What Are You (really) Working For? Part IV
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Every once in a while, we all need to get a second opinion... or maybe a third. An outside, objective perspective can sometimes bring real clarity to situations, and options and answers that we would otherwise overlook. Okay... okay... maybe we don't ALL need it... MAYBE it's just me. Wow... what if it IS just me? Anyway... I digress; so let me rephrase. Every once in a while, I really need to get a second opinion... and often a third. An outside, objective… Read More
I just received an a-mail from a friend of mine; it seems that his church has been struggling for some time with issues of leadership. Not with the ministry team, mind you... but with several "lay leaders". As he described them, these are some very influential members that have agreed to serve in various unpaid capacities. To be sure, such "lay leaders" are found in every organization... and they are often critically important to the group's attitude.… 
Every ninety days or so, I get together with several of my mentors... along with a number of those who view me in the same light. The way it usually goes is that we converge on some great American city for the weekend... immerse ourselves in the exercise of personal growth and leadership... and forget all about everything we can't do... aren't doing... or haven't done. Last fall it was Denver... last weekend, Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Now imagine for a… 
I've made a lot of mistakes in business over the years. Most were pretty minor... but several were... let's just say, significant learning experiences. One of the biggest was that as we grew... and we added staff... there was a period of time where I allowed certain details to get away. After all, I had people who could handle those things now... so I moved down the hall. Previously, I had my office right up front... in the mix.
No doubt we're all familiar with the Golden Rule which states that we are to do unto others what we would have done unto us. There is also a counterpart, often described as the Platinum Rule, which advises that, when possible... do unto others what they would have done unto them. Of course, the first one we can always do... we know what we want. The second one, however, requires knowledge of the other party's wishes... which, of course, can get… 
Okay, quick... what was the first thought that came into your mind when you read that title? A) Peace B) Joy C) Happiness D) Excitement What... you say? You don't like the choices? Well, then... how about an incredibly professional and friendly staff... or a relaxed, caring, customer-centric environment? How about a dental office that is so on-time at 2 o'clock in the afternoon that the patient (me) never felt the fabric of a chair in the waiting area.… 
Okay, so let me start by acknowledging that in terms of a scientific study... this would fail miserably. That is, of course, unless scientific studies involved grabbing a handful of random people... asking them one question... and then extrapolating the results across the entire population! But it was interesting to me anyway. Here is what I did. Every day for about the last week I presented this question to at least one person... and… 
I received a call from an old friend recently who wondered at the very last minute if our family could join his for the weekend in Chicago. We hadn't spoken in quite some time... and the last three or four conversations revolved around new events and happenings in his life, not mine. I probably brought that on, of course, by asking a lot of questions... and then doing my best to not interrupt or one-up. The timing on his call… 
Okay, so I was speaking with several business consultants... no, that's not really true; I was listening to several business consultants, and hoping that none of what they said would rub off. Here they were, trying to make the point to a handful of business leaders that in an era where everyone is looking to save money, you should never strive to be too good. I'm serious. The goal, they said, was to be absolutely sure… 
This past week, I had the opportunity to speak with an individual who was, to use his words... totally stressed out. Anxiety, pressure, fear, insomia, and anger... all were mentioned inside of twenty minutes. Oh, yeah... and freaked out was in there too. It seems the economy was threatening his job and that was threatening his finances which then threatened his attitude which spilled over and threatened his relationships and that was… 
