Wanted

Most of us want something we don't currently have. Sometimes it tangible stuff, sometimes intangible. 

Wishing for it, however, usually doesn't fulfill our aspirations. 

Consider a well-used recipe for getting what we want:

• Be crystal clear about what it is we want.
• Make sure that want is righteous, and does not harm others.
• Dedicate the necessary time, effort, and resources required to attain that want.
• Ask for the help of critical others in attaining the want, and be prepared to reciprocate.
• Don't give up if the going gets a little rough in pursuit of the want.

And when we get what we think we want?????

Use it for good, and to make the world a better place.

GO!

CondensedLeadership

Tomes have been written about effective leadership. 

One of my faves is Primal Leadership, written by Daniel Goleman, et al (you can find it under the Book Recommendation tab on this site).

In the book, DG articulates six types of leaders: Visionary, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, Commanding, and Coaching. The best leaders I know flex among and between those six typologies.

Coaching is the one that speaks to me the most. In pretty simple form, it is grounded in a few on-repeat questions:

What are we doing?

How well are those things advancing us toward the Vision we have articulated?

If so, how might we do them better?

If not, how can we take corrective action TODAY?

We can't do it ALL today, but we can do SOMETHING today.

As with all recipes (and the best things in life), it's more art than science.

OfficePrison

If you work in an office, you know full well it can become a prison. We can get locked in that "cell," often with some unsavory characters. Or, at least some unhappy or hair-on-fire ones. 

Not only does that prison confine us, it prevents us from collecting important data. Noted author Peter Senge (of The Fifth Discipline) advises that while the "hard data" are important, the "soft data" are often harder to measure but MORE important to our success as an organization.

When we get out of the office and move about the organization we can collect a plethora of soft data, which can then greatly inform the decisions we make. 

This concept has been described in the business literature as "Management by Walking Around." Whatever we call it, we see/hear/feel a lot of things when we move about the organization that we would never experience if we stay sequestered in the office. 

Soft data, anyone?

FearShackles

Fear in the workplace is like putting shackles on continuous improvement.

When team members have fear, the very best in potential performance and the highest aspirations of the organization are mired in concrete.

What would cause apprehension and tentativeness in the minds of team members? Fear of...

• Having decisions made within policy and law reversed.
• Public criticism.
• Retaliation.
• Social isolation.
• Embarrassment. 
• Being marginalized.

Some leaders use FEAR as leverage. FEAR is not tool, however, that affects, fosters, and promotes continuous improvement. 

Where we headin', Boss?

NotStrength

Being strong is an asset. Physical strength, intellectual strength, emotional/spiritual strength... all afford us a bit of peace, a little security, some comfort, and a degree of influence.

Strength is NOT...

• Bombast
• Condescension
• Brutishness
• Tone deafness
• Bigotry
• Disrespectful behavior
• Moral relativity
• Principlelessness

So, how do we look/feel/smell without strength? Fearful, weak, fickle, brittle, ... 

Knowing what we don't want to be is just as important as knowing what we do.

EmpowerPower

Empowered teams are powerful teams. They can get "stuff" done.

Teams that are DIS-empowered feel/look/smell like this:

• De-energized
• Helpless
• Listless
• Weak
• Fearful
• Useless
• De-valued

Teams that feel empowered feel/look/smell like this:

• Bold
• Eager
• Confident
• Energized
• Optimistic
• Accountable

Complex problems required the work of TEAMS of skillful, intelligent, enthusiastic folks. The environment we create for our TEAM makes all the difference in the outcomes we achieve. 

We can always do it better, and today is a good time to start.

Power up, or EMPOWER up!

HumilityAnchor

The richest form of leadership is grounded in the desire to serve. 

Effective service is anchored in a mindset of humility.

The wisest leaders I know and observe are humble to the extreme. They demonstrate and model that humility through...

• Being world-class listeners.
• Asking deeply reflective questions (even when they know the answers).
• Exuding transparency and vulnerability.
• Holding themselves accountable before demanding it of others.
• Expressing gratitude freely and broadly.
• Assuming the meaningless of rank in relation to human engagement.

Reminded of the Tim McGraw song "Humble and Kind."

Still learning a lot about humility from those impactful leaders...