Inspire Action

Doing some reading this weekend and one TED led to another TED and I ended up on this one called How Great Leaders Inspire Action.  As I decided to send it out to a few of you, I got an email from a former team member.  She sent the link to me via email with a “must watch” note.  Coincidence?  Only if you believe in such things….

"You know, in the military, they give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may gain. In business, we give bonuses to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we may gain. We have it backwards. Right?” – Simon Sinek

We absolutely do have it backwards, but the great news is – it isn’t too late. “WE” can change! And when I say “WE”,  I always start with the “I”. 

“Leadership is a choice. It is not a rank. I know many people at the senior most levels of organizations who are absolutely not leaders. They are authorities, and we do what they say because they have authority over us, but we would not follow them. And I know many people who are at the bottoms of organizations who have no authority and they are absolutely leaders, and this is because they have chosen to look after the person to the left of them, and they have chosen to look after the person to the right of them. This is what a leader is.” - Simon Sinek

Be the leader who sets the tone.  And set a beautiful tone that is not only visionary and strategic, but also kind and compassionate. Most of all set the tone that allows team members to fall and learn and get up again [repeat] and then reward those team members for having the courage to fall forward. Reward them also for watching out for the colleague on the right and cheering them on as they fall forward.

Through that selfless action, make the world, your company, your home a GREAT, safe place to learn and grow.

TED Talks: How Great Leaders Inspire Action http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Whatsapp Founder wanted A Job; Facebook Said No -- In A $3 Billion Mistake

Was commuting to work and reading Forbes when a headline caught my eye. Whatsapp Founder wanted A Job; Facebook Said No -- In A $3 Billion Mistake.

As occurs often in our technology-related jobs, by the time I got to work two or three team members had forwarded same article to me or to the team with varying comments -- but all recommended a read.

Having already read it, I decided to respond to the entire distribution list with the following:

I absolutely LOVE this story.

While I think Facebook and Twitter made a mistake, I don’t believe it was a mistake for Brian Acton. In fact, NOT being hired was probably the best thing to happen. Heck, without corporate boundaries, he was able to be create WhatsApp. Thank heavens he wasn’t hired!! If he had, would he be worth $3 billion today? Would we even know his name?

The bigger message in this story just feels good and is a good reminder:
• It’s not important how many times you are knocked down. It is important that you get up and continue forward.
• Do not get hung up by people or companies that don’t know your value. Know your personal value.
• Do not EVER be content with lack of leadership. Instead rise and be the leader you want to see in your workplace.
• And, always remember that investment in people wins in the end. One of these days, I will consolidate all of these "reminders" as I imagine I would have quite a list.

Happy Thursday all,
Stacy

Vulnerability

Brené Brown has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. The first five years of her study focused on shame and empathy. She is now taking that learning to explore a concept that she calls “wholeheartedness”.

Last year, a friend introduced me to a Ted Talk by researcher professor, Brené Brown. Upon recommendation, my friend told me to “move beyond the title” and just watch the video. That was when I knew I was in trouble. Yep, there was going to be a message for me within the video.

The title of the Ted Talk was “The Power of Vulnerability”. My thoughts went between “um, okay” to ““Really?” to “No chance in …” to “If I get a free moment.” But, I did watch the video and 20 minutes later I understood why she had recommended it to me.

Brown describes herself as a “researcher storyteller” who studies the human connection. In the Ted Talk, Brown talks about her “slugfest” with vulnerability and the journey to understand courage, authenticity and shame in a world that thrives on controlling and predicting. Brown says, “And now my mission to control and predict had turned up the answer that the way to live is with vulnerability and to stop controlling and predicting.” AHHHH! If you have seen my pantry, you know I enjoy a degree of control and predict … so letting go was CRAZY TALK! Or was it?

In our world that focuses on our imperfections, how does one find the courage to embrace vulnerability in order to find authenticity and worthiness? And, how do we build a culture of compassion to connect with others and share the message that we are all worthy. We all belong. And, we all deserve joy.

Now it is your turn.

Get beyond the title.

Watch the video.

There is a message within uniquely for you.

TED Talks: The Power of Vulnerability http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Positive Impact Test (How Full is Your Bucket?)

The Positive Impact Test is from the book, entitled How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton.

1. I have helped someone in the last 24 hours
2. I am an exceptionally courteous person.
3. I like being around positive people.
4. I have praised someone in the last 24 hours.
5. I have developed a knack for making other people feel good.
6. I am more productive when I am around positive people.
7. In the last 24 hours, I have told someone that I cared about her/him.
8. I make it a point to become acquainted with people wherever I go.
9. When I receive recognition, it makes me want to give recognition to someone else.
10. In the last week, I have listened to someone talk through his/her goals or ambitions.
11. I make unhappy people laugh.
12. I make it a point to call each of my associates by the name she/he likes to be called.
13. I notice what my colleagues do at a level of excellence.
14. I always smile at the people I meet.
15. I feel good about giving praise whenever I see good behavior.

Lead:ology - Leaders Versus Managers: A False Dichotomy

From Lead:ology - Leaders Versus Managers: A False Dichotomy
By Michael McKinney (June 22, 2009)


The 1989 leadership classic On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis contains what has become one of the most discussed and frequently misunderstood concepts in leadership literature. I'm referring to, of course, insightful list of twelve differences between leaders and managers:

The manager administers; the leader innovates.
The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
The manager maintains; the leader develops.
The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
The manager has an eye always on the bottom line; the leader has an eye on the horizon.
The manager imitates; the leader originates.
The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his own person.
The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

The distinctions made by Bennis are important as they expose two very different and equally valuable mindsets. As each works best in the presence of the other, it is to our advantage that we possess and practice both. It is through a developed sense of awareness and experience that we are able to determine which mindset we need to employ, relative to what and when.

Random Thoughts - Sent to me from Nicole

Random Thoughts for Today

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer's history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to the ten-page paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.

15. I hate it when I miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?) but when I immediately call back it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day " Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?

19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

My Wish for You in 2010

Thank you Peggy for this wonderful wish. Back at you!
________________________

My Wish for You in 2010

May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had, forget your home address!

In simple words, may 2010 be the best year of your life!!!

I Wish You Enough - Anon

Thank you Marnie for sending me this story about a father and daughter in their last moments together.

They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough."

She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."

They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me.
So I knew what this man experiencing. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said.

"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if hewere reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

THE TIPPING POINT OF A GREAT LEADER by Anne Warfield

http://www.impressionmanagement.com/articles/The_Tipping_Point_of_a_Great_Leader_art_0025.shtml

The Tipping Point of a Great Leader What does the movie Coach Carter, the book The Tipping Point, and great leadership have in common?

Every Executive I work with wants to be a good, positive, and strong leader. When I ask them what they would like to change in order to make their life easier they often say things like, “it would be great if my team could think more independently to make the best decisions possible WITHOUT me involved!”

But how do you do that? In order to answer that all we need to do is look at the above question because the answer is right there.

One of the most fundamental and pivotal points of a great leader is one most people hate to take on. It is the one ingredient that makes a huge difference between great parents and just okay parents. It is what makes a team stick or fall apart. That one ingredient is consequences. It means that as a leader you have to have standards that you will NOT compromise no matter who is asking. It means that you have to follow up to make sure the standards are held up by all people. This can be very painful to do!

What I rarely see Executives do well is have direct consequences for poor behavior. In the movie Coach Carter each player had to sign a contract. The contract required them to have an average GPA of 2.3 while the state only required a 2.0, wear ties on game day, to participate in all classes and to sit in the front row.

The players thought these demands were not fair and the parents even stood up and said these are ridiculous standards, yet Coach Carter stayed firm. Even his boss, the school principal, thought he was being too “harsh.” They all thought his standards were too high because they weren’t the “average.” Coach Carter replied that “these are student players. The first word in there is student and that's what I expect them to be.”

Coach Carter took a job at Richman High School where only 50% of all students graduated and only six students out of every one hundred went on to college. That was a standard when he arrived. Parents, teachers and the school principal all told him that he was there to coach basketball and nothing more.

As an Executive you will often face people feeling you are unfair because your “standards” are too high. They will push you to lower them. And often, like in the case of Coach Carter, it could be your boss that tries to get you to lower those standards. When you have pressure like that it becomes even easier to let of your consequences for not following the standards. That is the first step to mediocrity.

In the book “The Tipping Point” Malcolm Gladwell proves over and over how ONE little thing can be the tipping point that sends a neighborhood to crime and violence. If one house has a window boarded up it is only a matter of time before crime creeps in to the neighborhood. Stopping the fare jumpers instead of going after the big criminals helped turn the subways around and reduced crime. So check your own scoreboard. What are your standards?

What are you willing to do to support those standards? What consequences will you FAIRLY and JUSTLY enforce to make sure ALL PLAYERS know the standards and follow them?

For this next month, challenge yourself to focus on ONE standard you would like to see followed in your company and set about implementing it in your company. Then just sit back and watch the positive ripple effect.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
As the leading Outcome Strategist, Anne Warfield shows people how to present their ideas, products and services so people WANT to listen to you. Her communication formula is easy to apply and produces proven results. Fortune 500 companies around the world have utilized her expertise and her work is published around the world. She has been published in Business Week, Good Housekeeping, Forbes publications and has been featured on ABC, NBC and CBS. Anne speaks around the world about Outcome Focus™ Communication. To book Anne, contact her at 888-imp-9421 or check out her web site at www.ImpressionManagement.com. Check out her website to take the communication quiz for yourself! Books can be purchased from Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. You can also email us at contact@impressionmanagement.com.

The Great Sticky Escape

Anne Warfield, knowing my love for reading, sent me a recommendation to read the latest Jim Collins book.

Admittedly, the pile of books on my dresser has grown over the past months and I haven’t been going through them as fast as I would like. So I merely wrote the name of the book down on a sticky and placed it on top of the stack.

One weekend while cleaning, I found the sticky. It had migrated from the top of the stack to the right side of the dresser. I moved it back to the top of the stack. Two weekends ago, as my youngest son walked out of my bedroom, I noticed something attached to his backside…It was my sticky note!

I took it as a sign. Bought the book, read the book and have spent the past two weeks thinking about the book.

I am not going to ruin it for you, but will share some of my margin notes:
· Leadership is not a position. It is not a title. It is not a club or committee. You don’t sign up for it. And contrary to popular belief, you can’t take a class on it. You live it. You believe it. You model it.
· Leaders are focused on “we” versus “I”. Leadership is about enabling others to achieve the noble goal. It truly is about shared responsibility and group wins.
· The big difference between leadership and management is the ability to promote a vision and bring a group together to believe in it in order to effectively execute it.
· Leaders are as comfortable following as they are leading. The best leaders I have known have sometimes pushed me forward or stepped back in order to move me forward.
· Leaders are not perfect. They have trying days and lose EQ like the rest of us. I am reminded that leadership isn’t about being perfect at all times. It is about how they act/react during the trying times.

Now, I’m going to do something a little different. Instead of sending you the book, I am including a sticky note on the page with the book’s name and author on it. If this book piques your interest, I would encourage you to purchase it. If your pile is too high, then add this sticky to your list/pile. Just be aware that it might try to pull of the Great Sticky Escape!

Thanks for letting me share,

~stacy

Appreciate by Rachel Snyder

Every day of the year (not just as Thanksgiving!), appreciate everything you've been given-especially the chance to be a mother. consider yourself lucky, even during those times when baby is cranky and none of your clothes seem to fit.

Slow down for a second and appreciate a moment of silence. Be grateful for the stillness. Appreciate just how blessed you truly are--that you have friends and family you can count on, that your home is warm and your child is loved.

Appreciate the people who make your life a bit easier: your baby's day care provider, your pediatrician, kind strangers who hold open doors for you while you struggle to maneuver your little one's stroller. Find a way to show your thanks, even if it's as simple as a word.

Rachel Snyder lives in boulder, Colorado, and is the author of 365 Words of Well-Being for Women (Contemporary Books, 1997).

This was found in American Baby - November 98 edition.

Live with Intention by Mary Anne Radmacher

live with intention.
walk to the edge.
listen hard.
practice wellness.
play with abandon.
laugh.
choose with no regret.
continue to learn.
appreciate your friends.
do what you love.
live as if this is all there is.