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Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough energy to do the things that you want to do because you are spending all of it on the things you have to do? Finding the energy to make it through everyday is hard enough and finding the energy to pour into others as a leader is even a greater challenge.
I recently had the privilege to partner with 15 other authors, from all over the world, in producing Energize Your Leadership: Discover, Ignite, Break Through. When we first started to explore the idea of a collaborative book project, we wanted to provide the reader with both a topic that would be relevant and content that would add value to them in their role as a leader.
We all deal with finding what it takes to find the energy, not only to fuel our own motor, but to fuel the leaders we are trying to develop around us. In my Chapter titled “Question Yourself” I share the story of my own journey in finding that fuel.
When my job description and responsibilities changed due to a leadership restructuring at the business I had worked at for 15 years, it changed the way I was able to lead. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my opportunity to lead was what was filling my bucket and providing the energy that led to my success. It was the fulfillment of adding value to others and working as a team to accomplish goals that inspired me to be the leader I was capable of being. When that changed, so did I.
So what did I learn from this experience?
- I now understand that I had found my identity in what I did and not in who I was. When what I did fell apart, so did I. The “why” that once fueled me had been lost and I was literally running on empty. [Tweet Now]
- I realized that as leaders we can sometimes become more concerned with protecting the why that fuels those around us and forget about filling up our own tank. As my mentor John Maxwell says, “You cannot give what you do not have.”
- I found out how empowering it is to empower others. I think at the end of the day, we all want to add value, make a difference, and be part of something bigger than we are alone. We need energy to do that!
I learned many things from that experience and now know that this is something that we need to keep in check and review often. I use three questions to make sure that I protect myself from running on empty.
- What would it take to increase my level of awareness?
- What intention have I set to create a change?
- Who will I ask to hold me accountable in making that change?
I encourage you to invest in yourself and invest in a copy of Energize Your Leadership. I think you will find the insights from myself and my 15 colleagues will add to your ability to keep the tank full and have some in reserve to share with those around you.
SEE YOU AT THE PUMP!
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Wow! This has been the longest stretch without posting here since I started this blog two years ago. Between travelling, trying to get my book published and moving into a new office, I just had to say NO to a few things. But now it’s back to business. Let’s start by wrapping up our discussion on Leading The Starbucks Way.
Last month in the Platform Builders Mastermind Group, we dove into “Leading The Starbucks Way: 5 Principles for Connecting with Your Customers, Your Products, and Your People” by Joseph A. Michelli.
Sure this book is about Starbucks, but it’s much bigger than that. Michelli shows why Starbucks has become the coffee bean superpower of the world. And it has nothing to do with the beans. I guess that’s not entirely true, but their success is built much more around who is serving rather than what is being served.
I will admit, I have invested my fair share in the Starbucks brand but I never gave a thought as to what goes on behind the grinder, so to speak. Michelli explores 5 Principles that give Starbucks the advantage over their competition and I for one, will pay much more attention to what is going on behind the counter next time I visit my local Starbucks.
Definitely a great look at what has made Starbucks so successful, but at the same time, the bar has been set very high for them to continue to live up to their reputation.
In this, the final of three posts, I will recap Michelli’s exploration of Principle 4 – Mobilize The Connection and Principle 5 – Cherish And Challenge Your Legacy
PRINCIPLE 4 – MOBILIZE THE CONNECTION
Nobody knows better than Starbucks that the power in any marketing strategy is going to depend greatly on social media. Michelli points out that Starbucks has identified 5 core elements in their digital strategy:
- commerce
- company-owned web and mobile channels
- loyalty/customer relationship management (CRM) targeted database
- social media and
- paid digital marketing
I have found it interesting how many ways there are to be a Starbuck’s customer while not even at the store. You seem to see the Starbuck’s name almost everywhere you go and it has all but become a household term anymore. I received a $5 Starbucks gift card through facebook a while back and when I used it this morning, the barista asked me where I got it. Made for a great conversation. Again, building relationships … the Starbucks way!
“By building social media connections through individualized experiences, unique preferences, thoughtful platform selection, and respect for the platform community, Starbucks pulls customers to its content, as opposed to pushing marketing materials to them.”
I love that quote. Many of us think of sales as more of a “push” process and even though we see Starbucks marketing everywhere, I don’t think I have ever felt like it was being pushed on me. Maybe I am just “pulled” to it because it’s a solid brand with great customer service. What do you think?
PRINCIPLE 5 – CHERISH AND CHALLENGE YOUR LEGACY
The final section of the book is worth the price of admission. Michelli takes an in-depth look at how Starbucks has considered all their decisions, both good and bad, as they move into the future. No doubt they fully understand that without a strong client base, they will not exist.
“For our purposes, we will look specifically at behaviors leadership demonstrates in the course of setting goals, taking action, and measuring progress in the areas of environmental stewardship, ethical sourcing, community development, and job creation.”
As they look into the future, they will depend greatly on their leadership to make sure that what is important, stays important. The bottom line is that their success is about the relationships they have built, both on the personal and corporate level. It’s no wonder that this business model is one that is being imitated on a daily basis. It works!
Responsibility is part of the Culture!
This is probably my favorite quote from this section of the book:
“True leadership requires a willingness to invest in the long-term health of one’s business and active collaboration with others, out of a genuine sense of responsibility.”
There is so much information in this book but my big takeaway is that Starbucks has created a culture that extends well beyond the people drinking their coffee. [Tweet This] Something to think about for all of us.
TODAY’S QUESTION: How much time do you spend thinking about your legacy? Does it end with the person right in front of you or have you considered that what you do might just impact someone you will never meet?
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1 oz. of Gold from the Yukon
Friday night I attended a “Gold Rush” season premier party. For those of you not familiar with the show, it revolves around three groups of gold miners chasing their dream to find the elusive shiny mineral and strike it rich.
Part of my interest in the Discovery Channel hit is that I personally know some of the characters. For that reason, the “behind the scenes” footage always catches my interest.
Now in season four, we have watched the characters give up or “sacrifice” the life they have at home and head north in search of buried treasure. This season, one group led by Todd Hoffman and Dave Turin is actually mining in Guyana, South America.
The show is clearly a hit, but four years ago when these men left their families behind, they had no idea if they would find gold or not. They had to make difficult choices and had to be willing to sacrifice what they had for nothing more than the hope of hitting it big.
The “on-site” action clearly makes the show but the producers have done an incredible job showing what these ambitious individuals have had to give up. Everything has a price right? This season was no different as they showed the scenes of dad’s and husband’s saying goodbye for five months.
Aside from the pure adventure of gold mining, it is clear, at least to me, that these adventurers are not only living a dream but creating a legacy. If you are a fan of the show, you know that teamwork has been the key to their success. John Maxwell gives us some sacrifices that we have to consider when we want to do more and be more when working with teams.
Make Financial Sacrifices For The Team
Most of these people have leveraged everything to get started and to acquire the needed resources to become successful miners. Decisions had to be made and they all sacrificed the security that they had to become collectively successful.
Keep Growing For The Sake Of The Team
The shows main characters have stayed pretty much the same, but some changes have been made to make sure the teams are comprised of committed individuals that are willing to do what has to be done. Whatever that might be.
Empower Others For The Sake Of The Team
This is huge to me. I have watched the leaders face very difficult decisions, yet the vision was made clear and more importantly, shared with the rest of the team. Each individual knows that they are an important part of the team and sharing in the responsibility has empowered them to work together towards that common goal.
Make Difficult Decisions For The Sake Of The Team
Every season has had major challenges and each team has had to overcome major adversity. The leaders of each group have stepped up to the plate and made those difficult decisions and owned the results. Some of the choices made have not worked out, yet they continue to not fail, but learn and become better for it.
The bottom line is this, all these individuals have sacrificed on many different levels, but the leaders have had to sacrifice their pride when making the wrong decision. They have been quick to share the success but just as quick to own their failures and in doing that, have gained the respect from their teams.
The entire world might be watching on their television set but for these men and women, every day is real. They have made sacrifices to get there and they make sacrifices every day to get it done. The leaders set the attitude by being willing to do themselves, everything they expect from their team.
My question for you today is this: Are you asking your team to make sacrifices that you are not willing to make yourself? Doing so may explain the lack of commitment you are seeing.
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Click here to listen in on October 30th as John Maxwell shares how to “Influence through Connecting”
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I have long been a fan of Mark Miller‘s work and when I found out I had the opportunity to be on the launch team for his new book “The Heart of Leadership” I couldn’t wait to write this review.
If you have read any of Miller’s recent work, you know that he has a unique way of building a story around the premise of the book and in effect, brings the lessons and the story itself to life. The Heart of Leadership is a follow up, at least as the story goes, to “Great Leaders Grow” (read my review of Great Leaders Grow).
Blake, who got off to a great start as a young leader now finds himself stuck. Stuck in his job and stuck as a leader. He turns back to his mentor Debbie, who had previously been mentored by Blake’s father before he passed away.
Debbie introduces Blake to 5 professionals that take Blake on a journey to find what he has been missing to take his leadership to the next level. He has been missing The HEART of Leadership.
So let’s take a look at just what it is that makes up The Heart of Leadership.
HUNGER FOR WISDOM
Leaders recognize that if they want to be effective over the long haul, they need to be life long learners. They need to commit to not only increasing their knowledge but their relational skills as well. Be self confident and consistent in your beliefs and values but always be open to input, new ideas and the views and opinions of others. We can always learn, even in our failures and difficult times.
EXPECT THE BEST
Miller states it very well; “To expect the best is an attitude, a belief, a choice, a lifestyle and a trait that virtually every successful leader possesses. We believe the best about others and about ourselves.” What a powerful statement. Expecting the best is about attitude and as we all know, attitudes are contagious. Leadership character is about having a positive attitude and creating a culture that expects and produces the best.
ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY
There may be no greater leadership character trait than owning your actions, and not only your actions, but the actions of the entire team. John Maxwell says that “everything rises and falls on leadership.” Miller makes it clear that accepting responsibility, for both the good and the bad, needs to fall on the leader. Along with that, praise needs to be shared whenever possible. Leaders with heart give the credit to others and find their success in the success of their team.
RESPOND WITH COURAGE
Miller pulls a quote from Dr. Henry Cloud; “Leaders get what they create and what they allow.” [Tweet This] It takes courage to create. Often times, leaders are faced with making difficult decisions. Responding with courage, and doing it consistently, will shape your leadership character and help to build trust. Courage is a product of confidence and confidence comes from believing in yourself.
THINK OTHERS FIRST
Leaders need followers and a leader’s responsibility is to turn those followers into other leaders. This only happens when the leader focuses on the success of those he is leading. Miller puts it like this; “It’s about who is responsible for what, and how can I, as the leader, help people to be successful?” Miller makes a valuable point that if we are to become servant leaders, we need to spend time with other servant leaders and learn how they think and understand the real reasons why they do what they do.
I think the biggest takeaway for me from this fine work was the example of an iceberg that Miller uses to describe leadership. The 10 percent above water represents your leadership skills – What you know. The 90 percent underwater represents your character – Who you are. We often judge people for what they know but the true heart of leadership comes from your character – this is the heart of leadership.
I love this quote from the author; “It is ultimately leadership character that determines our opportunity for influence and impact.“ So today I have a challenging question for you: What is included in the 90 percent of your iceberg?
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Click here for a 3-Video Series from John Maxwell and Les Brown being “Authentic and Transparent”
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I recently finished reading Boundaries For Leaders – Results, Relationships and Being Ridiculously In Charge by Dr. Henry Cloud. Twenty years after he co-authored “Boundaries – When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life” Dr. Cloud brings a fresh look to how boundaries relate more specifically to leadership.
Dr. Cloud does an incredible job providing insight on why some people get results and others don’t. Simply stated, when we invest time beyond the boundaries “we should have” we reduce the results we achieve along the way.
Dr. Cloud has taken a complex issue and has broken it down into simple terms that every leader should be able to embrace and implement into their leadership and life style.
This will be the final of three posts exploring what it takes to lead teams, companies and cultures defined by high performance and healthy relationships.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS
Dr. Cloud sums up the power of “high” performance teams with this statement; “Nothing drives strong teams like great performance, and what drives strong performance is a commitment to a shared vision and shared goals with behaviors and relationships aligned with reaching those goals.”
Basically he is saying that high performance teams work together on the right things at the right times. This really only comes through focusing on the things that you can control and with the clarity and focus of working on them in a strategic and specific manner. It comes down to having the right plan and working that plan.
TRUST MAKES THE TEAMS ABLE TO PERFORM
Dr. Cloud focuses this chapter on the importance of trust as related to team performance. He provides his five most important components:
Connection through Understanding – Of course it is important that we “get it” – but more important is that the other person understands and believes that we “get it.”
Motivation and Intent – We have all been there – someone offers their help or assistance but you know that their motivation is solely because they want something in return. Trust is build when there is no expectation of anything in return.
Character – There are many attributes that can describe character but in building trust, “who you are” becomes much more important that what you do or what you can provide.
Capacity and Ability – Intentions are great, but follow through is where we build, and lose trust. Part of the trust building process is being able to identify what you can actually deliver – and deliver it.
Track Record – No surprise here; what you have done in the past, in this area, is a predictor of the future. It doesn’t have to be, but that is the way it will be perceived. Perception is Reality anyone!
BOUNDARIES FOR YOURSELF
This is great – Dr. Cloud gives us a Law of Leadership: “The higher you go in leadership. the fewer external forces act upon you and dictate your focus, energy, and direction. Instead you set the terms of engagement and direct your own path, with only the reality of results to push against you.”
Read that again – remember, this book is about boundaries. As leaders, we are the only one responsible in setting our own boundaries. That being said, understanding what those boundaries will, or will not allow in is crucial. I like to think of it like this – boundaries set the perimeter, but we still need to position ourselves so we can “see over the fence” to stay aware of what is going on “outside.”
I strongly encourage any and every leader to pick up a copy of Boundaries For Leaders. Dr. Cloud provides frameworks throughout the book that can be easily applied to your leadership role.
It has been said that the greatest gap we deal with in life is “The gap between what we know and what we do.” If you want to start applying more of what you know into increasing what you do, you need to have boundaries.
My challenge today: Take a look at what is currently on your plate and make the decision to set some boundaries that will allow you to put more focus and energy into the things that you have to do that have to be done now.
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Click here for a 3-Video Series from John Maxwell and Les Brown being “Authentic and Transparent”
Click here to listen in on October 30th as John Maxwell shares how to “Influence through Connecting”
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I have been having a lot of fun being part of the launch team for “The Myths of Creativity – The Truth About How Innovative Companies And People Really Generate Great Ideas” by David Burkus. I never really put much thought into the idea of innovation and creativity … or did I?
Burkus has totally changed the way I think about the topic of creativity. He does an outstanding job of describing ten myths that I believe clearly demonstrate that there is creativity within all of us. Most of us just don’t know it.
Many of you know that I am constantly reading. One of the reasons I read is that I think being constantly subjected to the ideas of others helps me to expand my own thinking. Burkus takes this same thought process and shows how our collaboration with others is the real key behind innovative creativity.
I found one of his myths, the Originality Myth, quite interesting. He uses two stories, one about Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone and the other about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates regarding “windows” and the graphical user interface (GUI). If asked “who invented the telephone or the “windows” on your computer, most people would answer with one of the names above. If you want to know the truth – order the book!
But here is the point. All creativity, innovation and all good ideas are really the product of what someone did before them. Bell simply refined what had already been discovered in the telegraph. Gates and Jobs merely expanded on what Xerox had done years before.
In all honesty, I knew there was more to these stories before reading the book, however, my understanding of what creativity really is and how we get creative has changed considerably.
Burkus discusses these ten myths that are really limiting beliefs that keep us from innovation at both the personal and organizational levels. Not only does he reveal these myths, but he provides clear direction on how to overcome the challenges that hold us back. You know I love anyone who battles against limiting beliefs!
I look at myself and the things I have been doing over the last few years. I have been doing things that I never dreamed I would be doing. Creating my own content, developing an entire new career and identity and even constructing this website. I know – nothing special – but it’s mine; I created it.
But here is the point that Burkus makes. None of this was my idea. It is simply a combination of watching, learning, and applying what other people know into what I do. Now here is the sweet stuff – if creativity is really the organization of what other people have already done, in a new way, there is no limit to what we can do.
I have only really pulled the thoughts from one of the myths that Burkus offers in this book. If you have any desire to expand your ability to come up with good ideas and how to turn that into major achievement, grab a copy of The Myths Of Creativity.
My challenge for you today; Don’t be afraid to share your ideas with others. Even if it does not make sense or seem possible, it may spur some similar thinking in someone else and who knows what you might collectively come up with. After reading this book, I realize that no good idea was the product of one thought by one individual. Be that catalyst to the next major breakthrough that comes along. What do you have to lose?
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]]>I am currently reading Boundaries For Leaders – Results, Relationships and Being Ridiculously In Charge by Dr. Henry Cloud. Twenty years after he co-authored “Boundaries – When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life” Dr. Cloud brings a fresh look to how boundaries relate more specifically to leadership.
Dr. Cloud does an incredible job providing insight on why some people get results and others don’t. Simply stated, when we invest time beyond the boundaries “we should have” we reduce the results we achieve along the way.
Dr. Cloud has taken a complex issue and has broken it down into simple terms that every leader should be able to embrace and implement into their leadership and life style.
This will be the second of three posts exploring what it takes to lead teams, companies and cultures defined by high performance and healthy relationships.
POWER THROUGH CONNECTION
I find it interesting how often we think we are the “only ones” going through a certain challenge. Dr. Cloud brings some great ideas to the surface looking at how we can not only share our thoughts by connecting with others, but can actually change the way we think.
He states that; “improving performance didn’t hinge only on learning new technical skills or on working on the right plan; it depended on changing the team’s mood and improving relationships outside and inside work.“ Working together, connecting as a team, allows us to do this.
THE GATEKEEPER OF THINKING
If you are looking for clarity on the impact between positive and negative thinking, this is the chapter for you. Dr. Cloud makes the following statement: “The prevailing thinking patters of a team or of an organization – its norms and belief systems – will define what it is and what it does.”
A tremendous amount of content and information to process here but the reality is that “positive thinkers” significantly out perform “negative thinkers.” Again, back to what I think is his motto for the entire book “You get what you allow and what you create”, Dr. Cloud shows how the negative thinkers are allowing things to happen while the positive thinkers are creating and making things happen instead of allowing them happen.
CONTROL AND RESULTS
This chapter alone is worth reading this book. Simply put; “Focus your people on what they have control of that directly affects the desired outcomes of the organization.“ Dr. Cloud goes on to say that; “When people’s brains are working at their best, they are more creative, better problem solvers, less reactive, more proactive and goal oriented.”
He further adds that when our thoughts are focused on things that we have no control over, it actually brings our brain functioning down. Focusing on the things that we can control enables and empowers us to create the outcome. Our only actions on things that we don’t control are to allow them to impact us or not. This is typically a matter of choice and should not require a significant investment of time.
This book has really challenged me to take a look at “what I am creating and what I am allowing.” I have already begun to shift my mental efforts into that which I can control with the intent of creating the outcome that I desire.
I offer an exercise from the book that Dr. Cloud had used during training. Take a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and on the left side, write down all the things you have no control over. On the right side, write down all the things you do have control over. Now evaluate how much effort you are putting into each side.
My challenge: Start moving towards “Right Side” thinking and watch things start to change.
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]]>I am currently reading Boundaries For Leaders – Results, Relationships and Being Ridiculously In Charge by Dr. Henry Cloud. Twenty years after he co-authored “Boundaries – When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life” Dr. Cloud brings a fresh look to how boundaries relate more specifically to leadership.
Dr. Cloud does an incredible job providing insight on why some people get results and others don’t. Simply stated, when we invest time beyond the boundaries “we should have” we reduce the results we achieve along the way.
Dr. Cloud has taken a complex issue and has broken it down into simple terms that every leader should be able to embrace and implement into their leadership and life style.
This will be the first of three posts exploring what it takes to lead teams, companies and cultures defined by high performance and healthy relationships.
THE PEOPLE ARE THE PLAN
Dr. Cloud starts off with a very powerful point. He suggests that everybody out there is always trying to figure out the right plan. But the truth is that there are numerous “right plans.” The real problem is getting the people to do what it takes to make the plan work.
I love what he says next; “Ultimately, leadership is about turning a vision into reality; it’s about producing real results in the real world.” He is right! It comes down to the performance of you or your team. So if you agree that people are the plan then it only makes sense to start with the people you have when formulating your plan.
RIDICULOUSLY IN CHARGE
I believe this is the signature chapter of the book. Dr. Cloud tells the story of a discussion he had with a CEO. They were discussing problems that existed within the organization and the reasons they existed. Dr. Cloud then asked “why do these reasons exist?” The reason behind the problem – right? “Who is in charge?” he asked. The CEO replied; “I am” replied the CEO.
As the discussion continued, the CEO exclaimed “You know, when you think about it, I am rediculously in charge.” Bingo! The CEO “owned” the decision making process and decided to own the outcome. As Dr. Cloud put it; “As a leader, he was going to get what he built, or what he allowed.”
LEADING SO BRAINS CAN WORK
OK, so let’s get into the idea of boundaries. Dr. Cloud suggests that the reason a leader’s boundaries work is that they actually make it possible for people’s brains to function as they were designed. In other words, our brains are designed to function within certain parameters and when we stay inside those parameters, by setting the necessary boundaries, our brain functions at it’s highest performance level.
Not having boundaries results in the brain spending critical energy processing information not conducive to producing the results we are looking for. In Dr. Cloud’s words; “The leader’s job is to lead in ways such that people can do what they are best at doing: using their gifts and their brains to get great results.”
THE EMOTIONAL CLIMATE THAT MAKES BRAINS PERFORM
Dr. Cloud makes the following statement; “The cold, hard scientific facts are that your people think better when they are not stressed, afraid, or depressed.” He goes on to explore the impact of creating a positive environment and the impact of not having one.
There is a great section on the idea of “Avoiding the negative, and accentuating the positive.” Several great takeaways here including, but not limited to, providing structure, setting clear expectations and a focus on communication. In simple terms, when the individuals are emotionally healthy, their level of productivity will reflect that.
I have read numerous books written by highly intelligent people full of data analysis and complex issues and ideas. Many of them made me feel like I was reading a textbook. This is NOT one of those. Dr. Cloud breaks things down into the simplest terms and provides great questions and suggestions that we can apply to our role as leaders and in our leadership development.
So I leave you with a thought today. Some of you are in charge of a lot and some maybe not so much. No matter how much you are in charge of, have you owned it? Are you ridiculously in charge? As Dr. Cloud suggests, what we get is either created or allowed. So what are you creating and what are you allowing in your life? What needs to change? OK – so I guess my thought turned into a few questions. But you know I love questions!
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For more than two years Scott Fay has been my coach, mentor, and most importantly, my friend. When I was trying to separate who I was from what I did, and come up with a plan for the rest of my life, Scott believed in me and pushed me in the right direction.
Although the official release of Scott’s first book, Discover Your Sweet Spot – The 7 Steps to Create a Life of Success and Significance, is not scheduled until the first of the year, I have had the opportunity to be included in a group to receive an early release of the book.
Yes, this is another book that focuses a lot on leadership, but Scott provides 7 steps that will guide you along a path to success and significance in whatever lane you are travelling.
Scott is the Vice President of the John Maxwell Team and one of the team mentors. A very successful businessman in the Landscaping business, Scott parallels the ideas of DESIGN, BUILD and MAINTAIN into whatever environment we find ourselves.
This will be the first of three posts taking us through the 7 steps that will teach us how to Design, Build and Maintain a life of success and significance.
PHASE 1: DESIGN YOUR LEADERSHIP ENVIRONMENT
STEP 1 – Discover Your Sweet Spot – Design with the End in Mind
For the last 30 years I have spent countless hours reviewing construction drawings. Without fail, the better the design, the better the project and more importantly, the fewer problems along the way.
It has been right in front of me most of my life and I never got it, not until Scott showed me how just as a good design can produce a great project, it can produce the same in your life or leadership ability as well.
That design, when done correctly, will land in your Sweet Spot. Scott breaks down your sweet spot like this; “The convergence of three things: Purpose, Passion, and Plan.”
- Purpose is who you are designed to be.
- Passion is what you love to do.
- Plan is the strategic convergence of being and doing.
As Scott puts it; “Living and working from our Sweet Spot results from intentional design, not accidental disorder.” I love that! Are you living by design or disorder?
STEP 2 – Sweat the Small Stuff – The Devils are in the Design
This is a great step. Scott describes the importance of ALL the details, especially the small ones because they really represent the minor adjustments that can make a major difference.
These “Design Devils” come in many different forms and again pulling from his years in the landscape business Scott gives us the infamous five that seem to show up the most often.
POOR DRAINAGE – The people that we bring into our personal or professional life need to be intentional and not accidental. The people you surround yourself with are going to create the environment in which you wish to grow. this will determine the flow of your life. How conducive is your environment to success?
CONTEXT CONFUSION – When you add something to your life, a relationship, a new toy, a bigger house and so on, have you really considered how critical it is to your plan or purpose? It’s kind of like the shiny squirrel syndrome – we get attracted to something because it looks good, but in reality it may not serve our overall design.
HIGH TRAFFIC – There are clearly areas of our life that receive more traffic than others such as our health. Face it, everything we do consumes our energy. If the design does not allow us to refuel, eventually we will run out and … well, you fill in the blank.
AESTHETIC MISFIT – Teamwork makes the dream work, right? We have got to surround ourselves with those that as Scott puts it; “believe like we believe, but who think different thoughts.” If you don’t have a shared value system and seek the same desired outcome, it simply won’t work.
SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN – We have to design with the end in mind. Being short-sighted will result in one of two things:
- We assume something will stay the same when, really, it’s designed to change. Or
- We assume something will change when, really, it’s designed to stay the same.
I have reviewed numerous books and many have had a specific topic or targeted audience. Discover Your Sweet Spot is for everyone. We all have a Sweet Spot, but very few are living in it. If you want to get there, do yourself a favor and pre-order this book.
In the mean time, I leave you with these three questions from John Maxwell referenced by Scott in the book:
- What is required of me?
- What yields the highest return?
- What creates the greatest reward?
When you discover the same answer to all three of these questions, you have Discovered Your Sweet Spot!
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Barry Smith 9/11/13 photo courtesy of Scott M Fay © Building What Matters 2013
The post Discover Your Sweet Spot – Part 1: Creating The Design appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.
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I recently finished “The Collaboration Economy – How to meet Business, Social, and Environmental Needs and Gain Competitive Advantage” by Eric Lowitt. It focuses on how some of the major global players in business and industry have taken it upon themselves to LEAD the way into more environmentally friendly business practices.
Yes, the environmentally conscientious reader will probably connect on a higher level to the content but there are some significant leadership lessons to be found in this vision focused framework by Lowitt.
He describes the efforts being done on a global level by some of today’s industry leaders such as GE and Coca-Cola, to not only be more responsible in the way we are conducting our business but more importantly, how we can collaborate together to accomplish missions that can’t be achieved on an individual basis. In short, a new world economy based on collaboration.
Lowitt breaks the book down into three sections:
PART 1 – WELCOME TO THE COLLABORATION ECONOMY
Basically setting the stage, Lowitt describes the difference between “The Waste Economy,” where we are now and “The Collaboration Economy,” where we better be headed.
I won’t run you through the statistics, but basically we are on a short ride to running out of the natural resources that sustain us on a daily basis. Although focused on environmental issues, I would not consider this a “tree hugger” (for sake of a better term) book.
The real focus is on the collaboration between world business leaders that can lead to changes that simply could not be done by the individual corporations. This is a clear statement, backed up with logic and fact, that we is better than me.
PART 2 – BRINGING THE COLLABORATION ECONOMY TO LIFE AND SCALE
Part two is a series of chapters focused on specific topics such as energy, water and food, to name a few. Lowitt describes in detail, how industry leaders are partnering with competitors and leveraging suppliers to join the effort to make needed global changes.
Some may read into the specifics of the topic, but what really resonated to me were the leadership skills that were represented in the changes that have begun. Think about it – many of the examples that Lowitt explores requires business leaders to take tremendous risks, to their own reputation and position as well as to the bottom line of the business.
Significant financial investments had to be made in order to be the front-runners in these risky decisions. Many times, I found myself wondering what went through the minds of these leaders as they put the financial stability of their corporations on the line to do the right thing. Some big leadership lessons throughout!
Although I live in Oregon, a progressive state in their recycling and conservation efforts, I have never given much thought to what goes on behind the scenes. Yes we have come a long way in the last 40 years, but there is still a long way to go.
PART 3 – PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD
The final section really brings home the leadership concepts required to pull this major endeavor off.
Collaborative Leaders Do The Following:
- Think beyond their tenure
- Focus on collective and not individual success
- Are willing to accept someone else’s idea as better than theirs
- Are willing to make sacrifices for the good of the whole
- Understand their position is a privilege and not a right, and act accordingly
- Commit to a true purpose
- Promote and rely on partnerships
- Act with integrity, while guided by an ethical compass
- Have a “How Can We” mindset
Lowitt wraps up the book with this thought:
“Let’s not seek to sustain our current socioeconomic situation. Instead, let’s work together to create a new era of prosperity that benefits our lives today while enhancing future generations’ ability to meet their needs in perpetuity.”
I realize this is a lot to think about, but the reality is that if our generation doesn’t think about it, time will run out and none of us want our kids or their kids to end up in a world that can’t sustain itself.
My question for you today is this; “Are you willing to give today what is required to preserve tomorrow?” We can all do something – What will you do?
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Barry Smith 8/28/13 photo courtesy of Amazon © Building What Matters 2013
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