Tag: Mission

What Will GREAT Look Like?

What will GREAT look like for you in 2010?

I can’t imagine being a professional and not being a LinkedIn member. But it’s not unreasonable at this point for many to still not be involved.

My wife is not on LinkedIn, however, I do believe it would benefit her to get started.

Anyway, through LinkedIn, which I read daily, I followed a link  – “What Will Great Look Like For You In 2010?” A quote from that link sparked today’s blog post.

So there are two messages today:

  1. Social media, like anything else, works best when used frequently
  2. All five of my blogs are free

A reader commented a few months ago, “You never ask for anything.”

It was, and still is, a question that leaves a funny feeling in my gut.

Why would anyone invest in five daily blogs, reveal secrets, success tips, insightful thinking, be vulnerable and transparent, and never ask for a nickel in return?

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman

Leader Top Priorities?

Leadership priorities.  Probably the single most important “to do” on a great leader’s list.  Right?

At the top for me is a compelling vision.  Then acting with integrity. And thirdly, building trust.

But these aren’t the priorities I’m talking about.

I’m referring to personal, moral priorities.

A few months ago, I had the privilege to hear a Fortune 100 President give a speech. To my surprise he listed his as:

  1. Faith
  2. Family
  3. Career

Didn’t see that one coming.  Career was third.  As a Fortune 100 President. Wow.

Live authentically, serve humbly, live to make other’s dreams come true.

Only Going to Say This Once

Please listen carefully.  This simple fact about public speaking may be the key to becoming a more effective leader.

But only if people listen very carefully, and not rush through this.

Here’s the truth about being a Professional Speaker:

  • If you look out at your audience and they look bored, you’re boring them
  • If you look out and they are on fire, you lit it

Leaders hate to admit they sometimes stink are not highly effective. This makes them look bad and feel horrible. Who wants that?

But the simple truth is, if the people around you don’t seem passionate about their work, their mission, their customers, guess what?

PS.  If your team is on fire with passion, mission, service, guess what?

Trophy Value

Last night as my wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with our great company, it really hit me.  I mean, it seriously hit me.  And it really comes as no surprise.  However, because of it’s simplicity, it is rampantly commonly overlooked.

Great companies are founded and grow for one simple reason: They want to make a difference in the lives of others.

Plus, great companies reward loyalty with valuable trophies. Trophy value is a priceless, intangible reminder that an employee’s longevity is an integral part of being world-class.

Say what you want, but nothing changes the fact that there is an unstoppable force when people are led with passion and are committed to make a difference.

And then it occurred to me this morning, that’s why I write five daily blogs.  I mean, who does that?

Does this mean I get another trophy?

jungle jeff Leadership Lesson

jungle jeff Leadership Lesson.  In other words, I promised to share today, what was reinforced the other day when I practiced what I preached.

As a professional speaker, there are certain deliverables every time a speech or workshop is given to an audience. Public speaking is the greatest fear humans have, even greater than the fear of dying.

Leadership insight:

  • Lead, don’t manage – facilitate key points instead of telling them

Look, we all know this to be so simple it almost embarrasses me to try to convince you it’s important. And yet it is a key to becoming world class.  Like yeast in bread.  A little risk is required to be successful.  Duh, right?

What’s risky is doing things a different way.  If you do it the way you always do it, you can predict your results. Predicting an outcome when you take a risk is virtually impossible.  While you can visualize a positive result, you can not guarantee it.

It is quite common in workshops to see video clips of something important and then watch with a certain purpose and debrief what insights were gained from the video’s content. That’s exactly what happened.  Very routine.  A video I’ve set up, watched and debriefed 1,000 times.

For the debrief, I tried something completely different.  I asked a remarkably simple and open-ended question.  In fact, one participant gave me a look that said, “You’re an idiot”.  It took sheer will-power to not be shaken.

Afterwards, I asked my partner how he thought it went.  In ten years, we both agreed, it was the single best debrief of that video we’d ever experienced.  And we teach with many different partners.

What at one point seemed like a certain failure, because I didn’t panic or give up, turned out to be extraordinary.  Leaders do not get paid to fail (although maybe they should).