Forge Something New

I like to think I'm a reasonably well-adjusted adult with a good perspective on the world of work after more than twenty-five years in leadership. I believe I have something to offer both my organization, and the clients I serve.

I like to think I know what to do…but I’m not entirely sure sometimes.

Maybe that feeling hits you too?

Sometimes.

Feeling a bit stuck is not unusual for leaders at any stage of their career. Wondering if the effort, stress and pressure is worth the trouble is a common mental journey we all take from time to time. Add the anxiety of making the right decision at the right moment and you have a recipe for a leadership break down.

Having someone to connect with, to work through current challenges, and plan a path forward to advance your career is a normal, and candidly, healthy way to build your professional life.

I’ve never been more passionate about the opportunity leaders have today. Think about it…the world is in absolute turmoil…work rules have changed…employee expectations of their employers have changed…and leaders are the ones who can grab hold of all of this and forge something completely new.

Let’s connect and talk about how you are going to transform…for real…yourself and your organization.

Thanks for being here.

Jay

Now is the Time

As I prepare for whatever the world is going to look like in the future, I've realized there are many things happening around me that are quite inspiring. 

People are doing amazing things, supporting each other, thinking big about their businesses and what will be possible, and generally not slowing down at all.

Is that you?

What might be possible for you when we finish this historic pivot? How might your organization make a bold move now and be far ahead of the pack when life is new once more?

Are you thinking that big right now?

Who are the people you can tap into today and start building something your organization has never done before? The beauty of the rules changing is that all of our tired reasons for not thinking bigger have suddenly disappeared.

Did you notice that as well?

Start writing it down. Start talking to your people. Reach out to your network and ask them to push your thinking to the limit. Challenge every old assumption about your business and keep asking "what if we tried..."

Does that seem impossible right now?

I love thinking big. So if you're up for it, reach out and let's plan how we're going to take over the world.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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There's Only Picture...the Big One

Here are some quick thoughts on the incredibly important, yet often completely missed, big picture.

1. Do not confuse busy and getting lots of things done with seeing the big picture. 

All too often tactical items become the work, when in fact, savvy leaders are not bothered with noise; and instead "see" what is happening on a much broader scale.

2. Remove self-interest as your primary focus.

Sure, we all want to win...but it is painfully clear to our business partners when we are playing the "it's all about me" card. Not only is it ineffective, it destroys your credibility.

3. Remain professional.

Sounds easy, but in big moments we have all seen leaders decompensate into an emotional train wreck. Professionalism always carries the day. Always.

How About You

What are the key areas you focus on when the heat is turned up and you need to get significant things done?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Crash and Burn Leadership

Wait, what?

We're leaders. We don't have time for anything ever, let alone ourselves, right? 

We care for others!
We care for our teams!
We care for our CEOs!
We care for the employees!

We...crash and burn. That's what we do.

We crash. 
and. 
burn.

Give Give Give
What is it about being a dedicated leader that makes us all feel like we're supposed to work ourselves into oblivion? I mean, seriously...sometimes over the years I've pushed myself beyond what would be a reasonable limit.

And for what? How many of us were recognized for arriving at 6:00am everyday? I know the answer.

None of us.

But, wait a minute. Those early hours, late nights, and weekends diving into that task list paid off for us! We were on top of our workload...connected with everybody...and executed on time, every time.

But at what cost?

Self Care is Beast Mode
For those of you that believe self-care is a soft cop out I have news for you.

"There is no glory in pushing yourself so hard 

chasing an imagined super-hero image 

that you have nothing left to give. 

You've simply failed."

The real "A-players" of leadership focus on a lot more than their Inbox and task list. Here are a few things that make it to the top of their priority list:

- spending time listening to the employees

- exercising

- intentionally slowing down

- reading

- eating (reasonably) healthy

- meditating or praying

- networking for the sake of connecting, not for pure professional gain

- reading (a real book or a digital one)

- taking time off

...and you can continue to add to the list...

How About You

Do you matter enough to your organization, your team, your family and to yourself to go all beasty with your own self-care? It's not going soft...it's actually stepping up in a profound and impactful way.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Influencer

What comes to mind when you hear the term influencer? Is it a prolific blogger or motivational speaker? Perhaps it's a celebrity or someone 'larger than life?' Maybe it's someone with a ba-zillion followers on a social channel?

While those labels have merit, they are far from what I now believe a true influencer actually is.

You Are Bigger Than the Internet
I'm not even sure I was aware of the term 'influencer' before the age of the Internet and social media. But I had important influencers in my life ranging from family members and teachers, to college professors and leaders in the workplace.

They made a tremendous impact on my life, and no one had even heard of something called a tweet yet.

You Are More Than Your Job
As I moved into formal leadership roles and later senior management positions, the impact of my own influence started to become clear. Not only did I have 'automatic influence' simply because of my authority level, I found that I had the ability to make a difference personally with my colleagues and team members.

That is powerful!

When influence becomes a responsibility instead of a chase for followers, one's mindset begins to shift. 

How About You
Consider the individual moments in your life...with family, friends, colleagues and peers. Those little encounters, private coaching moments, shared insights and bold decisions are what really define being an 'influencer.'

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Culture of Weakness

I've been blessed to serve in leadership roles for more than twenty years. When I started out, I looked up to, and sometimes laughed at, the 'older' leaders in my organization and how they behaved. (old at that time = 50 or older...which is now...me.)

I See You
I looked at them through two lenses. 

The first was as an admirer...they had years of success under their belt, and wisdom and insight to share with me. I was a sponge, and wanted to learn as much as I possibly could.

The second however, was not so kind. I often considered them out of touch with contemporary strategies, unable to keep up with the rapid pace of change, and their incredibly frustrating risk-averse approach to just about everything.

Has Anything Changed?
Tough question to answer, right? There are still amazing leaders out there who continue to push themselves, and their organizations forward. 

This is often done at significant risk to the bold leader!

There is also a seemingly endless supply of leaders who just aren't courageous enough to take a stand. Why is that still so prevalent? 

I was listening to Laurie Ruettimann's new podcast Let's Fix Work where she interviewed Jason Lauritsen about his views on the workplace... 

One of the most powerful moments in the show was when Jason said what most of us want to say...we just don't want to follow leaders who aren't worth following. 

Preach, brother!

The challenge then, is for us to not be viewed as weak and ineffective, focused only on protecting our status as executives. 

But rather, to be high impact leaders who connect with the entire team in meaningful ways, and have the courage to take risks, make bold decisions, and inspire those around us to stay with the organization and help it flourish.

How About You
What is the leadership culture in your organization? How are you reinforcing, or hopefully, disrupting that culture? What will it take for you to move one step forward towards a new reality?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Meetings Are Excuses To Fail

I've attended a lot of meetings in my life. Actually, I've attended several life times worth. As a human resources leader, work is filled with "important" meetings and "critical" meetings and "high impact" meetings and just about every other cliche label for a meeting that you can think of.

And they're all lies.

Meetings Are Excuses to Avoid Work
Almost every meeting I've ever been to has been a complete waste of time.

Let me say that again...almost, every meeting I've ever been to has been a complete waste of time.

Harsh? Out of touch? Sour grapes?
Not at all. I'm not angry. I just don't want to waste so many hours of my life listening to drivel that should be shared in an email. Most meetings are "updates" or "report outs." 

Why in the world are we paying everyone to walk to a conference room, sit and chit chat, listen while every one takes turns giving updates, and then more chit chat, and finally a long walk to another conference room to do it all over again?

What in the world has happened to the modern world of work that we have convinced ourselves that report outs = work? Seriously?

It's All New to Me
I didn't always feel this way. I used to average between 25-30 meetings every week of the year. I thought I was "super busy" and "going hard" each day. What I was actually doing was wasting 20 or so hours each week doing nothing.

Nothing.

NOTHING.

It comes as no surprise to me now as I help organizations take their performance to unimagined levels of success, that the meeting trap always gets in the way. The leaders constantly have to "run to a meeting" that adds zero value to their revenue, expense management, or furthering their culture.

How About You
When was the last time you completely eliminated a long-standing meeting that no longer added value? When was the last time you ensured only one member of your team attended meetings (versus the "key" people who really "should be there"?) When was the last time you said no to a request to attend a meeting? 

Or, is it simply safer to go to meetings and use your busy schedule as an excuse to be a failure?

It's 2018...we're better than that.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Flowers 'AND' Weeds

I put a lot of energy into (trying) to be a positive person. I'm talking...fired-up, today is awesome, I love everybody and everything...kind of positive. It's not fake, or insincere. It's who I am.

Being Human
Despite my commitment to being Mr. Positivity, I often do battle with an old nemesis when it comes to maintaining that positive focus:

My brain.

The self-talk machine that we all carry around in our heads can be a powerful foe. It's as if we've been hardwired to "go negative" when things happen. Right?

So many questions...
- Why did this happen?
- What could I have done differently?
- Will this create more problems for me down the road?
- Who is this going to impact?

But, wait a minute here. It's as if our brain is trying to trick us into watering the negative weeds that grow in our heads.

And the 'talk' persists...
- I am a failure.
- I am no good.
- I am embarrassed.
- I am losing it.

When does it stop?!

'AND'
I think the old adage of "powering through" in these moments doesn't really apply here (or anywhere for that matter.) Powering through negative feelings is simply not realistic or healthy.

Perhaps there is another way to reconcile that self-talk? 

AND.

Instead of the self-defeating messages we seem to have playing in a loop, maybe we could try a different approach.

"I made the wrong decision for the team; AND I am still a valuable member of the organization."

"I wish I had said something different in that moment; AND I'm thankful that relationship is still as strong as it ever was."

"When I look back, I can think of so many other things I should have done; AND I recognize that no one gets everything right...I'm human just like everyone else."

AND gives us perspective.
AND shows us a more complete picture of our world.
AND allows us to water those amazing flowers in our lives.
AND changes everything.

How About You
Maybe it's time you added one simple word into your self-talk monologue? It might make a really big difference.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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New Year, Old Challenge

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
- Amelia Earhart

The start of each year is often filled with self-reflection, motivation to create change, or a list of 'goals' for the months ahead.

Perhaps this year, we should all focus on one simple task in our work lives...

...making decisions.

Indecisive leaders are perhaps the most frustrating, ineffective, and candidly useless members of the team. 

They don't add value, because they never make a decision. 

They don't command respect because no one is really sure where they stand on the issues. 

And, they don't instill confidence in their teams because their employees see the fear of failure in their eyes every single day.

How About You
Which leader in your organization do you need to reach out to this year to help make the decisions required in their role? Go to them today. Have an open and honest conversation...and help them realize their full potential this year.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Should Have Known Better

"That time I pushed for what I thought was best, without really listening to what my colleagues were telling me."

I should have known better.

"When I didn't take the time to fully understand all of the politics involved."

I should have known better.

"The new policy I thought would be so good for the bottom line, but didn't realize how ill-prepared I was with the communication plan."

I should have known better.

"I wish the others could have seen how important that was...what's wrong with them?"

I should have known better.

"I wasn't threatened by them...I just needed to have things go my way...and be really popular."

I should have known better.

How About You
Who on your team needs a healthy dose of "should have known better?" Go tell them. Be firm. Stop treating them like they will break in two, or that chaos will follow. They need your coaching wisdom, and bold leadership.

Tell them today.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Carved In Stone

Regardless of the size of the organization.

Let's agree they are all complex.

Right?

Many Parts
People.

Problems.

Wins.

...but...

My eyes only see a fraction of the whole.

What part am I not seeing?

Which employee am I missing?

What issue is just beyond my line of sight?

Who is struggling that I can help, but I just don't notice them?

How About You
Am I inflexible and carved so deeply in stone that I'm missing...well... everything around me? 

What, or more importantly, who, might you be missing in your world?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Market Garden Leadership

I hear a lot of big talk from leaders. Epic plans! Grandiose statements about "doing this" and "delivering on that!" 

Big talk is important. It can inspire others to follow you. It can motivate teams to take that extra risk to achieve breakthrough results. It can be...something special.

It can also be a colossal failure.

Plan the Big Talk
I've tried lots of bold strategies in my career. Some were wildly successful, and others....well...not so much. One phrase, however, proved to be true in each scenario whether it was a winning idea or a losing one: preparation and execution.

The common trap of over-preparation often leads to inaction, which I've railed against many times before on this blog. We can never be fully prepared; rather, we just have to be as prepared as possibly without delaying the second half of this phrase.

Execution.

Execute (and monitor closely) the Big Talk
Simply putting together a good plan is not even remotely close to actually leading the effort. High success rates require leaders understand what is happening, recognize when the situation starts to drift from the original intent, and most importantly, not be afraid to jump in and literally lead the project across the finish line.

Too many leaders cower in fear when the anticipated outcome is "suddenly" at risk. They freeze up hoping to blame others instead of making real-time decisions to keep things moving forward.

Oh, how arrogance and fear get in the way of success!

How About You
When have you seen a leader struggle with the execution of a plan? Have they frozen in place when that plan seemed to be in jeopardy; or, did they have the resolve to pivot and personally ensure the correct decisions were made?

What did you do while they struggled? Did you jump in to help...or, stand idly by?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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It's A Secret

Sometimes strange things happen when people are promoted to leadership. They don't turn into creatures of the night or anything cool like that; but they do seem to suddenly feel empowered to hoard information.

Yes, this sounds absolutely ridiculous.
Yes, this builds zero trust.
Yes, this still happens all the time.

They Won't Understand
Early in my career I learned of an executive who "coached" his leaders to edit information that was shared in hospital-wide leadership team meetings. I wondered why anyone would withhold important information....the answer..."the employees won't fully understand..."

Eventually I inherited that same team...

...and shared every bit of information that was rolled out in those leadership meetings.

The Power and the Glory
Let's peel back the layers here. What exactly happens when leaders hoard information? Is it an ego thing? Perhaps a power play? 

How is it that on one hand we rely on our employees to literally handle our business...and in the same moment, not trust them enough to get an update on what is happening, might be happening, or isn't going to happen?

Are we so much smarter than the rest of the team simply because we have a fancy job title?

How About You
Who are the leaders in your organization that are so stuck on their own greatness that they have completely missed the point of being a leader?

Share everything you can as quickly as you can. 100% of the time. You'll be amazed at the trust, credibility and loyalty you create.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Be Relentless

"I don't care how good you think you are, or how great others think you are - you can improve, and you will. 

Being relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you, knowing that every time you stop, you can still do more. 

You must do more. The minute your mind thinks, "Done," your instincts say "Next."
- Tim Grover

Career
How are you going to be relentless in your career? Is it playing it safe, avoiding risk like so many of your colleagues around the conference room table? Or, is there another door waiting for you to kick open?

Safe = Death

With so many changes, pressures, and expectations on leaders in today's world of work, taking the same old tired path of safety and excuses is unacceptable. 

There is only one option...so what are you waiting for?

Personal
Finding the proper balance between our professional and personal lives is a never ending challenge. The solution is not as complicated as you might think.

Commit to connecting with those you love on a very regular basis (daily, weekly.) Call, visit, text, facetime, tweet, or spend time with them....it doesn't matter how you do it...just make sure they hear from you no matter what. 

Fitness and Nutrition
This might be the most difficult because society has basically allowed us to default to an endless list of excuses so we can avoid being healthy, and eat piles of garbage on our couches night after night.

Stop it. Download MyFitnessPal, start tracking what you put in your body, and for God's sake get up and move each day.

When was the last time you took the stairs and didn't feel like dying after one flight? 

How About You
Life is an amazing adventure...and we can achieve so much more than we ever thought possible. However, corporate cultures, society, and the obsession with "busyness" has created the myth that a relentless attitude is somehow odd.

I'm calling BS on that. Being relentless is the only way to live.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Corporate World's Hot Mess

I'm not one of the young guns anymore. I'm not that 'rising star' (in my mind) that takes bold action, launches new strategies, or sets the world on fire. Wait a second, who am I kidding, of course I still do all of those things! 

However, I view the responsibilities of executives differently now.

Pushing the envelope will always be how I roll...but being so caught up in covering my ass, or feeding my fragile ego at the expense of the amazing people around me, is just about the biggest sin in the executive bible that I can think of. Yet I've seen it happen all too often.

I Wish I Had One of "Those Jobs"
It's actually pretty easy to be an executive...under one basic premise:

Every single thing,

about every part of the entire organization, 

in every circumstance, is perfect in every way, 

at every moment.

The rest of the time, it's hard as hell.

Do Your Job
When you consider the "priorities" that many executives focus on, they are often quite far from the reality of successfully operating their companies. Political infighting, building alliances, scolding direct reports for issues that have no real impact on the business but do impact the warped view the executive's have of leadership, all add up to failure. 

These massive insecurities result in catastrophic damage:
- loss of credibility for the executive 
- loss of focus on the drivers of success (or failure) for the organization
- hours of wasted time addressing the behaviors of executives who have potential, but move down a path that is counterproductive

Is all of this harsh and offensive? Out of touch with reality? Um, no it's not. If I were to spend a few minutes with the leaders who report directly to executives, I would have more than enough "proof."

I've also been hearing it from these same folks (as well as other frustrated executives around them) for years and years...

Solutions
Oh, where to begin! While it is easy to blame our colleagues across the many organizations we encounter in our careers, that doesn't actually help. 

The real opportunity here is for HR to play a far more bold and active role in the operational life of the company.

Some questions to consider as you step up your game:

- When executives get caught up in protecting their position and power instead of focusing on the most important challenges ahead, do you speak up or remain silent?

- When you see high potential leaders being promoted too rapidly, do you speak up or allow it to happen?

- When political agendas start to impact organizational decision making, do you expose it or try to join the club?

How About You
We must be proactive.

We must be internal executive coaches.

We must take control of dysfunctional situations, not just slide into secondary roles.

We must be the executive role models for our junior executive colleagues (regardless of their 'senior' titles) to help them develop into truly effective leaders.

...and we must start today.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


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When Employees Make Mistakes

Question: How many of us have team members that have stumbled?

Answer: All of us.

Reactions, Fear and True Colors
Mistakes are one of the most important opportunities for leaders to demonstrate to the rest of the team what they are all about. Are anger, harsh words or the proverbial cold shoulder part of your leadership playbook "to make a point?" Guess what? 

You are an abject failure. 

Strong words? Yep. 

Accurate? Hell, yes.

If we take a moment and put ourselves in the place of our employee who has made the error, we must realize they are feeling more anxiety than we are. They have failed. They are "in trouble." They may even have put their employment status in jeopardy.

Now, which one of us is more stressed?

In that moment when we feel a surge of energy, and the myriad consequences are rapidly processing through our heads...

...that is exactly when we need to show who we are as leaders. Our true colors.

Being Evaluated
What is often forgotten in our haste to react, to correct the error, and to normalize operations, is that not only is the employee watching our every move; but so is the rest of the team.

If you still believe that employees are not discussing when and how they are held accountable for their mistakes you are completely out of touch with reality.

Instead, consider those moments as the perfect chance to balance accountability with compassion. Take a moment to consider what you will say, and how you will deliver the message. I call this the "one second rule" - literally, give yourself one second to decide.

The manner in which you treat the employee will be shared, discussed, and evaluated either positively or negatively. Quite honestly, I'm counting on that discussion to occur. It is an opportunity to give real insight into one's leadership style under a very private set of circumstances that is not readily visible.

How About You
Do you want to be known as some sort of prehistoric leadership dinosaur that "goes off" on people? Or, would you prefer to be known as the leader who is fair, approachable, but still firm when necessary? 

One last question..have you ever made a mistake? How did you want to be treated?

I thought so.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Lead By Example In Employer Brand Marketing

It's a tired phrase...lead by example...but one that hangs on so long because it is perhaps the most powerful leadership strategy available. When leaders match their actions to their words amazing things can happen.

As I think about the leaders I've worked with over the years, many have made strong statements, enacted big policy changes, or made bold organizational pronouncements. However, precious few have actually backed up their talk with the proverbial walk.

This same challenge is painfully obvious in the world of employer brand marketing.

Can't Just Talk About It
For the more savvy leader, there is an awareness that both employer brand, and the marketing that goes along with it, are no longer options. They are required. 

Allocating resources and supporting the development and execution of a strategy, should be required of every leader at every level.

But how to make it happen?

Who pulls it all together, particularly when most leaders are still hiding behind the tired excuses that they don't "do" social media, blogging or push out any forms of content?

You do, that's who.

Leading By Example...For Real
It takes more than just a driven HR leader to make this happen however.

In his recent post describing the important role executives play in content marketing, Robert Caruso details not only the rationale for executive involvement, but some compelling data that would indicate it's time for senior leaders to get in the game.

Delegating participation in an organization's employer brand strategy is not only ineffective, it is obvious to most who are paying attention. 

How About You
Who do you know in your organization that needs to be more involved in your recruitment marketing initiatives? Have you reached out to give them the support they will need as they start using unfamiliar, and candidly intimidating (at first) digital tools? 

I'll help too. Don't be afraid to reach out at any time.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Winning at Project Management....um, or not

...an almost completely 'true-ish' team meeting story...sort of...
____________________________________________

"Wow. This is quite a project! We need to pull a task force together to get into the weeds on this one."

"Yes, a good multi-disciplinary team will be great. I'll have my assistant set up recurring monthly meetings so we can stay on top of things."

"I'm in. Of course I'll have to reprioritize the research I'm doing into that other leadership initiative that takes a hard look at where we'll need to be by 2025, but I can probably make it work."

"Me, too. But I think we'll need to push back a bit before we get too far along. I mean, c'mon, do they expect us to turn this around in 12 months?"

"I agree. 12 months is going to go by in a snap. I don't mind taking the lead on the initial project plan, but it'll be 60 days before I can realistically get something in front of the group."

"Whoa! Are you sure you can turn it around that quickly? Aren't you also on one other project?"

"I'll have my group take a serious look at the plan once you've wrapped up the first draft. Maybe we should have our next meeting at the 90 day mark, just to make sure we're not getting ahead of ourselves?"

Every. 
Head. 
Nods.

How About You
Have you been in a meeting like this one? Was your head nodding too?

Leadership is about action. Cut the BS and get moving.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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