Today, we look at another of the 17 elements of my series I call Building Skills for Great Leaders.  Today’s element is:

“Support without Strategy leads to ambiguity and lack of focus”

When I was in graduate school, I was housed in a small, messy laboratory with 4-5 other students.  Some of us had a specific plan (as dictated by our spouses) to obtain an M.A. degree, then get a job.  However, there were a couple other guys that had been working on their PhD degrees for nearly 10 years.  They loved being students and claimed their spouses were 100% on-board with their approach to remain professional students.  In talking with at least one of these PhD-candidate students, he said his approach was to continue his research, then at some point in the future (perhaps, when he had cured cancer), he would write-up his work and finalize his PhD degree.  He completely lacked focus on the task of finishing his degree and, as a result, his research meandered from one topic to another without hope of attaining that ultimate prize… his degree.  In short, he had support from his family to continue his pursuit (believe it or not!), but his failure to develop a strategy led to complete research ambiguity and lack of focus on the finish line.  Other students with a clear strategy were able to complete their degrees in half that time.

We can have complete support in what we do, yet never accomplish anything.  As leaders, unless we can articulate a clear final destination and the pathway to arrive there, we can work aimlessly until we lose focus and, more than likely, hope.  Someone once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will do.”  So, one of our key jobs as leaders is to constantly re-enforce our destination and the path we are taking to arrive there.  This is not to say that we should micro-manage our teams.  In fact, when we communicate the final destination and the key milestones along the way well, we can manage less.  When our team members know where we are going, we can just get out of their way and let them drive us there.

One more illustration… My son-in-law is a college basketball coach.  His players are highly experienced players when they arrive in his program.  However, he must teach them the system his teams use for offense and defense.  He must drill into them the approaches they will use, how to manage the clock, and tendencies of their opponents.  He develops a “game plan” for each game that is intended to guide their approach for that game (for you basketball junkies out there, this means whether they will use a man-to-man defense or match-up 1-2-2; whether they will press after made free throws; whether they will work the ball inside or focus on their outside game; etc., etc.).  However, once the game begins, he can only stand on the sidelines and coach.  He cannot play defense, he cannot shoot the ball… in short, he can encourage, alter strategy from the sidelines, manage the game details, but the outcome of the game relies solely on the performance of his players.  They must execute.  His job is to prepare the team.

In many ways, we do the same thing with our work teams.  We establish a strategy, prepare the members, then encourage them as they execute.  We can provide infinite support, but without a strategy to guide them, we should not be surprised when results are not what we had envisioned.

Thanks for making life better for someone else today!  Have an awesome one!

Today on The Porch, we look at the wisdom of Jerry Seinfeld (yes, that’s the one!).  Despite his reputation as a funny man, some of his statements have applicability to those of us in the corporate world.  See what he has to say to you today:

1. “When someone does a small task beautifully, their whole environment is affected by it.” – I think we often think that unless we do something really big, no one will notice or that nothing has been impacted.  I think this quote says, especially for those of us in the compliance world, that even small tasks, when done well, are important and contribute to our overall success.  During FDA inspections, the things that often cause the most angst are the small things, not necessarily the big ones.  Don’t underestimate those small successes!
2. “Pay attention, don’t let life go by you. Fall in love with the back of your cereal box.” – To me, this quote says that we need to pay attention to what is occurring around us.  Some might say we need to “stop and smell the roses.”  We often move through the day so fast that we forget to savor those good nuggets that come our way.  And, this includes the people we work with.  Every day, somewhere, individuals lose a loved co-worker that they will never see again.  Take the time to ‘pay attention.’
3. “If you get something right, you really feel it, right in your chest, on stage. I think it’s an incomparable experience.” – We are simply too quick to move from one problem to the next without taking the time to say, “YES” when we accomplish something good.  We know it when it happens, so take a moment to smile and give yourself a pat on the back on those occasions.
4. “You want to do good things, and once you’ve done a couple of good things in a row, you think ‘Well gee, let’s not mess this up.’ But I am lucky at this point that I have something I really love to do, and it completely holds my attention. I never feel frustrated by it.” – I could have said this.  When you really love what you do, you really do perform better and individuals around you enjoy it more.  If you can’t say that you love what you do, you need to think about making adjustments in your attitude, life, or direction.

Yes, Seinfeld is a very funny man, but what he says, at least in the quotes above, really can make a difference in our lives and how we serve each other.

Do something fun today!  And, let’s love doing what we do.

A Story Told by an Anonymous Man

I’m the oldest of three kids.  I’m older than my little brother by 2.5 years and my little sister by 9.5.  When I was about fourteen or so, arguing with my dad in private about something I don’t remember, he, being the second-oldest of eight kids, told me: “Any decision you make in this household, you make three times.  Once when you make it, once when your brother makes the same decision after watching you do it, and once when your sister makes the same decision after watching you and your brother do it.  How you treat your brother will tell him how he can treat your sister; and how you treat your sister tells her how she will expect to be treated for the rest of her life, even as far as her future boyfriends.”

Others are watching us.  The impact we have on them is amazing.  When we treat others with respect or kindness, we demonstrate to everyone that respect and kindness is the expectation around us.  When we treat others poorly, those watching “learn” that it is OK to treat others poorly.  Then, they teach that same thing to those watching them.  This cycle then continues.

One action – good or bad – can impact others permanently and can follow them for generations.  When we view our behavior through this lens, should we not consider the possibility that “there is never a time when respect and kindness is unwarranted?”

“Excuse me, but your actions are speaking so loudly that I can’t hear a word you are saying to me.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson (paraphrased) –

Have one of those “best days yet” —- there is enough time left in the day that it is still possible….

 

If you go onto E-Bay right now, you can find an autograph of Princess Diana for $400,000USD.  Or, for $195,000USD, you can get a signature of Franklin D. Roosevelt.  For $158,000USD, George Washington; $158,000USD a choice of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln; or, for only $65,000USD, you can get an autograph of Jackie Robinson.  Obviously, the value of the signature of these individuals is great.

Your signature is also of “value” for obtaining a mortgage loan.  When you get a loan, your signature signifies your promise that you will fulfill the requirements and commitments within the contract.  Do you realize that your signature is your word, it represents you – it has value?

When you sign a document, what does it mean?  Here are a few of my thoughts on what our signature means:

1. I did it – my signature means that the work associated with it was done by me – I was there and my signature attests to that
2. I did it right – my signature means that I did the work in the manner specified or I agree with what is requested
3. I did it when I said I did – my signature means that I did the work at the time and date specified – my signature is as good as a videotape of me performing the act
4. I stand behind my work – my signature means that I am willing to testify to the work, time, and manner associated with the signature
5. I have pride in my work – my signature means that I did my best work
6. I promise – my signature means that I have made a promise

When you consider all of what a signature means, it is clear that it has “value.”  Maybe, the value of my signature would never sell on E-Bay, but for my work in my business, my signature means that “I cared enough to give my very best.”  What does your signature mean to you?

Have one of those “best days yet”!

Today, I wanted to share a piece recently provided by a friend.  This Sanskrit Proverb speaks very well about the value and beauty of each new day.  It is the Sanskrit version of “today could be our very best day yet!”  It is true, that this is the only day we are promised and nothing we do tomorrow can bring today back.  Today might determine our future success, our future happiness, or our future fate.  For sure, what we do today will only be a memory tomorrow.  Today might be the day that makes our year a successful one.  What do you plan to do today to make it a great day, either for you or someone else?

 

Look to this day:

For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendor of achievement

Are but experiences of time.

 

For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision;

And today well-lived, makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

                   – Sanskrit Proverb –

 

Use today well.  Do something to make this day special for someone else.  Try something unexpected today.  And, if tomorrow comes, let’s try it again.  Have a great one!

Have you ever said or heard, “Don’t wish your life away” when some says they wish it was Friday, or spring, or sometime in the future?  Time is such a valuable commodity, but we often take it for granted.  We assume we’ll have time to finish that project.  We assume we’ll grow old.  We assume our friends will always be just down the hall.  We assume so much, yet today is the only day we’ve been promised for sure.

A colleague recently sent me the following story attributed to Alexander the Great.  Alexander III lived in the 300BC era and was considered one of the great kings and army commanders in history.  Here is the story:

On his death bed, Alexander the Great summoned his army generals and told them his three ultimate wishes:

1. The best doctors should carry his coffin…
2. The wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery…
3. His hands should be let loose, so they hang outside the coffin for all to see!!

One of his generals who was surprised by these unusual requests asked Alexander to explain.  Here is what Alexander the Great had to say :

1. “I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal…”
2. “I want the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that material wealth acquired on earth, will stay on earth…”
3. “ I want my hands to swing in the wind, so that people understand that we come to this  world empty handed and we leave this world empty handed after the most precious treasure of all is exhausted, and that is TIME .”                                 

We do not take to our grave any material wealth. TIME is our most precious treasure because it is LIMITED. We can produce more wealth, but we cannot produce more time. When we give someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never take back. Our time is our life ! The best present that you can give to your family and friends is your TIME.

You have heard the comment, “No one on their death bed says they wish they had spent more time in the office.”  I know the limitations of time.  There may never be another day in history that we all work together at the same company pursuing the same goals.   I realize that a day will come when many individuals that I consider special, treasured, friends will no longer be down the hall.  I realize there will be a day when we may say something to each other like, “Let’s stay in touch and get together soon” – yet, we’ll never find that right time to do so.

 

The challenge for today is for each of us to re-discover our respect for time.  Let’s reconnect with those friends from our past.  Let’s promise that we will stay connected with today’s friends.  Let’s put down our phone long enough to cherish our loved ones at home.  Let’s understand fully what Alexander the Great stated so well, “The best present that you can give to your family and friends is your time.”

 

Thanks for all you do!  Have a “best day yet”!

 

Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and, thus, is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.  Operating with virtue should be an objective of each of us.  It is especially important when dealing with team members, coworkers, customers, regulators… every situation is enhanced when parties deal with each other by displaying moral excellence.

A colleague once provided me with a copy of Jim Lanctot’s Virtue Continuum (see table below).  Lanctot is portraying virtue as a continuum with degrees more or less.  As we exhibit a deficiency of a specific virtuous trait, we see one extreme of behavior.  If we exhibit an excess of that specific virtue trait, we see a different extreme behavior.  For example from the table, when there is a deficiency of integrity, an individual trends toward corruption.  When integrity is taken to an extreme, a trend toward legalism is the result, according to Lanctot.

Though I don’t necessarily agree with all of Lanctot’s examples, the Virtue Continuum does provoke some interesting thoughts.  For example, I believe I can respect an individual infinitely without idolizing that individual.  But, I do agree that courage taken to an extreme can venture into foolhardiness.

Anyway, this is intended to illustrate: 1) that virtue is a desirable path, 2) the eight virtues listed by Lanctot, and 3) that specific virtue traits taken to extremes can become harmful.

How would the world be different if everyone practiced consistently the eight virtues listed by Lanctot? How would you neighborhood or company be different? How would your own life be different if you lived according to these virtues? Let’s take a quick look at these virtues:

1. Integrity – When given a choice, each of us would rather work or live with an individual with integrity over one that lacks it. A person of integrity can be trusted, relied upon, and can serve as a role model. Integrity is what defines our character, reveals our heart, and determines our legacy.
2. Discernment – Having the ability to determine right from wrong, good from bad, and desirable from undesirable is not uncommon. However, having the will to choose right, good, and desirable is completely different. Discerning, then choosing the correct path will often determine our fate in work, life, and love.
3. Love – “The greatest of these is love…” Caring deeply for others and demonstrating that in your actions, words, and thoughts may determine the happiness, joy, and contentment you experience in life. Shifting your default from being judgmental to loving will change everything about your life.
4. Respect – The person that holds and shares respect for others is a treasure that we should all seek. A respectful person cares about what others say, feel, believe, and do… and they show it.
5. Humility – Having an accurate and appropriate measure of self-worth means you do not denigrate or uplift yourself more than is needed or reasonable. When we are humble, our eyes are opened to a new world that appreciates and serves others more than self.
6. Diligence – Sticking to something to the end is a virtue often forgotten today. Seeing it through to the finish line should be our goal and life’s work.
7. Temperance – Keeping our lives and actions in appropriate balance ensures that our life stays on track. Anything in excess can lead to problems that no one enjoys; living with regrets leaves us feeling incomplete.
8. Courage – Taking a stand for what you believe helps define who we are and where we are headed. Being bold when needed, open when others are closed, and honest when it is discouraged can make the total difference to us and others.

Let’s learn from this continuum and seek to make life better for someone else today. Thanks for what you do to make this world a better place!  Have a “top ten” day!

 

Result when there is a DEFICIENCY in this virtue	Virtue	Result when there is an EXCESS in this virtue
Corruption	Integrity	Legalism
Foolishness	Discernment	Judgmentalism
Selfishness	Love	Enablement
Disregard	Respect	Idolatry
Pride	Humility	Degradation
Slothfulness	Diligence	Workaholism
Licentiousness	Temperance	Strictness
Cowardess	Courage	Foolhardiness

(Character and Leadership: Situating Servant Leadership in A Proposed Virtues Framework that was co-authored by Jim Lanctot and Dr. Justin Irving)

 

Today, I would like to answer the question, “Is it possible to care too much?”  This question is based on the quote:

“Some people care too much.  I think it’s called love.”   A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

Clearly, this quote deals with individual relationships.  Winnie the Pooh was simply saying that caring too much naturally progresses to love (e.g., that strong emotional bond between two individuals, such as make-believe furry animal characters, or even people).

The same scenario can occur in a work/professional environment.  Let me give some examples:

• You become so enthused about a project that you will do anything – pull out all the stops – to make it happen.
• You cannot overcome your biases and cling to them, no matter what.
• Your gut tells you the answer – it turns out that the answer, of course, is the one you wanted it to be.
• You enjoy good news and discourage your team members from bringing forward bad news (this can be very subtle, of course).
• We have always done it the same way and that seems to work well.

Many more examples could be listed.  In each example, the individuals has “fallen in love” with their project, their biases, their own opinion, history, or good news.  Their ability to “care” for their responsibilities has gone beyond caring to one based on emotions.

So, the answer is “YES”, it is possible to care too much.  We can care so much that we become blinded by the reality of the facts.  What is the remedy?  Here it is in a few words:

“Our decisions must be based on facts – not emotions, not feelings, not history – we must rely upon objective data”

We have all seen examples of decisions based on something other than the facts.  When we do so, the issue can quickly become one that pits the passionate opinion of one individual against that of another.  Or, we see some individuals become passive and stop expressing any opinions at all.  Following is my personal formula for data-based decision making:

1. Describe the problem you are trying to solve – It is often helpful to ask, “What are we solving for? What is the issue?”  When you clearly understand the problem or issue, you can better determine next steps.
2. Determine what facts are needed to make the decision – Identify all the factual information needed in the beginning to make the decision.  Some try to identify needed facts serially (e.g., let’s get fact #1, then we can decide the next fact we need).  Work to ascertain up-front what information need.
3. Decide the accuracy needed or risk involved – Do you need to be 95% confident in your answer?  Or, can you decide based on 75% of the facts.  Decisions are often delayed because there is ambiguity around how accurate we need to be.
4. Execute the decision – Once you have the facts needed and you understand both the problem and risks, go forward!  Don’t delay further!  Make the decision clear and decisive and move on.
5. Follow-up, if needed – Some decisions require follow-up or updates.  Determine that at the time of the decision and make it clear who and when the follow-up will occur.

So, today might be a great day to conduct a self-assessment.  Are you basing most of your key decisions on something other than facts?  Are you “caring so much” that you lose track of what problem you are trying to solve?  How can you shift to becoming more fact-based in your actions and decisions?

Have a terrific, productive, and enjoyable day!

 

If we are honest about it, getting that next promotion is a key motivator for our work.  We understand that with promotions come salary increases, more responsibility, and new opportunities that both excite us and challenge us.  But, there may be some mystery around promotions that I would like to, at least partially, dispel today.  So, here goes….

What are the reasons an individual might get promoted?

What is your typical response when you see that someone in the organization was promoted?  Is it, “Great, that promotion was well-deserved?”  Or is it more often, “You’re kidding?  How could that even be possible?”  Hopefully, your typical reaction is more often the former than the latter.  So, why does someone get promoted?  What are the factors that influence a promotion.  I believe there are several reasons why individuals get promoted:

• Competence – The most obvious reason for a promotion is that the best, most qualified candidate was selected.  This is the reason we all hope to get promoted and the thing that typically motivates high performing individuals.  Promotions often are given to those individuals that have gone the extra mile, that do the very best work, and that make everyone around them perform better.
• Sponsor or Advocate – If you conduct a survey among those in management at any company, you will find a significant percentage of individuals promoted because of another individual.  Someone in their career made a significant effort to move them forward.  Someone gave them a “big break” or brought them into a role because they had worked together in the past.  Or, because of networking, the hiring manager knew of them and their work in another department or company.  Because so many promotions occur as a result of these relationships, it might be worth considering whether you should work more diligently developing your own.
• Creation of a Position – Some are promoted into roles that they actually helped create.  I once moved into a new role in this way.  I was part of a broad team that identified the need for a new role and eventually moved into the role.  Those individuals that can identify ways to add value (e.g., a new function or role) are often the individuals that move into these roles.
• Formal Talent Review Process – Many companies have a process they refer to as the Talent Review process.  Annually, individuals are categorized by performance and potential.  Additionally, key positions are reviewed to determine if we have “ready now” backfill candidates.  Top performers are often those individuals deemed ready now and are associated with these key roles.  When openings occur, these individuals are often those most likely to be promoted into the role.  The Talent Review process also provides a venue for identifying developmental needs to help an individual get ready for their next logical step.
• Unique Skills or Abilities – Promotions often are awarded to individuals that bring something new to the table.  For example, if your company adds a new product or product line, the staffing group will now seek potential employees or promotional candidates with those key skill sets.  By developing unique skills or abilities or intentionally gaining new experiences, you enhance your potential for upward steps.
• Timing – No doubt, a factor in promotions is timing.  An individual with the right abilities and experiences might not have promotional opportunities if the pathway above is blocked.  Conversely, being in the right place at the right time is invaluable.  Capitalizing on these uniquely timed events can be a huge factor in your next upward step.
• Combinations of the above – Probably, most promotions occur as a result of a combination of the factors above.  Having the right timing, but poor performance will NOT result in a promotion.  Maximizing each of these factors provides the highest probability that you are on the upward pathway.

 

So, given this information, how does this help you guide your future?  Is there any action you need to take?  Remember, to a significant extent, your career and progress is a function of your own effort, diligence, and hard work.  Good luck on your next move!

 

 

 

 

Do you ever get frustrated trying to get things done, but your team seems to be more concerned with who gets the credit than what is important to the company?  Do you see individuals that seem to make every issue “all about them”?  How can we help our teams be more concerned with the outcome than the credit (or blame)?  A colleague recently sent me the short article below that illustrates this perfectly.  It should also strike a chord with all you Star Wars fans out there.  Take a look and see what you think:

The Star or the Story: What’s Most Important? (by Tim Elmore)

If you’re like most Americans, you bought a ticket and saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the biggest movie blockbuster of last year. It will likely break all kinds of records before its run in the movie theatres is over (indeed, it already has).  Here’s a story about the movie, however, that I loved most.

Movie star Daniel Craig, who’s played James Bond for the past decade, asked to make a small cameo role in the movie. That’s right. Even though he has starred in some 45 other films, he simply wanted to be part of this paramount story that began almost forty years ago.  It turns out that Daniel Craig played a Storm Trooper. Yep. A storm trooper suited up in that white, hard-shell costume. He never took his helmet off, so we never knew the figure was actually a movie star. We couldn’t tell who was playing what role.  The Independent reported a quote from a knowledgeable source months ago, who went on record to say:

“Daniel [Craig] asked for some sort of secret cameo role – and was happy to have his name left off the posters. Fans will love trying to work out which covered-up character is him.”

What’s more, Daniel Craig wasn’t the only star. Thomas Brodie-Sangster (star in Love Actually, The Maze Runner and Game of Thrones) and Ewan McGregor (who played in earlier Star War films, among others) also make cameo appearances in the movie. In all, 24 movie stars played cameo roles, and most of them you probably missed.  Why?  I can only venture a guess. The story is so big, and so important in film history, that these actors are happy to play any role, even when it’s not a starring role. In short, they’re willing to play a relatively small role in an incredible story, regardless if it’s central. It’s about being in the story, not being a star.

In our world that pushes kids to build a platform, to garner Followers, Likes, Shares and Views, there is a valuable and rare lesson to be learned here. According to International Business Times, the average person will take 25,000 selfies during their lifetime. Many young women spend approximately five hours a day taking selfies. Millions of parents have told their children they are special, that they are “stars!” Unfortunately, many never learn to value the team. It’s all about them.  The lesson here is about helping kids exchange the selfie for the portrait. While I want my two children to feel special, too, I believe we’ve missed sending an important message to this generation of kids.  It’s better to participate in a large and significant cause (story), regardless of who gets famous, than to be the star of a smaller, less significant story. Somehow, I think many adolescents have received the message: You have to be the star, or it’s not worth it. It’s a sad commentary on our day. We must show our kids the big picture, that the cause is more important than any one character. A portrait’s larger than a selfie—meaning it’s much more fulfilling in the end to participate in a team effort, doing something momentous and noteworthy, than insist on being the central figure.  It’s about the story, not the star. Just ask Daniel Craig.

I like Elmore’s last line… “It’s about the story, not the star.”  Understanding this ourselves, then transferring that to our teams, is a vital step in moving past the credit/blame game that hinders our progress.  As much as we would like to think, sometimes, that our role, our work, our efforts are about us, we must know that we are part of something much bigger.  We are each playing a critical role in something significant.  Believing that “it’s about the story, not the star,” can help give us the perspective we need to be the best team player we can be.  It can also help us become the best parent, the best spouse, or the best friend we can become.