Whelmed

I’m not a big fan of leaders who do not inspire others. That may not be fair; but candidly, I do not care. Serving as a leader, at least to me, requires some level of connection to the broader team (peers, superiors, subordinates) beyond simple authority.

That connection signals you are not only working hard, but you have something engaging about your leadership style that shows others around you that you are worth paying attention to…and following.

Being knowledgeable is obviously important, but is that the most important part of effective leadership? Maybe not. The best leaders I’ve worked for had a fire inside. They made me want to do more, take on more projects, stretch myself, and think bigger about my future. Imagine if everyone you worked with felt the same way? How would your organization perform?

We’ve all worked with leaders who are decent people, know generally what to do and how to do it, yet there is something missing. They could easily be one of a thousand other nondescript leaders.

They are…whelming.

Don’t be them. Find your voice. Get fired up about your people…your organization…your path forward.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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Mental Health, Physical Fitness, and Managing it All

The digital world is an interesting place. It has the power to manipulate reality, hide dark truths, or at a minimum embellish our real lives enough to give the impression that all is well, all the time.

That’s not exactly how it goes for me. Sure, I like to share some of the volunteer work I do away from the office, and of course post food pics. Those are fun and well intended.

There are other things I share however that carry much more meaning than simply posting my latest workout or pumped up pic. Yes, physical fitness is important to me; but the pictures I post are not meant to serve as some sort of cheesy ‘look at me’ thirst play.

A few years ago I started working with a trainer to help maximize my time in the gym. What I soon discovered in addition to getting a heck of a lot stronger, was that my mental health seemed to benefit more than my physical health did.

Sharing workout pics has become something different now. They are a reminder…to me…that prioritizing my mental health should come first. 

They come before the never ending task list, meaningless emails, or pressure to “be available for everyone, every minute, of every day.” A few minutes of time for me means I actually do have the strength to handle all of those other parts of my life.

What have you learned about your mental health and how to take care of yourself?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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Leadership Stuff I’ve Been Thinking About

I’m sharing a collection of random thoughts that seem to be taking up a disproportionate amount of headspace lately. Not sure what it all means…maybe nothing…maybe a deep spiritual puzzle for me to figure out…or maybe just that overachieving self-talk machine hard at work.

• Why don’t organizations invest heavily in their leaders when the link between employee engagement, productivity, profitability and culture are almost exclusively based on leadership impact?
• Why aren’t more senior executives comfortable being vulnerable when we know this demonstrates how human and accessible they can be?

• Why isn’t kindness a required leadership competency when we know the dramatic impact kindness has on all people?
• Why aren’t leaders required to be involved in their communities to demonstrate that their organization is focused on more than just revenue and shareholder value?
• Why don’t we openly talk about faith…all faiths…in the workplace when we know the power of a healthy spiritual life?

Thanks for being here.

Jay

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