Tag: United States

Usually 50% At Best

Trust. Distrust.

Like.  Dislike.

Do you trust your leader?  Do you like your leader?

Take President Barack Obama, or any President for that matter.  Usually, at best, a President receives between 50-60% of the popular vote.  More or less half. Stay with me here.

What this means is the other half don’t like and don’t trust the President, relatively speaking.

And it’s the same in large organizations and small businesses. Seriously, it is.

Why do we try so hard to be liked, when in reality, the best we can ever hope for is about half.

Take Simon Cowell, from American Idol (yes, many of you hate Simon and the show), while many people do not like him, everyone trusts that he will tell the truth.

And the reason we know Simon will always tell the truth, is because he always does. Sounds simple, but Simon is consistent to a fault. He’s honest even if it’s “bad news”.

And yet, he’s crystal clear about his mission – select the very best singer. Period. Determine the “Gold Medal” winner. Select the next American Idol.

Most don’t like him. Most absolutely trust him.

If trust is the most important leadership characteristic, who gives a flip about being liked?

Transformational Passion

Been thinking  a lot lately.  Now there’s a surprise, eh?  Me.  Thinking a lot.

Anyway,  what I mean is, thinking a lot about what motivates people.  Especially in these tough economic times. Everywhere you look, there is tension, anxiety, uncertainty, and maybe even an honest fear of the future.

It can be crippling.  How do I know?  Because I’m one of you. A husband, father, son, leader, volunteer, neighbor, worrier.

Yesterday, while visiting The American Adventure Pavilion at Disney’s Epcot Park, there was a quote that basically said, “The early founders of the United States came to this country with little more than their vision”.

Their vision, their passion, transformed government.  The pursuit of happiness and all men are created equal.

Next time you look in the mirror, do you see a mountain or a molehill of a vision?

Wait.  Stop.  Go look in the mirror right now.

What did you see?  What do you see now, in your mind?

Perhaps a decade ago, a transformational seed was planted, scattered by the wind.  And then sometime last year, I started to see it really grow.

And out of nowhere, this Spring, well, all I can tell you is that a daily habit of writing five blogs took off.  Got sick of not seeing a mountain of passion in the mirror.  It hit me, you want to see a mountain, you better start transforming yourself.

The clock is ticking.

PS.  Here’s the catalyst for this post.  Wasn’t three minutes into it when the revelation came. After writing the post, I finished watching it.  August Turak’s speech can be watched by clicking here.