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

bill@outloudinc.com

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

bill@outloudinc.com