Leadership – Page 16 – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

When Critics Come Calling (Part 1)

Posted August 6, 2020
by admin

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing – Aristotle

In a Peanuts cartoon Linus is curled up in a chair, reading a book, while Lucy stands behind him with a funny look on her face. Lucy then says, “It’s very strange. It happens just by looking at you.”

“What happens?” Linus asks.

Lucy calmly answers, “I can feel a criticism coming on.”

Criticism. It’s the constant companion of leaders. Hang around long enough and you will come to know this truth about leadership. Click To Tweet

“No leader lives a day without criticism,” said J. Oswald Sanders, “and humility will never be more on trial than when criticism comes.”

What about you? What’s been your experience? How have you dealt with criticism?

Let’s look at three common reactions when critics come calling.

We take it personally

Most leaders I know have a deep sense of pride in their work and otherwise like to think of themselves as good leaders. When critics come calling, it’s a normal reaction to take it personally and get defensive.

Another consideration is the source of the critic. While it can be easy to brush it off as petty behavior from a disgruntled colleague, it especially hurts when it comes from someone we once considered close.

While this is a common reaction, it may not always be the most healthy reaction. More about that later.

We retaliate

A sure sign that we have taken the critics too seriously is that we retaliate. We justify ourselves by pointing out the faults of the accuser. How many times have you, or someone you know gone down this road? How did that work out?

The trap here, if you go down this road, is now you have entered into an unhealthy game of comparison. In order to justify your hurt ego, you now have to engage on the level of the critic in an unhealthy way. Now, by your act of retaliation, you have escalated the situation whereby making amends becomes more difficult because you allowed your bruised feelings to get in the way.

While this may make you feel good in the short-term, you have now put up barriers and slowed any chance of reconciliation.

We put up walls

Among these three common reactions, this is perhaps the most destructive to your leadership. And this reaction has nothing to do with your critics. This response is all on you.

To be sure, no one likes it when critics come calling – especially when the critic has less experience or is nothing more than arm-chair quarterback with no skin in the game. I mean, who the heck do they think they are, right?

But when you choose to put up walls – those defensive measures- it is the one action that hurts you more in the long run. When you cut people off you put yourself in danger of hearing only from the people who will tell you what you want to hear - not what you need to hear. Click To Tweet

So what is a leader to do? What should your posture be when your critics come calling? What can you learn from your critics? These questions and more will be answered in When Critics Come Calling (Part 2).

Final Thoughts

As the saying goes, haters are going to hate. But for you in leadership, there’s no room for that. And while dealing with it comes with the territory, you can rise above it, learn from it, and be a better leader because of it.

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How Indecisive Leaders Hurt Morale

Posted July 8, 2020
by admin

Indecision may or may not be my problem – Jimmy Buffett

A story is told of former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, “Do you want square toes or round toes?” Unable to decide, Reagan didn’t answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days.

Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn’t decide, so the shoemaker replied, “Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready.” When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! “This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you,” the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. “I learned right then and there,” Reagan said later, “if you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will.”

Indecisive leadership is a crippling character trait for leaders. When your organization needs clear direction and decisive action, a waffling leader can cause more harm than good.

With so much at stake, why do leaders waffle and struggle with decision making? Three primary reasons come to mind.

They lack clarity

Leaders who struggle with decision making may lack the necessary clarity needed to make the necessary decision. Rather than making the wrong decision, they make no decision at all.

They lack confidence

In some situations, leaders withhold decision making because they are not confident enough in their own instincts. Rather than take a risk and make a decision, they play it safe and everyone is left dangling.

They lack consensus

In some cases, leaders withhold decision making because they don’t have a consensus on the best path forward. Rather than offend a few with a decision, the leader demoralizes everyone by not making one.

So what is a leader to do? How can a leader overcome this agonizing dilemma? Here are a few ideas.

Trust your instincts

A confident leader will trust his or her instincts in times of decision. Deep down you have a strong intuition that guides you. Trust it.

Invite input

Decisive leaders are informed leaders. Those most affected by your decisions should be the first at the table of discussion. As it’s been said, “the person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom”. Welcome input, but make your decisions on principle, not politics.

Clarify your values

The worst thing you can do as a leader is to make a decision for the sake of making one. Roy Disney was right when he said, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier”. When making a decision make sure it aligns with your values. If not, don’t do it.

Check your motives

First and foremost in your decision making should be what’s best for your organization and people. If you are making decisions to gain popularity or to gain favor with some to the detriment of others you are sowing the seeds of low morale. You must have the best interest of the team at heart and not just a few.

Final Thoughts

Leadership is about making hard decisions. Indecisive leaders make it harder–on themselves and those they lead. Your path forward begins by acknowledging what your indecisive tendencies are doing to your leadership and how it’s impacting the morale of those you lead.

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The Power of Kind Words

Posted July 2, 2020
by admin

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit – – Proverbs 18:21 ESV

I came across this story that I’d like to pass along to you:

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?” she heard whispered. “I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!” and, “I didn’t know others liked me so much,” were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last do so.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked. She nodded: “Yes.” Then he said: “Mark talked about you a lot.”

After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

“We want to show you something,” his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.”

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded, and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him.

“Thank you so much for doing that,” Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.”

All of Mark’s former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.”

Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.”

“I have mine too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary.”

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet, and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: “I think we all saved our lists.”

That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

Kind words. If there’s ever been a time when we need to speak and hear more kind words, it’s now. It seems that we are hearing less of them these days. Public discourse has a way of turning sour. We seem to be more concerned about being heard, than listening and understanding.

But all that aside, there is a better way. Taking the high road is an option and it’s up to people like me and you to lead the way.

Mother Teresa said, “ Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier”.

Change is never easy and at times the ship turns slow, but it happens one heart and one kind word at a time.

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Take The High Road: 20 Quotes to Reflect On

Posted June 27, 2020
by admin

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love – I Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)

Without question, we live in tumultuous times. The news headlines we see today are enough to discourage anyone as we see what is happening in our society.

In the midst of all the divides us, I wanted to devote space this week to remember what’s more important in times like this–taking the high road. There’s enough division out there to go around. We need to unite. Let’s be reminded that what we’d like to see in others first begins in us.

I’ve chosen 20 quotes for reflection. Take them to heart and pass them along.

“If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou

“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are. – Harold S. Kushner

“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person. Your behavior does.” – Toby Mac

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only love can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The high road is always respected. Honesty and integrity are always rewarded.” – Scott Hamilton

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” – Seneca

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” – Brad Meltzer

“We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us thru that darkness to a safe and sane future.” – John F. Kennedy

“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” – Anne Frank

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“I’m going to take the high road because the low road is too crowded.” – Mia Farrow

“Make sure you see people through the eyes of love, not the eyes of judgment.” – Joel Osteen

“Teach me to feel another’s woe, to hide the fault I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me.” – Alexander Pope

“As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person I should try to change is me.” – John Maxwell

“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” – Charles Dickens

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…” – I Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)

Bonus: “What unites us, is much greater than what divides us.” – Pope John XXIII

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Why Your Values Matter

Posted June 18, 2020
by admin

When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. – Roy E. Disney

In 2004, a painting by Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses, was brought to the Antiques Roadshow for appraisal. Born before the Civil War, Robertson did not take up painting until late in her life. Her primitive style eventually became extremely popular, and her work commanded a high price.

The man who brought the painting to be evaluated had lived nearby and his mother was a friend of Grandma Moses. He said, “She was just a wonderful friend of the family. And she would let my mother buy these paintings, which she thought had relatively little value. I guess my mother did, too. She probably bought eight or ten paintings in all, and my guess would be for perhaps under ten dollars each.”

The painting that was bought for around $10 was appraised as being with $60,000. In her early days of painting, Grandma Moses did not think of her works as being very valuable, so she parted with them for next to nothing.

Could it be that we are living in times when we truly don’t understand the importance of our values? Indeed, the times in which we live cry out for values-based leadership and in particular, leaders who are anchored to them. Click To Tweet We need leaders who know their true north and live it.

By simple definition, values are “the regard that something is held to deserve, the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” But defining values and living them becomes the challenge. Here are a few reasons why they are important to you as a leader.

Values are your non-negotiables

In leadership, your values represent your core convictions on how you lead, treat the people on your team, and how you interact with the clientele whom you serve. Your values bring clarity to who you are as a person and how you choose to live and interact with those around you. Your values, therefore, become the filter through which your decisions are made.

Values clarify policies and procedures

Many leaders pride themselves in the policies and procedures of their organizations. But they are only useful if they align with your values. Your policies and procedures do not operate in a vacuum apart from your values. Click To TweetAnd in the event you ever deal with a situation that is not addressed in your handbook, then your default procedure is always to defer to your values for guidance.

Values complement your ‘why’

Much has been said and written in recent years on finding your why and rightfully so. It’s imperative to you as a leader to know it. Knowing your why points you in the right direction while knowing your values provides you the moral compass to go there Click To Tweet. Trying to live out your why without values is like a fish trying to live out of water. It just doesn’t work. So before you begin your journey of discovering your why, start with your values.

Values facilitate decision making

As Roy Disney said in the lead-in quote, when your values are clear, decision making becomes easier. Many things about leadership are hard. Hang around long enough and you will learn that. But decision making within your organization becomes easier when your values are clear. Granted, not everyone will like your decisions, but when they are grounded in your values, then explaining that decision now becomes a teachable moment to remind them of those values.

Final Thoughts

Rumi said, “You know the value of every article of merchandise, but if you don’t know the value of your own soul, it’s all foolishness.” And this is the underlying reason to identify and know your values both personally and professionally. There are some things that are passing and temporary and other things that are eternal. The wisdom that comes from knowing your values helps you to know the difference.

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The Dirt on Leadership

Posted June 11, 2020June 11, 2020
by admin

Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. – Brian Tracy

In her column, Ask Marilyn, Marilyn vos Savant gave an interesting perspective on contentment. One reader wrote in about a unique experiment she had conducted after being dissatisfied that her neighbor’s yard looked better than her own. She did what few have done and walked next door to look back at her own grass. When she stood in her neighbor’s yard, the grass in her own yard now looked greener than theirs so she asked, “Why does this occur?”

Marilyn replied, “The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence because you’re not close enough to see the dirt.” Most of the time, things look better for others simply because we can’t see their dirt.

I remember my days as a young leader looking up to some of those larger than life people who influenced me. On one occasion, I remember meeting one such person and came away quite demoralized. I had looked up to this person, but up close there was a lot of dirt. Words like haughty, aloof, and arrogant come to mind when I recall the encounter.

That experience was more than three decades ago and since then I’ve come to set more realistic expectations. I do this not as a defense mechanism so as not to ever be disappointed again but as a way of embracing my humanity as a leader and recognizing it in others. Any of us can have a bad day and none of us want to be defined by one bad encounter. Do you?

It’s easy to see the successes in others and get caught up in the trap of comparing ourselves – our success, our following, our accomplishments up against those more successful. And when we do, we see greener grass elsewhere.

Seeing the greener grass on the other side is nothing new. We all have those moments when we think it’s time to go graze there. Here are a couple of thoughts to consider when your mind drifts in that direction.

Don’t envy other people’s dirt

Lyrics to an old Garth Brooks song say, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.” In leadership, you see what you think is the greener grass – a career move, a promotion, a better opportunity, etc., and you are tempted to jump the fence. And then in some providential way you come to discover that what you thought was a great move would have been a disaster had you taken it.

Focus on being the best leader you can be right where you are. You can only make things greener if you stay and work it. Click To Tweet

Tend to your own dirt

Back in my high school days, I worked in a garden center. In the winter months when business was slow, we prepared for spring. We would build greenhouses and we would pot thousands of roses.

But before we could begin the potting process we would have to prepare the soil. This would include all of the necessary ingredients including fertilizers – even manure, mixed together. It was smelly, dirty, and hard work. Not to mention the constant cuts from the thorns even while wearing gloves.

In leadership, just as in potting roses, you have to tend your soil, and sometimes the work is dirty and unpleasant. But the reward is worth it. Click To Tweet

So before you are envious of the green grass you think you see elsewhere, stop and consider that there’s a lot of dirt you don’t see. And regardless of how bad you think you have it, your responsibility is to bloom where you are planted.

Ultimately, yes, one day the time will be right, the new calling will be a good fit, and moving on will be the right thing to do. But it’s almost never a good move when done out of jealousy or frustration. In many of those cases, it’s just exchanging one pile of dirt and manure for another.

Final Thoughts

Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” And this is true in leadership. Create the change – create the greener grass, right where you are. And don’t forget that with all the green grass comes a good bit of dirt.

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Embrace The Interruptions

Posted May 28, 2020May 28, 2020
by admin

The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life–the life God is sending one day by day. – C.S. Lewis

I have a small collection of autographed baseballs. Aside from being a fan of baseball, I’m not exactly sure how I got started on the collection. But several autographed baseballs from Hall of Famers are set atop one of my office bookshelves.

The most prized baseball I have was given to me by my father. It was a birthday present. Growing up a St. Louis Cardinal fan, the autograph ball is from none other than Stan “The Man” Musial.

Musial broke into the Major Leagues at the age of 20. His 22-year stint with the Cardinals, the only team he played for, earned him a spot in Cooperstown. Musial ended his career with a .331 batting average, 3,630 hits, 475 home runs, and 1,951 runs batted in.

Unfortunately, I never got to see Stan Musial play. His days in the game preceded my birth, but as a Cardinals fan, his legacy is still sacred.

Musial was off to a fast start in his career. In 1943 he won the first of seven batting titles. His career was on a fast track–until it wasn’t.

Like many of his teammates in that era, duty called and in 1945, Musial joined the Navy. While that season was lost. He rejoined the Cardinals in 1946 and went on to play a stellar career.

Life, like Musial’s and countless thousands of others, is filled with curveballs that are thrown our way. Things that we didn’t see coming. Interruptions, if you will.

The past few months may seem like one colossal interruption that you’d soon rather forget. I get it. Yet, here we are.

As a leader, how you handle interruptions is important. Consider this the next time you are faced with interruptions.

Interruptions give you time to regroup

It’s easy to see interruptions as a nuisance and get frustrated. But it’s how you react during this time that will cause it to be beneficial or a waste of time. As a leader, it’s up to you to make it happen.

Interruptions give you time to rethink

What you learn and the lessons you apply during times of interruption can be invaluable going forward. It’s exactly what many have had to do during this pandemic. Learning how to pivot and make adjustments have caused many to get out of ruts and old ways of doing things that they may not have been comfortable doing prior. Click To Tweet Not all interruptions are setbacks if you use them to your advantage.

Interruptions give you a chance to re-emerge stronger

While your interruptions may have been seen as delay and loss, maybe now you can see it as a part of a greater plan to position you to be stronger than before. How you use your time of interruption can be beneficial only as you change your attitude towards it. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

What have you learned during these past few months? How have you learned to pivot and what other lessons have you learned? Permit me to encourage you to embrace the interruptions that come your way. What you can learn and how you re-engage will make all the difference.

For Musial, his interruption was a call to duty. When his service ended, he returned as strong as ever and finished a Hall of Fame career. Your interruption is not the end, it’s just a pause. Embrace it and learn from it.

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Taming The Squirrels in Leadership

Posted May 17, 2020May 17, 2020
by admin

Leadership has less to do with position than it does disposition. – John Maxwell

In this space last week, I shared with you my great disdain for squirrels. In case you missed it, I am an avid birder and my backyard is somewhat of a bird sanctuary. That being said, my yard is also a haven for those pesky and unwelcomed squirrels who come and wreak their havoc and leave.

Over the years in leadership, I have discovered that there are plenty of squirrely characters that can be found. And unlike the squirrels in my yard who are not capable of being tamed, your approach to the various squirrely characters that you come across in leadership is another story.

What are the characteristics of the squirrely types of people in leadership? For the sake of context, let’s recap the main points from part one:

First, they are self-serving. They are only in it (any place of work, business, etc.) for themselves. They make decisions based only on what’s good for them. Their motives are not hard to figure out.

Second, they stick together and sow discord. Negative people tend to attract negative people in the same way as positive people. If left unchecked, negative people will ruin morale.

Third, they are indecisive – until they’re not. These squirrely types lack direction, vision, and a sense of purpose. That being said, they drive everyone else crazy.

Finally, they destroy to get what they want. In short, they are not team players. They are only in it for themselves and they don’t care about the consequences of their actions.

So, how do we tame these squirrely people in our organizations? Here are a few thoughts.

Train them early and often

Leadership development is the key to success for those squirrely members of your team. Having the skill sets to do a job are not necessarily the same as the skill sets needed to be a productive team member. Click To Tweet So long as you are content with the squirrely team member simply because she can do her job with a high degree of proficiency but is otherwise a toxic person to be around, then you have some serious leadership gaps to fill.

Don’t look the other way when it comes to squirrely behavior simply because someone can do the job. People who can do the job are a dime a dozen. If they aren’t compatible with other team members, they can be replaced. It’s on you as the leader to train and help them reach their leadership potential.

Hold them accountable

So, you have a squirrely person on your team, now what? As you train and work with this person, hold them accountable for their growth and development. Work with them on a growth plan both personally and professionally. Help them see the connection between the two – how they compliment each other. As they begin to grow and develop in their leadership skills they will gain new confidence and increase their value to your organization.

When people in your organization have a clear picture of the value that others bring to the table, it creates trust and momentum. Click To Tweet When your people trust each other and can create together, it’s magical. But each team member has to be valued, trusted, and held accountable.

Give them margins to fail and succeed

Let’s face it – we may not all be squirrelly, but we all have our quirks and pet peeves. I do. But, as we work with those squirrely people in our organizations, let’s put their value in perspective.

Not all squirrelly people need to be written off. They just need to be given opportunities. And sometimes, like us, they fail, stumble, and get it wrong. But isn’t this every successful leader’s journey?

Everyone on your team - the squirrelly and the quirky, can add value and help move the ball forward. They just need to be given a chance - some grace. Click To Tweet Will all of them pan out and remain with you? Perhaps not.

But as you train and raise up leaders and hold people accountable, the odds are in their favor if you work hard.

Final Thoughts

It’s been said that leadership is a journey, not a destination. See the journey for what it is – full of opportunities to grow and develop as leaders who make a difference in their world. Embrace the misfits and the squirrely people along the way. There’s room for the willing, the accountable, and the teachable.

Additional reading resources:

We Wait Too Long To Train Our Leaders by Jack Zinger

Link: https://hbr.org/2012/12/why-do-we-wait-so-long-to-trai

Are You Leading By Example? by Doug Dickerson

Link: https://www.dougdickerson.net/2020/04/08/are-you-leading-by-example/

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When Leadership Gets Squirrely

Posted May 11, 2020May 11, 2020
by admin

Some people are like clouds. When they go away, it’s a brighter day. – Anonymous

I have to start this with a disclaimer. I am not a hateful person. I was raised better. So here goes my confession – I hate squirrels. I hate them with a passion. I have on occasions questioned God as to the reason for their miserable existence. But, I digress.

You see, one of my great joys is birding. I have somewhat of a bird sanctuary in my backyard at home. I love the beauty and majesty of the many birds that visit the feeders every day. They are beautiful creatures and it brings me a great deal of satisfaction to feed them and to create space for them in my yard.

But, I hate squirrels.

I hate having to chase them away from the feeders. I hate having the “experts” in the specialty stores recommend me to buy their guaranteed product that will keep them away. They don’t. Squirrels are a nuisance of the highest order.

Hang around in leadership long enough and you will run into squirrely characters. Over the years, I’ve come across plenty. Who are these squirely characters you have to contend with in leadership? In what ways are they like the menacing squirrel? Here are a few examples.

They are self-serving

At times in your organization, you will run across people who are self-serving. They make decisions based entirely on what’s good for them. Typically, these people have hidden agendas that over time become not so hidden. Then one day you have that aha moment and you realize that everything that they have been doing has only had one benefactor-themselves. Like the squirrel, they take what they want and leave the rest with no thought to the consequences.

They stick together and sow discord

Negative people tend to attract negative people in the same way positive people attract positive people. It’s one of the reasons why attitude is so important. Left unchecked, this pact of negative influencers can grow like cancer and pull everyone down. This is not to say every organization has this pact within it, but most have at least one. And so long as there is one sympathetic ear then there’s the potential for disruptions in the morale of your organization.

They are indecisive – until they aren’t

Have you ever seen a squirrel try and cross the road? They zig-zag back and forth in either direction until they finally dart across the road before they meet their demise. Sometimes in your organization, you will run across those squirrely and indecisive leaders who can’t seem to make up their mind. Their ability to lead is hindered by the obvious fact that they don’t know where they are going or why. This, of course, only frustrates the dynamic of the organization due to a lack of leadership skills which makes everyone else want to pull their hair out.

They destroy to get what they want

Over the years, I’ve had more than one bird feeder destroyed by squirrels. It’s just what they do to get to the seed. In every good, efficient, and profitable organization there are a group of dedicated and committed people who have the buy-in and determination to bring their vision to life and succeed. And then there are those squirrely people who are only in it for themselves and what’s good for them. And unfortunately, they will cause more harm than good until they are dealt with.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes when I see a group of squirrels in my yard, I call for my dog, Shakespeare. It’s a fun little activity as he anxiously waits for me to open the door while channeling his inner Mufassa with all of the energy his seven-pound Morkie body can muster. Then it happens – he charges through the door to defend his yard. The chase is on! It ends almost as quickly as it begins – the squirrels win again!

But in real life, it’s not as easy, and it’s certainly not amusing. Too much is at stake. As a leader, you will be surrounded by people who bring you joy and delight like the birds. They are pleasant to be around and are good team players.

And then you have a few squirrels.

Next week, I will devote this space to how we deal with those squirrely people and help you see your path forward.

Until next week, keep feeding the birds. It’s worth it.

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Putting Your Leadership in Perspective

Posted May 4, 2020
by admin

Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life. – Joni Eareckson Tada

Winston Churchill planned his funeral before he died. His wishes called for a bugler, positioned high in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral to play taps after the benediction. The taps were meant to represent that his physical life was over. But then came the most dramatic turn: as soon as the taps were finished, another bugler, placed on the other side of the great dome, played notes of reveille – it’s time to get up. It’s time to get up. It’s time to get up in the morning

That Churchill would choose both taps and reveille to be played at his funeral is a reminder to us about the importance of our perspective. So often we tend to dwell on only the negative. Perhaps Churchill chose Reveille to remind those who mourned that it was now their time to step up.

We’ve all been learning how to make adjustments during this pandemic. The old ways of doing things seem like a faded memory. Pivot seems to be the new buzzword as businesses acclimate to teleconferencing, zoom meetings, and social distancing.

As a leader during this time, it’s important that you take time to reflect on what all of these changes mean to you and how you navigate going forward. Here are a few perspectives to consider going forward.

What lessons from the past apply to the present?

You’ve heard the old adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. And there’s an element of truth to that, I suppose. But more importantly, when the pandemic is over, what foundational principles of leadership will help you navigate your new paths? What truths and principles of leadership will always be true and stand the test of time and pandemic? These are the ones you will stand on. Click To Tweet

What practices of the past will be obsolete?

You’ve heard the expression “new normal” and that is what we are living in. While bedrock leadership principles will stand the test of time, not all practices will. In a new normal will come new ways of doing things. Click To TweetYour perspective as a leader will be measured by how you differentiate between the two. The path forward today may look nothing like it did six months ago. As a leader, you have to put it in perspective for your people.

Will your vision be recast or rebuilt?

As a leader, you must assess what your vision going forward looks like. For many, it will mean picking up where you left off by putting your hand to the plow and grinding it out. For others, it will need to be recast based upon new circumstances. Either way, it won’t look the same. You may be one of the many who’ve had to lay off employees or closed entirely and so now your journey begins anew. Be it recast or rebuilt, your perspective as a leader determines what the future is going to look like.

Will you lead with confidence or with fear?

In the end, your perspective as a leader matters like never before. It gives you clarity of mind in the midst of turmoil and gives your people a sense of much-needed hope and confidence. How you communicate as a leader is in part based upon your perspective. It’s during this time you need to engage in purposeful reflection and sound judgment.

Final Thoughts

Your perspective as a leader will be challenged in ways like never before during this time. Take time to reflect, pray, rest, and engage. Be careful to stay grounded and connected to the realities of what is happening while charting your new normal with hope and courage.

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