Full of Nothin’ But Hot Air

John Maxwell, a very well credentialed leadership speaker and author, once shared this with a gathering of his followers:

A man in a hot air balloon realized that he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The woman replied, “Well … you’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”

“You must be an engineer,” said the balloonist.

“I am,” replied the woman, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” said the balloonist, “everything you have told me is technically correct but I have no idea what to make of your information. And the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you have not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”

The woman below responded, “You must be in management.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist. “But, how did you know?”

“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a LARGE quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep. And you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were before we met. But now somehow it’s my fault!”

Bazinga!! I love this woman. She’s tellin’ it like it is!

But seriously, this story is an amazing example of how an under prepared and under appreciative leader can cause employee disengagement at the speed of light. She told him the factual truth and he wasn’t prepared to handle it.

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!!”  ~Jack Nicholson

See, here’s the thing. One of the single greatest – and I do mean GREATEST – character traits that a leader must possess is humility. Asking for help, admitting a misstep, and relying on others are time-tested keys to success as a leader. Humility IS NOT a sign of weakness or frailty.

Allowing others to see that you are mortal is the right thing to do. You can and will make matters worse if you try and fake it and be an imposter.

Your expectation is that the folks around you should learn from their mistakes. That is what you coach them to do, isn’t it? How about trying it yourself and then sharing those learnings with those who work so hard for you? Permitting others to grow at the hands of your personal experiences is an amazing pathway to building trust.

Trust is a necessity to being successful through the work of others. How about you start today by acknowledging the strengths of those around you and the shortcomings that make you so incredibly unique? Give it a shot – I DARE YA!!

ACTION! ACTION! ACTION!

“You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better widget or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in people. It's not too late, but it may be getting pretty close for some of us. Go Ahead, Dare to be Amazing! The future is very bright if you do!!”

This is a quote that I wrote many years ago as a challenge to attendees of a workshop I was teaching. My goal was to incite action in them. And that is my goal today in sharing it with you.

See, here’s the thing. Waiting for someone else to make you successful is a game you can’t win. Nobody cares more about your goals … your career … your success than you. Nobody! I hate to break it to ya, but choosing to take action is the only way to make change possible. Electing to do things differently is your decision – it IS a choice!

And your choice is this – either take action on moving towards the goals you want – OR – accept where you are at right now. Which “A” do you choose as your future – action or acceptance? Choose carefully.

Taking action comes in many forms. You can go back to school, apply for a new job, start a business, go to your first Weight Watchers meeting, ask for a raise, call an old friend, volunteer for a new committee, or whatever will light that fire inside of you. So, what action can you take today that will make an amazing difference in your life?

When I started Dare To Be Amazing one year ago, I first started with a decision to take action. I chose to create a new career that leverages my passions and experiences as well as my belief in people. I decided not to accept where I was – I wanted something more. And something more is exactly what I have achieved. I absolutely love working with my clients and seeing them achieve simply amazing things. I am thrilled I took action!

Dare to boldly take action and to adopt new habits – for today, tomorrow, next week or next year – and I promise you will indeed be amazing!

Buildin’ a Rock Hard "Body"

A well-oiled machine …

We mesh well …

Runnin’ in high gear …

Ya know, if I’ve heard it once I have heard it a hundred times. For years, people have been describing a desirable state for a team or an organization like a machine. Gears meshing, deal with the squeaky wheel. And to think all you gotta do to keep in running great is to add a little grease every now and then.

Is that really possible? Is it as simple as a little oil to keep it from grinding? Well, I don’t think so. Not … even … close.

See, here’s the thing. Organizations are not like gears and sprockets working in synchronization. It takes more than oil and power to keep it healthy. Teams and cultures are more like the human body and it’s organs. The greatest invention ever made is also a model for your leadership style.

Each organ has a purpose. Most parts of the body rely on one or more of the other parts to survive. It takes prescriptive care and feeding to stay safe, healthy and strong. And you must monitor the “vital signs” to know when to take corrective action.

Shared purpose. Reliance on the performance of others. Plans and processes to be successful. And metrics to verify how things are going. Hmmm, this really sounds a lot like leading a high performing team. Isn’t that the wildest thing?

And the cool thing is, you always have the roadmap with you!!

It takes more than grease and an adjustment every so often to enable a great team. The body is an amazing orchestration of systems and skills and ingredients. Lead with the body in mind and the results will beat any machine out there. Simply amazing!!

You Don’t Have A Clue!

Goals and dreams provide amazing promise for your continued happiness in the future. They permit the opportunity to leap beyond where you are today and to stand on the next higher podium. Figuring out what you wanna do next is one of the most fun things you can do in life.

And, it can also be one of the most limiting things you can participate in as well.

Umm, say what?!?

See, here’s the thing. Some of the greatest ideas in the world have been stopped dead in their tracks prematurely. What a world we might have if those ideas were realized. And why weren’t the goals met? Because the innovator didn’t have a clue. That is, he or she didn’t have a clue on how to achieve the goal. And that lack of the how allowed them to think that the idea wasn’t possible. What a catastrophic limiting belief!

Every great achievement starts with a goal, an idea, a vision. Having the courage to accept and make a goal your own, even if you don’t have a clue of how to achieve it, is the ticket to success. It might sound like crazy talk, but it’s true. It’s OK to dream without a plan … for a while.

Of course you will need to eventually develop the action steps and accountabilities to make the goal a reality. The critical thing is, though, that you can’t allow the lack of a plan to kill an idea before it has a chance to bloom.

Toyota had the idea for the Prius hybrid long before they knew how to make it real. Apple had the idea for the iPhone prior to knowing what the user interface would look like. I knew I wanted to be a coach before I technically knew how to coach. Passion is step #1 – don’t let your ideas die there without giving them a chance.

Embrace the dream, find motivation to stay excited about it and then define the actions to make it possible.

Dare to dream big. Think outside the box. Wonder about the amazing possibilities. And be comfortable doing it and being clueless at the same time. Clarity will come when it’s time. And then you will be simply amazing!

Engage by Being Engaging

Engagement surveys. Employee surveys. Annual surveys. Net Promoter Scores.

Charts. Graphs. Comparisons. PowerPoints. Plans.

Sweet mother of God, stop the madness! Stop wasting your employees’ time by asking them to fill out a mind-numbing survey while using words only an organizational development expert would understand.

STOP IT! I beg of you, stop it …

Now, take a deep breath and brace yourself. We are about to get really deep and scientific and head gamey with you.

Ready? Okay, here it is. It’s deep so prepare yourself. Hang on to something if you need to. Here goes.

Talk … to … your ... employees

That’s it. That’s all I got. Phew - I’m spent!

See, here’s the thing. The only way to truly engage your employees, short of threats and harassment, is to ask them questions and talk to them. Don’t make it any more complicated than it needs to be. Engage by being engaging!

What do you need to be successful?

What do you think?

How can I help in making this action possible?

How can I help you be accountable for completing this action?

What am I doing that is getting in your way of being successful?

What will success look like when we achieve it?

How will you feel when you/we are successful on this task?

Keep it simple. When you lead by asking questions and listening, people will usually tell you what you need to know. And the information will be a damn sight better that what they tell you by filling in a bunch of little circles with their #2 pencil. ENGAGING = AMAZING. Everytime.