Dear Leaders,
 
Just a quick heads up that sometimes, what you think is a complaint, is actually the truth. It may be tough to hear this, but what we are saying, really deserves your consideration.  Trust us.
 
Yours truly,
 
Your Employee
 
Oftentimes, leaders will automatically discount a complaint that comes to them as whining, a disgruntled employee, or someone who doesn’t understand the big picture. But sometimes, they are pointing out stuff that you don’t see, can’t see or won’t see. 
 
Sometimes what they are complaining about is you and what you chose to do or not to do. Possibly, the lack of action is something that is impacting them in some way. At a recent leadership session, the speaker mentioned that when a person brings a complaint to you, two thirds of the time, what they bring up is not the real issue. But they are frustrated, and they grab on to anything to raise a concern.
 
When you discount them as not being engaged, to write it off as the infection that is hitting our society, it is being lazy as a leader. The deflection, denial, or defensiveness from leaders is what is leading to the decline in engagement. According to a Gartner study, 70% of employees are disengaged, in the workplace. That is a crazy percentage!
 
My approach in recent years when receiving feedback from others is to:

1. Assume positive intentions in others
2. Question yourself

 
This approach makes you face up to the fact that the complaint, may be the truth and maybe you are the one with the issue.
 
I was not always that way. My wife pointed out to me just last week that I am different now than who I was when I started in management. (Of course, her examples were not work related!) It was those experiences and failures when I didn’t listen, that helped me grow. You grow much more from your failures than from your successes. 
 
People might actually be engaged but you are not listening or seeing it. They are trying to reach out and describe the situation, looking for an avenue or a vehicle to bring it to light.  What you see as a complaint, is their way of showing that they ARE engaged.
 
When complaints start piling up and a lack of engagement rears its ugly head, you know the next step is to bring in some training. Most of the time, the training is directed at their teams and focus is on improving the individuals while the leaders sit on the sidelines and observe. As if they are outside of the problem when they are at the center of the problem and probably need to be participating in that same training.
 
But, if the engagement issues start with you - because you don’t see, can’t see or won’t see - then all you have done is to increase the lack of engagement because they don’t see you walking the walk.
 
I have witnessed this more times than I can count as people in charge discount the feedback of employees. They attempt to build morale with pizza parties, new posters on the wall or an internal marketing initiative.
 
Again, it comes down to the simple truth that Leaders Lead. If you consider yourself a leader but never question your role in the declining engagement numbers, then, my friend, you are not actually a leader.
 
Please for the sake of your employees and the future of your organizations, commit to being a leader. Remember, leadership is not about you it's about those whose well being you are entrusted with. I ask you to begin by questioning yourself, if you want to be a leader Beyond Today.

With graduation season upon us, there is a collective sigh of relief resonating across the globe. High school and college graduates are claiming victory and saying “Finally, I’m never doing that again…” Silly kids.
 
Some of the high school kids are snapped back to reality as they realize that they are transitioning to additional schooling through 2-year, 4-year or trade school routs. UGH!
 
Other high school kids are preparing for the workforce, ready to start making bank and grateful that they are done with all those lessons and tests. Oh, get ready.
 
College kids are either knowingly continuing their education by design or maybe fear of the unknown but enrolling for additional classes to lead to advanced degrees, or unknowingly as they enter the workforce with the misguided concept that they classroom is behind them. Buckle up!
 
Welcome to the classroom of life!
 
Where you never stop learning because if you do, the impact of a failing grade is a lot more serious than repeating a test or class.
 
Instead of waxing poetically about the importance of learning and a growth mindset, I want to share 3 key takeaways for graduates based upon past articles that I have written. Take the time to continue your learning by re-reading the articles and see where they currently connect in your life. 

1. Finals are not the end; they are the beginning. Be on the lookout for life lessons.
2. Be positive. It makes life easier and a heck of a lot more fun.
3. Surround yourself with those who make an impact. 

 
Finals are not the end; they are the beginning. Be on the lookout for life lessons.
Never stop learning. You may never again sit at a desk and take another test, but you will be tested every day. Find opportunities to learn and grow so that you can IMPACT others.
 
30 Lessons Over 30 Years
My List of Books for 2023
If You Want to Change the World
I Just Don’t Have Time to Read
A Coach Getting Coached
 
Be positive. It makes life easier and a heck of a lot more fun.
Life is so much better when you seek and find the good in others and, possibly more importantly, in yourself. Looking for hate, brings it to the front. I have a code I try to live by: 1) Assume positive intentions in others & 2) Question yourself. Choose a positive mindset.
 
Choose to be Positive
2 Tips to Refresh Your Outlook
What Goes In
Giving Thanks
Top 5 Podcasts
 
Surround yourself with those who make an impact. 
Seek out those people who want to make a positive impact in life. They say water seeks its own level, so don’t be the one bringing everyone else down. Humbly share your gifts with others and freely receive the gifts of learning and wisdom that are shared by others.
 
Impact is a 2 Way Street
When Mentoring Finds You
Speaking Truth to Young Leaders
Power of a Mentor
Iron Sharpens Iron
 
In the end, our journey through life may not always be in our control. so all we have is how we can influence that journey and our attitude along the way. Graduation is not the end of your learning, but only the beginning of a lifetime of learning Beyond Today.

A challenge that I have faced in writing my blog as well as in my leadership development sessions is the number of times I use the word “leader” to describe a person of authority in an organization, knowing full well that they are NOT truly a leader.
 
By definition, according to Merriam-Webster, a leader is defined as “a person who leads.” Makes sense. But in today's society, we use it synonymously to describe a Person in Charge. But we all know that being in charge doesn’t make you a leader. Simon Sinek has one of the best quotes when he says "Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge."
 
Sometimes it feels like you are in a bad movie or an episode from The Office where you find yourself looking for the camera or you try to make eye contact with a fellow employee to make sure you are not the only person who is finding it hard to believe that this person is in charge.
 
Just in case you are now starting to second guess your situation, or worse yet, you are a Person in Charge, and you are feeling the first pang of guilt, I have identified 5 signs to help identify if your “leader” is a Person in Charge or truly a leader.
 
They Acquire Success Instead of Build Success
You see the leaders who try to use re-organizations or leadership change to bring successful groups under their umbrella instead of taking the time and effort to build up their own team.
 
You may have experienced being part of a successful team and just as you are feeling the excitement and reaping the rewards from the success, your world is turned upside down as new leadership or reporting structure has been introduced. You can’t help but wonder, why the change? Why are you messing with something that is working so well?
 
Think of it this way, if you are not a great cook, but you really like food, you try to go and eat at the best restaurants. There is nothing wrong with that at all unless your entire job is to cook and make YOUR restaurant the best. 
 
This shouldn’t be confused with collectors or empire builders. Those who look to grow their span of control. They may still be a leader. What we are talking about is People in Charge who have never built a successful team and hook their success onto the backs of successful teams built by others. Then, when their lack of leadership begins to negatively impact the team, they jettison that team and acquire a new, successful team as their own. 
 
Memory Issues
That leads us to the second sign, memory issues. Not the common forgetfulness that comes with age or a crowded mind, but we are talking about specific lapses of significant memory. This becomes apparent when a Person in Charge seems to forget their own track-record, decisions and ultimately the path of destruction left in their wake during their previous roles. 
 
They move into a new area and in doing so, typically acquire a successful team as descriptive previously. As a snake sheds its old skin, the Person in Charge begins to point out the flaws in the old area in an attempt to not only separate themselves from the history, but write themselves out of that history, and propel them forward as a visionary for seeing the mistakes of the past.
 
Sadly, they somehow forgot the mistakes were theirs which shows a lack of integrity by throwing their entire team under the bus… then backing-up over them and doing it again.
 
Lack of Relationships
This doesn’t mean that the Person in Charge isn’t friendly, what I am describing is a lack of meaningful, personal relationships with those on their team as well as those they interact with from across the organization.
 
The relationships seem to be transactional in nature. Friendly discussion about work and then that is the end. What I would describe as surface level pleasantries, but rarely opening up to be transparent and show vulnerability.
 
I remember working with an executive who would periodically poke his head into my office and initiate some generic small talk. He might possibly ask a follow-up question but if my response was not what was expected, he would become flustered and then abruptly walk away. 
 
In my mind, I envisioned him walking down the hall to the various offices, reading, and rehearsing from small note cards, as if he was preparing for a speech or a high school debate contest. Then walk away, check it off his list, that he has successfully engaged a coworker.
 
Defends and Protect Their Team…Regardless
Wait… how can this be bad? Defending and protecting the team can be wonderful, but you need to focus on the last word - regardless. Identifying this sign can be tricky if you are reporting to this person. Because you like being protected. You feel as if they have your back. But remember the 2nd sign, you don’t want to figure it out too late. 
 
If you are on the outside, it’s a giant, flashing, neon sign that shoots fireworks. 
 
It is also complicated because good leaders support their team. But there is a difference between denial and support. A leader can acknowledge shortcomings and focus on the improvement process without having to tear their team down.
 
However, failure to recognize and acknowledge the need for improvement will chip away at the trust and integrity that is needed to lead.
 
When leaders trust blindly, without understanding the situation, they are not helping their team. They are fostering a toxic culture that creates silos and builds animosity between groups.
 
Invisible Leadership
The more common Person in Charge that has evolved over the last few years is the Invisible Leader. It’s not only that physically, they are not present, but they are not engaged or connected to their team. They have blind spots and see the world through their personal lens with little to no empathy for those who are working and keeping the engine running.
 
The bottom line is that each of the previous four signs can lead to the culmination of identifying an Invisible Leader. The lack of connections, they isolate and avoid sharing themselves, fail to engage the team, and they don’t walk the walk. If that is your Person in Charge, they are not a leader, and you deserve more.
 
I have a saying that is only two words, Leaders Lead. It really is that simple. A leader isn’t perfect. They may have epic fails. But, when they do, their team knows that they tried. Their team knows that they will work on Being Better Today than they were yesterday.
 
A leader may not have authority and be the actual Person in Charge, but they can still lead. It is not the person in Charge, but the Leader, who will lead your team Beyond Today.