Bridging Leadership Lessons from the Workplace and Those Experiences Shaping Today's Youth and Tomorrow's Leaders
 Recently, a couple of proverbs really hit home for me. They may not connect with the younger generation, but the message itself will hit home. The proverbs were:
“The cobbler’s children have no shoes.” “Every house but the carpenter’s is fixed.” It’s easy to get caught up in what you are doing for others. Helping them to achieve their desired results. Sharing lessons and experiences while coaching or introducing leadership and productivity tools to teams you can find yourself focusing on how these tools can help others and miss out that they are for you as well. When our mission is to make an external impact, it’s easy to miss out on the internal focus to get us there. In the past few weeks, I have had two situations that made me stop and shake my head, realizing I was not listening to my own words. Failed to Set Expectations I was participating in a panel discussion and had worked out with the location host to record the session so that I could use it for future promotion and sharing with others. Following the event, I was excited when I found the video recording in my inbox. I was excited with anticipation as I awaited the download, remembering the powerful moments of sharing during the discussion and excited for the amazing clips that I knew would hit home for others. I opened the file and quickly started fast forwarding through the video as the initial formatting was not in line with my expectations. It didn’t take long to realize; this wasn’t going to work. Frustration started to boil inside of me as my head was filled with inappropriate words that cannot be shared here. Then just like that, it was over. I realized that I had not defined what success would look like to the video person. I left it up to interpretation and based upon the conversation I could clearly see why it was recorded the way it was - it was 100% my fault. I teach others to define success. To communicate what Excellence looks like to their teams, yet I failed to do so. This served as a great reminder that you never arrive, and you must look inward first for clarity. Be Better Today Last month, I caught myself struggling with focus as I was bouncing around between projects and then completely changing direction into other disparate areas. I was feeling extremely busy but was not feeling productive. I was not experiencing the outcomes I had hoped for. Essentially, it felt like I was running a race with no finish line in sight. A timely call with my mentor was the wake-up call I needed. My mentor listened, asked the tough questions as only a mentor can. He helped me to focus in on the Power of 3. He asked if the various initiatives I was working on were “rifle shots” or a “shotgun blast.” Basically, do I have a specific target I am going after or am I going fishing to see what I can land? I quickly realized that I was all over the place and while I mentally started to shift my thinking, I stopped short as he pointed out that focusing on 3 rifle shots may not always be the best approach and sometimes a hybrid approach may work best. Shifting gears opened my thinking. I used the Be Better Today Tool to create two targeted Focus Areas and then I added in a broader Focus Area that allowed me room to float and explore. Bang! Clarity and purpose achieved. Some years ago, I wrote about a Coach Willing to be Coached. Growth is not only for others, but for the teacher as well. I need to take time for my internal focus to continue making an external impact. I must spend time working on my house…making my own shoes. To make an IMPACT Beyond Today.
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 I was talking with a young professional, and they shared a story of the challenges that came when their company acquired another. In the corporate world, this is commonplace and the actual negotiation, no matter how arduous they are, will still be much simpler than what comes next.
In this case, the larger company who acquired the smaller company, had to make the difficult decision on where they will cut staff due to duplication of positions and activities. This consolidation led to the departure of an established leader who was highly regarded by team members. No explanation was given to the team on why the long-term employee was the sacrificial lamb to build unity going forward. The VP showed up, made the announcement, and finished with “it’s just part of the corporate world.” Wow! This right here is why I write, share, and engage organizations and people on leadership. It’s why I am committed to helping others create an IMPACT Culture where #LeadersLead because culture cannot be delegated. It seems like we are experiencing a leadership crisis where too many “leaders” are granted a title instead of earning the title. I write about Invisible Leaders who spend time putting together the Vision Statement and posting the Values on the wall, but don’t live them in actions or deeds. People as Assets or Expenses Places where “Leaders” tout that “people are our greatest assets…” That is a true statement but not how they intend it to be heard. In reality, it is the cost of people that is deemed an asset - an asset that is viewed as a cost and easily eliminated instead of as a value meant to be cherished, invested in, grown, and allowed to flourish. These same “leaders” give voice in times of financial crisis to the value of employees. If they can “buckle down” and find cost savings, “we” can pull through this together. As they sit on high, watching disconnected from those on the floor, insulated from the repercussions of the compounding bad decisions they have made and the years of poor leadership. Servant Leadership I am a huge proponent of Servant Leadership. My mentor shared with me the book, The Way of the Shepherd, early in our relationship and I have worked hard trying to live up to those expectations. Ironically, in the organizations where the Invisible Leaders operate, they often talk about servant leadership being the way they lead, but their actions tell a completely different story. In those organizations, the shepherds who not only guide the flock, but also protect the flock, are often sacrificed in fear of the wolf who roams in the shadows on the edge of the field. Sowing seeds of doubt through politics and self-preservation. You can’t blame the wolf for their natural tendencies to prey on the weak, it’s what they do. The sad reality is that oftentimes the flock that is being protected by the shepherd will turn a blind eye to the sacrifice due to their fear of the wolf. In a way, you can’t blame the sheep for being sheep, for if they were leaders, they would be the shepherd. Leaders Lead Ultimately, it comes down to a simple question; are you seen as a leader by your actions or for your words? By your deeds or by your posts? If what I have written sounds familiar or has made you uncomfortable because you now have questions, reach out and let’s talk. It might be time to take a step back and assess your situation. You need to understand the role you are playing and how you are impacting your team. As leaders, we need to commit to our own growth if we are to be successful leaders. But the reason for the internal focus is not to create a greater impact for you. Leadership is never about you, but about those you are entrusted to lead. We need to focus on ourselves so we can make an impact on others. We use an internal focus to make an external impact. Choose to be a visible leader by your actions and deeds. Make that external impact that lasts Beyond Today.  When things in life or work start piling up, people either tend to feel overwhelmed and shut down or buckle down and get to work. From my experience, the people who buckle down tend to only focus on the “action” of getting to work… of getting busy and may not be focused on the right things to do.
That is when you need to take a breath, step back, and focus on what you need to improve to move you forward. Be Better Today I created the Be Better Today tool as a method to help you drive targeted improvement. It comes down to the idea that if you narrow your focus on Being Better Today than you were yesterday, you will move forward gaining momentum. I introduce this tool in my 3 Pillars of IMPACT sessions to simplify the continuous improvement process by establishing the mindset of forward progress on a single improvement area without having to do a formal program that causes you to quit before you even start. The Power of 3 There are scores of research to be found that stress the importance of narrowing focus to enhance your effectiveness. The Rule of 3 by J.D. Meier used applied psychology to support the productivity framework of limiting to three things in any given period. It comes down to narrowing your focus, breaking things into digestible bite-size chunks, and then focusing further on the priorities. Identify Your Target Improvement Area This is the area where you want to be better and improve yourself to have a greater impact. I’ve had people select things like goal setting, improved engagement with their work team, hitting a project timeline, and even getting an athletic scholarship. You can view the Targeted Improvement Area as a goal which may help keep you focused, but for some, the goal-setting process can be intimidating and the process of identifying the perfect measurables can leave them stuck. So, we focus less on a measurable value to achieve and more on the process of moving forward. Ultimately, the word Target means we want to narrow the improvement area, but it rarely is a one-to-one cause and effect. In the next step we want to identify three focus areas to help move you forward. 3 Focus Areas We now use the Rule of 3 to bring focus to your targeted area of improvement. If you can't identify three, then your targeted area is too narrow. Take a step back to get a border view and reset the Targeted Area of Improvement. Identify the three areas where you can focus to gain improvement. If your Targeted Area is to establish a healthy lifestyle, maybe your 3 focus areas are healthy eating, regular exercise, and mental health. There could be more focus areas, but we want to focus on the top three. Don’t cause undue stress by trying to find the perfect three or to phrase them in inspirational, life-changing, motivational poster quality words… just choose 3 areas and put them in order of importance. Creating Action Next is where we focus on identifying the action steps that will create the forward movement. You identify three specific actions that need to be done in each focus area. Only three. There may be 20 actions that need to happen but right now, we are creating and building momentum to help you Be Better Today than yesterday. Under each Focus Area, the actions need to be sequenced but also prioritized. By this I mean there may be something that won’t be required until step 4 or 5, but it’s important to ensure you are moving in the right direction. (I.e., creating recipes and meal plans before going to the grocery store.) Put it to Work Now you are probably looking at your BBT Tool and saying, “what happened to three?” Remember, bite-sized chunks. While there are three actions under each Focus Area, we are only going to focus in on the #1 action under each area. When you get one of the actions complete, you then move on to the next action under that Focus Area, maintaining your focus on three activities. When all three actions in a focus area have been completed, you can add in more actions that need to be done to achieve that focus area. If that Focus Area is now complete and you have success, you can add a new Focus Area or if there are no more to add, then focus on two actions within a different Focus Area. Remember the Power of 3. Start Being Better That’s it! No fancy project plan book. No costly subscription fees. Just spend some time in reflections, put pen to paper, and begin. Be sure to make a copy of your filled out BBT tool so you can have one at work and one at your home. Keep it prominent and visible. Don’t put it in a drawer where it is forgotten with all of your past efforts. Find an accountability partner. Share with them how you want to Be Better Today and ask them to check-in with you to see how you are doing. Once you explain, maybe they will want a BBT Tool of their own to complete. Let the Be Better Tool help you reach your potential to drive IMPACT, Beyond Today. |
AuthorTom Brown - a husband and a father who is simply trying to make a difference. Using my experience as a Manufacturing Executive to connect leadership from the boardroom to the hardwood to help teams grow and develop to make a difference in the lives of others. 
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