Thinking Out Loud!

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Appreciating “Thankless” Leadership Roles.

Recently I had the incredible opportunity to explore a decommissioned Cold War missile silo that a friend of ours had purchased. Eventually they plan to convert it to a wine cellar but right now it is in pretty rough condition! We crawled through passage ways, walked in knee high water, and scaled ladders over 40 foot drops with only our small flashlights to show the way in total darkness. Standing in the old control rooms and crew quarters, I started to understand better the necessary and often thankless leadership role the professionals who staffed these complexes provided during a very dangerous time in U.S. history. This got me thinking out loud about how we as leaders must often thrive in other (albeit less intense) “thankless” leadership roles.

(View from Control Room facing the tunnel that leads to the Missile Silo)

Granted, everyone wants to be recognized and I have often written about how important appreciation is to a leader’s “toolbox”. The issue becomes when the pursuit of RECOGNITION becomes the motivation versus the IMPACT. I often ask my Master’s students early in the term this one important question:

Could you do your job if no one said “Thank you”?

You see, it’s a gut check question. It is a question that is intended to determine what the true motivations are in leading others. Is it for perks or responsibilities? A means to meet your own needs or to be the one who meets needs? I can guarantee you the airmen who staffed these silos, as many others who had or are now serving, received no public recognition. In fact, I am sure they were discouraged from even talking about what they did!

I think there is value in leading in “thankless” roles. It frees us to focus on the role versus on who is watching us do it. It exercises what sports consultant Jim Loehr calls the “character muscle” of humility. Finally, it really gets to the purest intention of leadership, to do so for its own sake and that of others versus any expectation of return or gain.

I am not saying this is easy by any means, so here are a few tips to help you thrive in a “thankless” leadership role.

Remember your “WHY”! – why you chose this role to begin with. I doubt it had to do with YOU!
Determine what is of HIGHER VALUE – what is most important, your impact or your recognition?
Realize this is Just a PART of Your Life and does not DEFINE Your Life – a leader should not use those they lead as their source of support.

So the bottom line is leadership is not always glamorous or high profile. Millions of great leaders do so every day just because there is a job to be done and they have elected to do it. So what it’s worth coming from me . . . THANK YOU!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to email me or 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

Principal Consultant – 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

Please “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Fried BBQ Ribs and other GREAT Ideas!

A few months ago, I was on an “Innovation Retreat” with two long-time colleagues. Our focus was to create a new approach to generational leadership within organizations (more on that later!). We were having lunch one day and one of the specials offered was fried, BBQ ribs, obviously we were in a Southern locale! These were ribs that had been smoked for hours, battered, and then deep fried. Genius . . . Absolute Genius! Now you may not think such a culinary concoction sounds very appetizing but it did get me thinking out loud that CREATIVITY is an important leadership trait and how can we better harness innovation.

Just last week, the excellent Leadercast speaker event was held in Atlanta, GA. The theme this year was “Architects of Tomorrow” and featured a great innovator, Steve Wozniak, who is one of the founders of Apple. He shared three important principals to drive creativity which included:

Think outside the box
Look for new ways to do things
Understand the user and your audience

Now let’s apply these principals to our lunch special example stated above. The chefs certainly thought out of the box! They created something new that I have never seen before (and trust me, I have eaten a lot of barbeque in travels!). Finally, and here is the real important part, they understood their users which were primarily people that liked fried food and barbeque (and I am a huge fan of both!). The result: they sold out of this new delicacy in less than an hour!

It is the last principal of understanding your users, however, that is a GREAT IDEA but I think many leaders miss in their attempts to be innovative. When we are leading, we have to make sure our ideas make sense to those that are leading. Sure, you could manufacture a toaster that also has cell phone capability, but why would you want to and who would use it?!?! Or you could have a great vision about how to move your team forward but if it is unclear or overly complex, it will not get traction among your constituents. It is this aspect of CLARITY that author and speaker Andy Stanley states as the other half of the leadership equation. Yes, you must have a compelling vision but it will not move the needle if no one but you understands it!

You see, the INNOVATION or CREATIVITY we practice every day is usually not the huge breakthroughs or product ideas, it is really how we inspire others to accomplish what is most important to our enterprise. Even in the day-to-day aspects of leading we have to think outside traditional boundaries of what motivates people, especially in the multi-generational workplace. We have to invent new ways to communicate what is important or else our message starts to fade into the background. Finally, we have to understand and communicate to our audience. As leadership expert John Maxwell states:

"What you say is not as important as what your audience understands!"

Finally, an effective leader knows how to harvest the great ideas of others. Simply ask them, “What do you think”? A simple question from your audience will spur creativity and provide clarity both at the same time!

If you want more information about Leadercast and how to attend the live event in Atlanta or in simulcast locations next year, visit: www.leadercast.com

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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

Please “LIKE” our FB Page www.facebook.com/outloudinc

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Forget about what’s in your wallet, what’s on your “leadership wall”?

Due to my affiliation with the John Maxwell team, I have access to powerful content. One involves a video lesson John was teaching called “Leadership Off the Wall”. Essentially he was referring to the pictures, books, items, etc. that he notices every time he walks into the office of some of the world’s top leaders in business and government. This got me thinking out loud about what our own offices, homes, etc. say about us as leaders.

Theorist and author Edgar Schein is an authority on organizational culture. He stipulates that one of the defining levels of an organization’s culture are its artifacts. In other words those logos, mission statements, publications, etc. that an organization puts on display. So what does your work space say about you? What is there that offers a glimpse of what you value, how you lead others, or what is important to you?

Here are some examples that I have seen or read about:

President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk stating “The buck stops here” which was his way of saying that the Office of the President should never defer a decision or leave a problem for the next administration.

A childhood friend of mine had a mural professionally painted in his garage next to the home’s interior entrance. It stated things that they stood for as a family like “we do fun, we do forgiveness, we do tough love”, etc. What a great reminder for his family that they see at the start and end of each day!

Author, speaker, and Pastor Andy Stanley keeps a simple index card on his desk that asks three core questions.

What are we doing?

Why are we doing it?

How do I fit in?

The point is he uses this card to keep his organization focused on its primary mission.

I have a former supervisor who keeps a simple cardboard sign under his desk pad that has the word “IMPACT” written on it. He has had it there for the 27 years he has been with the same organization and it is both a reminder and a challenge for him to make a positive impact on people every day.

In my own office you will find lots of leadership books from many authors and a stack on the floor that still needs to be read! Pictures of former students and staff that I value highly are there as well. Perhaps the most important “artifact” is a copy of a PowerPoint slide that asks “Are you making things better for those that follow you?” I place it right by my door so that every time I walk out, it is a reminder to focus on people versus things.

Again, these are just examples of what you have in your work space allows you to demonstrate to others what you value and what they can learn from you. Motivational posters, pictures of your family and friends, awards and recognitions, etc. will all point visitors to your “true north” in terms of what you value. So take a look. What could you add or replace that will make a good reminder of why you do what you do? The thing to remember that whether we are speaking or not, we are ALWAYS Leading Out Loud!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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, April 24, 2016

ALL Setbacks Offer 2 “Plan Bs”

Recently I was having an interaction with an individual who, though they had a challenging but recoverable setback, was considering throwing in the towel on accomplishing something that was important to them. This got me thinking out loud that when we have a setback or disappointment, we have two “Plan Bs”. Specifically, we can either:

BE Discouraged
orBE Determined

It is really a binary solution. You will CHOOSE one plan or the other. That choice, according to a theorist called Seligman really depends on how you view setbacks and disappointments as captured in his theory of Permanence, Pervasiveness, and Personalization. Essentially, if you are prone to follow the BE DETERMINED plan, you will view setbacks as just a TEMPORARY CONDITION and NOT a PERMANENT STATE - a healthier and more empowering attitude I highly recommend! If you are more of a BE DISCOURAGED plan type, then the opposite becomes true. So if you want to become better at bouncing back from setbacks and disappointments, you should believe three very important things:

Permanence – as shared above, this setback is not permanent, it is only temporary
Pervasive – it is localized to just this one situation (too many people get caught up in the “if one thing is wrong in my life then everything else must be” theory)
Personal – a setback is not an indictment on your character, skills, abilities, etc. It is what it is and the lessons you can learn from it along with your reactions can be transformational!

Trust me, I know this is not easy but I am more and more convinced that your beliefs drive your behaviors that eventually determine you results. There have plenty of opportunities that did not fall my way but there have been plenty that have! I can only encourage you to stick with it. Many times it is just that dogged refusal to give up that is the deciding factor between success and disappointment!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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, April 17, 2016

How Young Leaders Jumpstart their Success!

Recently I have been going to some networking events in order to meet new people and add value to individuals and organizations. What usually starts out as a business building endeavor ends up being an incredible experience in meeting some outstanding young leaders. This got me thinking out loud about how such young people have been able to have incredible careers and success in such a short time.

For example, I met one young lady who, even though young for her career, has already been recognized as a top interior designer for the mega-yacht industry here in S. Florida. She is not yet 30 but has already been entrusted to make a multimillion dollar investment (no yachts no smaller than 50 feet!) even better through her expertise. Another young entrepreneur I met has the largest social media network in the state of Florida that she uses to help companies, entertainers, etc. promote their events. Through other means, I have met others such as a young leader who oversees an entire ministry operation in Europe, the youngest state legislator in the history of the state or a medical student who will graduate with not only a medical degree but degrees in law and public health – all while leading the national association of student osteopathic medicine associations!

Where do we get such talented young people? What do they have in common? How have they jumped ahead of the curve and experienced so much success so soon? While not a complete list, I have narrowed it down to the following:

Drive – these individuals are incredibly driven to succeed and be the best in their fields
Passion – closely aligned with drive, these young leaders are very passionate about what they do. It shows when they describe to me what they do and why they do it!
Persistence – these young leaders have chosen to persist even in challenging or difficult circumstances. They just kept going when others quit.
Hope – these individuals have hope for the own future and that of others. They believe both in their own potential and that of others.
Discipline – all of these individuals demonstrate uncanny discipline. They focus on what they want and they have made the necessary trade-offs to succeed.

It is easy for us who are a little older to bemoan the work ethic and priorities of millennials but interacting with young people such as these along with the many others who I know are coming behind them give me faith in their future and society as a whole. Here’s the other thing that these young leaders teach me:

If we are going to have the privilege and opportunity to lead them, we best bring our own “A” game! We should review the list above and make sure we are matching them trait for trait!

You see, young leaders still need us slightly older folks! They need our support, our sponsorship, our own expertise, our patience, and our own gifts. We have much to share with each other to make things better for EVERYONE!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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, April 9, 2016

Big Dreams Cannot Survive in Small Disciplines

Few events produce such impactful learning as the World Leaders Conference that is held in West Palm Beach every year in early March. One of the outstanding speakers this year was Dr. John Maxwell. During his talk John stated that may people have “uphill goals but downhill habits”! This got me thinking out loud about why we do not always reach the goals that are important to us. One of the reasons is that big dreams often fall prey to small or inadequate disciplines.

As someone who is immersed in the leadership development and personal effectiveness arena, a common theme that emerges from both the success stories and their story tellers is just how disciplined these men and women are. For example, John Maxwell reads, files, writes, and reflects every day. Tony Robbins is known for his incredible workout routine. Grant Cardone constantly blows up my twitter feed at strategic times (i.e. ALL THE TIME!). Further, stories of the most successful entrepreneurs, world class athletes, and noted surgeons will reveal that they are not time wasters and have disciplined their work, leisure, family, and personal time with fine precision.

I know for myself that my most productive times are when I am incredibly busy! Why? Because it requires me to discipline both my time and efforts. I bet the same is true for you! So how can we live more disciplined lives? Consultant Tony Jeary recommends the following:

Define – what is of most important to you. What is you audacious goal?
Focus – on those activities that are most beneficial or leveraged to achieving your goals. As John Maxwell stresses, organize your activities as those that are REQUIRED of you, the most REWARDING, and provides biggest RETURN on investment
Delegate – as much as you can to high impact staff
Automate – as many of the mundane activities you can (i.e. paying bills, ordering supplies, etc.)
Eliminate – time wasters and energy suckers. This can include people, social media, and my nemesis, Amazon TV!

I have heard it said that we hope things work out but we expend little effort to create a successful outcome. That is unfortunate because it is important for you to have BIG DREAMS! It is there that lives are changed, causes are created, businesses thrive, and organizations flourish! So go ahead and DREAM BIG, your organizations need you to, your family and friends need you to, and our communities need you to. It is YOU they are waiting for!

For more information about next year’s World Leaders Conference, keep checking:

www.worldleadersconference.com

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – 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, April 3, 2016

How PERMANENT are your values?

The foundations of our leadership are our values. It’s just that simple and, at the same time, just that hard! Every day we read stories about leaders in business, politics, education, and the faith-based world that established themselves as trustworthy and credible. The problem becomes whenever they put themselves in situations where the opposite is true. This always gets me thinking out loud and asking why were their values so flexible?

I think one of the reasons is that at some point, some people find their values as a hindrance to get what they want. Values they stated that were so important to their enterprise, campaign, corporate brand, etc. become a nuisance when it interfered with higher profits, political advantage, personal gain, or just their desire to win. This is what separates the leaders from the “posers”. I know that sounds harsh but at some point you and I have to decide if we are truly going to lead and live with integrity . . . . or not. The best barometer of whether or not you are depends on, according to author Paul Lencioni, whether or not you are willing to be “punished for your values”. In other words, are you willing to deny yourself some advantage that you would otherwise gain OR be held accountable for your actions as a result of your values? Trust me, I have had both scenarios occur in my life and it is not fun but it is necessary if I want to have any trace of credibility with my clients, students, and (just as important) myself.

So here are some questions to ask of both yourself and your organization.

Are our stated values Permanent or just Convenient?
Are our stated values Relevant to how we operate or just Relative?
When times get tough are our values Expansive or just Expendable?

One of my favorite workshops focuses on this very issue of Ethical Leadership so please contact me if you would like more information. As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to email me or 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

Principal Consultant – 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