Bloody Noses, Vices, & Leadership … Oh My!

August 20, 2012 by

Leadership and VicesTwo weeks ago I found myself in the hospital emergency room. I was there because I experienced a truly epic nose bleed. After trying to stop the down-pouring of blood for 2 hours, I finally conceded and went to the hospital. I was put in a room and waited, for what felt like a forever. Then it happened, my body said, “That is enough.” I had lost tons of blood, my blood pressure dropped, I finally passed out. I awoke to several doctors and nurses lifting me up to a bed while simultaneously cutting my shirt off and poking me with things.

Minutes later, as the IV fluids and oxygen kicked in, I laid there and stared up at the ceiling and thought to myself, “ Isn’t it amazing how the smallest and most insignificant things can destroy us.” You don’t think of a bloody nose as being life-threatening, although after some research it has happened – I guess the great Genghis Khan died of a nosebleed.

The Vices of Destruction

So the next day I decided to look at what were some of the small things in life that were destroying me. The first thing was my craving of diet soda. There is overwhelming research of the health effects of caffeine, and the absolutely disastrous effects of Aspartame (the sweetener in Diet Soda and many non-sugar sweeteners.) Here is an article and a video if you want to know more, but that is not what this article is about.

It has now been two weeks free of those substances and I am feeling great. But dealing with the dizziness, extreme thirst, jittery hands, and massive exhaustion for two weeks reminded me of how the small vices or problems in life, business, and leadership can bring us to the edge of destruction, or limit us in ways that we never knew. For those that follow my writings, I actually write a lot about this topic. I feel one must be vigilant and always looking for ways to improve and grow.

Click to Tweet This: “The small vices in life, business & leadership can bring us 2 the edge of destruction & limit us in ways we never knew.”

Click to Tweet This: “One must be vigilant and always looking for ways to improve and grow.”

Can you say, “I made it?”

Two days ago I presented an all day workshop on execution to a company in Ohio. I normally would not have been able to get through the day without some soda and caffeine to artificially stimulate some energy. I was on my feet the entire day; talking, interacting, motivating, problem solving …and I made it. I drank more than 8 bottles of water throughout the day, was exausted at the end of the day, but I made it.

The next day I was up at 4:20 AM EST, to catch my flight to California. This is 1:30 am California time. I was pretty tired all day because of the exhaustion of the previous day and my lack of sleep, but I made it to 9:00 PM PST without any artificial stimulation …I made it.

Often times the smallest habits and vices in life or business, can be the things that cause the greatest impact for your life or business. Often, one small course correction can lead you to new heights. I challenge you to make this week, a week of discovering those vices. Make a plan, ask others for help, and execute change in your life or organization that will create miracles of success. I hope in the end, you can say, “I made it.”

Filed Under: Leadership Vices Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What’s The Leadership Parachute That Helps You Escape Disaster?

July 26, 2012 by

What's Your Leadership Parachute?I recently had an interesting dream. In the dream I was on top of a very large hill overlooking a lake. A man was chasing me and we were struggling over a small parachute, the kind used in kite-surfing, sometimes called parachute-surfing. I managed to gain control of the parachute and deploy it, just in time to get away from him. Being that it was a small parachute, it would take me up in the air and then drop me back down in short bursts. I was often being dragged on the ground until I cold get back on my feet.

My pursuer was hot on my trail. As I came down the hill toward the lake, I was not sure what to do; but the wind picked-up and took me high up into the sky and across a section of the lake towards an opposing shoreline. As I was up in the air, I had my eyes clinched tight, scared because of the situation I was in. I opened one eye and saw myself very high in the air and descending rapidly downward, fear filled my heart and …I awoke.

From a leadership perspective, I was left wondering about parachutes. Parachutes are often used in the financial planning world as an analogy to financially protect oneself or ones family from disasters that could hurt them.

As leaders and individuals we all have a lot of strings to manage and keep taught. We have many relationships to carefully watch over.  There are competitors and sometimes colleagues, chasing after us. There is a huge demand for our time, and forces that often blow us in many directions, yet leave us feeling alone. So I have to wonder, what is your leadership parachute that can help you escape disaster?

Perhaps it is a coach that can help you gain perspective on problems in the business. Perhaps it is a “second in command” or other key employee that has your back and will help you climb out of the holes that you get stuck into. Perhaps your parachute is an activity that grounds you, such as a sport, or a learning resource. Perhaps it is a friend or family member.

Parachutes can come in all shapes and sizes. It is important that you know what your parachute is so that you can grab it when the world seems after you.

What is your parachute? When has your parachute gotten you out of a sticky situation in business or life? Please share your thoughts below to help inspire others.

Filed Under: Leadership Parachute Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Steps to Become a Pioneer That Makes Great Things Happen!

July 17, 2012 by

pioneerWhen we think about pioneers one can think about a lot of different people throughout history. More notably are the actual pioneers who crossed the plains and mountains of the western United States in the 1800’s in search of freedom and opportunity in the West. Their stories of perseverance are inspirational and help us to put our own struggles into perspective.

As I think about a “pioneer,” I also think about others throughout history that have forged paths that greatly helped themselves and greatly affected others. This has been on my mind since I wrote a post for Peter Stelacci‘s Personal Branding Blogathon entitled, “Screw “Dents”… I’m Aiming for an Immense Gaping Hole!

In 1775 the founding fathers of the United States met for what was called, the Virginia Convention. In that convention tempers flared, fears were manifest, and the inspiring speech of Patrick Henry in which he declared, “give me liberty or give me death,” inspired a young country to change course and fight for freedom and separation from Tyranny. During the next 100 years the U.S. would experience wars and conflict that would tear families apart, stain fields red with blood, and would rattle the foundations and heart strings upon which the great nation as we know it would eventually emerge. Those early founders pioneered a cause that cost many of them their own lives, but their actions formed the basis to what is known as the greatest country of freedom and opportunity.

Another person, a boy, who at the age of 15 came home from school one day to find that his mother had committed suicide, through the years he battled with demons that would tear him apart. But he knew, despite his heartache, that there had to be a way out. He ultimately became one of the pioneers to uncover the mysteries of a disease that affects 120 million people worldwide and causes over 850,000 deaths a year.  That disease is known as depression. This man Richard O-Conner and others, has helped to pioneer cures and preventions that have saved and improved millions of lives.

In recent years, a couple I know had a baby that carried a disease that honestly just defies reason …for me at least. Unable to properly hold and cuddle their child for fear that his skin would tear off and he would die. Struggling financially, emotionally, mentally, to keep their family cared for they fought on; they sacrificed much and saw other children die going through the same treatment. They pioneered their way through struggles that I can only imagine tore to their very core. But they kept faith that they could save their son and were instrumental in helping to pioneering what appears to be a cure or at least the beginnings of a cure for this horrible disease. And they can now hold their child.

All of these individuals are pioneers, just like each and every one of us can be a pioneer. We each have struggles and aspirations that can cause us great pain and heartache. I believe that, the moment where we decide to take that first step, and begin the journey to cross that great plain of uncertainty before us; is the moment we all become pioneers.

“The moment we decide to begin the journey to cross a great plain of uncertainty is the moment we all become pioneers” Click to Tweet This!

As I thought about these pioneers that I mentioned, I wondered to myself, what defines one as a pioneer? I wondered if there was a model or process that could be extracted from the lives of these pioneers, to help us in our own struggles, but also to help us as leaders to create greater dents in this world.  I ended up discovering 5 traits that I believe are essential for our own pioneering success, and as I thought about great leaders, I found these traits also matched closely to how they operated.

  1. A Robust Vision In The Outcome – I think you have to believe so strongly that the outcome will be worth more than any sacrifice it takes to get there. Without that dream of a better outcome, I think it is difficult, if not impossible, to begin the journey, and endure the difficulties of the journey.
  2. The Inability To Turn Back From Where You Began -Early pioneers often left with the knowledge that they couldn’t turn back. In our own lives, it might be a moral, ethical, physical, or spiritual reason as to why we cannot turn back, but a pioneer begins their journey to a better future and metaphorically doesn’t look back. So must be our mindset, as we begin our own journeys.
  3. Knowledge That You Might Not Make It To The End, But You Are Willing To Do It Anyway. – In our own journeys, there will likely not be a physical concern of death, but when I think about the tough times where I embarked on something; perhaps it was overcoming a weakness, overcoming a difficult relationship, moving onto a new job, work struggles, going through the adoption process, beginning a new business venture, I can remember thinking to myself, “I don’t know if I can do this.” And there were a few tough times that I can recall thinking and praying, “I don’t know if I can survive this.” It wasn’t doubt in my ability, I actually felt that perhaps my heart would fail and my perseverance would die and I would end up in some vegetative state. I have later learned that it was times like that, when I was uncertain of the outcome, that great rewards were in store for me.
  4. Knowledge That Your Sacrifice Will Make The Life Of Someone Else Better – As I think about some of the pioneers I have mentioned throughout history, I think they all had this knowledge that their sacrifice would be beneficial to others. Our sacrifices and journeys may never be as physically daunting, but the emotional and mental challenges can be similarly daunting for us. Remembering that the sacrifices we make will make the lives others better, can give us hope and endurance to continue on.
  5. Faith That You Actually Can Succeed – The last but most important aspect is faith. Faith that you can succeed, faith that you have the abilities, faith that your vision will endure. If you have a negative attitude of your outcome, than the journey will we all the more difficult.

 

I think these 5 ideas can help us as we embark to become pioneers and do great things. What pioneer has inspired you throughout history; and what lessons have you learned from them? Please leave a comment below and join the conversation below.

Filed Under: Leadership Pioneer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

How to Definitely NOT Thank Your Customers for Feedback

July 10, 2012 by

Broken Windows

There is a restaurant I really like. I often go there early in the morning to write, check emails and get some work done. It has great family values and the executives of this restaurant chain are some of the best in the restaurant industry. But even the best organizations have their flaws.

One day I was at this restaurant around lunch time. On my receipt, was a request for a survey and in return I would receive a free menu item. I thought that was a simple enough task so I whipped out my laptop, logged in and did the survey. I gave them high marks of course, but at the end they asked if I had any feedback.

My feedback to them was, “I would like to see the nutritional information on your website for the protein style sandwiches (those with lettuce wrap instead of bread or buns). It would be helpful for those of us watching [and counting] our calories.”

I did not expect a reply. I figured that was the end of it. But the next day, I received the worst possible response to feedback that I have ever received.  In the message they thanked me for the feedback and then …there was this: “Unfortunately, it is our corporate policy not to accept or consider any unsolicited creative ideas. This is a difficult decision because we realize that by following this policy, we may miss out on some great ideas from our customers.”

I had to read it about 4 times to make sure I was not missing something. For an organization that prides itself on customer service, that was a crazy miscalculation of words by someone. First it was not really unsolicited because they asked me for feedback. Second my request was not a creative idea, I just wanted nutritional information. I wasn’t designing a new sandwich.

At any rate, that was the end of it. But the lesson learned, is when you get feedback, thank those and move on, you don’t have to explain, the “I don’t care about your ideas” policy. This is one of those “Broken Windows,” that could hurt an organization. You know, some guy with a big following might write an article about it or something… 🙂

I will still continue to go there, but I think I will hold the feedback next time. How do you deal with feedback from customers? Please share below.

Filed Under: Customer Feedback Tagged With: , , , , , ,

This Emotional Attachment Will Destroy Your Business!

June 19, 2012 by

Leadership Emotional AttachmentThat’s right, DESTROY! It can kill moral, stifle innovation, increase gossip, diminish customer service, and reduce profits. An emotional attachment is a desire for something or someone, and the inability to release or do without that thing or person. We tend to think about this when it comes to relationships, but have you ever thought about whether you are emotionally attached to say ….a line item on your P&L?

Perhaps it’s a daily lunch paid by the company. Perhaps it’s a hefty bill to an industry association that you can’t leave because you’ll miss your buddies. Perhaps it’s a supplier that has given you cool swag. Perhaps it’s a vendor that is a Facebook “friend” and you don’t want to offend them.

I’ve been blown away at this as I’ve consulted with companies. They don’t mind if the company closes and people lose their jobs, or if they destroy any chance of having any money for their retirement. They are so emotionally attached to certain line items on the P&L that they don’t witness the destruction that is occurring around them.

So what is to be done about this? If one is willing to accept that their organization can use its money more wisely, and they are willing emotionally detach and swallow a little pride, huge things can happen. Here are a couple guidelines:

1) Look at every line item on a budget with scrutiny.
2) Categorize your line items into the following categories:

  • Eliminate
  • Optimize-in most cases this will mean to reduce, but sometimes you may want to increase a certain area because you realize it has a great return
  • Keep.

3) Take Action on Step 2 by eliminating and optimizing the items you identified.
4) Consider outside help. When you are emotionally attached to something, it looks like a need, even though it is a want.
5) Be Creative. Don’t ever accept that you are stuck. Look for alternatives, ask certain vendors and suppliers if there are discounts, look for alternate ways of doing things that could save money and improve a key aspect of your business at the same time.

Being wasteful can cause big problems, being emotionally attached to waste, can kill a company (Tweet This). It is important to be able to step back from your business, take a reading on what is happening and make changes for a better future.

=======================================================================
So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to eliminate dangerous emotional attachments?

Take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below and please share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, as well as occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
=======================================================================

Filed Under: Emotional Attachment in Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Got Leadership Challenges…Add Starvation, Dismal Odds of Success, & The Possibility of Death!

May 29, 2012 by

Shackleton LeadershipWriting this article makes me feel hugely and morbidly inadequate. This is a story of a leader that dealt with horrible odds of success, starvation, internal quarreling, physical and mental weakness of massive proportions, and the possibility of death for him and his team …every day for months and months. You may have guessed what this story is about, but I suspect, like I, that you had never really considered the leadership lessons from this amazing epic adventure. I have been involved in turn-around situations, but this is the ultimate turn-around. (If you are a skimmer, read the last paragraph).

The story is that of Sir Earnest Shackleton and his attempt at leading the first overland crossing of Antarctica. I have known and read about the expedition many times, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly came to respect and understand Shackleton’s profound leadership abilities and how closely the lessons of that expedition tie into modern day business situations.

This awareness came while reading the recently released second edition of Leading at The Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic ExpeditionLeadership by Dennis N. T. Perkins.

I read a lot of great books, but this one really taught me and made me think about my life and leadership. In this remarkable book, Perkins explains ten strategies to being a world class leader. He brilliantly does this through the literary illustration of the story of the expedition, mixed with modern day examples of companies and leaders that exemplified these strategies, and wonderful summaries to bring it all together. It is so nice to read a book that is not just inspirational, but properly designed and formatted to instill in you the strategy that the author is explaining.

These ten strategies will give you an idea of what Shackleton and his team went through and the leadership lessons that can be gleaned from that experience.

1. Vision and Quick Victories:Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives.
2. Symbolism and Personal Example: Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors.
3. Optimism and Reality: Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.
4. Stamina: Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.
5. The Team Message: Reinforce the team message constantly: “We are one—we live or die together.”
6. Core Team Values: Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.
7. Conflict: Master conflict—deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.
8. Lighten Up! Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.
9. Risk: Be willing to take the Big Risk.
10. Tenacious Creativity: Never give up—there’s always another move.

Perkins goes in depth into each of these strategies and I feel I should mention that there was not a single chapter that did not leave me in awe and feeling like I had been taught some important truths. The story of Shackleton and his team is enormously inspiring. Sir Edmund Hillary once stated of Shackleton, “For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”

There is not enough space in this post to adequately go into depth into the lessons of the book, and I feel doing so would be a disservice to Perkins. But for those that know the quantity of books I read, let me sum up the value I place on this book by stating that it will sit in my bookshelf as one of the top ten books that I want my child to read when he is old enough. The lessons are not just about leadership, but about life, persistence, tenacity, overcoming trials, and extraordinary resilience. This is definitely high on my favorite leadership titles as well.

Pick-up your copy and please let me know what your thoughts are: Leading at The Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic ExpeditionLeadership

Filed Under: Leadership Challenges Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Finding Coaches To Accelerate Growth Without Killing the Bank Account

May 24, 2012 by

Leadership CoachesOne might think that with all the topics I write about that I would be an arrogant know-it-all type. This is really, really far from the truth. In fact, the more I learn in life the more I realize that I know very little. This year as I was preparing for 2012 and making my personal success plan, I knew that it wouldn’t be the best year ever, nor would I be able to complete my goals without a network of people to help me.

Harvey Mackay once said, “I have had twenty coaches, if you can believe it. I have a speech coach, I have a writing coach, I have a humor coach, I’ve got a language coach, and on and on. “

In that spirit, this year I sought out individuals, and resources that I could turn to for help when I needed guidance in improving a particular area and pushing me to greater success. My goal in this though was that I did not want to spend a crazy amount of money on coaches that would cost me hundreds of dollars an hour. So the search began. These are the coaches or needs that I was looking to fill:

  • Productivity Coach
  • Personal Performance Coach
  • Writing Coach
  • Public Speaking Coach
  • Executive Coach
  • Life Coach
  • Technology Advisor
  • SEO Coach
  • Social Media Coach
  • Relationship Coach
  • Personal Branding Coach
  • Career Coach

Phew… I know it sounds like a lot. Let me explain 4 steps I used to find coaches and resources without breaking the bank:

  1. First I scanned my networks. This consisted of friends, colleagues, associates in groups, and my social media networks and I identified individuals that were qualified to be my coach in each of the areas. I then approached them and told them what I was trying to achieve and why I wanted to achieve it. Then I offered them something. This might be helping them to promote something, or perhaps I would coach them on leadership, execution or goals. I firmly believe that you have to give more than you take, and my hope is that I am doing that for all those that agreed to assist me.
  2. Then after that, I scanned my networks for organizations to join that would help me in my progress on a particular topic area. The “coaching” from that might be an individual or a group of individuals that I could reach out to if I had questions or needed assistance. Sometimes these organizations did cost a small amount of money to join, but in my opinion were worth it.
  3. Next I looked at programs I could take part in. For example on the relationship coach, I joined Keith Ferrazzi’s MyGreenLight. They had a great offer at the beginning of the year that was too good to pass up. This course is a step, by step program for self-learning the methods that they teach. You also get to interface with lots of other individuals that are in the courses, and there are challenging assignments to stretch you. They have coaches and community directors that you can interface with. I joined a few other courses as well.
  4. At this point, I had narrowed the list and looked for coaches and individuals that would be worth paying to help achieve my goals. I vetted and selected a couple individuals.

 

After all this, I left nothing to chance. I organized recurring meetings with the coaches that were individuals and made schedules to go through the programs I had signed-up for. It is so comforting to know that I have a network of people that are genuinely concerned about my success and are pushing me and helping to hold me accountable. I have not and will not use the “coaching” services forever. I use them as I need them, always trying to give more than I take.

=========================================================================
Are you looking for coaching and/or have something to offer in exchange? Subscribe and send me a message and I will see if I can make some connections for you.

So, now that you’ve read this article, how are you going to use this information to gain better success through coaching?

Please take a moment and share your ideas in the comments section below, share this with your social media friends, and subscribe to receive A Slice of Leadership notices, and occasional leadership advice, articles, tips and freebies.
=========================================================================

Filed Under: Leadership Coaching Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Desire Success or Mediocrity? …It All Comes Down to GROWTH!

May 21, 2012 by

Leadership and Organizational GrowthI have been wanting to write this post for a while. I have said it many times in passing to individuals and in my writings, but I have never dedicated an article to it. Very few things boil my blood more than seeing business owners, or employees for that matter; that refuse to pick-up a book, read a blog post, or take a class to grow and learn how to be better. Better leaders, better followers, better innovators, better problem solvers, better marketers, better at anything and everything.

A couple months ago I was elated to receive an advanced copy of Great Leaders GROW – Becoming a Leader for Life, by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. I received the book and I exhaled and said “Finally.” Not only was this a book by one of my favorite authors, but it hit the nail on the head. I receive a lot of books to review, but I never write about a book that does not move me. This one did it.

In the introduction it reads, “We’re convinced, after more that seventy years of combined leadership, that the path to increased influence, impact, and leadership effectiveness is paved with personal growth.” I could not have said it better myself. As individuals, and especially leaders in an organization increase their personal growth, that increase of wisdom, knowledge, influence, and effectiveness will directly impact every level of an organization. A learning environment and a culture that epitomizes personal growth, is abundant in innovation an success.

Another point I love in the book, was early on and stated, “My capacity to learn determines my capacity to lead. If I stop learning, I stop leading.” Isn’t this true? Leaders that fail to grow, become stagnant. They fail to remain on the edge, fail to remain ahead of the pack. As more research and studies in psychology, human behavior, and social behavior are performed, leadership techniques and tools continue to advance. Ken and Mark leave a great question to ask yourselves, “Will you be a leader that tries to apply yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems?”

The need to continue growing is ever present in all areas of life as is so poignantly said in the book, “Growth is what separates living things from dying things. Organizations and people that are fully alive, GROW.” I have seen what a non-growing company and individuals look like and I have also seen what a growing one looks like. It is without a doubt the epitome of mediocrity vs success.

In my twitter profile I write that I am a “seeker of wisdom.” In the winding down pages of the book, my twitter bio became a lot more meaningful. “Wisdom is accumulated over months, years, and decades. You’ve got to stay with it. The pursuit of wisdom, like …other areas of growth, is never ending. Don’t try to rush it – and never stop seeking it.”

There is so much wisdom in the world. there is very little knowledge that cannot be learned. How to become better a spouse, a better father or mother, a better leader and among just a few of the important concepts that we should always seek greater wisdom. If you are not a reader or seeker of wisdom, I would challenge you to try change, to seek after knowledge that will make you better. Read Great Leaders GROW – Becoming a Leader for Life, by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller, and then devour everything you can. Then put that wisdom to practice.

Filed Under: Leadership Growth Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Brainwashed or Drinking Too Much Kool-Aid? Leadership Starts With You!

May 3, 2012 by

Brainwashing & Kool-aid Over the years I have belonged to various associations and groups. I been also been in many peer groups, hired consultants and coaches, used multitudes of products and vendors, and even worked for some crummy employers. The years of this have recently caused me much pondering. I keep wondering why a person would stay with certain employers, or industry associations, even vendors …to their own detriment?

I know of talented professionals that work for horrible organizations, yet they never leave ..they just suffer. I know individuals that are going in debt because they believe a certain industry association will “save” them. I also know employees that work at companies that suck the life out of them, yet they never leave.

I had to wonder, was this some sort of brainwashing? Not intentional (I hope), but psychology does play a part in sales tactics. As I dug deep and thought about past meetings, events, companies I have been with, and conversations with peers, I discovered a few things that consistently reappeared in the behaviors of these organizations. I do not profess to be a psychology expert, but I consulted with some professionals in that area, that have confirmed my thoughts.

1. Labeling – Labeling is very powerful technique. It can be used for good and can be used as manipulation. For example I have heard associations collecting money from their subscribers say, “we don’t allow whiners here,” or “we don’t accept lazy people.” They may even say, “This is not a get rich quick scheme, you will have to do a lot of work.” All these statements seem innocent, and may actually be true, but what they actually can do is create a false reality. The reality is that if you continue with this association that you must not be a whiner, you must not be lazy, and you are super smart, since you are not being fooled into buying a get rich quick scheme.

In doing some research on labeling I ran across this site, pertaining to religion, yet still applicable, “Labeling attempts to dehumanize persons so that dismissing them or their opinions is much easier. Choosing not to address someone individually who has doubted the toxic faith, the [individual] places a blanket negative label on all who would disagree…” Whether in an industry association or with a mediocre employer, be careful and watch for labeling techniques that put down “non-believers” and dehumanize your decision making abilities. When describing outsiders as “bad”, they may be tricking you into thinking that you are a “good performer,” therefore one continues drinking the kool-aid and writing a monthly check to that association; or punching in for work at that mediocre employer.

2. Exclusivity – “You are the best of the best.” “You are the top professionals in your industry.” “You are the cream of the crop.” I have heard business owners at association events and association leaders say these words. At one event I was at, I heard this coming from a business owner who’s gross revenue was under $500,000. There were about 250 other business owners in the audience that, for the most part, had businesses under $1 million. I did not see any of the CEO’s I am familiar with, that have $10 million, $40 million, $60 million, and $100 million companies in the exact same industry. So how could this group be the cream of the crop? Well because they are the ones writing a check and who drank the kool-aid for this association. They are self-validating and rationalizing their behavior because they do not want to accept that they may really be among a bunch of low-achievers and are wasting their money. Be careful of exclusivity creating a false reality that cannot be substantiated.

3. False Hope – “Our new goal is to be a $10 million organization in 3 years and no matter what, we will achieve it.” “I guarantee that you will triple your income in XX or you can have your money back.” Replace the goals or the amounts, edit the wording, and I am sure you have heard this at more than one employer, association, or even vendor. Another form of this, is seeing massive testimonials of inflated growth numbers. I was at an event that had these testimonials and as I looked at the pictures and names, I laughed because the majority were not even in the association any more, because they did not find value, and I knew they were struggling or were still a small company. I do like testimonials, I am a firm believer that you need them, but they should be current and relevant. Many testimonials or pep-talking managers, will use fanciful words and big promises to raise false hope, that is if you just stick around and work real hard, you will be a part of something special …and you will make lots of money. While it is possible to make a lot of money, especially with focused hard work, the road from where you are to that destination is never as easy as you think.

4. Ticklers – A tickler is something that provides just barely enough value, whether real or imagined, to keep you clocking in for work at that mediocre organization, or paying big sums of money to that industry association or vendor. Often that value add, is just a small thing to make you feel like you are now getting the value.  The truth was that with a little research and self-evaluation, the value really is probably not worth that much.

Most people need to fill that need – to belong to something. They worry that they are going to miss out on something. Don’t be a company that has to go in debt to pay money to a association providing false hope, at the detriment of your own company or its employees. Don’t sacrifice your personal success because the “CEO” of a long-time failing company suddenly has a vision, yet no way to achieve that vision.

Life is too short to waste. If you want to be a leader: practice personal leadership, set and achieve high goals, associate with successful people, execute religiously …and get to work. Leadership starts with you! Your success starts with you …and there are not many short-cuts in life.

Filed Under: Personal Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Four Strategies to Make Your Vision a Reality

April 24, 2012 by

Execution pathI wanted to share with you a guest post that I wrote for Jesse Lyn Stoner’s website. Jesse Lyn Stoner is the author of the book “Full Steam Ahead. Unleash the Power of Vision in Your Work and Your Life.” It is without a doubt the best book on creating vision in organizations. I was honored when she asked me to write a post that went into more detail regarding the tactics of my Ultimate Personal Success Plan. The article turned out great and I am happy that it has received a lot of attention, as well as conversation on the post and social media channels. I know you will find it valuable to achieving your goals. Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the article over at Jesse’s site.

Four Strategies to Make Your Vision a Reality

Filed Under: Leadership Vision Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»