Thinking Out Loud!: 2015

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Lead like a Beach Dog!

If you ever want to witness moments of pure joy and exuberance, take a yellow lab to the beach! We are fortunate enough to live near the coast so we have the opportunity to take our dog, Kaci, to the beach every now and then. Actually she gets pretty excited when we reel out the garden hose too but she really loves the beach! On a recent trip I was witnessing her behavior and this got me thinking out loud that we should lead the same way – stay with me here!

First, we should immerse ourselves in every leadership opportunity we are given. Unlike how some other dog breeds react to the water, labs do not hesitate and just jump in with all four feet! We ought to take our two and act the same way. Our followers do not deserve leadership that just tentatively puts our toes in the water, we need to jump in the surf with the rest of them!

Second, when our dog is at the beach, she is investigating everything and when she gets on a particular interesting scent, she becomes laser focused. In the same way, leaders should become very curious about what is happening. The purpose is not to micromanage but to demonstrate to our team that we are interested in them and what they do. I have often heard that from my own team members. They did not know what to think about this at first, but they later shared that they never had a supervisor that was really interested in them and what they were doing.

Of course, leadership is relational and a beach dog exemplifies this by meeting everyone! People, other dogs, seagulls, you name it! Now this does not overly thrill the birds, but very few people can resist a friendly dog. I believe that sometimes we are too restrained or limited in our relationships. As leaders, we should be accessible to everyone and not just those who can benefit us.

Finally, we should lead from a place of joy. Joy for where we are and what we are doing. I often say that attitude is a social contagion and it will spread for better or worse.

Now I am not an animal psychologists but I can tell by the way she strains at the leash, my dog cannot wait to hit get on the beach. Her excitement and antics lifts my spirits; thus we should be prepared to do the same for others.

So next time you are at the park or shore or any other place where dogs gather, just take a moment and watch them. I bet you will discover similar life lessons! Feel free to share them with me if you get a chance.

If I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! 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! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, December 13, 2015

In this season of meaning, what does your leadership even mean?

This time of year is significant to several religions and millions of people. It is a time for looking back and looking ahead. A time for taking stock of what this past year meant for you and the possibilities of the one to come. This got me thinking out loud about as leaders, what does our leadership really mean to ourselves and those around us? In his book the 5 Levels of Leadership, John Maxwell proposes that leaders change the lives of those they lead (one way or the other!). With that being said,

What does your leadership mean for your followers?
What do they experience as a result of your leadership?
How are they changed as a result of your interaction?
How are they challenged by you?
How are they inspired by you?

Now since leading out loud is all encompassing, your leadership has meaning to your colleagues and partners, bosses and spouses (which can feel like one in the same at times!), children and clients, etc. Like a stone tossed in a pond, your very presence creates ripples in their lives and the lives of others. Your acts of leadership spread far beyond you. Want to know the meaning of your leadership, just look at the impacts of it!

It is my hope that this season in particular has meaning for you. Like a lot of very busy leaders I know, you give a great deal of yourself in the service to others. I strongly encourage you to be still at some point. Take a walk in the cool night air (if you are lucky to have some where you live!) and wonder in awe of every act, every accomplishment, every moment of growth and development you have experienced this past year. Trust me, you will have a hard time believing how you got it all done!

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Why intentional development is about being “even more” vs “less than”!

For those who know me, you know I am a developer. I love facilitating growth and development in others and it is my primary strength on the Strengthsfinder 2.0 instrument. In fact, I have been doing this my entire working career in some form or another; thus I have a tough time understanding why people do not want to get better. Why do so many people just stop learning, exploring, and reflecting as soon as they are done with their formal education? I was thinking out loud about this recently and came to the conclusion that the reason is human nature. In other words, it is human nature to avoid thinking we are somehow “less than”. Investing in intentional leadership growth plans and experiences may be viewed by yourself or others as we are somehow “less than”.

Less than capable.
Less than able.
Less than competent.
Less than skilled.
Etc.
Etc.

The fact of the matter is that nothing could be further from the truth! Unless you are some kind of ax murderer (and if you are, I rather not know!), you are no slouch yourself! You would not be where you are right now if you did not have some level of skill, some level of commitment, or some level of ability.

You see leadership development is truly about becoming “even more”.

Even more effective in communicating your vision.
Even more skilled at growing your business.
Even more capable at connecting with others.
Even more intentional about building capacities.
Even more able to lead others.
Even more willing to lead yourself!

Why is this important? There is an incredible vacuum of leadership in our society today. Often that vacuum is filled with ineffective leadership. So I encourage you to become “even more” by intentionally growing your leadership skills and abilities. The good news is that it does not take much investment to gain exponential results! Just one short video, article, book chapter, etc. a day will have a huge impact. I encourage you to try it for seven days and see what happens. In the end, a lot of people need us to get better as leaders.

Our family needs us to be.

Our clients or customers need us to be.

Our team members need us to be.

Our communities need us to be.

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Leadership Gratitude with a Twist!

It is the Thanksgiving Holiday in the USA. For those who think and write about leadership, it also time for the obligatory commentary about the importance of gratitude. Not to be left out I will, of course, be doing the same but I started thinking out loud about what I could say that would be different. In other words, gratitude with a twist!

So here is what I came up with. Instead of just reminding leaders WHAT they should be grateful for, I thought I would start with the WHY!

Let’s start with the WHY. Believe it or not, there is a whole body of research related to Gratitude Studies. Seriously, there are some very smart people out there with a lot of letters after their names who study this stuff! In general, here are some of the benefits of feeling and expressing gratitude:

Emotional Health – Robert Emmons at UC Davis and Michael McCullough at the University of Miami have demonstrated that individuals that consider what they are grateful for (vs irritated by) on a regular basis find that they are more optimistic and feel better about their lives. The good folks at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley find similar results in that grateful people are more compassionate and experience more positive emotions.

Physical Health – Emmons and McCullough along with the Greater Good Science Center found that grateful people exercised more, had fewer visits to the doctor, and have stronger immune systems. Psychotherapist Amy Morin who writes about the psychological aspects of business also found that grateful people sleep better. Who knew?!

Relational Health – Amy Morin went on to find that as you can imagine, grateful people have more opportunities for positive relationships and, accordingly, GGSC researchers found appreciative individuals feel less lonely.

So now that we have established the WHY, let’s consider WHAT leaders should be thankful for:

Be thankful for your team, for it is they that both teach you and help you be successful.
Be thankful that leadership is challenging, for challenges make you better!
Be thankful that leadership can be learned and developed because that is what makes us ready for bigger opportunities.
Be thankful that leadership is hard, because being able to lead effectively in this time of constant leadership “whitewater” makes you significant.

Here’s the important thing to remember, like leadership, a gratitude mindset can be a learned behavior. The researchers above agree that the best way to develop this mindset of thankfulness is to every day, focus a few moments on those people, experiences, skills, etc. that you are thankful for (vs what you do not have or think you are entitled to). Just do this every day for a week and let me know the outcome. I bet you will be surprised at the changes that result in you and the results that occur for you.

I am grateful for the many blessings and people (often the same thing!) in my life. I am extremely appreciative, however, for those of you who read this blog and find it helpful.

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Young Professionals = Big Impact!

I have workshop called Young Professionals, Big Impact. It’s even on a Prezi just to prove how hip I am with the young people! The premise that I thought out loud about is that even if you are a young professional new in your career, you can make a huge impact from right where you are!

As more and more millennials enter their careers, they carry with them the desire to make a difference NOW, versus later. Whereas not a complete list, here are some suggestions on how to do that and EXCEED EXPECTATIONS:

First, PREPARE before you START. This means increasing your skill levels in communication, teamwork, leadership, and the specifics of your discipline. Practice daily disciplines such as punctuality, attending to detail, asking questions, personal organization, etc. Most importantly, as pastor and author Andy Stanley encourages all, you should PRE-DECIDE what can of leader you will be (i.e. ethical, supportive, proactive, courageous, etc.)

Next, MASTER the BASICS of the role. Make sure you learn and accomplish core tasks and procedures, meet timelines, anticipate issues, know the players, create networks, and always carry yourself as the professional you now are. As author Scott Fay says, you will be hired for what you know, but you will be retained (or not!) for who you are!

Then you are ready and able to MAKE an IMPACT! As A. Coleman and N. Blumenthal suggest, your sources of impact are you have the most up to date knowledge-base, your skills in social media and software use, your energy and drive to deliver a quick win, your willingness to jump into high visibility projects, and, most importantly, your learner’s mindset.

The point being, I want you to avoid the passive posture of observing, assisting, etc. but instead quickly add to your mindset and portfolio the following phrases:

I created

I lead

I implemented

I initiated

I managed

I changed

I improved

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Would you rather be Effective or Right?

This is concept was introduced to me by leadership expert and author, John Maxwell. Now on the surface the answer may be this is really one and the same. However, anyone married or in a committed relationship knows there is a very important distinction here! Let's say I am having a “discussion” with my wife. I may be "right" in my position or arguments but in the end that may not be the most "effective" strategy. Again for those in relationships, the clouds may be parting and you are starting to understand what I mean! This got me thinking out loud about how these two concepts impact how we lead others.

First there is the idea that may be many effective ways to get the same thing done. You may have a team member that accomplished something well, but did they do it the "right" way in terms of your ideas or preferences? As a leader this is a critical question. How you answer speaks to how well you empower others.

Second, as a leader we sometimes get in disagreements with colleagues. Again, you may hold the high ground terms of being "right", but would it be more effective if you gave a little? It may very well move us to a quicker solution if we were not trying to win every argument.

I often tell my team members there are many right ways to do something. Granted some ways may be more efficient than others but are they effective? I believe a true sign of a mature and “beyond you” leader is this capacity to bracket our reactions and preferences to give a staff member an important win!

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, November 8, 2015

There are Two Paths to Excellence – Getting it Right or Making it Right!

I am sure you all have had the opportunity to enjoy peak experiences. An experience like a conference, task, meeting, vacation, or even a dinner where everything just fell into place that made it memorable, impactful, and one for the books. Other times, what started out as a mediocre (at best!) experience became extraordinary. Recently I had the opportunity to visit The Breakers in West Palm Beach, FL. Known as one of the premier hotels in the world, The Breakers is the epitome of Getting it Right (they even have little caddies for their silverware so that the utencils do not touch the table - who does that?!?!?). This got me thinking out loud about what made the difference between the two. It all comes down to either GETTING it right in the first place or MAKING it right.

In terms of Getting it Right, we can think of all sorts of analogies. Why some sport teams always seem to triumph, why some hotel chains are synonymous with excellence, or why some products or services always top the list. I believe like most things, it all comes down to leadership. Getting it Right leaders have the following characteristics common to their success regardless of their industry:

PREPARATION –

This means starting out with MINDSET of quality in word and deed.

A KNOWLEDGE BASE that is intentionally developed to determine best practices.

A SKILL SET that is practiced and refined daily to meet needs or customer demands.

PLANNING –

This requires an ATTENTION TO DETAIL that covers all the bases.

Constantly asking, “WHAT ELSE?” in terms of what more can we do to add value.

Even better, as a road manager of a national touring act taught me years ago, the ”Stupid Idiot Check” that disciplines us to ask what are we missing!

EXECUTION –

An ENTHUSIASTIC implementation of the plan or initiative.

Being ADAPTABLE to changing conditions and situations.

Keeping the “MAIN THING the main thing” as leadership expert John Maxwell encourages us to do. In other words, not getting side tracked and distracted or even tempted to cut corners.

Sometimes, however, as leaders we need to MAKE it Right. This happens when we make the inevitable errors or when something even beyond our control prevents us from doing our very best. When that happens, leaders become problem solves and commit to the following:

ADMITTING when the very best effort was not presented or offered.
CORRECTING mistakes or errors or making up for the less than optimal conditions.
EXCEEDING expectations when offering alternatives and consolations.

Often I am more impressed by the leader who does these due to the sense of ownership in the services, product, etc. they offer.

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Is Your Leadership on Autopilot?

Admit it, we train and educate ourselves extensively for our professions, but rarely do we put as much effort in the part that eventually matters most – our ability to lead and influence others! It’s like we put our leadership skill building on auto-pilot and just hope we end up at the correct destination!

Recently I have been doing trainings for various groups of professionals entering specific medical fields. These are highly technical professions requiring extensive training and graduate work. During one of the sessions, however, I got to thinking out loud about how much we intentionally train and educate ourselves for the technical parts of our careers but we just assume that our leadership skills will grow by default! Again, we leave this to chance and put our leadership development on autopilot! And if we view our own development that way, how about the people we lead? Do we just hope they will somehow get better at being leaders in their own right?

The problem is that according to leadership guru John Maxwell, no one gets good at anything by accident! We HAVE to be just as INTENTIONAL about our leadership skills as any of our technical skills. According to master executive coach, Christian Simpson, we progress this way. We start out as Unconsciously Incompetent (we just don't know we are not good leaders). We then move to Conscious Incompetence (we begin to understand our current leadership skills are insufficient). Hopefully we arrive at Conscious Competence (we begin to work on it and make improvements). The important thing to understand is that this process can repeat itself every time we take on a new role or job with increased responsibilities.

So what do we need to do? Borrowing from Kurt Lewin's change strategy, we need to be continually engaged in a process of:

UnFreezing - getting out of our former leadership mode and moving to another
Movement - adding to knowledge and skills to our leadership tool box
ReFreezing - consolidating those behaviors and evaluating for effectiveness.
Repeat

Again, none of this will happen unless you are constantly evaluating what are you doing right and what needs to improve.

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Empowerment is an “If, Then” Proposition.

Like any good leader, I try to empower my team members. This means providing autonomy, encouragement, occasional course corrections, but, overall, asking them to take their work and run with it. From time to time, however, I find myself in a situation where one of my team members presents more problems than solutions. This got me thinking out loud that EMPOWERMENT is an “If, Then” proposition.

In other words, IF I empower a team member THEN they need to DO SOMETHING with that! Similarly, IF you get empowered by a supervisor or leader, THEN you have an obligation to not waste that opportunity! I see the act of EMPOWERMENT as a loan versus an entitlement. Essentially when you empower someone, you are loaning your influence, authority, and vision. I jokingly tell my team that I will micromanage to the point that you LET me or that I HAVE to. In other words, I am happy to provide you with the authority you need to do your job without my constant management as long as A) you take that job and run with it and/or B) you do so in a way that is innovative, risk mindful, and results oriented.

Many times I hear managers say, “I just hire good people then get out of their way.” Actually, that is not leadership, it is an abdication of responsibility. That does not mean you should do their job for your team member, but it does mean you coach, course correct as needed, look out for mission creep, and offer feedback that will help them improve as leaders.

So if you are empowering or get empowered, be mindful of the following:

Have clear expectations of what you are empowering or are empowered to do.
Play to win versus not to lose = expect or demonstrate initiative and just start.
Expect or be solutions focused and results oriented.
Check in from time to time to make sure everything is on the right path
Set or be sure of metrics of success.
Reflect on lessons learned, skills gained, capacities developed, etc.

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, October 11, 2015

It’s More Important to GET BETTER than to FEEL BETTER!

Last week, I wrote that I was involved with this year’s L2 – Live2Lead simulcast event sponsored by the John Maxwell Company. It was an amazing event but it got me thinking out loud about what leaders should be considering when selecting content to GROW more effectively.

Author and leadership expert John Maxwell often stresses that motivational speakers help you FEEL better but motivational teachers or facilitators help you GET better! I agree with this 100% and was taught this early on when I was starting out in my own training career. I remember the first time I saw my now friend and mentor, Rick Miller from the Center of Applied Leadership. He was and still is amazing in how he connects and presents to an audience. As my relationship with Rick grew both personally and professionally I realized that every time he trained or spoke to a group, he always left with something tangible and usable. Literally and figuratively, you had something in your hand at the end of the day! Now my virtual mentor, John Maxwell, reinforces the same approach. He always leaves you with something. Even during the L2 event, PowerPoint slides and event journals where available so that you could have something that helped you improve versus just a bunch of “warm fuzzes!”

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy listening to motivational speakers. There is a time that their content is needed, however, they can help you feel good and inspired but do you remember why a few days later? When selecting content for your own leadership growth, you should be very mindful of the time you have available and the growth goals you desire. While not an exhaustive list, here are a few things to consider.

Who or what has the speaker led in the past?
What is their own track record in working with their own teams and that of others?
Have they researched and studied their subject?
Can they communicate it effectively so that it is, according to training expert Michael Allen, meaningful, memorable, and motivational?
Can you readily apply what you are learning to your current leadership situation?
Is their content “sticky”? In other words, does it stay with you long after the event is complete, the video over, or the book read?

Again, as leaders you live incredibly busy lives. Accordingly, it is important that you get the most out of your leadership growth and development investment in both time and money. I encourage you to:

Choose wisely

Grow tremendously

Share what you learn abundantly

If I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! 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! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Great leaders are Intentionally Different!

This week, I had the great opportunity to be involved with the L2-Live2Lead leadership development simulcast event. Featuring several great speakers, the host and keynote was John Maxwell talking about his new book (though it is more like a movement!) on Intentional Living. This got me thinking out loud a lot about whereas some leaders, though they are really just the people that hold positions, are indifferent but GREAT leaders are Intentionally Different!

Essentially, John was saying that there are phases in the development of a true leader that moves them from success (which is personal) to significance (which is other oriented). These phases follow:

Desire to Make a Difference – this is a time of personal leadership awakening when we decide we want to make an impact far beyond our immediate social, personal, and professional setting. We want to lead into our “why”!

Putting Thought into Action that Makes a Difference – actually taking those noble and good thoughts and putting them into action! Focusing on some worthwhile purpose or cause.

With Others – determining that no one does anything great alone and understanding that to expand your reach, you need to bring others along for this meaningful journey.

At the Right Time – knowing that there is never an optimal time for the planets to align so you might as well start NOW!

Again, very few of us lead this way! But the best of us, do so. So what do YOU want to DO, with WHO, and WHEN? I believe that leading with this level of intention and intensity is the essence of Leading Out Loud!

If I can help you and the people you associate lead with intention and LEAD OUT LOUD, I am credentialed and more than happy to lead a mastermind group on John’s new book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters! I would also invite you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! 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! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

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

Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com

Feel free to “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc