15 Years of Excuses

This blog turns 15 years old on Saturday.

After more than 1,000 posts I’ve been asking myself…is there anything left to say?

Then I look around…I listen to colleagues, friends and clients. 

I hear the struggles and see the stress they’re under to make a difference and lead through unbelievably difficult times. 

I see new leaders emerging each year who are trying to be relevant in the confusing and complicated world of work.

Is there anything left to say? 

Yes, indeed. There is so much more.

Cheers to the last 15 years…and to the many years ahead of holding ourselves accountable.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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All at Once…All the Time

Leadership was the only option.

When I was young I couldn’t see myself being in any roles except leadership. I wasn’t entirely sure what that would look like, but I knew it was meant for me. And from the time I was young I seemed to end up in those roles, whether it was ‘with the boys’ or on a sports team or the various garage bands I played in.

As an adult, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to serve in leadership roles for more than 30 years. That makes me sound old, but candidly, I don’t feel it. Not yet anyway.

My youthful aspirations did not include the realities of leadership pressure to:

• Do it
• All the time
• All at once
• Manage the never-ending scrutiny
• Ignore the eyes of others always watching, and sometimes judging safely from a distance
• Achieve the future-state that is obvious at times yet requires so much patience
• Appreciate the tremendous satisfaction of seeing members of your team succeed when you know they’ve worked so hard to improve themselves

If we’re honest with each other, we place a tremendous amount of pressure on ourselves to do everything, all at the same time, every day.

I’m not sure that expectation makes sense. What do you think?

Back to it then.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

chit

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Are You a Difference Maker?

We often get so caught up in our corporate meetings, earnings pressure, regulatory deadlines, Board cycles, and the seemingly endless tasks that seem so important in the moment but don’t actually matter at the end of the day, that we forget about another priority that should actually come before all of the others.

Making a difference in someone’s day.

• Text someone to let them know you are thinking about them
• Check-in on a friend, particularly one of your ‘strong ones’
• If you’re fortunate enough to still have a parent among us, facetime them
• Ask your team members about their life outside of work
• Schedule time to volunteer at a not-for-profit that aligns with your values
• Do something other than focusing exclusively on your job

Our professional lives are an important part of our life…but they are not our whole life. 

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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The Ultimate Force Multiplier

There are an endless supply of ‘experts’ who claim to have the secret ingredients to a successful leadership career. Some are more relevant than others; some are more credible than others; most put a spin on the message to attempt to claim their continual stream of solid, never miss a step, always perfect insights that we all should follow.

Hmmm. There sure are a lot of experts out there who apparently have never had a bad day.

For those that feel the massive burden of leadership the quest to continually learn is a noble one. Distilling down to what’s best for you from many sources is a strong way to keep your mind sharp and open to new ideas you may not have considered. 

Today I offer something you may have overlooked in your quest for ongoing growth.

At the end of the day it is you that makes the difference. Not this blog, not my book (or any blog or book for that matter.) You can not learn to ride a bike by reading about it. You can’t learn to speak Italian without practicing over and over again. And you certainly can not become the leader you ultimately can be without doing something. 

The ultimate force multiplier you are searching for is within you.

Take a few moments today to consider how much you bring to the table already; and, how you can integrate all of the interesting things you’ve read about into becoming the best leader you can be.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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You and Whose Army?

Life has a way of throwing a lot at us sometimes. That’s not unusual. What is different however is when ‘a lot’ turns into what feels like a barrage.

Imagine a small scrum that is somewhat manageable, and then you look over the horizon and see the hordes lining up to join the fray.

To be fair, I am blessed in many ways...and…I also clearly see the faces of those hordes lining up as they move in my direction.

These stressors hit us at home, at work, in our social networks (I’m referring to the in-person old school relationships here), and can be overwhelming.

So, what is there to do about it? For me, its about leaning on my faith, and cadidly, getting a little feisty.

“Bring it on!” 

“Let’s go!”

“You, and whose army?”

Life isn’t about rolling over and playing dead…in our personal or professional lives.

Leaders endure.

Leaders sometimes have to suffer.

Leaders….lead into and through the storm.

Believe in yourself, and go get ‘em. That horde won’t be so scary after all.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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The 4 Most Important Things

I’m convinced there are four basic elements of highly effective leadership….and I’ve laid them out quickly for you here.

1. Energy: if you don’t bring energy to your work each day, don’t expect anyone to get excited about following you.

2. Risk: if you’re not willing to try new and innovative approaches to solving problems, don’t expect anyone to think you’re doing anything but playing it safe.

3. Relationships: if you’re not willing to back up privately with what you say publicly, don’t expect anyone to believe what you say.

4. Moral Compass: if you’re not starting from an ethical foundation, don’t expect anyone to think that you’re in it for anyone but yourself.

You already have these behaviors inside you. Implementing them consistently however means you will need to commit to being more intentional than ever before in your daily leadership practice.

You can do it…even if theses approaches “don’t feel like you.” They work. Push yourself to give them a try and watch what happens.

If you’d like to learn more about ‘the 4 things” check out my book Unstoppable Power and read through the practical examples of how this methodology has been so transformative.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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Practice? I Don’t Need to Practice!

When I was growing up I had a passion for basketball. I practiced for hours…often beginning my training for the following season a few weeks after the current season ended. I put in the time to understand the fundamentals until they were second nature. Then I worked on more advanced skills when I was ready. 

The result was that I was a pretty good ball player.

Fast forward to my thirty-first year of formal leadership roles…

• When did I practice my leadership skills to get better? 
• When did I work on the fundamentals? 
• When did I know I was ready to work on more advanced skills?

Yes, I went through leadership development classes (and delivered hundreds and hundreds of hours of training to leaders)…but was all of that actual practice?

If we believe a few hours of leadership development training alone is going to count as ‘practice’ we are sorely mistaken. Leadership classes are a perfect way to BEGIN practice….they are definitely not the end.

To layer a famous Winston Churchill quote on our leadership development topic: “This is not the end…it is not even the beginning of the end…it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Classes are an essential start to the process; however, we must practice. We must take risks, struggle, try new approaches…all with the end goal in mind of elevating how we lead.

The inherent arrogance that comes with a fancy job title or recent promotion can be a massive derailer without us even being aware. Surely we don’t need to practice if we’ve achieved this level of success, right?

Remember, the higher up the ladder you climb, the greater the number of eyes (often envious eyes) will be fixated on your every move. 

So, do you choose to portray an air of perfection to those around you?

Maybe, showing you’re human just like everyone else opens the door for you to actually practice what you’ve learned?

Practice might just be the secret ingredient that allows you to take that next big step in your career. What do you think? How do you ‘practice’ leading?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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