One Step Short of Crazy

A friend who is a part-time photographer in addition to his full time gig, describes sitting at his computer late at night, editing photos of a wedding and literally laughing out loud as he captures a bride and her parents from just the right angle.

Another lifelong runner friend limps across the finish line of a 26.2 mile marathon with pure elation after having been sidelined for years by an injury that had kept him from racing.

A woman business traveler boards her third international flight in a week, jet lagged and exhausted and calls her partner squealing about the success of her trip.  She barely needs the plane to fly home.

What do all these folks have in common? Passion!  Some people will describe a passion as a hobby or confuse some personal strength as passion, but passion really is a different animal.  True "organic passion" draws on a very core level emotional commitment,  that cannot be denied.   When we chase a passion, we are drawn to it, it has a pull that we cannot resist.

In the 2004 movie, National Treasure, treasure hunter, Benjamin Gates asks his sidekick, Riley, this simple question: "We don’t need someone crazy. But one step short of crazy, what do you get?" His sidekick says "Obsessed" but Benjamin corrects him with "Passionate."

Passion is best described as an unyielding emotional commitment to a task.  This emotional commitment allows us to hang in there when the going gets tough. To continue to chase the emotional rewards despite hardship, set-backs and discouragement.  It gives us fortitude.  In my examples above, my photographer friend will stay up all hours of the night to get that bride’s album edited and can’t stop until he has created the most beautiful representation of her day.  The runner pushes through the necessary excruciating physical rehabilitation in order to get back to that which he loves, the traveler chases new orders that will take her on even more exhausting trips more often.  True Passion is both binding and abiding…

Clearly, as a leader, we should want our team to have passion.  That ingredient that keeps them engaged and excited bringing magical results. It would be unrealistic to suggest that we can create passion for our employees.  But what we can do as leaders,  is encourage our teams to have an emotional connection to the work.  

In an article on Inc.com titled 3 Ways to Spark Employee Passion.  Lee Colan outlines the emotional needs that must be met for a leader to inspire passion.  I think he has it right…

Need #1:  Purpose

The need to contribute to something bigger than ourselves is a basic psychological need.  So, leaders must build a bridge between today’s tasks and a brighter tomorrow. In essence, you need to create a compelling cause for your team to fight for. If your team’s “why” is strong enough, the “how” will take care of itself.

Need #2:  Intimacy

Nothing we achieve in this world is achieved alone. It is always achieved with others helping us along the way. We all want to-and need to-belong. As the leader, you can create connections with rituals.  Rituals create intimacy by making us feel special and unique from other teams. Ensure your rituals are natural to your leadership style and 100 percent reliable, whether it’s a Monday morning huddle up, a Friday birthday lunch, a quarterly community service day, or monthly performance recognition. The key is for them to be natural and reliable.

Need #3:  Appreciation

People do more for those who appreciate them. Although leaders widely recognize the need for appreciation, it tends to be a blind spot. That is, they generally believe they are much more appreciative of their teams than their teams think they are. The reason is that they do not convert their invisible thoughts of appreciation into visible acts of appreciation. With all of today’s technology options, it’s easy to find ourselves too busy for face-to-face interaction, but that’s one of the best ways to charge up our teams. Showing appreciation is not a matter of time and intention; rather, it’s a matter of priority and action.

Passion is illusive. For most of us we can only know it when we trip into a space where that emotional currency is tangible for us.  T.S. Elliot said:  "It is obvious that we can no more explain passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind."

But with that said, leaders can cultivate the markings of passion;  specifically, loyalty, engagement and interest. And at the same time we can help our staff members to explore the gifts and talents that are uniquely their own……and with a little luck,we can keep them in a space just short of crazy!

image credit: hdweweb4.com

Links

When I began my HR career 28 years ago, diversity was a concept, an EEOC paperwork exercise, a mandatory training program.  We were compliant. We checked all the necessary boxes.  We would readily agree that diversity was a good thing, but the leadership style of the day was certainly more exclusive than inclusive, more narrow than wide and more top down than bottom up.

Organizational decisions were made behind closed doors with a select group of leaders. We would make decisions, using our best judgment, considering our past experiences, draft some loose communication plans (because a consultant told us we should), set some deadlines and call it a day.  These top-level meetings were usually held off-site and were always followed by a round of golf.

These leaders were not bad people; certainly not selfish, bias, or unkind.  They cared about outcomes, sacrificed time with their families to do a good job, and lost sleep when things did not go well.  It was what leaders did; and one could argue that for the most part, things usually worked out pretty well. 

Working as a consultant for the last 16 years, I have had the privilege of participating in many organizational cultures.  I’ve witnessed the shift in what is required of leaders.  Although gradual and more evident in some organizations than in others, it cannot be denied. 

Simply stated, in the words of famed executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, leaders are learning the hard way that “What got you here won’t get you there”.  As the generational demographic in our workforce continues to shift, the role of leader must necessarily evolve.   The expectations and values of this new workforce will not respond to the hierarchical leadership style of the past.  It simply will not work.

The new human capital:   

Tell Me!  The Traditionalists (born between 1922-1946) are still with us. They like hierarchy and structure they will quietly watch you succeed or fail, waiting for instructions.  The good news is that they have seen a lot.  You need to capitalize on their wisdom and seek it often before it is no longer available.

Follow Me!  The Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) are still going strong (77 million strong) and they worked hard to get where they are.  They need to be respected. They want to know that all the hard work along the way mattered and that they have achieved a level of importance. And you know they have.  They built the ladder that those after them will climb.  Consider also, that according to a Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College the number of workers in the over age 55 category is projected to climb to over 25 percent of the workforce by 2019. So they are not going anywhere anytime soon.

Convince Me!  Sometimes,  Generation X (those born between 1964-1980)  is referred to as the forgotten generation. They are described as skeptical and reluctant, entrepreneurial and independent.  We need these folks. They still can see things clearer than most and they have the advantage of a questioning lens and now a bit of work experience to boot.  Coupled with their risk-tolerance, which is greater than that of their predecessors, their perspective can be a catalyst for meaningful change.

Let Me!  The millennials!  So much talk about these entitled and less than industrious upstarts (born 1980-2000).  More confident than competent; by next year, millennials will account for 36% of the U.S. workforce and by 2025, they will account for 75% of the global workplace. [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / The Business and Professional Women's Foundation].   Despite the fact that they are on track to become the most educated generation in American history, we need to teach them. We need to be patient and we need to harness their energy and optimism as they will shape leadership in the not too distant future.

So what’s a leader to do?  How do we create a space for all these perspectives? We need to bring all these voices to the same table, with an open door and an open mind.  That is not to say that all decisions will be made democratically.  There will never be a guarantee that all will be happy, but you need to bring everyone along with you to allow for a process of shared understanding.  

Leaders Must:

• Tell the story, start at the beginning and share your frame of reference.  Your team members need not agree but they do need to understand.  Okay, so I hear you saying “should I have to explain myself”?  The answer is no, you SHOULD not have to, but the reality is you DO have to if you want to drive the engagement of your entire team.

• Respect all questions, require the input of all.

• Leave room for innovation, share the leadership in this way.

• Recognize strengths.  Consider the advantage of individual and generational differences.

• Step back and appreciate the dynamic and interesting diverse team you are lucky enough to lead.

I agree with Meghan M Biro, CEO at Talent Culture and Forbes.com contributor who said: 

“There’s a place for everyone in the world of work.  The work ethic of traditionalists can inspire all groups.  The optimism of boomers can help all employees see the positive in the Organization. The skepticism of Gen X will keep everyone honest and the enthusiasm and self- confidence of the millennials is infectious and inspiring.”

You would never set out on a challenging golf course without all your clubs… So, why would you embark on the challenges of your business without every perspective available to you?

Or better yet, let’s leave the golf metaphor behind and when we talk about links let’s think about the things that bring us together: our desire to contribute in ways that matter, to be appreciated and to make a difference.  

imagecredit: golflink.com

Eating Frogs

Several years ago I discovered a time management video distributed by Brian Tracy called Eat that Frog.  http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/eat-that-frog/. The idea of the video is that we all have annoying tasks that are big and complicated on our to-do lists.  These are the items we are most likely to procrastinate on. These over-due concerns weigh us down and erode our motivation and effectiveness. Most of us choose to tackle the quick and easy items on our agenda first to get them out of the way.  Tracy suggests that both our motivation and our productivity would benefit far more by tackling the bigger, more difficult tasks first. The video refers to these tough tasks as "frogs" and I have adopted that vocabulary.  I have shared that video with many clients and those who know me will often hear me talk about eating my frogs.  Thank you Mr. Tracy!

This week I ate a big frog on my list. Without getting into the gory details, this task was extremely tedious, required hours upon hours of paperwork and had serious and less than favorable financial consequences. The trifecta of motivation crushers!  So I bit the bullet, or should I say I "bit the frog" and did what I needed to do.  Like most of us, I had to push through the regret and self-deprecation that I tend to put on myself when I have let things go.

So now, it’s done, and although I am not happy with the outcome, I feel the familiar relief that comes after finishing a long overdue task.  But more than the satisfaction of getting it done, there is another very palpable take-away for me. Confidence.  

This is how it works…

When I take ACTION, I take some CONTROL back,

things aren’t happening TO me; I am participating.

When I take CONTROL, I feel POWERFUL and BRAVE.

When I feel POWERFUL and BRAVE, I gain SELF-CONFIDENCE.

SELF-CONFIDENCE  enhances my OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS.

So here’s the suggestion… Next time you feel completely overwhelmed, remember that Action is the answer.  As Theodore Roosevelt once said:

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing."

Maybe peace of mind is just on the other side of the lily pad!

imagecredit: dreamstime

Ready, Willing and Able

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it”. Lou Holtz

To be successful, we need to be ready willing and able.  It’s back to that three legged stool concept that suggests that if one leg is not in proportion or is absent we can’t be stable or solid in our performance.

In our self-reflection as well as in our leadership of others we need to be able to accurately assess which of these is working well for us and which of these might be in short supply.

So, let’s talk about each:

"Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility". G. M. Trevelyan

Ready. In order to be ready we need to have an open mind and a focus that allows us to dedicate our attention and our effort in a particular direction.

Risk aversion, fear and self-esteem issues can erode our sense of confidence and can make us less ready. A reluctance to assume ownership and accountability can impede our readiness as well.  Sometimes a reluctance to embrace change or grief surrounding the loss of a previous circumstance can stand in the way when we need to move forward.  

"Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great."  Niccolo Machiavelli

Willingness is really the lynch pin.  No amount of readiness or ableness will make up for a lack of willingness.  On the other hand, when we are truly willing, our engagement increases ten-fold. Unwillingness is sometimes invisible until roadblocks are encountered.  It is then that our true commitment becomes evident .

In a recent article on Inc.com 8 Ways to Think for Extraordinary Results by Peter Economy @Bizzwriter Peter describes what I would call Willingness, in this way.

“To achieve extraordinary results, you have to be comfortable in your own skin, which includes self-acceptance, self-awareness, confidence, trust in oneself, ownership, accountability, integrity, wholeness, and balance”.

Ableness.  To be able is to be capable and qualified.  It means you have the skills and experience. You know what a successful outcome would look like and you know how to get there.  Frankly, our ableness is the easiest of the three to measure and we can usually fix a deficit here with some instruction, some practice or some time.

A key priority for any successful leader is to bring the best out in their team members.  To inspire and require positive results that can be replicated consistently.  The problem for many leaders is their inability to identify what’s missing in the first place.  Or in other words, which leg of the stool may be out of balance.  So they recommend training solutions or bring a disciplinary response when an employee is floundering.  What if your recommendation rests on a failed assumption? It easy to move to quickly ahead, attempting to solve the wrong problem. For example, assume someone truly has an ableness issue and does not know how to complete most of his/her work.  Will a verbal warning or a slap on the wrist help?  Of course not! And yet, that’s what many of us do.  How about an employee who lacks motivation?  No amount of training will fix that.

So, let’s talk about what works best and when.

How do we inspire readiness? 

• Share information
• Allow team members to participate in change initiatives
• Encourage team members to reflect on their strengths and capabilities
• Highlight transferable skills and teach them to leverage the experiences they have
• Encourage team members to teach one another and share best practices 

How do we inspire willingness?

• Reward & praise often
• Discuss bigger picture outcomes & the  value of individual contributions
• Create healthy team competition
• Allow team members to volunteer for things they are interested in

How do we inspire ableness?

• Provide training to all team members routinely
• Offer mentoring
• Coordinate shadowing opportunities
• Teach methodical thinking and problem solving
• Increased your follow-up while encouraging them to stay self-sufficient

Staying present and asking the right questions is the best way to identify the challenges your staff may be facing.  Abraham Maslow once said  “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”  

Remember, you have many tools at your disposal when it comes to inspiring excellence in yourself and others.

image credit: business2community.com

Change

Fall is nature’s reminder that we are evolving and changing all the time.  It’s inevitable.  However, unlike the beautiful and colorful transformation we enjoy here in the Northeast, real life changes can be less… well, less beautiful.  Changes in our lives, particularly unexpected or unwelcome changes, can be difficult. Change can be hard and scary and exciting and invigorating and … for better or worse, inevitable.

I recently read an article in Psychology Today titled 5 Steps for Getting Through Any Difficult Situation by Howard C. Samuels, PsD.  I am going to very respectfully summarize his article because I think it's incredibly powerful advice for anyone who is struggling with change.  Whether it's a big and startling event or the slow unwelcome type of developments that wear you down, these perspectives can provide the constructive mental shift you need to stay strong and effective. 

Perspective #1. THIS TOO SHALL PASS – 

In assessing your situation, you also need to assess your life and look at what you've already survived and know that whatever you are going through cannot hold a candle to your indomitable spirit; that sometimes awful things occur because they are a necessary part of life, but these events -- like so many others before them -- are transitory and always, inevitably, serve as springboards to the next revelation, the next renewal, or the next chapter. This too, shall pass.

Perspective # 2. YOU ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS YOU WILL LET YOURSELF BE --.

You need to believe in your power, your capacity for resilience.

Samuels reminds us that we are worthy of a better life than the one we have now. The lie, sometimes, is in believing it is going to happen overnight. That isn't always the case. Sometimes, you merely have to accept the fact that you're going to have to take tiny, baby steps to reach your goal.

"But, I'm here to tell you, every tiny, baby step you take away from a bad thing is a tiny, baby step you are taking toward a good thing."

There is a wonderful quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that reminds me of this perspective: 

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Perspective # 3. NEVER LET OTHER PEOPLE DICTATE YOUR REALITY – 

When we are suffering through grief or loss, well intended friends will often give you advice about moving on, getting back out there, letting go of the past. Samuels suggests that we should define our experience of any loss on our own terms. “Because there is no timeline for grief and loss, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. We need only never be so consumed by it that we stop living”.

The trick is to not let this profound sadness get in the way of living our lives, and participating in the relationships and support we still have. 

Samuels goes on to describe some of his personal losses and says “ My point is that life goes on, sure, but it is My Life, and I am allowed to experience grief in whatever way it manifests itself as long as I understand that there are also things I can do – actions I can take – to insure that I am not crippled by sadness and loss”.

Perspective # 4. TURN IT OVER –

Samuels shares one of his favorite sayings is, "You have not exhausted every resource at your disposal until you've asked for Help". He continues “This is such a beautiful saying because we are taught that reaching out and asking for help is a sign of weakness or vulnerability. We are taught to keep our own council and – no matter what is happening at home -- never let anyone see who we really are. Even when doing so causes more harm than good.

When I say, "Turn it over", what I am asking you to do is let some outside agency – whether it be God, or just another person or persons – help you. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, saying you should give up and let other people do things FOR you, but I am saying that learning how to ask for help and then letting that help arrive in whatever form it chooses, and then trusting that help. 

Human beings aren't the only ones at your disposal, either. Prayer and meditation are the wellsprings of spirituality. Both take commitment and dedication, but nothing works unless you take into account that belief is power; you need to know in your heart of hearts that you are being heard and helped and loved by a power greater than yourself, and that you are never alone.”

Perspective # 5. YOU MISS 100% OF THE SHOTS YOU DON'T TAKE –

When former professional ice-hockey player Wayne Gretzky said that, I don't think he knew he'd be starting a movement. Because it's true. The adage, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" specifically applies to many of us who are walking through life's difficulties. 

Participation will always bring us greater rewards than staying on the sidelines, where nothing can be achieved.

Change is always opportunity whether we welcome it or not.  It shows up in unexpected ways and takes shapes we may find unacceptable.  We cannot manage all that happens, in fact we control very little of it.  But what we do control, entirely, is our response to life’s challenges.  

I like to remind myself that every new day brings with it the opportunity for profound change.  The potential for glorious good fortune is just as likely as the potential for trauma and profound loss.  The point is that it’s all available to us and with each new day we get another shot at it. It will always be just that way; it’s our human condition.

imagecredit: 4photos.com