SlippedGear

From time to time, someone on the team slips out of gear. For a variety of reasons a good and proven performer sometimes, somehow, someway, disengages.

What causes folks to slip out of gear? A variety of possibilities exist. They might be... 

• Dealing with personal crisis
• Ill
• Feeling devalued
• Want something they're not getting
• Deem they're being marginalized or pushed out

How we respond can make a lot of difference on whether or not our teammate RE-engages with us. We can...

• Show we care, without being intrusive
• Let them know the Team is not as strong without them
• Give them some space and time
• LISTEN carefully...to what they say, what they don't say, what we see

To be sure, performance matters. Sometimes, however, we can allow performance to slip out of gear for a bit in order to allow our valued Team member to slip back into gear.

Whether or not we rescue or recover our valued Teammate depends on the relationship we nurture with them.

Wishing-vs-Aspiring

 "Wish" and "Aspire" are both verbs that hint at some eventual improved state. However, they imply very different things.

If we "wish" for something, it suggests that we're victims, somehow at the mercy of circumstances (of all kinds and varieties). To "aspire," on the other hand, implies intent and action on our part. 

"Wishing" might make us wealthy if we win the lottery. "Aspiring" will make us wealthy(ier) as result of purposeful decisions and work on our part.

Some interesting questions for those of us who ASPIRE to reach the best versions of ourselves:

• How well aligned are my aspirations to a worthy and lasting purpose?
• To what degree am I redirecting ALL the resources at my disposal - both tangible and intangible - toward achieving those aspirations?
• How much clarity am I using in articulating my aspirations?
• In what meaningful ways am I monitoring and tracking my movement toward accomplishing those aspirations?

Getting better. Every day. On purpose.

Not the work of sissies...

InfluencePeddling

Authoritarians ply their trade in directives and compliance, rules and regulations. 

Leaders that choose to be non-Authoritarian operate on from a different mindset, and their teams achieve higher levels of performance and efficacy of deployment. These wise leaders understand that what team members do when the boss is NOT in the room or at the work site is much more important than what happens when they are.

The wisest leaders I know are excellent influence peddlers. They make a strong case for high performance, ethical behavior, lofty and ambitious goals. Then they pull others into the work by providing the resources, training, recognition, praise, and compensation that "influences" rather than "demands" the desired outcomes.

Time to polish up on our influencing skills. Then peddle as fast as we can.

PatientProgress

The road to betterment is fraught with fits and starts. And that path toward improvement has way stations aplenty manned by the negative, the fearful, and the recalcitrant.

Some Dos and Don'ts for the journey toward betterment...

DOs:

• Stay focused
• Smile incessantly
• Listen a lot, to a lot 
• Ignore the negative
• Insist on improvement
• Monitor toward the desired outcomes
• Articulate the mantra, pound the drum of continuous improvement

DON'Ts:

• Appease
• Argue
• Settle
• Decelerate
• Tolerate the toxic

If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

Getting better. Every day. On purpose. 

Bifocal

The people I admire most have a twofold view of the world; they pragmatically see it as it is while at the same time viewing it as it might be.

The optimistic side of their bifocal worldview compels them to ...

• Act instead of whine.
• Dream instead of wilt.
• Be bold instead of sissie.
• Build instead of tear down.
• Pull together instead of tear apart. 
• Make progress instead of excuses.
• Expect mistakes instead of steady wins.

While they have the bifocal view, they spend a lot more time looking through the "might be" lens.

QuestionMaestros

The most impactful people I know are intentional and voracious learners. They are extremely disciplined at pursuing and achieving the very best versions of themselves possible.

Almost all those folks whom I watch, read, and listen to have mentors.

The best of those mentors are not wizards with all the right answers. They're maestros of asking the right questions. 

Got mentor?

GoldenSilence

Careful thought. 

     Intense analysis. 

          Deep consideration.

               Vigilant forecasting.

                    Thorough reflection.

All pay premium dividends. All yield better understanding and decisions.

All are best done in silence -- especially our own. That's why it's golden.

CynicismBattle

When I have had opportunity to teach Graduate Research over the years, I admonish my students to be unashamedly skeptical. Question everything. Ask for evidence. Challenge assumptions. Accept nothing that includes a lot of handwaving, diversion, evasion, smoke, mirrors, unverifiable promises.

At the same time, I remind them to NOT let their skepticism bleed over into cynicism. We must fight the urge to become cynics with every fiber of our being. 

Why? Cynics have no hope. They can't (or won't) consider the prospects of a better future. 

And.....cynics aren't much fun to be around.

developMEnt

Development -- growth, learning, improvement -- starts with ME. Before I can ever ask others to do those things I must be the first to jump in feet first in the continuous improvement process. 

Making ME a better person, better employee, better follower, better leader is the first goal.

Some strategies that help in the continuous improvement of ME:

• Judge dimensions of improvement on continua rather than YES/NO scales.
• Invite someone to join me in the journey. Or several.
• Be willing to drop what's not working and add something new ad hoc (not on a time table).
• Make improvement efforts incremental, rather than whole hog.
• Calendar regularly time for assessments of progress, and revise as needed.

Team continuous improvement works the same, starting with ME.