The 8 Steps I Used to [Successfully] Survive Unemployment

Finally, after 10 months of unemployment, I have landed a great job as a Telecommunications Project Coordinator. Similar in function to what I have performed over the past several years, this new role promises to address everything I outlined in My Ideal Job Description.

Landing this role was no easy task, and it took seven of the ten months of unemployment to finally make it all happen. Fortunately, I had a plan to ensure success in surviving unemployment for as long as it took. Here are the 10 steps of my plan:

1. Making Sense of My Losses. This step can be named many things, but it basically boils down to the same thing – going through the grief process and understanding the situation. I call it my mourning process, and it can take some time to perform. The timeline to work through this step is different for each person. The key to remember is that this step is not an isolated step and you can proceed with other steps while still performing this one.
2. Work Together as a Family. Having my family involved made a big difference in my overall outlook in the situation. I did not have to burden unemployment alone, and we encouraged each other as weeks turned into months.
3. We Took Stock of our Financial Resources. This can be a difficult task to do because it may require a major change in your attitude about finances and assets. Retirement plans and 401K’s can be an expensive proposition if used to survive during a lengthy unemployment.
4. We Set Spending Priorities. While this may seem like an obvious step to perform, I can assure you that it’s not. What may be a lower priority with me will most assuredly be a higher priority with my wife or my children. Again, this takes the whole family to buy in and act as one.
5. Paying Our Creditors and Insuring Our Financial Reputation. The key to performing this step is communication initiated on my part with each creditor. They may not like the new arrangements or the pitifully small amounts I paid, but each one worked with me throughout the year. Oh sure, my credit rating has taken a beating, but my financial reputation has been sustained and my rating can be restored.
6. Economizing and Cutting Corners. This is closely related to step 4, but it also involves an in-depth look into areas for additional cutbacks. This can be cable services, phone services, memberships, meal habits, etc. The key thing to remember on this step is that it’s only for a season – not necessarily forever.
7. Using My Community Services. These services range from financial aid, job seeking & networking, counseling, food pantries, city parks and volunteer opportunities. They exist to be used.
8. Finding New Employment. Finding new employment is a no-brainer, but my success in being able to devote the time and energy to be successful depended greatly on how well I performed the first seven steps. Believe it or not, my job search activities were much easier to perform when all of the other details were managed.

There’s no way to sugar coat it – being unemployed for any length of time is not easy, and not everyone survives. Having a plan mitigates many potential problems and reduces – if not removes – stress. Admittedly, it’s not easy, but survival is never about comfort or without risk. Look for additional details and ideas on how to perform each of these steps in my upcoming blogs.

Question: Are you currently? If so, how can I help?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

Why People Do Not Reach Their Potential

I attended a gathering this week of the Career Alliance Group in Allen, Texas, where I was the guest speaker. I had a great time networking and sharing experiences with other professionals across a wide cross section of industries.

After a short meet and greet time, I spoke on the topic of why people fail to reach and live out their potential. A topic like this can easily fill a day-long seminar, so I reduced it down to just four key elements based on my own experience and learning.

To sum it up, these are the elements I presented as to why people fail to reach their potential and live it out daily:

1. Choices. People make choices that limit them. Whether intentionally, motivated by fear or lack of understanding, poor choices do more to limit one’s ability to reach their potential and live it daily than anything else.
2. Time. Many who fail to reach their potential do not realize the amount of time that it requires.
3. Price. People fail to pay the price their potential demands. Price takes the shape of many forms, the least of which is time, money, risk, or education.
4. Problems. People fail to think creatively when problems arise. In many ways, problems are the flames that purify their potential, and reveal it for what it really is. Other times, problems are the roadblocks that can pose a serious obstacle from reaching their potential.

After my presentation, I was confirmed that my topic was not only on target, but timely too. It was a seed planted and with careful cultivation, will grow to be realized and lived out across the many careers represented at this event.

That is what applying influence and making an impact while serving others looks like.

Question: Are you living out your potential? If not, how can I help?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

Job Wanted: My Ideal Job Description

I need a job, so while I am searching for roles and positions I think I am qualified for in the traditional way, I am creating my own Job Wanted ad and sending it to companies I think I would like to work for.

This is the job I want:

Job Wanted:

Hazardous journey, fair wages for the work performed, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.

Opportunity to lead teams and develop people, promote organizational values while creating excellence in performance, constant challenges, provides the how to the organizational why, meaningful results are rewarded.

Send response if you’re curious how my optimism and leadership can contribute to your success, or you would like to assemble a team that can weather anything. Safe or mediocre positions need not respond.

For resume, please send request to lars.ray.0@gmail.com

If this looks vaguely familiar, it’s because the first paragraph is a modified version of the infamous Help Wanted advertisement posted by Ernest Shackleton in 1914 for his epic adventure to the South Pole. The rest of it is my own.

Taken literally or as a metaphor, the first paragraph speaks to what I am looking for in a role. I want a role with a sense of adventure, filled with challenges to overcome and a goal that is inspiring. The remaining paragraphs are the strengths I utilize to deliver the results.

It has been said that if you do not work to fulfill your dreams, then you will work to fulfill someone else’s dreams. I’m OK with this, so long as your dreams are big enough to inspire and are worth the risks. It is then that I make your dream my own, and together we achieve the seemingly impossible, boldly inspiring growth along the way. 

I have lots of skills that are transferable to almost any industry. I can do most any task from mopping the deck to plotting a course; from managing a project to creating a center of excellence filled with teams who deliver the business. So can most anyone else. What I contribute that others do not is the passion to be a part of a team that makes a difference to the business and to its customers when a “safe return is doubtful”.

Do you have a position that requires this kind of employee to ensure your success? Is your dream this big? If so, I would like to work for you.

Question: What is your ideal role?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

Why I Follow Liz Ryan, and You Should Too!

Spend any time whatsoever on LinkedIn, and you will be inundated with blogs, stories, news and ideas from the world’s foremost thought leaders on any topic, be it business, technology, leadership, HR practices, or what-have-you.

There are some that I follow, and others I read regularly. But Liz Ryan is one of those influencers that top my list. Liz has a mission to bring human energy and mojo into the workplace. So do I. She talks on topics of career development, employee challenges, leadership, job searches, and much more. So do I. So for me, it's not so much what she talks about, but how she talks about it. There lies the connection between us.  Here’s why

Breadth of application

One of the best attributes of her blogs is the breadth of application her topics touch. In any given article – whether it is for job seekers, employers, or workplace environment – there is something for everyone. Her insights always provide me with a take-away, be it for now or maybe later. She is not afraid to give something away useful and applicable. 

She challenges the status quo

In her own words Liz states that she has been an HR VP forever. Maybe so, but she sure doesn't speak like one, not one that I have ever met anyway. She uses language of the common worker, not the executive trying to impress. She challenges the perceived “rules” of engagement. In short, she causes me to think and evaluate what she promotes – whether I buy into it or not is another matter.

She applies common sense

Read one blog of hers and you can’t help but come away with “wow, I never considered that!” Sometimes it’s that common sense that actually challenges the status quo mentioned earlier. From her graphics to the language she employs, you can’t help but see the practical side of her position on a matter. Without ever stating it, it’s as if she is challenging her readers to try it for themselves and prove her wrong. 

She is funny

All of her topics are serious, but she expertly shows us her sense of humor. She even invites one and all to connect with her in LinkedIn, but adds that if you do, please add a joke to the invite. I love that! So I asked her to marry me and invited her to connect with me in LinkedIn. She accepted…my LinkedIn invitation, not my marriage proposal.

Real life applications

While all my previous reasons can be viewed as subjective, her relevancy to real life applications is not. They apply to the here and now, and in every industry I can think of. They apply to small business, medium enterprises, and large corporations. They apply to entrepreneurs, indie’s, and contractors alike. They apply to employees, employers; leaders, managers, workers; local companies and global companies.

And the list can go on. As you can see, I really like what Liz publishes, mostly because I find a comradery in her outlook on the work life. And when I find a connection that I believe in, I want to share it.

To learn more about Liz Ryan and her company, Human Workplace, visit http://www.humanworkplace.com

Question: Who influences you, and why?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

A Question of Inspiration

LinkedIn has a running series called "What Inspires Me" with responses from prominent influencers as to what inspires them. It has been delightful reading, but to be honest, however, some of them I thought were concepts rather than personal items of inspiration. But I can be like that – taking a word to its literal meaning and easily finding fault when I believe it has been used incorrectly or out of context.

Then I read a blog by Jim Sniechowski, PhD, on this very topic. Awesome! I’m not alone in my thinking. In his blog, which was about defining what inspires him, he defines what inspiration is. The word “inspire” is defined as (his paraphrase):

•  to arouse feelings and/or action 
• a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul
•  to breathe life into
•  “Animate” was another word that appeared in the definitions and it was defined as:
• to fill with courage or boldness
•  to create liveliness

As he states it, this is the lens we should be looking through when seeking what inspires us.

So a better question is to ask is “what in my experience of being alive consistently moves me to feel something, or take an action, or breathes life into me?”

One of the qualities of a great leader is that they inspire others to act. Contrast inspiration with motivation, and you will see there is a distinct difference. Motivation is the purpose, the reason, and/or the motive to act. Many leaders motivate, which is appropriate and necessary, but fall short of providing the inspiration to go along with it. Many workers today are motivated, but wholly remain uninspired.

As a leader, do you move your team to feel something; do you fill them with courage or boldness; do you breathe life into them at work?

Something to consider: instead of asking your direct reports as to what inspires them at work, how about asking them how you inspire them at work. It’s OK if you don’t. Then you’ll know where to start.

Question: What in your experience of being alive consistently moves you to feel something or take an action or breathes life into you?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

A Question We Need to Ask Ourselves

I love underdog movies – you know the kind I mean - an average guy takes on an overwhelming task, is nearly defeated, and ends up winning. Those kind. Kingdom of Heaven, Major League (the first one), Zorro, Robin Hood, and The Shooter are just some on my list.

While the majority of my favorites are action-type flicks, one of my top five favorites is “Major League III – Back to the Minors”. The only thing it has in common with the previous two releases is that it carries over some of the former players. Other than that, this could be a standalone story, and a great one at that.

What makes this particular movie so good, besides its humor, is that it is a model of both great and poor leadership styles. It is so good in fact that I recommend it as required viewing when coaching someone new to management.

One particular scene asks a question I believe we should be asking ourselves each day. The manager of the minor league team, “The Buzz”, is with the owner of the Minnesota Twins watching a Twins game. Throughout the game, the Twins perform field error after error. The Buzz manager asks the Twins owner, “Of your lineup of 23 guys, how many make baseball a priority?” The owner replies with a disgusted look, “14…maybe”.

Wow! That is powerful. You see, of the 23 players on this major league team, 10 were more concerned with product sponsors, modeling contracts, or other “opportunities” resulting from their fame and position on the team rather than the team itself and the game of baseball. Their own success was driving their decline in performance.

It’s a simple concept that is so easy to get sidelined until it becomes uncontrollable. It’s a great metaphor to use to gauge the performance of your team, or even yourself. Pick the topic, insert yourself and ask, “Do I make this thing a priority?”

Or, you can generalize as I do. I ask myself (at least weekly), “of the things that are important to me, what are the things I make a priority?” I say my health is important to me, but do I make it a priority? I say my relationship with my wife is important to me, but do I make it a priority? I say my job is important to me, but do I make my team a priority?

For me, baseball has become the word that means priority.

Question: Do you make "baseball" a priority?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

3 Keys to Making a Positive Impact in Your World

You may have heard of Environmental Impact Statements, those reports that show what a particular activity, such as mining, will have on the environment if implemented. If you are in IT, you may have heard of Network Impact Statements. Same thing – it addresses what impacts a new device or protocol will have on the network if implemented. These and others like them are assessments as to the potential impacts a particular action will make, based on experience, environment, conservative assumptions, and known qualities.

Most people and organizations want to make a impact in their world, whether for mankind, your customer, or your community. I know I do. I wake up every day with the personal mission of making an impact on my world. My personal vision statement reads: “To be the difference that makes a difference in the lives of others”. It’s noble, I know, but it’s the fuel that keeps me going to be more today than I was yesterday. My mission statement – the engine that drives me towards my vision, reads: “To live large while serving others in everything I do”. Equally noble, I get it.

So how do you impact in your world regardless of your vision or mission statement? Here are three keys that will ensure you make a positive impact in your world and to those around you.

Know yourself.

I have often stated that I want to be the world’s expert on myself. One of the best ways to get to know you is to ask yourself a lot questions, then answer them. Why does this bother me? What am I going to do about it? Why do I think the way I do?  Why do I respond this way? The next best thing to do is to ask others how they see you – but only if you are willing to hear the answers. You can do this informally or with tools like a 360 degree survey. If you have ever taken a Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator assessment, go beyond the assessment explanations and do the extra effort to explore how your type interacts with the world.

Be Accountable.

Personal accountability is a mindset over skill set  It responds to circumstances with “How Can I…” and “What can I…” Cy Wakeman, author of “Reality Based Leadership”, explains the relationship between reality and accountability, and how to create the right mindset. Her mission is to remove the drama. Get it. Read it. Practice it.

Being accountable is more than being responsible to others or for a particular outcome or resource. Being accountable is about adding value in everything you do. It’s about owning your reality, being a part of a solution rather than creating or contributing to the drama. Cy expertly addresses these points and shows how this can be applied in everyday circumstances.

Be Empathetic verses Sympathetic.

Being sympathetic either creates or agrees with an excuse for why an expectation is not meet, a deadline is missed, or that you can’t do something. Being empathetic understands what the issue is, then places yourself into the solution, i.e. “How can I help? What do you need from me?” Many elements are at play when dealing with empathy verses sympathy. Leadership, accountability, dealing with reality, and knowing yourself all plays into it.

These keys do not make a person perfect, or even easy to get along with. They do, however, guarantee that by growing these competencies, you will make a positive impact in your world. These require intentionality, growth, a change in mindset, and sacrifice.

Question: How do you make an impact in your world?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

How To Be FIRST With Your Customers and Peers

In the Telecommunications industry, as with many different industries, speaking in initials and acronyms are almost a language unto themselves. Frustrating as it sometimes can be, there is always a deeper meaning behind it.

A good example of this is The Home Depot’s use of FIRST for engaging its customers. Beth Ray, a successful Lead Generator for The Home Depot’s home services group explains what FIRST is and how this acronym helps keep her focused on what’s important to her customers and work peers.

F = Find; as in find the customer. While this might seem obvious, knowing who or where your customer might be is not. Beth applies Find to her work peers as much as she does to external customers. She doesn't have the luxury of waiting for customers to find her. This attitude serves as a means of making connections that would otherwise go unconnected. In Beth’s case, the lack of connection could result in either a loss of a potential sale or an unresolved problem that could cost the organization needlessly. 

I = Inquire; as in ask questions to better understand the needs of the customer or peer, and then listen….with interest. This is a critical step in the process as it provides the foundation for care, trust, and a safe engagement. Many problems are well on the way of being solved with this critical step.

R = Respect; as in showing and giving respect to the customer, the peer, the problem, and the possible solution. Customers engage Beth with the assumption that she is the expert in resolving their problem. While she may not know how to apply a new roof, she does know who within her network does, and she makes the connections on behalf of her customer. Showing the same respect to her peers works both ways, resulting in Beth becoming an antenna within the organization.

S = Solve; as in having a “we have the solution to your problem” attitude. It’s interesting to note that six identical problems will many times require six different solutions. Cost, feasibility, resources, knowledge, and skills may all factor in a specific solution. The same can be said within the organization. Acting on the attitude of “we have the solution to your problem” will always ensure you are needed – even if all you can do is find someone else to address the need. Displaying this attitude when the problem may very well not be a part of your job description demonstrates a sense of “we are one team”, and is often a contributing factor in overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

T = Thank; as in “duh!” It’s surprising however how many times we forget to thank someone for the simplest of things. We need to thank our customers with trusting us with their problem. We need to thank our direct reports for their efforts and assistance. We need to thank our teammates for their support, and we need to thank our peers in other organizations for their assistance as well.

Question: How can you apply FIRST in your role?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

8 Leadership Lessons from BBQ Pit Masters

I love to barbecue, grill, and smoke meat, and I like to watch the BBQ Pit Masters show on Destination America. It has less to do with the drama of the personalities themselves and more to do on actual techniques, types of meats, profiles, and what makes for a winner in each segment. At the end of each show, it’s all about bragging rights and who gets to advance towards the Kingsford invitational to be crowned as this year’s grand Champion.

Similarly, I desire the bragging rights, but not through competition with other pit masters. Unlike the pro’s on the show, I do not own a restaurant or compete for cash prizes. I compete with myself to grow a personal following of my brand of barbecue – traditional American BBQ infused with Polish flavors and techniques. For me, it’s about serving up great Polish food using an American platform to do so. In the process, I discovered that there are several leadership lessons that can be learned from the culinary art of barbecue. Here are eight that are worth mentioning:

1. BBQ: Any cut of meat has the potential of being a winning entry.
   Leadership Lesson: The traits comprising the raw materials of leadership can be acquired. Link them up with desire and nothing can keep you from becoming a leader.
2. BBQ: Great barbecue is a process. It takes a combination of practiced skill, knowledge, time, character and integrity to create great barbecue.
   Leadership Lesson: Leadership is a process. It too takes a combination of practiced skill, knowledge, time, character and integrity to be an effective leader.
3. BBQ: If you don’t have someone to serve your barbecue to, you’re just cooking meat. Leadership Lesson: It’s been said that as a leader, if you don’t have followers, you’re just taking a walk. 
4. BBQ: Different meats require different flavor profiles, cooking temperatures, woods for the pit, and serving options.
   Leadership Lesson: Different people and situations require different leadership profiles, working environments, opportunities, and resources. 
5. BBQ: A winning pit master needs to remain flexible and agile to deliver great results. Simple things like temperature, weather, and tools can make the difference between good barbecue and great barbecue.
   Leadership Lesson: A successful leader needs to remain flexible and agile to deliver great results. Simple things like developing others, performing as a servant leader, and leading ethically can make the difference between a good leader and a great leader. 
6. BBQ: Winning pit masters are constantly growing and developing to be better tomorrow than they were today. They evolve and constantly learn. They are passionate about barbecue.
   Leadership Lesson: Successful leaders are constantly growing and developing to be better tomorrow than they were today. They evolve and constantly grow. They are passionate about leading well. 
7. BBQ: If you continue to serve poor tasting barbecue, your customers or audience will find another pit master.
   Leadership Lesson: If you continue to lead poorly, people will find another leader. 
8. BBQ: There is no such thing as a self-made Pit Master. Every Pit Master has had help along the way to success. Great Pit Masters surround themselves with those that continue to challenge them to be better. Every great barbecue served requires a team to execute. Leadership Lesson: There is no such thing as a self-made leader. Every good to great leader has had help along the way. Every successful leader requires a team to execute to obtain the desired results.

Question: How do you lead with great barbecue?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd like to know what you think. feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

How Leaders Develop – Six Tips to Ensure Leadership Growth

In his May 2, 2012 Leadership Wired news letter, John Maxwell writes, “Leadership is not an exclusive club reserved for those who were "born with it." The traits comprising the raw materials of leadership can be acquired. Link them up with desire and nothing can keep you from becoming a leader.”

I review this little nugget of truth often to keep it fresh. I have found that when in a position of leadership within a company, there are lots of raw materials to acquire and link up to my growth in leadership. But how about when you are not in a defined position of leadership? Then what do you do? Well the answer is obvious, but not necessarily easier. You have to look harder – stretch your vision, discern more and really look for it. That’s where “desire” becomes the fuel to continue my growth.   

I have been unemployed now for six months, and I am challenged weekly, if not daily, on how I continue to grow as a leader. I have to look beyond my experiences and current position to find the raw materials to continue my growth. Here are six ways to find the traits comprising the raw materials of leadership when not in a defined role of leadership:

1. Remember the basics. Think of it as a routine checkup. While this seems obvious, I find it amazing how many leaders I have come in contact with who do not spend any time remembering the basics. Stephen Covey calls this “sharpening the saw”. Ever see a professional baseball player miss a ground ball as it rolls between his legs and on out to the field? The basics are to kneel down in front of the ball to insure he blocks it from going past him. The same simple mistakes can be made in leadership.
2. Take time to reflect. Just as it is stated, this requires time to perform. It should be scheduled and prioritized. Reflection is a vital element of leadership. It helps you stay grounded on what is important, it provides clarity, and it allows you to consider other perspectives.
3. Review your plans. These could be anything; your life plan, your operational plan, your growth plan, or in my case, my job search plan. As in reflection, reviewing your plans help you ensure the right priorities are on the right things. It shines light on things that require leadership skills to be acted upon.
4. Maintain and grow your leadership network. This is more than commenting on Facebook or LinkedIn. This is about staying connected with other leaders that influence you and who help you grow as a leader. Doing so sustains and motivates your desire to grow as a leader.
5. Work on your strengths. This is not about working within your strength zone; this is about growing your strengths like you would exercise at a gym. Like your body, your strengths need to be exercised and constantly worked on. Strengths can be worked on whether you are in a position of leadership or not. It is also a great way to stay motivated in your desire to grow as a leader.
6. Get involved. How do you develop your leadership capabilities when not in a defined role of leadership [at work]? Find ways to lead. Get involved. Start at your place of worship, start with a community activity, or start with a cause you are passionate about. The mere act of getting involved requires leadership. Your level of involvement will help you find new raw materials to further develop as a leader.

These six steps involve the three E’s of leadership development; Environment, Equipping, and Exposure. Being attentive within your current environment, getting equipped, and being exposed to leadership opportunities will develop you as a leader. Link them up with desire and nothing can keep you from becoming a leader, even if you are unemployed.

Question: Rate yourself from A to F in your own leadership development. Where are you at?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

Do You Have Agility?

Agility. In the work environment, agility is an organization’s ongoing ability to anticipate, adapt to, and respond decisively to events and trends within its operating environment. It’s a funny paradox – more and more role descriptions are listing agility as a needed skill, yet more and more reports are listing agility as an overused word or skill on personal profiles and resumes.

Agility is often used in concert with “adaptable to change”, which can be true in some contexts I suppose. But true agility is not just about adapting, it’s also about anticipating and responding to the change. It has been my experience that most people stop at adapting. They never anticipated nor effectively responded to the change.

I think a primary reason for this is because most people do not recognize what agility truly is. Like leadership, agility functions as a noun; it's a skill that requires core competencies to be effective. While not all inclusive, here are six core competencies for agility:

• Ability to anticipate change
• Ability to generate confidence
• Ability to initiate action
• Ability to liberate thinking
• Ability to evaluate results

People who effectively demonstrate their agility are marked by their ready ability to move quickly with easy grace, and they have a quick resourceful and adaptive character.

When a role description lists agility as a necessary skill, it includes the above competencies, but when people list agility as a skill, they often omit how they effectively demonstrated it.

An organization’s agility to ever-changing trends and market demands is limited only by its people’s ability to anticipate, adapt to, and respond decisively to the changing environment. If you want to improve one skill that adds value to your organization, consider your agility. By growing your proficiency in its core competencies, you will become more agile.

Question: How effective are you today in your agility? 

The Benefits of Keeping a Journal

To journal or not to journal - it's a matter of personal growth really. Each of my mentors swear by  keeping a journal. My former boss kept a journal. Most leaders I have reported to within my career who were worth anything maintained a journal. The president of the United States keeps a journal. 

I keep a journal - not because of all those I named above does, but because I believe - and receive - the benefits of consistently adding to my journal. There are a thousand different ways to keep a journal. Some people keep a spiritual journal. Others keep a simple diary of events. Some people write in the morning. Others write at night. Some people write inside a paper journal. Others use their computer. Some folks maintain one journal for all aspects of their lives, while others, like myself, maintain several journals based on themes.

What is important to remember is that it's not about what you journal or how, it's about that you journal. I am so passionate about personal growth that I include the fact I maintain a journal as a leadership skill set. Indeed, and here's why:

• Capture & Process previous events. This is what my former boss did. He would invest in ruled hardbound ledgers with about 300 pages each. In a calendar year he may fill up to four of these things. He took his journal to every meeting, wrote in it at every tele-conference call, and capture notes during one on one discussions. It was amazing how much he could recall, factually, at any given time within a year on almost any topic he was involved with. 
• Clarify my own thinking. I maintain a leadership journal. In it I capture lessons gleaned from others, tactics, and experiences. In it I ask important questions, record significant lessons, and receive inspiration  In short, my leadership journal contains anything that remotely relates to leadership and how I can grow or improve my skills as a leader. 
• A record to reflect on. Reflection is another leadership skill that is vital to grow. Reflection creates clarity, promotes decision making, and allows me to review and improve. Journaling helps me stay focused on what I reflect on.
• It serves as my leadership bible. I don't just write in my journal for archive sake, I review it and use it often. When coaching or mentoring others, I refer to my journal for insights and guidance. 

I am one of those types that retain more if i write down. Consequently, I have notes and books everywhere. Others use software or blogs to record journal entries. The key is to find a methodology that works for you. Buy remaining consistent at your journal, you will see your own benefits and begin to grow. If you do not know what to journal about, try starting with something you are passionate about - a cause, an event, an activity, or even a hobby. 

You are only limited by your own imagination.

Question: Do you keep a journal? If so, on what topic(s)? Please share.

Moore Insights on Memorial Day

This week's lessons in leadership come from one of my most influential mentors, my wife Beth. She is a Community Team Captain at The Home Depot where she works, leading teams of Home Depot volunteers to care for their communities on their day's off. News of the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma was less than hour old when she received a call from her store asking for her time and energy to serve on the Team Home Depot first response team. A total of five teams were formed representing the greater Dallas metroplex. 

The following is a re-post of her Facebook column she started called Moore Memories, where she shares some of her stories of the team's experiences there.

"Moore Memories, May 27, 2013

I know today is set aside for those who have served and died in the guarding of our freedom, and for what makes this land amazing, and to all those that I know who have given their time and lives to do that...gratitude will never be enough. On this day, this year, I wish to include some folks that wish they could be doing their daily lives, but have answered the call instead, to do what needs to be done today and going forward.....

Moore memories....
I saw heroes of every branch of law enforcement, state police entities and security hunker down and worked 20 hr days. They worked and checked and guarded areas that used to be neighborhoods and places of business, now just bits of property being sieved by those who owned them. The firefighters who found folks hurt but alive, and those who hadn't made it, working day after day. There were so many of them from different places, they moved from our Home Depot parking lot to the Target next door, so that all the brethren could be together.
I saw vets and techs work in cold and rain and endless hrs a day, taking care of hurt and frightened animals, in hopes that their owners would be able to reunite with them.
I saw National Guard and Rangers, and Land and AG Deputies coming back from doing jobs most of us could never think of doing...killing animals to put them out of their misery. They showed up day after day and never flinched.

I saw folks in Orange aprons from many other places, stand along side those from Moore, work 12 and more hrs, and strain to take care of a community that needed them to be open 24/7, and they did it with a smile on their faces, and genuine desire to be there.

To all of these and more without titles...you are heroes for this time and event...blessings and honor as well. You are being the best that Americans can be when the call comes to serve...those who have fought for this country would be thrilled.  :-)"

Question: Do you have Moore memories? I would like to hear them if you do. 

Is Your Attitude Showing?

Have you ever known something to be true, but didn't realize it until someone else wrote a book and clearly defined for you what you have instinctively known all along? That’s what happened to me when my mentor and leadership expert John C. Maxwell released his book “The Difference Maker” back in 2006.

John uses his classic insights to clearly identify, categorize, and clarify the subject of one’s attitude, and the role it plays in one’s leadership ability and personal success. In The Difference Maker John C. Maxwell deconstructs the notion that attitude, by itself, determines a person’s success or failure. However, a positive attitude does make a tremendous difference, and John lauds it as a leader’s greatest asset. Although attitude isn't everything, it can help you to do anything better.

While the book has been published for some seven years now, and I find it as relevant today as when he first published it. Admittedly, I discovered a few new ah-ha moments among the truths I already knew, and I found a long list of takeaways to apply for myself. From that list, here are my big three:

Attitude always has an impact on your team. Talent is not enough. These five truths clarify how attitudes affect teamwork and a leader’s team: 

• Attitudes have the power to lift up or tear down a team
• An attitude compounds when exposed to others
• Bad attitudes compound faster than good ones
• Attitudes are subjective. Identifying a wrong one can at times be difficult
• Rotten attitudes, left alone, can ruin everything

Attitudes are really about how a person is. That overflows into how he or she acts. Attitude is an inward feeling expressed by behavior. (Any parent of a toddler instinctively understands this one!)

Your attitude and your potential go hand in hand. When your attitude is positive and conducive to growth the mind expands and the progress begins. Attitude determines success or failure.

For me, probably the best point John drives throughout the book is that attitude is a choice. Your attitude isn't set in stone; you shape it through the choices you make each day. That means you can decide, intentionally, what attitude you will take to work with you each day.

Question: How are your customers and co-workers affected by your attitude?

Are You a Good Customer?

Much has been written about delivering great customer service, which companies deliver the best, and how customer service can differentiate a company in the market place from its competitor.

Earning a profit is the purpose of every business, and providing a service is the purpose for every nonprofit or not for profit enterprise. Customers are the reason they exist. But some businesses and enterprises place a premium on their customer service, and put their money where their mouth is and empowering those who deliver the customer service. You know who they are – Apple computer stores, CVS Pharmacy,  Zappos.com, Amazon.com, L.L. Bean, and the Salvation Army to name a few.

Some companies, such as the Ritz-Carlton, define what world-class customer service looks like by how they treat their guests. Other companies like Zappos.com and Nordstrom’s demonstrate that sometimes they might even need to break their own rules to deliver high-end customer satisfaction.

But what about you?  Are you doing your part in the customer service experience? Did you even know you have a part to play? People tend to forget that it takes both the service provider and the customer to make a great experience. Great customer service begins with you, the customer. It starts with your attitude, your communication, your approach, and your desire for a great experience.

To receive excellent customer service, be willing to be a great customer, one worthy of receiving such service. Here are 5 ways to ensure great customer service from every engagement you have as a customer:

1. Be intentional about being a great customer. It’s not complicated, but it is easy to forget when we are flustered, in a hurry, or preoccupied with something else.
   
2. Take care of those who are taking care of you. In particular, the ‘unseen” persons who contribute to your overall care and experience. These are the folks who clean your hotel room, bus your table, carry your luggage, or clean the restrooms at Walmart.  Acknowledge these people and show appreciation for what they do. Don't treat them as unseen. Tip if appropriate. Show the person respect and place a value on what they do, and they will serve you all day if needed.
   
3. If you are going to be the first to complain, then be the first to praise. Make the effort to engage the duty manager and explain how pleased you were with the overall service. Name those who helped you and be specific about what they did that pleased you so much. Make the effort to go on-line and fill out the customer survey from your receipt – even if you don’t win the $5,000.00 shopping spree.
   
4. Act like you have all the time in the world, even when you don’t. Give the customer service representative, cashier, waiter, or whomever is serving your needs time to catch their breath and devote all of their attention to you. You’re not a number, so don’t act like one. (This works great at the US Post Office!)
   
5. It starts with your attitude. Set the bar high for being the best customer that agent will have all day. Then let them know that’s your intention. Demonstrate understanding and care that their job of serving you is not easy. Perhaps even complement them on their customer service skills (unless it is totally unwarranted). Treat them as if they were your customer instead of you being theirs!

The practice is simple: To get world-class customer service from Taco Bell during the lunch rush, be prepared to be a world-class customer. It all starts with you, the customer.

Question: How do you get total satisfaction from every customer experience?

4 Keys to Add Value to Your Role

I wrote a paper in 2011 called “Dynamic Value – The Art and Science of Providing Added Value”, whereby I explain that in today’s business, competing on price and service offerings isn't enough. Customers expect more for the same dollar spent. Organizations are constantly challenged to offer more, spend less, and maintain – if not increase – its quality outputs. Likewise, employees must perform more than the basic expectations of their role.

Here are some hard truths to consider:

• Employees are company resources
• Your skills and knowledge are company assets
• Your role consumes company resources

These are true regardless of the role or position, and regardless of the company. However, there is another, more positive way of seeing this too:

• Employees are valuable company resources
• Your skills and knowledge are valuable company assets
• Your role consumes valuable company resources

Knowing where the value actually lies, it becomes easier to see where to add the value from a company's perspective. This can be expressed in the simple equation Knowing Value = Adding Value. As an employee, Knowing Value = Adding Value can help you connect the dots between you and how you contribute to the company’s bottom line. Knowing what the company values, and where that value is enables you to act on that knowledge. If you can’t connect the dots, no one else will either. You need to map it out.

If there is a secret to succeeding at work, it is to make sure your work is highly valued. Here are four key elements that increase your value:

1. Understand the business strategy. What does the business need? And what does the business think is important to get done right now? That stuff = “the value”.
   
   
2. Change how you work. Make sure the work you do is impacting those things. It’s easy to lose sight of the company’s vision and mission when in the midst of daily tasks and routines.
   
   
3. Get recognized for it by connecting the dots for people. You have the responsibility to show how your work is impacting what the business cares about. You need to show how you are adding value. Don’t wait for others to figure it out or to discover how valuable you are. This isn’t about blowing your own horn – it’s about creating awareness to those who need to know.
   
   
4. Impact Profit. One way to specifically add value is to make the business more efficient or productive. That way you impact the bottom line. Profit is always something that is important to the business!

One of the best ways to ensure you are on track with adding value to your role is to incorporate these four keys into your performance review. By highlighting the facts and the results of connecting the dots between what the company values and what you deliver towards profitability, you show your own value.

Question: What are some other keys that help add value to your role?

Why Vision Matters

In his June 2012 leadership blog, Michael Hyatt addresses the topic of vision and why it matters. In it he states, “When times are tough, vision is the first casualty.”

I hate to admit it, but I proved him correct. This is not only true for companies and organizations, but in one’s personal life too. It’s not intentional – it just sort of happens as a reaction to current events.

As a freelance Project Manager in the telecommunications industry, my contract ended in January of 2013. That was expected and planned for, but what was not expected is that my contract was not renewed. As a cost reduction move, the client decided to pull the services I provided back in-house and source them internally. Now, I am in a tough time, and sure enough – my vision took a back seat to “survival”.

I had forgotten the basic principle of what a vision is and its importance. “Vision is the lifeblood of any organization. It is what keeps it moving forward. It provides meaning to the day-to-day challenges and setbacks that make up the rumble and tumble of real life. Decisions become pragmatic” Michael states.

He’s right. Once I regained this perspective, I found new energy and purpose in drumming up new work. I went from survival mode to intentional mode in seeking out new opportunities. A vision serves as a compass, and I failed to take a bearing at the first sign of trouble. It’s always good to pause for a moment and assess your direction, then move forward. The vision tells you where and in what direction.

My vision is simple: “to be the difference that makes a difference in the lives of others”. This vision is an excellent compass for me; it qualifies and filters opportunities and makes decision-making easier when selecting the right contract. I might have all the skills in the world for a particular company, but if I do not believe I can be a difference that will make a difference to them, then it’s not for me. This significantly raises the bar above survival mode where the temptation to accept the first thing that comes along is at its greatest.

Staying true to my vision also keeps me authentic and consistent in my actions, which are also important leadership traits. As the leader of my family, its my job to remind them of what it is we are trying to build – and why it matters.  I echo Michael Hyatt’s words, “Before conditions can improve, [vision] is the first thing we must recover.”

Question: How important do you think vision is as we move through the rest of this year?

A Hero's Guide to the Pursuit of Excellence

In 2011 I authored several white papers as part of a company wide contest. The mission of the contest was to promote the company - a worthy cause and an overall fun challenge.

One of the white papers I wrote was on the topic of excellence, and how it is a process to perform rather than a single goal to achieve. To ensure I obtained credit and points for the contest, I used the company as a model on how to incorporate excellence into its culture. The paper also described excellence at the organization or department level, and at the individual level.

I know it's worth reading, because I won second place in the completion and was awarded an iPad for my contributions. Titled 'Excellence by Design", it outlines how we can develop our own mindsets for performing with an attitude of excellence in everything we do, regardless if it is a core value of the company or not. You can download your free copy here.
Some of the key points the paper brings out is that whether you are in a defined position of leadership or one of the rank & file knowledge workers, the principles are the same:

• It is not enough to just deliver a service.
• How we deliver is as important to investors and customers as what we deliver.
• Perfect service delivery is a result of upstream service excellence.
• Flawless execution is about the ability to overcome problems, hurdles, roadblocks, setbacks, and other issues which are standing in the way of delivering results on time, on budget, and on target.
• Striving for service excellence is an individual effort, a team effort, an organizational effort, and a company effort.

The best thing about working in a mindset of excellence is that it's not the same as perfection. In striving for excellence, there is room for me to work in my strengths zone, apply creativity and innovation, and contribute to a greater cause. Excellence is dynamic in nature, therefore it leaves me with satisfaction and fulfillment in my job.

Question: How do you define excellence?

Living Large!

...and what it means to me.

Long before it became a cliché or a marketing gimmick, my wife and a few others in my inner circle described me as one who “lives life large”. Their perception of me at the time was one who made calculated choices, embraced life as an adventure, always exploring, and passionate about experiencing more. I did not set out with the intention of living large. In fact, the thought never occurred to me. How I lived was just a result of a mindset of attitudes and a deep desire to know more about my world. What they perceived was someone doing something bigger than they could see themselves doing and having fun along the way.

I have since embraced "living large" as part of my persona, or my brand if you will. I know what I mean by living large, but what does living large look like? First, here are some key definitions and understandings from a generally accepted perspective that describe the individual attributes:

Living:

• Adjective – Active, Functioning; full of life or vigor
• Noun – the condition of being alive; conduct or manner of living
• Thesaurus – animated, vital, active, dynamic

Large:

• Adjective – Ample, Abundant, having more than usual capacity, exceeding most other things of like kind – especially in quantity or size
• Adverb – In abundance
• Noun – Generosity, free of restraint or confinement
• Thesaurus – above the average of its kind

By combining these two words to form a larger concept, I embody the attributes into a method of living. Right, but what does this mean? It means that I approach everything - every choice, every decision, every activity, and every thing I do with vigor, abundance, generosity, and wonder. I choose to be animated and free of restraint; I act alive as opposed to existing or just surviving. I strive to live above the average of its kind.

Living large is a choice, one that needs to be made daily. Living large requires intentionality. I have defined six focus areas that pretty much encompass most areas of my life where I can live large: 

1. I want to see, taste, and experience large
2. I want to do things large, and I want to do large things
3. I want to think large thoughts
4. I want to sense the largeness of my world
5. I want to give large
6. I want to live large (metaphorically - as in "larger than life")

For me, living large is a standard and is so important that I have incorporated living large into my personal mission statement: To live large in everything I do while serving others.

This is what living large looks like in action -

Serving others by:

• exercising my gifts, talents, and skills
• championing the right cause
• creating sanctuary for others
• acting upon my strengths
• sharing and giving my resources where they are needed

Living creatively:

• through broadened experiences
• through communicative arts
• through expanded thinking
• through my giving

Approaching life with an attitude of living large provides me with fulfillment and returns of equal measure. It's like anything else - the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it.  

 Question: How do you define Living Large?

Originally published April 3, 2013 at CrashMode.blogspot.com