Pardon the Interruption

Amelia Earhart once said, “Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.” I like her optimism. And this is simply the point – optimism matters.

Whether you are a seasoned leader or just out of the gate, optimism is that driving force that will cause you to succeed if you have it, and will hold you back if not.

Take a look at any top performer in his or her respective occupation and the one underlying characteristic that you are sure to find is optimism. Did they face adversity, setbacks, failures, and disappointments? You bet. But what kept them in the game when others gave up? You guessed it; optimism.

Richard M. DeVos said, “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile.  A world of optimism and hope. A “you can do it” when things are tough.” I agree.  So regardless of the challenges you face and the tasks before you, know that you have the abilities and skills to be the best! Don’t give up!

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted! is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

Service-based Leadership

You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service that you are now being paid for. – Napoleon Hill

In his book, Waking the American Dream, Don McCullough relates a story about Winston Churchill during World War II. England decided to increase its production of coal. Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.

First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven Luftwaffe from the sky.

Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner’s caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, ‘And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?’ And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, ‘We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.’”

Needed within the ranks of your organization are team members playing to their strengths to make your business thrive. These positions cover the spectrum from high visibility to those with their “faces to the coal”, but nonetheless extremely valuable in their service and responsibilities.

Service-based leadership is the life-blood of your organization. In his best-selling book, The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn writes, “The best Freds are true artists at taking ordinary products or job responsibilities and services and making them extraordinary. They are real-world alchemists who practice the art and science of ‘value creation.’” He is right. Do you have a culture of service within your organization?  Here are three tips to help you turn that picture of service-based leadership into a practice.

Re-create your culture. In a recent survey by Consumer Reports, consumers revealed their most irritating customer service gripes. Topping the list? Not being able to get a human on the phone, rude salespeople, many phone steps needed, long waits on hold, unhelpful solutions, and no apology for unsolved problems, just to name a few.

If you are going to re-create your current culture and transform it into a service-based leadership culture, you must change your point of view. This is done when you quit your navel-gazing ways and look at your operation through the eyes of your customers. Solicit their feedback and audit their responses and see how you measure up. Re-creating the culture within your organization begins when you shift the focus off yourself and onto those you serve.

Re-focus your priorities. Service-driven leadership begins with fundamental shifts in attitudes and actions. This is characterized by making sure that your core values are clear to everyone within your organization and practiced with everyone outside of it. If your values are not clear internally do not expect any help from those you serve because they will not know either.

The responsibility for service-based leadership rests with the leader at the top of the organization. Ken Blanchard said, “True success in servant leadership depends on how clearly the values are defined, ordered, and lived by the leader.” How clear are your organizational values?

Re-claim your purpose. What is the true meaning or purpose behind what you do? Billy Sunday said, “More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent.” He’s right. The secret of service-driven leadership is found in your purpose. When your purpose and passions are clear so is your mission.

Without purpose you may find yourself like Alice in the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland. In a conversation between her and the Cheshire Cat, Alice asked, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat. “I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,”
said the cat.

Which way you go matters.  Service-based leadership is deliberate, focused, and is crucial to your success. Service-based leadership is simply servant leadership principles lived out in the marketplace. In order for it to work, you must, like Churchill, paint the picture for others to see and put a plan into action. In order to get ahead you must be willing to serve.

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted! is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

Take Me Out to…Fenway Park!

Jimmy Buffet once said, “These old ballparks are like cathedrals in America. We don’t have big old Gothic cathedrals like they do in Europe. But we got baseball parks.” What an astute observation.

Today marks the 100th year of one of the most beloved baseball parks in America – Fenway Park in Boston. I’ve had the honor of attending a few games at Fenway and each time I come away with a sense of awe of just how sacred the grounds are and how rich in history the park is, and just how fortunate we are that it remains.

So, here’s to you Fenway Park. Thank you for the memories and may another 100 years of baseball history be yours – and a few more titles would be nice too!

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted! is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

Change is on the Way

Today the Space Shuttle Discovery took its final flight atop a 747 enroute to Washington, D.C. for its final destination at the Smithsonian. I had the opportunity on a number of occasions over the years to witness Shuttle launches from Cape Canaveral which was always a spectacular show.

Many today bemoan the end of an era with the Shuttle program and wonder just what the future holds for the space program. And granted, as much as the space program has been a part of our national experience the past number of decades, I understand the sentiment.

The events of today cause me to think of an important leadership lesson that can be hard to embrace at times: change. I am reminded of what John Maxwell wrote about change when he said, “Once the leader has personally changed and discerned the difference between novel change and needed change, then that leader must become a change agent.” So, what about you? Do you embrace change and are you a change agent?

To be sure, nothing stays the same as we witnessed this morning. But unless you are willing to change for the sake of the future, you will always be living in the past with no clear vision for the future.

How do you embrace change? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted! is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

Leading Through Barriers

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. – Christopher Reeve

Sports Illustrated columnist Kostya Kennedy wrote a moving tribute recently in honor of Rachael Robinson, the widow of the late baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. Now 93-years old, Rachael Robinson remains very active in the day-to-day operations of the Jackie Robinson Foundation which provides scholarships to minority students from around the country. Her work in preserving Jackie Robinson’s legacy is testament to her great generosity and authentic leadership.

The Sports Illustrated feature coincides with the 65th anniversary when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he played his first game in Major League Baseball and the 50th anniversary since he was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And thanks to Rachael Robinson, the legacy of Jackie Robinson lives on.

Jackie Robinson’s rise to stardom as an authentic major league player was met with much resistance and racial barriers that had to be overcome. And one event that helped turn the tide of public perception occurred in his home stadium in Brooklyn when during a game Robinson committed an error.

The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans jeered. Shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success before they gave up.” And this is the challenge for leaders who break barriers. Success comes to those who will stick to it longer than others, who will not give up, and press through their personal barriers. What will be your response to the barriers in leadership that you face? From the amazing career of Jackie Robinson to the remarkable work of his beloved widow, Rachael, we learn three important leadership lessons about facing our barriers.

Barriers build character. Down through the ages traditional wisdom has taught us to pick our battles wisely. But if given the choice, how many of us would choose to face a battle? The point being, we do not always choose the battles or barriers that we face, but we do choose how we address them. Robinson’s battle, by default, was in breaking the barriers of racism and proving he had the skills worthy of the Major Leagues. And Robinson did this with his character in-tact and with the talents that placed him in the Hall of Fame.

The next time you are tempted to grumble or complain about the barriers that you face try a little perspective on for size. It’s been said that obstacles are those frightening things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. Barriers can build your character if you will learn not to let them be your road block.

Barriers build bridges.  And this is the mark of what happens when leaders step up to the plate.  As barriers are overcome and new doors are opened, it paves the way for others to step up and achieve their dreams. As a leader, when you face and overcome your barriers you are creating opportunities and possibilities not just for yourself, but for others.

The emergence of Jackie Robinson onto the grand stage of Major League Baseball opened the door for other minorities who have followed. But what is notable is the way in which Robinson viewed his hurdle. He did not see his barrier as a stop sign. He saw it as a pause on his pathway to his dream. How do you see your barriers?

Barriers build possibilities. Robinson’s post-baseball career was marked by his service to the cause of Civil Rights. Now through the mission of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, his memory is being honored and his legacy is being passed down to future generations. The barriers he faced were merely stepping stones to great causes that live on 40 years after his death.

What will be the mark of your leadership? It will, in part, be determined by the choices you make in the face of adversity. Your barriers are not detours; they are signposts that you are tempted to ignore. But it’s when you travel with courage the road marked out for you that you can rise above them, and pave the road of your destiny.

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

Doug’s new book, Great Leaders Wanted!  is now available. Visit www.dougsmanagementmoment.blogspot.com to order your copy today!

What an Attitude!

Over the years I have been convinced that the attitude we have goes a long in determining our success as leaders. We may not always control what happens to us, but we are in charge of how we react.

My friend Mark Sanborn says, “”Freds know that one of the most exciting things about life is that we awake each day with the ability to reinvent ourselves. No matter what happened yesterday, today is a new day. While we can’t deny the struggles and setbacks, neither should we be restrained by them.” What a powerful thought.

That we will face struggles is a given. But our attitude should be predictably positive! How is your attitude?

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

 

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What’s Not to Love?

The new list of the best and worst jobs of 2012 as reported by careercast.com has been released.

Topping the list of the best jobs? HR Managers, Financial Planners, Occupational Therapist, and Online Advertising Manages. Topping the list of worst jobs were lumberjacks, newspaper reporters, and broadcasters.

Everyone wants to find meaning and value in their work. Whether you work in an occupation that ranks for being a “best” or a “worst” job according to the poll, what matters is that you are doing your best, and that you are a “best” employee.

Indira Gandhi said, “My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition there.” How true.

Here’s the leadership lesson: it’s not about where you work that makes you happy or fulfilled; it’s about being your best and doing your best that makes you fulfilled.

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

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Apology Accepted?

Yahoo Sport is reporting (http://yhoo.it/HtApbW) that on the heels of The Toronto Maple Leafs missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh straight year, that team chairman Larry Tanenbaum has released an open letter of apology to the fans.

In part, the letter reads, “The Toronto Maple Leafs are a public trust with the greatest fans in the world. We have fallen short of everyone’s expectations, and for that we are sorry. We take full responsibility for how this team performs on the ice, and we make no excuses. The way this year ended was unacceptable. Results are the only measure of success in sports and the results speak for themselves.”

What do you make of the open letter of apology? Do you think he was correct? Robin Quivers once said, “An apology might help, but you can your life without one.” While it might be commendable that the apology was issued, who really benefits from it?

So, I’d like to hear from you. Was it appropriate and given a similar set of circumstances would you do it?

 

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

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How Far Will Your Dream Take You?

Bubba Watson won his first major golf championship at The Masters in Augusta yesterday. It was done in dramatic fashion on the 10th hole in a playoff with South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen

In the post-victory press conference Watson was asked if it was a dream come true to win at Augusta. Watson replied rather curiously, “I’ve never had a dream to go this far, like I’ve been saying, so I can’t really say it’s a dream come true.”

How far will you dream take you? What are those dreams and what are you doing to see them come to pass? Perhaps like Bubba Watson, you have not always envisioned what your dream coming to pass might look like. But perhaps it’s time you start thinking about it.

Dream on!

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

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Why Appreciation Matters

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. – William James

A story is told that Napoleon’s genius had been attributed to many things, but above all, he was a superb natural leader of men. Like any wise leader he was aware that his own success would have been nothing had his men not been willing to follow him.

Obviously he could not know and personally inspire every man under his vast army; therefore he devised a simple technique for circumventing this difficulty. Before visiting a regiment he would call the colonel aside and ask for the name of a soldier who had served well in previous campaigns, but who had not been given the credit he deserved. The colonel would indicate such a man. Napoleon would learn everything about him, where he was born, the names of his family, his exploits in battle, etc.

Later upon passing this man while reviewing the troops, and at a signal from the colonel, Napoleon would stop, single out the man, greet him warmly, ask about his family, compliment him on his bravery and loyalty, reminisce about old campaigns, then pen a medal on the grateful soldier. The gesture worked. After the review, the other soldiers would remark, “You see, he knows us-he remembers. He knows our families. He knows we have served.”

The story serves to remind us of the importance of expressing appreciation and why it matters. Liz Jazwiec, author of the book, Eat That Cookie: Make Workplace Positively Pay Off…For Individuals, writes, “Too many people leave work every day thinking, ‘My boss doesn’t appreciate me.’ When you feel that your boss doesn’t fully value your work, you start to care a little less. You don’t provide the kind of service you would if you felt appreciated. You don’t make an effort to help your co-workers. And when the majority of people in a workplace feel this way, the overall environment is hugely impacted. Productivity decreases, turnover increases, and it can become very difficult to stay afloat, especially in a tough economy.”

In a recent Gallup Poll, 65 percent of people say they don’t feel appreciated at work. And, according to the Small Business Digest, “These feelings quickly lead to pensive negativity, low morale and decreased productivity”. What about your place of work? Is there an atmosphere of appreciation that is known and expressed? Here are three things you need to understand about appreciation and why it matters.

Appreciation signals engagement. Even though it was impossible for Napoleon to personally know every member of his army, he understood the importance of knowing as much as possible about those he could. A smart leader will be no less committed to knowing the value that each person brings to the organization and the difference that he or she makes. When you take the time to know, recognize, and appreciate the contributions your team members make, it indicates that you are engaged. Are you?

The recognition that you give can be in specific tangle ways such as cash, gift cards, or some other form of bonus. It can be something as meaningful as a hand-written note of appreciation for a job well done. It’s not so much the gift that matters as it is the fact you are demonstrating to your team that you are engaged.

Appreciation builds morale. The acts of appreciation on whatever scale you choose to demonstrate it are morale boosters. What better way to build morale than to huddle your team and publically praise the efforts of those who have worked hard for the advancement of the organization?

When 65 percent of employees indicate that they do not feel appreciated at work, chances are, you have some at your office not feeling the love. Showing appreciation will build much needed morale, boost performance, and will go a long way in demonstrating that you get this very important leadership principle: you would not be where you are without them.

Appreciation gives purpose. When your organization builds a culture of appreciation it goes a long way towards building organizational excellence, strong relationships, outstanding customer service, and a foundation for a bright future. Never underestimate the power of appreciation and what it means to the success of your organization.

What about your organization? Does a culture of appreciation exist? Do you feel appreciated? When was the last time you expressed it? John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” That’s great advice. Appreciation: show it, express it, live it.

© 2012 Doug Dickerson

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