May 29th, 2009
I love cake. No, really, give me a large piece of double chocolate cake smothered with dark chocolate gelato and cover it with melted, dark chocolate syrup and I’m in seventh heaven, as they say.
Just don’t give me that often. It’s about the waistline.
Although there are probably dozens of ways to do so, I don’t usually combine my love of chocolate cake with messages about leadership.
However, I was having a discussion the other day with a client who operates a restaurant chain and the two words mingled.
The client, knowing my affinity for using acronyms to anchor a point, challenged me to create a way to use the word “cake” in a leadership lesson.
Challenge accepted.
You may be familiar with my mantra: “leadership is a moment-to-moment choice.” Well, that’s our starting point. Let’s grab a fork and dig in to our C.A.K.E.
C= Choice…Real leaders know it’s all about the choices they make each day. Leadership takes Courage to be yourself and allow others to do the same. Clarity of purpose and how your values affect the world you walk in is instrumental. Creativity is essential. Real leaders love to stretch their thinking and create new avenues for success. And, of course, Commitment is crucial for yourself and others. Without commitment, nothing changes. Not you. Not them. Nothing.
A=Action… Real leaders don’t sit around and wait for the action to come to them. They go after what they want with Audacity. They use the Law of Attraction to Ask, Act and Accept that the outcome they desire is only a matter of time. They have the Ability to see the perspective of others and inspire them. They see Adversity as a challenge to their vision only to be overcome.
K=Kindness…Real leaders lead with grace. They are Kind to themselves and others. They offer Keys to success to those who join with them.
E=Energy…Real leaders derive their energy from their passion. They jump into each morning with childlike wonder knowing they create that day with their attitude. They offer Encouragement to others and Enable them to aspire to great heights. Real leaders are always learners. Whether each action creates success or not, they learn from every outcome and Evolve.
That was a piece of cake. (He said tongue in cheek.) Next up? C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E.
Robert H. Thompson is the author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable. You can reach him and subscribe to his Leadership Path newsletter at www.leaderinsideout.com
Tags: action, credibility, demonstrate, effective, energy, evolve, innovation, kindness, leadership, passion, presence, service, thompson, vision, voice
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
April 28th, 2009
We’ve heard quite a bit lately about “shovel ready” projects usually framed as “construction projects ready-to-go” but just in need of a bit of “stimulus.”
Well, in these difficult times, with perhaps more to come, the hour has arrived for our leaders to become shovel ready. It’s time for you to get shovel ready. It’s time for all of us to become part of the stimulus.
To me, the term shovel ready means that some advanced thought and effort has precipitated the ability to be ready.
With that in mind, I have devised Seven Steps to becoming a Shovel Ready Leader™.
1. Passion: Even amid all of the chaos swirling around you, your family or your organization, you must find a few moments to reflect on what you really are passionate about. Ask yourself why you care about this? Without knowing this key ingredient, you might dig in the wrong direction. Write your responses down. Reflect on them often, especially during moments of hesitation.
2. Presence: This does not mean propping yourself up with your shovel as others do the work or plopping behind your desk in your favorite pinstripes. Leadership is a moment-to-moment choice. To be a Shovel Ready Leader™ you must be authentically present to those around you at all times. You need to completely close the gap between your beliefs and behaviors. To do this you must be aware of what you stand for and why. Your core values are key to your success. Dig too far away from your core and a bottomless pit of dismal outcomes awaits you. Please note, presence includes listening, not just hearing. Shovel Ready Leaders™ are active listeners. They use questions as teaching tools. When you listen deeply, you create a credibility path so others not only want to join with you, but lobby for the honor.
3. Voice: This is not about raising your voice over the din. It’s about discovering your true voice and helping others find theirs. Storytelling is the key. Shovel Ready Leaders™ find elements from past stories about overcoming adversity that help him or her make sense of what is ahead and how to frame the future Vision Story. Moreover, your Vision Story must offer a terrain map of a positive future and everyone’s role in it. Speaking from your heart will attract others who will join you in this new quest moving them away from chaos and towards commitment. However, in your workplace, where change may be greeted with anything but open arms, people may need to be personally and warmly invited. Just because they work in the same organization doesn’t mean they feel a part of what’s next. Invite them personally and share the benefits of picking up a shovel with you.
4. Action: Grab your shovel, dig a deep trench and shove those “never been helpful” limiting thoughts deep into the ditch and bury them for good. Your mind is your most valuable ally. Yet, it can be your most ardent adversary. When you take charge of your mind, you begin to take charge of your life. Shovel Ready Leaders™ understand leading is about doing not just talking. Question everything, especially those redundant systems and those deep potholes potentially masked as your policies and procedures. When you do that, you will help others see obstacles as opportunities.
5. Service: Being of service is a way of life. Choose it. Being a Shovel Ready Leader™ means not looking at those around you as tools in your “Tim The Tool Man” belt. You don’t call them “my people.” You are not the “boss” of them; you are their servant leader. You honor them as individuals and refuse to use them as a “mosh pit” of automatons. You purposely create a diversified cast of talented fellow leaders. Many of them should be smarter than you and preparing to succeed you if you’re lucky. When you recognize and reward, you think about it in advance. You don’t just toss thank you bouquets to the masses as you mosey down the hallway. You acknowledge them meaningfully, and not with an “Attaperson” print out from the copy machine either. Learn about the people who have rolled up their sleeves with you and acknowledge them personally. Your goals should include focusing on helping them create their masterpiece.
6. Evolve: Incremental or giant leaps. You choose. The Shovel Ready Leader™ is a rabid learner. SRL’s never plateau. They are always stretching themselves and others. Read voraciously and encourage others to do the same. Seek out other learners as well. Create a Book Club at work and use all types of books (like The Offsite) to ignite a leadership conversation with your team. Always be ready to try new things. “It’s the way we’ve always done things” is not the battle cry of Shovel Ready Leaders™.
7. Demonstrate: Exhibit the above behaviors every moment by using my simple but effective The Four Commitment Questions™ “What Can I Do More Of? What Can I Do Less Of? What Can I Start Doing? What Can I Stop Doing?” Commit to this new way of living. Without commitment, nothing changes. Not you. Not them. Nothing.
Well, there you have it, The Seven Steps to becoming a Shovel Ready Leader.™ I’m sure there are more. Let me know if you come up with an eighth, ninth or tenth. I’d be glad to post them.
Tags: action, credibility, demonstrate, effective, evolve, innovation, leadership, passion, presence, service, thompson, vision, voice
Posted in Thought Grenades | No Comments »
January 12th, 2009
Dear President-Elect Obama:
You are about to be seated behind the desk of the most powerful job in the world. As you probably know, the chair you will be sitting on has had plenty of “posers” and few great leaders. The country (even those who did not vote for you) needs you to fall into the latter category. For all of the reasons that you are intensely aware of, it is a matter of most urgency. With that in mind, I share the following six suggestions for your personal and our country’s success.
#1. Credibility: Earning is hard. Losing is easy. During your campaign, it seemed apparent that you have closed the gap between your beliefs and your behavior. (If not yet closed, they are tightening.) You would not have won the election without your determination and persistence. But your next success will need more than that. You will need to be bone honest to the core. And you must demand it from others around you regardless of the consequences. Transparency (the new buzzword) will become everything from the start. There have been so many shenanigans (some criminal) in the White House during my life that one step in the wrong direction without admittance and apology will be the end of your credibility for millions of Americans and citizens worldwide. Sorry about that, but it’s just the way it is. (Remember, it’s always about the cover-up.)
#2. Vision: Create one. Share often. You were always on message during the campaign and that was a good thing. But over the last few months, the country and the world has shifted dramatically once again. We need to hear, see, feel and taste your vision for the country. It must be a shared vision, something that draws on our deepest desires so we can eagerly join with you. Call for a new Citizen Engagement. We want, once again, to believe in the overarching values that make America strong and respected in the world. Your Vision Story can make that happen. Don’t try to just masquerade lofty words as your vision, it needs to be compelling, inspiring and embracing for all.
#3. Innovation: Brainstorm. Not Blamestorm. Steer clear of the “box”. We have been doing much the same thing over and over again for decades and it (obviously) is NOT working. Yes, there has been a dabble of innovation here and there, but for the most part our “head stuck in the sand” approach has led us to our present state of affairs. Government is broken on nearly every level. Our health care and educational system is dysfunctional (to name just two). Our ability to roll up our sleeves and work together (or with other countries) has been turned to shambles. We need action, of course, but it must be the right action at the right time for the right reasons. Bring in “outsiders” and brainstorm new ideas and fresh approaches to everything or you will find yourself “blamestorming” in four years.
#4. Enable: Facilitate. Don’t dominate. The talented people you have chosen for your cabinet need even smarter people behind them. Once in place, they need authority coupled with their responsibility. They need more “outsiders” around them so they can see the world with new eyes as well. However, these people can’t be just let loose to run amok. They need boundaries (especially constitutional) and systems in place or reinforced to “red flag” miscreants. Remember, their misdeeds will impact your credibility. (See #1.)
#5. Encourage: Community. Not immunity. Our world is a community. Our country is a community. Everyone needs to be able to share their passion, be celebrated and recognized for the good they do. Spread the credit around. Hopefully, everyone is seriously sick and tired of the partisan politics and tribal turmoil that has defined us in the past. It’s time to re-boot America. There are no easy solutions. Please continue to “dance with those who brought you”. But save a few steps for the others. All points of view should be heard and seriously reflected upon. And when someone from a minority corner of the room steps up with an idea of value it needs to be honored, considered and acted upon if appropriate.
#6. Commitment: All in. Nothing out. No matter what happens the day before. Each morning when you wake up, gaze into your mirror (or your daughter’s eyes) and re-commit to the above. Without commitment nothing changes, not you, not us. Nothing.
We’ll be watching. Our children’s dreams are with you.
Tags: credibility, innovation, leadership, obama, thompson, vision
Posted in Thought Grenades | No Comments »
