ManagingUP!

Management is just that....managing. 

While managing is the necessary and parallel task to that of leading, it encompasses the "grunt work" of logistical and technical supplementals that allow an organization to move efficiently and effectively toward its espoused Vision.

The best leaders I know put an array of deployment strategies in place to "manage" the organization:

• They hire and empower people that understand the desired outcomes and have the skills to make those outcomes a reality.
• They coordinate the team in constant evaluation and modification of the systems that allow for smooth, consistent, and efficacious interface with the "customers," always with the Vision as the backdrop of the work.
• They constantly seek and adopt technical tools that serve the customer well, and that serve those who are serving the customer well.
• They constantly hammer away at the Vision through all kinds of messaging mechanisms so that every stakeholder -- internal and external -- understands clearly WHY the organization exists and WHAT outcomes it is pursuing.

These wise leaders understand that meaningless, redundant, non-purposeful work is............de-energizing work. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Manage UP!

Ignition&Liftoff

Some of the most impactful and insightful leaders I know have figured out a pretty simple recipe to ignite the energy and effort of those they work with. 

Here's what those exemplary leaders do to ignite their team...

• They make a point of knowing the story of each team member. Those stories are deeply personal, and have everything to do with how those folks see the world.
• They observe and discern the strengths of each of those team members and work diligently to craft a role for them that highly aligns to those strengths.
• They collaborate with the team and other stakeholders to craft a Big and Bold VISION of how they can work together to make a better future.
• They "chunk" the pursuit of that VISION into practical and doable actions such that each team member can see exactly how they can contribute to it. The abstract is made concrete, and personal.

LIFTOFF!

Harmony

 In music, harmony is the combining of notes that creates a pleasing sound. That combining happens both in simultaneous fashion (at any single moment) and in progressive fashion (as the song flows). There are numerous ways to affect harmony, but the result is that it pleases the ear and brain of the listener(s).

Harmony also occurs in personal, interpersonal and communal environments. We can "feel" it when our body/spirit is "in harmony." Same goes for our relationships. And, we sense that same "vibe" in the organizations we are members of. It just feels right when we're in harmony. It is noticeably unpleasing when we are not.

As one of my mentors says, "We are clearly singing the same song, but the notes don't seem to be in harmony."

The best leaders I know are superb at getting us to sing the same song, in harmony.

(un)Distracted

We pay a pretty high price for the constant distractions that crowd into our days. These distractions cost us both in personal and professional ways.

An example: Why is the person pinging us via text message more important than the person with whom we are currently having a conversation? 

Allowing ourselves to be constantly distracted is a habit.

NOT allowing ourselves to be constantly distracted is also a habit. 

It's significantly more difficult to embed the habit of "distraction interdiction" into our current lifestyles. That makes it like most other good habits.

PainTastic

Experiencing pain is part of living. Some of the pain is physical, some intellectual, and some emotional/spiritual. Pain hurts, but it rarely does us in (unless we choose to be done in).

Watching some folks I respect and love deal with pain, it seems they apply one or more of the following viewpoints as they deal with it:

• They use the pain to help clarify and focus on the truly important stuff.
• They examine the pain and its antecedents carefully, seeking to learn the embedded lessons for future living.
• They apply the experience of personal pain toward being more understanding of and empathetic toward others who are living with it.
• They realize that pain is often the result of pushing our limits, which usually leads to improved performance.
• They appreciate that pain almost always humbles us, and humbleness is truly a virtue.

Much truth in the old adage that "If it don't kill you, it'll make you better."

PresencePresent

The holiday season is in the air. Pretty hard to miss.

Sitting in numerous business meetings and other human gatherings this week, I was reminded that our Presence is a gift. Though a gift of great value, it doesn't cost us much to share it.

Giving the Present of Presence means lending to the engagement:

• Our full attention to the Other(s)
• Our eyes
• Our ears
• Our open body language
• Our brain/thinking
• Our participation in the chatter
• Our inclusion of others in that chatter
• Our expressions of care (whether we agree or not)

The packaging of that Present doesn't even have to be costly or pretty. ;-) 

Happy holidays!

Edgenesis

Growth tends to occur most robustly out on the edges.

It doesn't matter whether we talking about new growth in plants, expansion of cities, findings in current research, birth of new planets, social movements, weather systems, or our own learning.

Significant growth seems always to find its genesis in places other than the trunk or the capitol or headquarters or at the annual convention or in the inner circle or nestled safely in what we already know. 

New dimensions of what we know, what we can do, how we think and behave are often found "out on the edges" of the norm and the known. Probably has something to do with the risk associated with being "out on the edges."

GrOw forth! Befriend the edges. And those who reside there.

Happy learning...