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 it 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.