seems too big and I can’t even see the top of it. What voice will I listen to? The one the holds the vision and says “press on” or the one that says “quit, it isn’t worth it.”

DON’T QUIT

Author Napoleon Hill in his classic book Think and Grow Rich said: “Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be operated by electricity. Despite more than 10,000 failures, he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers do not quit!”

What is the mountain you want to climb? Are you plugged in so you can grow to your full potential and shine as bright as possible? Are you plugged into the right source? Which of these limiting beliefs resonate with you? Face it head on and become the person you were created to be. Need help breaking some of those limiting beliefs? Contact me for a complimentary coaching session so I can help you reach your potential.

Dec

2018

Orchestrating Leadership

I was in a Junior High Gymnasium with hundreds of other parents packed into the stands watching our children perform the holiday concert. Fortunately I was not sweating profusely as this would have surely bothered the people around me.

As we watched this concert the band played one song that really intrigued me. The song did not necessarily pique my interest as much as watching the percussion section. This particular song was entitled “Nightmare Before Christmas.”

During the song a few percussionists ran back and forth to various styles of drums, bells, cymbals and even multiple random sound effects. I watched in amazement at how they could manage all those various roles and execute with perfect timing so the song sounded as it should. This is when it struck me that I was seeing a picture of leadership and teamwork at play.

A COMMON VISION

Just like with any group, organization, or team there has to be a common purpose everyone is working toward. In this case each individual had to contribute their part at the right time, in the right way in order to blend into the overall sound. We all know when someone makes a miscue in a concert and ends up embarrassing themselves. On the other hand, when everyone performs their role at the right time in the right way you have a beautiful symphony. As leaders we must provide the vision and the best roles for each individual.

PRACTICE

Whether we are selling a product or service, instructing a team or individual, speaking in front of a group of people, or participating in a band we have to practice. A leader’s practice comes with thinking ahead and creating a plan. Let me illustrate.

During a coaching session recently, I was discussing the vision of a specific department in an organization with a leader. Our conversation provided an opportunity for clarifying the communication of his vision to his team. This conversation was a business leader’s version of practice. Leaders must create space to think into their communication and leadership the same as band members must practice their skills.

FULFILL YOUR ROLE

What would happen if the trumpets decided they did not want to follow the music and just played whatever and whenever they wanted? The conductor would be quite mad and embarrassed. Creativity is essential, but once the vision is clear and the plan is agreed on everyone must do their part to fulfill the vision. When we fulfill our specific role and purpose to the best of our ability, we add tremendous value to the group.

What is the band you are a part of? What is the common vision you are pursuing? Is that vision clear in your mind if you are the leader or do you need to spend time thinking and clarifying it . . . kind of like practice? What is your part in the orchestra of that plan? How can you use your strengths in that role to help make the fulfillment of the vision even greater? Do you need help thinking into these questions? If so, contact me for a complimentary coaching session. In the meantime, lead well.

Dec

2018

How Do You See Others?

Have you ever watched people when you were at the airport? Do you create a story in your mind about the people you watch?

I do at times.

Once I was in the airport waiting for my baggage and as I looked across the carousel I saw this couple. They seemed like a happy couple who had a good marriage, but then I caught myself. I started thinking all these negative and judgmental thoughts about either one or both of them.

That is crazy! Why did I go down that road?

I have heard the idea from leadership expert John Maxwell: put a ten on everybody. If I rated them as a ten would I even go down a road of judgement? Wouldn’t I instead appreciate them and look for the good in them?

As leaders we have to be aware of how we think about others whether a prospective customer, a present client, or our fellow employees. How we think impacts our actions. If I focus only on the negative attributes then my behavior will reflect that and vice-a-versa.

When I reflected on that experience, I thought of three reasons why I engage in judgement. These same three concepts can negatively impact how we lead and influence those around us.

Jealousy. I look at the gifts others have or how they appear to have all that I want and get jealous. At times I create a story in my mind of how they got where I think they are and even get frustrated. Here is the reality. I don’t know the whole story. If I look at someone I do not know who appears to have a lifestyle I desire what I see may not be the whole reality. I don’t know their true financial picture or the health of their relationships. There is always more to the story and I must tame jealousy or it will lead me down a path of treating others in a way they do not deserve to be treated.
Self-righteousness. On the other side of jealousy I can create a story in my mind making me look better than those around me. When I think “I would never . . . “ I am acting superior than others. This attitude prevents us from connecting with others. When we fail to connect we fail to have the ability to effectively lead and influence. Influence and therefore true leadership cannot occur without connection.
Insecurity. When we first get a leadership position, we may secretly feel insecure or we demonstrate false confidence. This insecurity creates an environment for creating stories in our minds about what other people think of us. We become consumed with ourselves and fail to serve and lead those around us. As we learn to focus on others and meet their needs more than worry about what they think of us we become leaders others want to follow.

What about you? Do you ever create stories like me? If not, share with me your secret to managing your mindset. If so tune into the jealous, self-righteous, and insecure thoughts and replace them with the opposite. You are valuable and no one is like you. You have a unique set of skills and talents you bring to the world. Use them to add value to others and make a difference. Lead well.

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.

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?

Sep

2018

Three Leadership Lessons from a CEO in the Technology Sector

I am sitting in a chair at ClearObject across from CEO John McDonald, but I am not in an office, at least not in the traditional sense. McDonald has his “office” in the corner, but it is another cubicle like everybody else.

The chair I sit in is a comfortable, couch-like seat. We are across from each other with a coffee table in between us and behind him are two workspace areas. One is an open area in the corner where a group of employees are working on a project while the other is a glass enclosed space where two employees sit working on yet another project.

As we discuss what it means to be a leader everyone in the office is capable of hearing our conversation just like everyone is able to hear his daily conversations from his “corner office.” This environment is a picture of his leadership approach.

The leader of this Internet of Things organization located in Fishers, IN that creates digital products to replace physical products serves three primary roles as CEO in this fast changing industry.

Raise venture capital
Hire people better than himself at everything
Retain talent

Those three descriptions define his job, but three principles define how he leads within this role.

Vision. When I asked how he described this popular and important leadership concept, he described it as sailing. Company goals are like the skyline, an objective that is far enough and challenging enough that he can’t do it on his own, but close enough to see. As leaders we can paint a grandiose picture, but the vision has to be tangible enough that the team members can define their roles in fulfilling that vision.
Culture. McDonald defines culture as the unwritten rules about how things are done. As a leader with new employees, he finds the most important time in an employee’s experience is the first day. This new individual will naturally test the culture. When a leader has clear norms and expectations, that have been accepted, the team members will quickly clarify for new employees how to perform when they are not aligned with expectations. A leader must be intentional and purposeful in the culture he or she creates in the organization.
Accountability. Accountability at ClearObject is less about punishment and more about acknowledgement. During their Quarterly meetings John will celebrate successes as a means of holding individuals accountable. How does he do this? He sets the bar so people can overachieve. Does he have low standards? Absolutely not. He sets the expectation and gives employees the freedom to go beyond the expectation, thereby exceeding customer expectations and creating an outstanding experience for the client.

As I described the layout of the office and we see McDonald’s guiding principles I realize that everything aligns. An open office space creates open dialogue which is essential in the fast moving tech sector. This also creates a culture where people are approachable whether that is a customer coming in or employees within the organization.

As a leader of your organization or team what kind of culture are you creating? How are you holding yourself and others accountable? Is your vision bigger than you, but still within sight? What is one way you can use these principles to help you grow as a leader at work and home? Comment below or contact me if you want help thinking into your personal or team leadership results.