September 2009

Another story or two to make the point.

It never ceases to amaze me how often the timing of events just seems to line up perfectly.
I don’t question it… I don’t try to figure it out.

I’m simply amazed by it.

A week ago, I was relaxing by a pool 40 miles north of Miami… a far cry from the 33 degree low temps that we are expecting in Green Bay this week!

Thank goodness for global warming, or I’d really think it was cold for September… but alas, I digress.

Anyway, back to the story… and the issue of timing.

Within 90 minutes by that pool, I had two phone conversations that really summed up the big picture of leadership… that leadership really does affect everything.

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The first call was from someone who until recently was quite successful in his position at work, even though he was struggling in his marriage.

Struggling big time.

Suddenly, however, his personal situation had spilled over into his professional life, and began to seriously affect his performance in leading others.

That’s not unusual… many business challenges are really family challenges in disguise.

And vice versa.

Eventually, a lack of leadership in business always finds its way into a home… and a lack of leadership in a relationship will manifest at work.

I’ve never seen a small business that was not affected by the divorce of its leader, nor have I seen a marriage that was not affected by the bankruptcy of a business.

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The second call was interesting because a young man had connected to discuss the challenges he was having at home… and yes, BTW, I did talk with him about sharing this story!

While we were on the phone, his wife called on the other line… there’s that timing thing again.

Thinking he had put me on hold (he hadn’t), he exclaimed… presumably speaking to his wife… “WHAT NOW…?!! I’M ON THE OTHER LINE@!! I’LL CALL YOU BACK#!!”

When I answered, he was embarrassed and apologetic and asked what he could do to make things right.

That was the easiest question I’ve gotten since Spring.

I told him, “Just start treating your wife… with the same respect you treat me, and I think your relationship might have a chance. And maybe consider some professional help.”

He called today to let me know they were seeking out some marriage counseling.

Good move. Very good move.

Questions:

What are examples of issues in one area of your life… impeding on another?

What is your plan to avoid that in the future?

Is there anyone… friends, neighbors, boss, pastor, coworkers, clients or acquaintances… that you treat better than you do your spouse or children?

Do your children share the same opinion of your reliability, temperament, kindness, and judgment as do your best clients?

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

D Sharon Pruitt

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Over the past few days, I have had the opportunity to witness the effects of leadership, or LACK of LEADERSHIP, in the lives of several “leaders”.

Yes, it is possible for those in “leadership positions” to possess a LACK of LEADERSHIP. And, as we have discussed previously, it is also possible for those with “leadership ability” to lead in very negative ways.

Both of these circumstances tend to NOT END WELL for those who would choose to follow.

In fact, it is in difficult times that the true extent of one’s leadership is revealed. In such situations, good leaders guide their followers to the benefit of all, while poor leaders act on behalf of self… to the detriment of their followers and their families.

Leadership… effects everything.

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A few weeks ago, I was asked why I spend so much time on leadership as it relates to family issues.

The question came from an individual who seemed to confuse LEADERSHIP with MANAGEMENT, and who also attributed LEADERSHIP ABILITY to CORPORATE TITLE.

Big mistake.

During that conversation, as we discussed my big-picture view of leadership, I was asked whether I had heard about about a mutual acquaintance who had, and I quote, “lost his business in a divorce”.

The question came at just the right moment, and solidified the entire point.

“Lost his business in a divorce…?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s terrible… his wife got everything…”, came the response.

Hmmm…

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I explained that from where I sit… the view is different.

You see, I DON”T believe this man’s title as CEO gave him great leadership ability. I DO see an individual whose people followed because they had to.

Further, I don’t believe that he lost his business in a divorce. In fact, just the opposite… I believe he lost his marriage in his business.

And I CERTAINLY don’t see that his wife got everything. To be sure, outside of a tidy sum of cash… I would say that she and her children… LOST EVERYTHING.

“But he was SO successful…!”

I’m sorry… but I don’t see that either. I see a man whose relationships are trashed… whose health is rocky… and whose spiritual life is admittedly non-existent. A man who instills fear in his business associates… but who cannot muster the respect of his own children.

I don’t see a leader… I see a guy who found a way to make some money.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Takeaway:

We cannot separate leadership, or the lack of leadership, from the results.

Photo Credit:

kevindooley

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I got a call from the wife of a friend.

It seems he’s been spending an inordinate amount of time on the Internet lately… specifically on my website… and she wanted to thank me.

Okay… so what’s the catch?

Well, it started with a simple conversation last Spring.

He was having a challenge in his business… clearly a leadership issue… and I had given him some advice and then pointed him in the direction of an article I had written and published here.

That’s it. But according to her, it had saved their business… AND their marriage.

Pretty cool. The entire interaction had taken less than twelve minutes… ten minutes for him to explain his situation, and ninety seconds or so for my response.

And the cost?

Well… nothing but my friends time, desire, and commitment to fix what was broken. And true commitment results in a willingness to take PROPER action.

And that… is often all it takes.

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You see… once he got started down the leadership track, it wasn’t long before he began to search for more.

One article led to another… one small success to the next. On several occasions, I shared a favorite book or author and he devoured the wisdom and came back for more.

Of course, what happened next was no accident.

As he grew in his leadership ability, he did what all real leaders do. He took responsibility for what was wrong… he gave away the credit for what went right… and he began to treat everyone… EVERYONE… with a new sense of appreciation and respect.

And yes, EVERYONE included his wife and children.

Imagine that.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Photo Credit:

foundphotoslj

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So, if separating yourself from the crowd is as simple as making promises and then keeping them… a good rule of thumb would be to ONLY make promises you know you can keep!

Another way of putting it is the old admonition to “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’… and your ‘no’ be ‘no’.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking… this isn’t rocket science. And, of course, you’re right.

But a lot of people mess this up… even those who probably should know better. No, it isn’t rocket science… it’s MUCH more important than that.

I’ll say it again… make promises you KNOW you can keep.

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I was at a client’s office yesterday morning, and he was lamenting the fact that one of his vendor’s was habitually late.

This particular supplier is one of the top three national providers in their industry… a multi-billion dollar company… and yet they seemingly have trouble honoring their commitments.

“It’s so frustrating…,” said my client. “If they weren’t the cheapest, I’d go somewhere else in a heartbeat.”

Hmm…, I thought… I wonder why they are the cheapest… and is the cheapest really the least expensive when ALL things are considered?

That’s not rocket science either.

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So here is this vendor… who told my client they would TRY to arrive to service their account yesterday morning between 10am and noon.

Imagine that… a two hour arrival window.

They got there at 12:07pm. Now, the fact that they have the reputation of ALWAYS being late tells me that someone figured they’d get there shortly after noon… certainly that’s what my client thought!

It would appear that they were aiming at the latest possible time… which they missed by minutes… and never had any intention of being there at 10am.

The question is… why not pick a time you know you can make… and then make it. And if you really need a two hour window… why not aim for the front instead of the tail?

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Last week, I spoke with a charity who was going to swing by to pick up a gift.

“We’ll TRY to get there before 4:30pm…,” they said. “Otherwise, we’ll be there sometime tomorrow.”

So, I clarified.

“Are you coming this afternoon… or tomorrow?”

“Uhh… I’m sorry, Steve…” came the response. “We’ll be there this afternoon at 4 o’clock.” And they were right on time.

Not rocket science… but integrity, service, and character.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Questions:

Do you ever find yourself using words like “try…”, “might…”, or “maybe…” in your business or personal relationships?

When others use those phrases with you… what are you thinking?

Do those words inspire confidence? Or something else?

Photo Credit:

discoodoni

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A week or so ago, my daughter and I were headed out for a walk when she looked at me and said, “Is this the best weather we’ve ever had in Summer, or what…?”

I had to agree.

And as I was acknowledging that, “Yes, in fact… I don’t EVER remember more pleasant temperatures at the end of August…”, it suddenly dawned on me that we were both bundled up in sweatshirts.

I guess the reason that she and I like the Summer of 2009 so much is because, well… we really prefer Fall. And this SUMMER has been a FALL to remember!

Across the country… record low temperatures have been the norm.

In fact, the other day I told a friend, “Thank God for global warming, because otherwise we’d be freezing our buns off!”

But alas… I digress.

In any event, it can be tough to know WHO, or WHAT, to believe sometimes. And I guess I have noticed lately that few people are really speaking much about global warming anymore… preferring instead to talk of “climate change.”

Of course, a quick look at any NOAA weather history chart will show that “climate change” is a pretty safe bet. If there is one thing you can count on from year to year… it’s that wide swings in weather patterns are darn-near guaranteed.

As for me, well… I happen to subscribe to the sunspot cycle theory, but there I go… digressing again.

All I know is that when I was a kid… we were told we were heading into an ice-age. Then in my twenties, my roommate’s deodorant was responsible for opening a hole in the ozone layer the size of Antarctica, and now recently some explorers think they’ve found Atlantis buried off the Greek Islands… the result of a catastrophic natural event that I assume had little to do with Capitalism in Athens, circa 1700 B.C.

Sorry… I did it once more.

But at a time when some people will say just about anything to get your vote… or your business… it is refreshing to know that you can separate yourself from the hysterics, the embellishments, and the exaggeration… by just calmly making your promises… and keeping your word.

Oh… and I am SO GLAD this also works in business. Make your promises… then keep your word.

And leave the exaggeration to your competition… and the disbelief to THEIR customers!

A simple and practical application, or two… next time.

Photo Credit:

*Micky

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“Oh… you’re going to miss it…”
“I bet you’re going to miss it…”
“Don’t you think you’ll miss it?”

I cannot count, even using ALL my fingers and toes, the number of times I heard similar sentiments from assorted well-meaning friends and relatives as they first learned of the sale of my business a few years ago.

And there was more.

I also heard… “Whaddya nuts…!”, “How you gonna spend your time…?”, and “You’re only forty, for Pete’s sake…!”, though as I said, most of it revolved around the concept of “missed” emotions… and the idea of loss.

“After all…,” I was told, “you started that business from an idea… a seed… from the ground up. Ameristaff USA was your baby… it WAS you! YOU were it! Of course, you’re going to miss it!”

Well, not so fast… ’cause I haven’t missed it yet.

Yes, it was a great business. Yes, it was leading edge. Yes, it had an incredible reputation as a leader in the Human Resource Consulting field.

And that’s not all.

More importantly, it also captured the hearts and minds of the most amazing team that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. And yes, I miss THEM dearly… but not the business.

So okay, go ahead and say it once more… “How could you NOT miss it… you spent years in HR… isn’t HR a huge part of who you are?”

Well… no.

I’m into relationships… not processes and compliance.

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There is a very clear distinction that must made… and this is critical.

I was never an HR person who just happened to be business… in fact, it was exactly the opposite. I was a business person who happened to lead a company whose services were heavily involved in HR.

Big difference.

In 1987, I was going to start a business… period. Since at least age eight… there has been little doubt about my bent for free enterprise.

It could have been anything, but I started a staffing company for three simple reasons:

1) The staffing industry at that time was RED HOT.
2) I recognized a distinct hole in the competitive landscape that was big enough to fly a jet through, and
3) I could not put the genie back in the bottle, once I had let her out.

That’s right, I was involved in HR because IT MADE SENSE… it provided the resources necessary to move other projects and priorities forward.

Years later, I sold the business because:

1) The margins had been substantially reduced.
2) The hole had closed significantly, and
3) I believed I had found a new genie!

I was also at a point… personally… where I recognized that future growth would come at the expense of my wife and daughter… and I determined the price was too high.

Oh, and as for the new genie…?

Well, there’s no magic here… it’s the same opportunity that you have to direct your own future… beginning today.

Dream with passion… work with passion… live with passion.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

AngelsWings

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