Thinking Out Loud!

Sunday, December 21, 2014

The obligatory (but still very important) New Year reflection . . . abbreviated!

The obligatory (but still very important) New Year reflection . . . abbreviated!

About this time of year, just about every leadership and personal effectiveness speaker, book author, success coach, blogger, etc. will encourage you to take time during the Holidays and reflect. They want you to reflect on everything from where you have been, where you are now, and where are you going (along with all sorts of heavy questions that are tough to get to during college football bowl season!). Now just because everyone is telling you to do this, it does not make them wrong! I am also guilty of such exhortations as well but perhaps in a bit more intentional manner.

Instead of a huge list of reflections based on every single interaction, meeting, or whatever, I want you to cut to the chase. Just because it’s the holidays, it does not mean you are relaxing. Seriously, I often look forward to getting back to work just to get my home back and relax! Obviously that feeling does not last very long but you get my point.

With that in mind, focus on just three key questions:

What IS working for you?

(These are activities, people, habits, etc. that you want to KEEP)

What’s NOT working for you?

(These will be those activities, people, habits, etc. that you want to minimize or STOP dealing with all together)

What COULD work for you?

(These are new habits, new growth areas, new relationships, new disciplines, etc. that you will want to START doing to take you to a higher level of performance, contentment, significance, etc.)

See, a pretty doable list!

Just take a quiet hour each day for three days to think on these things. I encourage you write them out (with just 3 or 4 items per listed in PRIORITY order) and after attach action items and target dates as appropriate. I encourage you to also break down a big KEEP, START, or STOP item in smaller parts so that they will actually be accomplished. This should not be a huge list, just an important one. Focus on those items that if accomplished, will allow the fiddly bits take care of themselves!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Resisting furry tyrants!

A few weeks back, I shared we got a new yellow lab puppy. Sure enough she is all we could want in a new dog. She is playful, cute,has not destroyed anything of real value, and is pretty much sleeping throughout the night.

But there is a dark side to this adorable ball of fur. She is needy, manipulative demanding of our attention, is easily displeased, and get can a little cranky right before feeding time (actually I can too!). In short, she is a furry tyrant!

Obviously we are not going to send her back, but it got me thinking out loud about other furry tyrants in our lives. You know, those very attractive things that can take a lot of our time and energy. Your list can be different but some things that I have observed or heard in conversations include:

Binge watching episodes of favorite series now available in our on-demand culture
On-line or console based gaming
On-line browsing within various social networks
Reading tons of fiction on our tablets
Fill in your guilty pleasure!

Now, like all things, used in moderation, these are fun, stress relievers that entertain or give us pleasure. The issue is when such diversions distract us from important things. When that happens, it is critical we set limits and develop discipline. Even with our new puppy, we discipline when needed, feed her on a healthy schedule (certainly now her's!), balance play time with crate time, etc. So in order to resist or control those furry tyrants in our lives, I recommend the following:

Determine how much time, energy, effort, etc. you are putting into such diversions
Consider if they are keeping you from things that must be done or should be accomplished (home maintenance, work commitments, personal and professional development, etc.)
Ask yourself can any of these be done in concert with helpful activities (watching Netflix while on a tread mill or taking both you and the dog on a run)
Determine, as author and speaker Paul Martinelli asks, “What is of higher value?”
Set priorities accordingly
Calendar appropriately

The point is time is our most precious resource and as a result many of us stop growing personally and professionally due to not controlling our time. We want to get in better shape or read that leadership book, it's just that Game of Thrones is starting a new season!

Point being, you are the ultimate scheduler of your own life. It all comes down to the choices you make.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Makeover or comb over, which does your organization need?

I hope everyone had a great and restful Thanksgiving if you are living in the U.S.!

Like during any downtime, we have a tendency to watch more TV than normal. Accordingly, my wife is obsessed with HGTV and the home makeover shows that seem to be on 24 hours a day! Granted, having bought a “fixer upper” in South Florida just before the real estate bubble burst (I know, great timing right?), we have done a good bit of work ourselves. So two bathrooms and a kitchen later, you would think she would be over the fascination right? No so much! So it is MTV, Makeover Television, all day and night at my house (or at least until House of Cards starts its new season on Netflix!).

But as someone who loves pulling ideas from disparate industries to organizational and personal effectiveness, I starting thinking out loud about organizations that need “makeovers”. Often the lingo involved is “rebranding” or “repositioning in the marketplace” or something like that. Regardless, there are times when a business, non-profit, corporation, or other institution does need a makeover but how do you know? Here is a list of possible indicators:

Loss of market share to competitors
Unexpected and dramatic reduction in customers or clients
Decrease in employee engagement
Significant reduction in customer or user satisfaction
Accrued policies and procedures that have made your organization less nimble and responsive
Development of an organizational culture that has become toxic and unhealthy
Outdated or non-effective technologies that have become a hindrance
Messaging that no longer resonates with your target market

If your organization is experiencing one or more of the above, then it is time for an Organizational Makeover intervention. The solutions vary but I would highly recommend investing in experienced consultants that can help you identify the real issue(s) and coach your organization to solutions.

The business literature is full of stories of companies that have done this successfully. Apple, Chrysler, Burberry, and General Electric are just classic examples of how heroic leadership and efforts created significant transformations.

On the other hand, maybe your group just needs a "comb over"! You know what this is, when a balding man will grow his hair long on one side and combs it over to cover the bald spots. (Seriously guys, I know baldness is a harsh reality of genetics and/or getting older but you’re not fooling anyone when you do this!) So again, how does this relate organizational effectiveness? Let’s assume your business or organization is like a balding body builder . . . the fundamentals are solid, you just need to tweak things a little! Below you will find a list characteristics that indicates your organization may need a Organizational Comb Over intervention!

The impending launch of a new product or service
An anticipated increase and/or influx of new staff members due to expansion or retirements
A planned expansion of operations to a new market or community
An internal reorganization that will create new roles or associations within the organization
A slight decrease in sales, employee engagement, responsiveness, etc.

In these type of situations, again, outside assistance and internal effort would be critical. Remember, your organization is solid, you just need to remind yourself, your team, and your customers/clients as to why that is. Influential pastor, speaker and author Andy Stanley stated during the 2012 Leadercast event that he has a small sign at his desk that asks three questions”

WHAT are we doing?
WHY are we doing it?
WHERE do we fit in (or what is each person’s role)?

If you and your team can clarify and answer question below, then you will be on solid ground. Again, there are many examples of solid organizations that just needed to slightly alter course to get to where they wanted to be or had been. Some that quickly come to mind are TIAA-CREF, AFLAC, and Samsung.They simply just needed to re-answer those three insightful questions.

Finally, there is the third intervention that calls for a “do-over” where the entire organization is brought back from the brink of failure to emerge as incredibly relevant. Harley Davidson motorcycles is an incredible example but it took monumental efforts to accomplish such a resurgence.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Being Grateful for the Right Things.

Thanksgiving is a busy time. It seems we are more preoccupied with preparing for the holiday than actually celebrating it! Seriously, who really wants to be traveling, cooking, and tolerating that crazy uncle at the first break you probably got since summer?! It’s a shame really, because when we do get a moment to reflect about what we are grateful for, it’s usually about the wrong things . . . possessions, vacations, promotions, etc. Now don’t get me wrong, I like nice things, have been able to go to some wonderful places, and recently received a promotion at my “day job”, but all that pales in comparisons to the things that really matter.

I encourage to create your own list, but here is mine:

People –

The greatest blessings I have are the people around me. My wife, family (crazy uncle included!), my friends, my staff, my students, and the people I get to serve through Out Loud Strategies. They challenge me, encourage me, and support me. In short, they make me better!

Gifts Given and Given Away –

My abilities and talents are my true gifts, though I really still like the satellite radio my wife gave me one year! Seriously, my ability to communicate, connect, organize, and pour my life into others gives me the greatest joy because they enable me to lift up and help others.

Challenges –

This may seem strange but I am grateful for the challenges I have experienced. Granted, I wasn’t too crazy about them at the time, but challenges taught me my greatest lessons. They gave me confidence and increased my ability to persevere when the next challenge arose. Finally, they taught me I could be more and do more than I realized (I probably surprised a few others too!).

Things Undone –

For me, without a new hill to climb, a new goal to reach, a new vision to fulfill, life would get boring. The feeling that I have not reached my destination motivates and compels me to keep pushing, keep learning and continue growing. People often make fun of the stack of books I have in my office that are unread. That’s OK, because I will get to them and when I do, new possibilities will open up. As leaders, we will never be complete, but I am fine with this since means we will always be trying to improve.

I do hope that you have a safe and fulfilling Thanksgiving Holiday. I do encourage you to create your own list and share it with me if you get a chance. As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, November 16, 2014

The Importance of Writing Your Own Story.

Human Development theorist, Dr. Baxter-Magolda, created an elegant concept of “Self-Authorship.” Essentially, the theory describes how as individuals we start out in life by following the “scripts” that others (e.g. parents, siblings, communities, etc.) have laid out for us. At some point, usually in late adolescence, we reach what she calls a “cross roads” where we will decide if we will keep following the scripts or expectations of others or start to become the author of our own lives. Those who successfully navigate that challenging time become “authors” of our own life. We begin to take a path we choose versus one chosen for us. We decide to find our true selves and pursue what matters most for us!

Now on the surface, this sounds a bit narcissistic but it really has major implications for how we lead ourselves and others. Obviously in order to lead others we have to lead ourselves first but we cannot do that until we know ourselves and what works for us! We get to choose to develop a leadership style and approach that aligns with our own talents, gifts, and abilities. We have to reach a state of Self-Authorship!

This point was no better said than by a speaker I heard the night before I graduated from college. We were participating in a great baccalaureate service and the guest speaker said something that has stuck with me ever since. He said:

“Release your SONG the Spirit says to me, you can’t be you until your SONG is set free!”

What this meant to me is that we have to find that one purpose that we alone were created for. We will never be truly free until we do so! So the big questions are these:

Are your writing your own life and leadership story or is someone or something still doing that for you?
Are you truly pursuing your life’s passion?
Are you helping others author their own life?

As always, if I can help you write your own story by Getting Better, Being Ready and LEADING OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Who's INVESTING in YOU?

Who’s INVESTING in You?

The people I consider leaders and givers are constantly busy. They are continuously giving their time, treasure, energy, and influence to help make their businesses, organizations, communities and families better. They invest so much of themselves in others that they forget they need to have someone investing in them! That investment is what Dr. Tim Elmore from Growing Leaders calls “emotional fuel”. So my question this week is who is filling your tank? Who is investing in you?

The ongoing theme of this Thinking Out Loud! blog is its focus on leadership and personal effectiveness. I have become convinced that any type of growth plan has to include some sort of mentoring component. Mentors are critical at any stage of our lives in order to fuel our success in many areas of our lives – financial, vocational, relational, spiritual, etc. Here is what mentors do for us:

Roles of Mentors

Identify and capitalize on our Strengths
Inspire and develop Character
See and evaluate our potential Blind Spots
Clarify areas of Focus in our lives
Close gap between Potential and Performance or Knowing vs Doing

There are many misconceptions about what mentoring is and is not. For me, mentoring is an intentional, goal orientated, and developmental relationship where one individual agrees to learn from and be held accountable by another. This is more than just pleasant conversation. It is a powerful relationship that is created on purpose for a purpose!

I am sure many of us have had great mentoring relationships in the past. That teacher that believed in you, a coach that inspired you, the college professor that opened horizons, or maybe that first boss who saw your potential. What about now? If no one is pouring into your life currently, I recommend the following:

Identify areas of your life where you need to grow (I know some people who have many mentors for the different parts of their life listed above!)
Identify those individuals who have enough expertise or experience who can take you to the next level.
Broker a relationship where you can meet or interact in some format on a consistent basis.
Mutually Agree when the relationship has run its course (keep in mind some mentoring relationships will be aligned with different seasons in your life and that’s OK!)

Keep in mind that it is possible to be mentored by someone you do not even know. In my case, I do not personally know John Maxwell but I joined his team and have committed to studying his books and videos on a consistent basis. He acts as a “virtual mentor” for me.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email me at bill@outloudinc.com

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Do Yourself a Solid!

A phrase you will hear in popular entertainment these days is “Do me a solid and . . .” Essentially the phrase means to do someone a solid favor and . . ., you get meaning! So like I usually do, I started thinking out loud about a “solid” we should do for ourselves. Where I landed, as someone whose life’s mission is to help others be the best version of themselves, is to help you become solid with yourself!

Being solid with yourself in terms of your personal effectiveness, requires you do 4 distinct things.

1. Know Yourself –

In his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John Maxwell states that in order to GROW yourself, you must KNOW yourself. This means taking stock of your strengths, liabilities, passions, dreams, and goals. This takes courage but to know yourself is the first step in reaching your full potential! One good place to start is to ask yourself these three questions someone asked John early in his career.

What do you SING About – what gives you joy?
What do you CRY About – what causes or issues do you have compassion for or what “wrongs” do you want to make right?
What do you DREAM About – what is your ideal future?

2. Believe in Yourself –

No one can achieve anything without a fundamental belief that you can! Even in the face of adversity and disappointment, you must believe that you can and will do better next time. As Dr. Henry Cloud states, “You are not your last bad result.” Remember, you cannot become what you believe you aren’t! I have often said, anytime you doubt yourself, you commit a crime against yourself because when you do so, you just robbed yourself of your potential, passion, and performance.

3. Challenge Yourself –

The only way we grow and get better at anything is to challenge our current abilities and skills. John Maxwell states that “the difference between where you are and where you want to be is created by the changes we are willing to make in our lives.” Have you plateaued? Are getting the results that you want? If the answer is “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second (or you’re just not sure), then get out of your comfort zone and try something new! Some day I will share an experience when I did just that during what was supposed to be a restful vacation!

4. Extend Yourself –

Finally, you need to extend yourself. When you become solid with yourself, you will want to help others do the same. I once read that you never have anything until you give it away! If you are a gifted leader, then extend your leadership and influence to a younger team member. Do you have a unique skill set? Then mentor someone and help them get better. When we extend ourselves in service to just one person, we create a ripple effect that will benefit countless others!

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. I actually provided an email this time – 17 posts later!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Here's To New Beginnings!

Here’s to New Beginnings!

John Maxwell writes in his book Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, “every beginning ends something and every ending begins something new. We are constantly trading places in life”. Like a lot of John’s thoughts, they seem simple at first read but are actually quite profound when you stop and think about them.

I have had a recent experience with this very concept of both endings and beginnings. Several months ago, we lost our beloved Labrador Retriever named Kenzie. We raised Kenzie from a pup and were blessed to have her for over 13 years. Those were years of good memories, a few stained carpets, and the privilege of witnessing the pure exuberance of being a dog at the beach! Now, after a few months, we are going to jump into “puppydom” again. Say hello to Kaci!

Kaci will bring her own joys and challenges to our home to be sure (maybe she will have a stronger stomach!), but this new furry endeavor teaches some valuable leadership lessons about endings, beginnings, and change.

First, this new beginning will not be like the first one. Every time we start a new project, take on a new job, or move to a new community even if it is in areas we have a lot of experience in, it will not be like those that have come before. There will be new challenges, new personalities, and new uncharted waters to negotiate.

Second, we should always be thankful for endings, though they may have been painful, because they gives us the experience, skills, and attitudes that will make us better at out next beginning. In the example of getting a new dog, it was heartbreaking to lose Kenzie, but that was 13 years of dog ownership 101! Hopefully we will not repeat some of our early mistakes at house training, be more patient in those puppy years, and be even better dog owners.

Lastly, new employees, friends, jobs, and even dogs, deserve to benefit from our experience but not our past. In other words, it is critical we invest our whole effort in these new people, places and things with our abilities that the past provided but not the bias. Kaci will not be Kenzie, your new job is not your old one, and a new staff member will not be like the one who you did such a good job in mentoring, outgrew the job and moved on to something better.

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. More than likely you will be hearing some Kaci stories along the way!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, October 19, 2014

The Power of Questions -

The Power of Questions –

Recently, the John Maxwell Company featured John and two other speakers in a nation-wide simulcast called L2 – Learn:Lead. As you can tell from my last post, this was an incredible event with many strong “take-a-ways”. John’s comments were focused on his new book, Good Leaders ask Great Questions. I will share some thoughts from that work at a later post (I need to read the book first!), but I wanted to share some powerful questions from author, Scott Fay. In his book, Discover Your Sweet Spot, Scott focuses on powerful questions that can assist you with finding your life’s true passions and creating a plan to achieve them.

I am fortunate to have had many teaching opportunities with Scott and he offers 4 powerful questions that I often ask my own students and staff.

When it comes to your leadership or life effectiveness:

What do you need to do more of?

What do you need to do less of?

What do you need to start doing?

What do you need to stop doing?

I promise that if you spend just a few minutes reflecting on these questions and your answers, it would change the trajectory of your life in ways you could only begin to imagine! Remember, the quality of answers we get in life depends on the quality of questions we ask.

I would love to hear some of your own answers and help you take action on them!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Most Important Conversation You Will Ever Have!

Recently, the John Maxwell Company sponsored - L2 Learn : Lead – a leadership development speaker event that was simulcast at 300 sites around the world. It was incredible morning of personal growth and leadership effectiveness.

Along with John, one of the speakers was marketing guru and author, Linda Kaplan Thaler. Linda’s campaigns have had international success including the AFLAC duck which she created! She made many insightful points but one had to do with one of the most important conversations you will have:

A conversation with your 90 year old self!

What would you want to be able to talk about at that point in your life?

Did you help as many people as you wanted?

Did you pursue your passion?

Did you follow your dream?

Did you lift others up?

What is your legacy?

What is left to do (even at 90!)?

Obviously this would be challenging conversation full of plenty of “ouch” moments and surprises. The point is are you wanting to leave a positive legacy? John Maxwell challenges that assertion by asking a more telling question: Are you INTENDING to leave a legacy or are you CURRENTLY living your legacy? Consider this: your current actions and efforts will either underline or erase your future legacy! I don’t know about you but if I do make it to 90, I hope that version of myself is pretty happy how I turned out!

So take a breath, find a quiet place, and have that conversation! It would be an incredible exercise that I am sure will change your perspective, your priorities, and your life trajectory!

Let me know how it went!

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you.

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM