LeaderLimits

In the grand scheme of things, we're all short timers. Very few folks lead an organization beyond single digit tenures. Warren Buffett is NOT the norm.

It's worth spending a little time to consider what we really want to accomplish in that short window of time we find ourselves leading the current organization (whatever it's size, scope, or purpose).

A nice trio to guide our thoughts, behaviors, and actions...

• Do good TO others.
• Do good FOR others.
• Leave the piece of the world we touch a little better for our having been there.

Then, on to the next assignment... The limits of our impact really don't exist (and can't be measured).

EthicalAnchor

One of my mentors asserts that "every decision is a political decision." Over the years I have come to appreciate the wisdom in that assertion.

I have also come to believe that every decision we make is an ethical decision. Each and every decision we make reflects our ethical viewpoint or worldview, somehow.

Those whom we influence -- family, friends, teams, organizations, stakeholders -- come to understand our ethical grounding by observing the decisions we make. They learn what to expect of/from us, whether they know it consciously or not.

The good news: Those whom we influence also begin to forecast what kind of answers and action they can expect of us ahead of time. :-)

TurbulenceSurfing

Every team, every organization experiences turbulence. Stuff happens that is unsettling, disruptive, distracting, off putting.

How we respond to turbulence has a lot to do with how well we ultimately achieve the outcomes we desire. It also has much to do with the level of confidence we enjoy from both our internal and external stakeholders. 

The best leaders I know practice some pretty common responses to turbulence. They...

• Never take their eye off the BIG picture, the vision of their organization.
• Act and react with careful deliberation, resisting the urge to be hasty.
• Solicit the insight of both their team and that of wise others.
• Frame with clarity the problem/issue to be tackled.
• Say "thanks" A LOT, especially in times of stress and duress.
• Insist on a work space that exudes respectful treatment of others, always.
• Keep attention predominantly focused on the windshield, not the rearview mirror. 

 Turbulence happens. Tough and thoughtful leaders help us navigate it with calm and purpose.

To quote the late head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chuck Noll, " Panic is not a part of our game plan."

ScarProducts

A mentor of mine made this comment the other day: "We're all the product of scars."

I'd never thought of it quite like that, but it rings true. We LEARN. From a lot of things. From People...from Experiences...from Forces.

And quite often, in all three of those categories, it's the painful learning that sticks to/with/on us the most.

What we learned from those people/experiences/forces, however, has the most impact when we've actually gone to the trouble to reflect on it.

Ouch!

TriadicFocus

Our bandwidth if finite. We only have so much attention. Time seems so fleeting. Resources are limited. 

How we choose to focus our bandwidth -- our time, effort, attention, and resources -- has everything to do with how effective we are at the end of the day.

Some of the most impactful people I know are masters at narrowing their focus into three very important channels. They are extremely intentional in how they focus their time, effort, attention, and resources.

Here's the triadic focus they use:

1. Self care, growth, and improvement.
2. Service to others.
3. Make the world a better place.

We can recalibrate and re-focus at any point in time. Maybe now?

PowerQuestions

Good questions have extraordinary power to make us think and reflect. 

Here are three very simple, very short, very provocative questions:

1) What have you learned lately that has made you better?

2) How did it do so?

3) What do you think you need to learn next?

GO!

TrajectoryChanging

 Simple choices can change trajectories. Consider what might happen if we were to...

     > Choose to be authentically present

     > Learn something new, continually

     > Help someone -- anyone -- every day

     > Challenge dogmas and question assumptions

     > Contribute more than we consume, freely

Seems doable. Just imagine the shift...

Blindness

We are all blind to some degree. Sometimes we're blind to... 

    Situations. 

        Or people. 

            Or events.

The scariest kind of blindness, however, is when we are blind to ourselves. We can be blind to our strengths, or blind to our weaknesses. Neither kind optimizes our effectiveness. Both can be mitigated, but only through some very intentional reflection.

We can start now...