Leadership

Jun

2017

Puzzling Problems

I was on a brief family trip and we went to my sister-in-law’s house. My children had a blast with their cousins and we sat outside enjoying the weather and talking as adults. As the day wound down we needed to leave and head home so I could get to a meeting.

My middle child loves puzzles and he was close to done with a puzzle he had been working on with his cousin. He really wanted to complete the puzzle before we left. Part of me wanted to say “no” and get us on the road back home, but instead my wife and I joined forces with my son and helped complete the puzzle.

We could have pulled him away and then had a very frustrated child on our hands or we could have sat and impatiently watched him attempt to complete it. Instead we solved both our problems by working together. As we all tried and failed and tried and failed and eventually tried and succeeded we accomplished the result as a team in less time than it would have taken for one individual. Mom and dad got out of the house quickly and my son enjoyed the satisfaction of accomplishing his goal.

Often I think it would be easier for me to solve my problems alone. Sometimes this is true, but I do not have the benefit of learning from others in the process. As a leader many problems come your way, do you try to solve all of them alone or do you involve others in the process? When we solve our problems with others we can look at the problem from multiple angles and try multiple strategies similar to putting together a puzzle. If we include a team of people they create a mastermind. They put their minds with our mind and create a huge group of thinkers who can help look at the situation from multiple perspectives.

Next time you have a puzzling problem maybe these concepts will be helpful:

Determine is this a problem – something I can change
Determine if this is a predicament – something I just need to adjust my attitude on and accept
If this is a problem, are there people you can bring together to create a mastermind to help solve this problem?
Maybe the problem ultimately requires you to grow as a leader and you need others to help you along in your growth journey

Next time you are feeling puzzled by a work or home leadership challenge create a team or invite another individual to coach you through the process on how to solve this challenge. Work with a team to help you fulfill your dream. Oh, by the way, you may find that you don’t have a complete answer to the problem like we did when we found a piece missing . . . but that is a story for another time.

May

2017

Is Your Pace Sustainable?

I was at my middle child’s track meet watching fourth graders run their hardest and trying to win races. I made the mistake of volunteering not realizing it would feel like late Fall instead of early Spring, but it was time with my son therefore freezing was worth it.

While watching the distance races I saw some of the kids burst out and they were in the lead way ahead of everybody else . . . until the final part of the race. At that point people were catching up and even passing the leader. These young boys and girls did not know how to pace themselves in a manner that would sustain their energy so they could give their greatest burst when they needed it the most.

There were three types of runners I saw during the long races.

The pacers. These were the kids that were smart enough to know their capacity and what pace they could sustain through a race. They would start to the back or middle of the pack, but eventually end toward the front.
The talented. These are what I would call the “energizer bunnies.” They had the capacity to go all out . . . and sustain it throughout the race. There were only one or two of those. These individuals ran their hearts out and appeared only mildly tired at the end. Was it talent or training? I’m not sure, but I’m sure the former was part of their ability.
The survivors. These were the ones who were happy to finish the race without getting sick or embarrassing themselves. They sustained the pace they could handle without killing themselves.

As I reflected the following morning, I was thinking this is how I lead myself and others. If leadership is nothing more than influence then how I lead myself will model how those around me at work and home will learn how to lead themselves.

Survival Leadership – this is when I run like crazy from one urgent need to another both personally and professionally. We have so many proverbial plates spinning that we try to keep them all in the air . . . alone. I would challenge I am not leading at this point, but just managing. I am working in my life/job, but not on my life/job.

Talented Leadership – this is the person who relies on his or her natural abilities to lead, but may not ever be growing so they stagnate as well as the organization they lead. This also can be the person who has amazing capacity such as the person who can successfully accomplish multiple projects on little sleep and may not even have habits to help them recharge, they just “grind on.” If this person gets on a growth path with a coach and allows others to help them think into their life they can grow from a good to a great leader.

Pacesetting Leadership – this leader knows where they are now and their present abilities, but knows they can grow and go further. This person sees the big picture and daily implements habits to help them and their team reach the ultimate goal. They go slow enough to lead others, but fast enough to not allow the organization to become stagnant and they are constantly adjusting similar to the “pacer” in a race.

Do you fall into one or multiple of these leadership styles? Do you need people to help you grow in your journey, maybe even a coach? What habits are you developing to help you maintain a sustainable pace and help you grow to the next level? Surround yourself with a strong team and keep running the leadership race and adjusting to improve every day.

Apr

2017

Are You A Minion or Do You Lead Them?

Have you ever felt like you needed guidance in work or life? Have you ever felt aimless or even purposeless even though your life was going quite well? You have enough money and are living fairly comfortably, but something is missing.

Recently I was watching the movie Minions again with my children. In that movie these little yellow creatures who wear denim overalls live their lives following the most evil “master” they can find. They reach a point where they have no “master,” but are living a very comfortable life together. It hits them that they need something bigger than them to live for other than their personal pleasure.

Enter Kevin, Stewart, and Bob who venture into the unknown to find the most evil master they can find for their clan to serve.

As I watched this movie with my boys it occurred to me we are all little minions looking for a greater purpose and even a guide to help us along that journey. Of course we are not looking for the most evil person, but we do have a part of us that wants someone further along the journey to guide us or something bigger to live for.

As leaders we need to provide that bigger purpose for those we lead. As a parent we need to step back and look at why we do what we do and provide our children with greater purpose. I know I have to often step out of the busyness to reflect on why we parent the way we do. I have to do the same at work to make sure I am not bossing people around, but giving them a greater purpose for some of the seemingly monotonous work they are expected to perform.

As people we are just as simple as minions who live in community, but want to follow someone or something living for something greater. We may need a mentor who is someone who is more experienced at what we want to become great at and can guide us along the path. Maybe we need a coach who will help us by coming alongside us and helping ask the crucial questions that will help us grow to fulfill our purpose.

Former NFL Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy in his book The Mentor Leader said: “Mentor leadership focuses on building people up and building leaders for the next generation.” We are in one part of that equation. We either are at a place to be building others up or we are that upcoming generation that needs someone to come alongside us and show us how to not just be successful, but significant.

Are you like Kevin, Stewart, and Bob looking for a leader to follow? Are you simply looking for that wise mentor to help you on the journey or even a coach to come alongside you? Maybe you need to be a mentor leader to others?

There are two ways to live: by giving and growing or by taking and staying the same. When we seek and find others to help us on the journey and do the same with others we will continue to grow to fulfill our purpose. What do you need today?

Apr

2017

4 Tools to Slay Your Leadership Giants

Warning: Faith based post.

A little boy, the youngest of the family, whose responsibility was to take care of the sheep. Like any youngest brother when he shows up to the battle lines to do his chores his brother scoffs at him and questions why he is there.

This young man is curious what is going on as he sees battle lines drawn and feels the tension in the air. Suddenly he hears a booming voice from a nine foot tall giant boldly declaring his strength and challenging he could not be defeated. The response of this young man is the voice of a leader who knows he has the strength it takes for victory from the experience of his past successes and the ability to tap into a strength that is greater than himself.

He boldly declares: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:36-37 NIV

This may be a fictional story to you, or true. Regardless, there are great leadership principles we can draw from this story. This was the day a great leader for the nation of Israel awakened. If you are familiar with the rest of the story, young David slings a stone between the eyes of this giant, kills him, and proceeds to cut his head off to proclaim the victory he made for the Lord. So principles can we draw from this?

David had a vision great than himself. When leaders have a vision of something greater than themselves they have the ability to see past the giant in front of them because they see their purpose. David knew Israel was destined to be a great nation that would rule the land they were about to battle over. The vision of what was to be (and his God) was bigger than a little nine foot giant and his army.
David had experience. When we see a giant in front of us we are overwhelmed. Think of the first time you had to go “sell” something as a kid, maybe cookies, a school fundraiser, popcorn, a lawn mowing service, etc. That first time was nerve racking, but over time your confidence grew as you had small successes and eventually large successes. David had killed a bear and a lion while being a shepherd so his experience said that he could slay this giant (with God’s help).
David had faith. I am not really good in the water unless my feet touch the ground. I have experience watching people float and swim in water although it defies my logic, but my faith is weak because I still am reluctant to go into deep water and try to swim. David saw how he had defeated giant beasts, but he saw the deeper water of a giant soldier and had faith he (with God’s help) would overcome.
David had courage. I don’t have a clue if in that moment part of him was thinking: “what am I saying, this guy can step on me and squish me and I am saying I will be delivered by this invisible God I do not see . . . I must be crazy.” In spite of this possible thought and definite fear, David ACTED. Courage applied is action when afraid. Courage is a must for any leader whether it be courage to pursue a huge dream or courage to have a difficult conversation.

If you read this far, I hope this has encouraged you and added value to your life. You are a leader where you are because you influence someone. May this story inspire you to have a vision greater than yourself with the faith and courage to slay whatever giant you may be staring down today. Lead well wherever you are and know you have resources to help you accomplish more than you ever imagined!

Apr

2017

What the Lego Movie Taught Me About Leadership

“He can’t be the chosen one, he isn’t even a master builder.” I was driving to Columbus, Ohio with my family and The Lego Movie was playing in the back. I had watched the movie with my boys multiple times (I know I am a little kid at heart), but listening to it brought to my mind the awareness of a battle I feel as a leader constantly.

If you aren’t familiar with this movie, part of the plot is lord Business wants to control the entire Lego world and keep tight control on everything. Everyone must follow the instructions and creativity is frowned upon. The “piece of resistance” is on the back of the “chosen one” who can save all the people from “the kragle” which will make everyone be stuck permanently as they are and stifle all creativity.

As I listened it hit me that I struggle with this tension both personally and professionally with the battle between control and creativity. These don’t seem opposed you may say, generally no, but the concepts in the plot of this movie made me think differently. After “googling” these words the following definitions came up:

Control – the power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events

Creativity – the use of the imagination or original ideas

As a leader both are needed, but how do I balance the two? I see one illustration of this tension in parenting. My son wanted to have a leaf raking business last fall. I saw all that needed to be done and I had to resist the urge to try to micromanage him and tell him exactly how to do everything. Yes, the work may have been completed more efficiently, but would my controlling have enabled him to learn some of the processes necessary for running his own business? If I am controlling everything and trying to make it perfect will it help him grow?

This same son is naturally very creative and I had to allow him to think of his own methods for getting business and how he would implement the leaf raking process. I was available to help him with some of the work (such as using the leaf blower since it was a fun toy for dad to play with) and help him process his ideas, but I had to tame my urge for perfection.

The same was true in this movie. Lord Business wanted the Lego world to be perfect and people had to follow the rules. On the other hand there were many people who used their “master builder” skills to create amazing new Lego creations such as a motorcycle out of spare parts or a giant construction machine to save the city.

Do you remember the playground in elementary school? There was a fence to keep you from getting hurt or kidnapped, but you had freedom to do whatever you wanted on the playground as long as you stayed within the parameters. Control for appropriate safety which created an environment for amazing youthful creativity.

As a leaders are we imparting too many controls? Are we taking the need for appropriate controls for accountability and structure so far that it limits those around us from having the freedom to think creatively? Creativity comes out of space to think freely. Do we allow freedom in our schedule to let our minds creatively wander, what about our family’s schedule, what about those we lead at work? Create boundaries, but within the boundaries allow creativity to flourish. Do you allow yourself and others to play on the playground of life at home and work? Share below practices you use to allow creativity to flourish in the areas you lead.

Mar

2017

4 Team Success Principles

I work with teams on a regular basis and many of them are athletes. One day the athletes were performing a drill on an agility ladder which looks like this:

While on the ladder they had to hold a twenty-five pound weight plate (similar to below) over their head and pass it along to the next person when they reached the end of the ladder. Picture a relay race with complicated footwork and a large “baton.” The athletes were competing for a little while with some talented groups not succeeding while less talented teams did. As I watched this I paused the action and brought to their attention four principles that can help bring success:

Do your job to the best of your ability. Every person has different strengths when they are a part of a team. Just like a body has many parts that each fulfill a purpose on a team each individual fulfills their responsibility to help the team function as a single unit. As long as each individual does their best they increase the possibility for the team to have success.
Have a plan. Imagine a football team taking the field without a plan. No one will know what to do and they will not only look like a bunch of crazy people running around, but most likely they will get hurt. The coach provides that plan so they can have a path to success.
Execute the plan. Having a plan or idea is great, but if implementation never occurs it remains an unproven idea. Maybe fear prevents the team from moving forward. Fear of failure, fear of not having the “perfect” plan, fear of success or a number of other fears. Face the fear, put faith in the plan and then learn and adjust along the way.
Communication with team members. No matter what kind or how big a team is, this area can be the greatest challenge. If the plan is not clearly communicated then execution will falter. During implementation if people fail to effectively communicate then execution will be less ideal. During the relay races if both verbal and non-verbal communication was ineffective the handoff of the “baton” was delayed and slowed the entire team.

During the relays, the teams who communicated a clear plan and executed with each individual giving their best performed at a higher level than those who were ineffective in some or all of these areas.

You may not be running a relay race, but how are you doing on the team you are a part of? Are you giving your best to what you have been entrusted with? If you are the team leader, do you have a clear plan? Are you executing the plan? Are you communicating plans and informing the team well when adjustments need to be made to the plans? Take a moment to pause and reflect on where you need to grow in this area and share your plan to grow below.