Rocking Chair Leadership

"I'm on it!"

"We're moving fast on this one!"

"The team is all over it!"

"Everyone is so busy working on this!"

I.

Don't.

Believe.

You.

Activity Does Not Equal Progress

How many leaders have you heard describing how 'busy' they are; or, their teams are? How many times did you hear those same updates week after week with no real progress to show for it?

That drives me crazy...

...particularly when I do it. 

Lots of Hustle (sort of)
Back when I coached youth hockey we had a player on the team who always looked like he was skating hard and trying to make an impact. He was really busy out there! 

However, he rarely made actual contact with an opposing player, never ventured into the corners, or God forbid, stood in front of the net to endure a cross-check or two.

I meet a lot of leaders like that player.

Their calendars are jam-packed. Their list of meetings is endless. Their Inbox is always full.

But nothing gets done. Ever.

How About You
Who on your team is that little hustling skater who never makes any big plays? 

They probably believe rocking back and forth all day in a rocking chair actually gets you somewhere!

Oh, and, why do we seem to continue to allow that lame leadership style to continue?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.
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Senior Leaders, Cheap Talk, & Being Present

"Culture is to recruiting, as product is to marketing."
- Hubspot's Culture Code

Culture, Culture, Culture
The word culture sure gets thrown around a lot, don't you think? For me, it's right up there with values. If I hear one more executive espouse their organization's values, without taking action to prove they matter, I think I might spit.

Every organization obviously has a culture. However, many organizations do not have the culture they claim, or they secretly know in their "heart" that theirs has unlimited room for improvement.

If we all know these things, claim our employees are our most valuable asset, and continue to preach our culture message over and over yet still have major gaps relative to reality, what is the missing piece?

All You Do To Me is Talk Talk
For many leaders, landing that big title or breaking into the executive ranks feels like the end of a long journey, when in fact, it is only the beginning. They often feel as if they can ramble on and on simply because they must be the smartest person in the room, just look at their title!

Think of leaders as the six players on a hockey team during a game. 

Six players, but twenty-thousand fans staring at them...watching every move...hoping for good decisions, and the effort to back up what they say when they are off the ice.

It's the same for us in leadership. There are only a few of us compared to all of the employees who work in our companies. 

They are watching every move...hoping for good decisions, and the effort to back up what we say during meeting after meeting after meeting.

Are you with me?

How About You
Words are incredibly powerful tools for leaders. They inspire, motivate, encourage, reward, hold accountable, recognize and fire up the people around them. But in the absence of action...or follow through...

...the words damage the credibility of that leader. 

It's time to back up the culture talk with culture ACTION!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Velocity

I love this word. I love what it represents. It should be synonymous with "effective leadership" in today's world.

Heck, I even love the way it sounds.

V e l o c i t y.

Go Fast or Die
I'm a speed guy. I love fast sports (hockey and racing), working out hard, and moving fast at Kinetix. So many leaders all around us live a double-life that attempt to balance speed and results. They use the jargon about what their organizations "should" do... 

...but...

When it's crunch time, they fall prey to the same old paralyzing fears that have kept them stuck in their current roles for years.

Most leaders simply cannot move fast enough to do their jobs effectively. Moving fast means taking risks. Moving fast means making decisions. Moving fast means being alone.

Guess what? You're getting paid to get the work done. Stop with the excuses, and start leading.

It's Not That Easy
I know that it is not easy to take action. I know that is scary to take risks. I know it can be unsettling to make decisions alone. I've been there too.

...but...

It is what is necessary to be the leader you were meant to be.

Start today.
Become the leader you wanted to be when you started.
Take the risk.
It is worth it.

How About You
Today is your day. It's the day velocity becomes one of your favorite words too. It represents everything you were expecting.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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This Is Your Time!

In our work lives we rarely have the opportunity to hear an inspirational message to kick off a big meeting, or day, or week. Work just doesn't operate that way. 

We're supposed to dive into our task list, Inbox, and meeting schedule "all fired up" yet we rarely hear words that help us realize how important that meeting, or day or week could be.

I need that message today...maybe you do too.

This is your time...let's go out there today and take it!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

Everyone Is A Coach

I'm a big sports fan. Hockey is my favorite. It's fast, and violent, and graceful, and full of finesse, and power, and endless hours of work away from the ice to get better. As in most sports, players, friends, families and fans are very engaged in every aspect of the game.

They all think at one point or another that they are the coach. Not literally of course, but we've all seen or heard someone offer their perspective on how things should be done. If only their keen insight would be listened to so the entire game/practice/tryout would be better!

Give me a break. Everyone is not a coach. At least, not a good one.

Work and Sports

Some of us also get fired up about our work. No, we don't swear at the television set when something goes wrong in our training videos like we...ahem...might...during a big game. But the reality is that there is a whole lot of "coaching" going on in the workplace from people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

There, I said it. 

Apparently there is in fact something to be said for taking a global view of an organization. In sports a comprehensive game plan is critical to success. At work, the big picture is so important, that I now challenge myself to consider the unintended consequences of the decisions that are made in my organization that have nothing to do with human resources issues.

There, I said that too.

"Sometimes HR isn't the center of the universe."

Good Coaches Set An Example

Whether you are leading a group of players or are in a leadership position in your company, you are setting an example every day. Sometimes it is a good one that people come to rely on as part of their world. Other times, "coaches" get so caught up in their own ego, that they completely miss the point of what it means to offer their insight and perspective on the issues occurring at work.

It's a shame really, because typically these folks have knowledge that could be very useful. But alas, they typically worship at the church of "themselves" and earn a reputation for saying a lot but contributing very little.

How About You

Do you know any "coaches?" I do too. In fact, sometimes I slip into bad habits of being one of those people too. But having the courage to actually step back and evaluate my own behavior has given me the opportunity to leave most of my lame coaching days behind me. How about you?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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HR Roadshow!

Next week I have the privilege of speaking at the Minnesota SHRM Conference. My friend Josh Rock and his organizing team have been kind enough to let a guy from Florida invade the (almost) frozen North. I'm  going to be speaking about HR Transformation; specifically, how my organization went on a wild ride and made huge changes within our HR function over the last year, and what we now have to show for it.

The line up of speakers is a bit daunting, but I'm going to do my best to bring the No Excuses attitude to a terrific group of HR pros in Minnesota.

Oh, and I'm going to watch some hockey while I'm there too...even if it isn't the NHL.

See you next week!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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The Real Me

Game face.
Professional boundaries.
Opening up.
My "A" game.
Giving of myself.
Driven.
Focused.
Blah, blah, blah.

Sharing is Caring
I'm not type of person who keeps too many things inside. When I'm passionate about something it just spills out. It may be my work, it may be my family, or it may be my hobbies. But sooner or later, if it gets me fired up, those around me are going to hear about it. Since we all spend so many hours at our jobs, the people around me in the workplace definitely hear about it all...and then some.

But should they?

Professional Is Best...Right?
I've long espoused that we must maintain a level of professionalism in the workplace, particularly for those of us fortunate enough to be in leadership roles. Here's my dilemma: being professional all the time in no way comes close to the real me. Is that bad? I'm not sure. I do know it's real, so maybe I'm on to something.

Too Much Personal Is Bad...Right?

I've also thought for a long time that being a bit more fun and personal with those around me is the best strategy in just about every situation. Showing some personality, kidding around to alleviate the stress of the moment, and generally being a more upbeat member of the team just feels more natural to me. 

But should I be this way at work?

Finding The Balance

Jason Seiden has written some great material on the concept of profersonal relationships. I encourage you to check out his perspective on this issue. Putting all of these issues into practice however, changes the nature of our relationships with those around us. One way of finding our way on this journey could be, as Charlie Judy recently suggested, to develop our own Personal Board of Directors. It's an intriguing concept, and I'd love to hear if any of you have implemented this approach. I haven't taken that plunge...yet.

How About You
Do you think it's okay to share who you really are? Or, is it just simply safer to have a permanent game-face on that never comes off? I like to embrace my passions fully, which usually means my team at work hears a lot about social media, HR, and hockey. Can I go a bit farther and share my musical passions as well? Hmmm, maybe I should wait until I'm fully vested first?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




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Not Supposed To Happen

It's been a tough week. I know everyone goes through tough weeks too, and I'm certainly not special. In fact, I think I'm quite ordinary. But this week was very different in my routine, ordinary world.

One week ago today a sixteen year old boy died in a tragic car accident. But his death hit far closer to home than the ones we see on the evening news and so quickly dismiss. I knew this boy...and his parents...and his sisters...and his Aunt and Uncle and cousins. I knew his teammates and friends because he was a hockey player with my son. The hockey family is a very close, very tight, very loyal community.

This week was not ordinary or routine at all.

I went to the candlelight vigil the night after he passed away with so many others. I went to the calling hours with so many others as well. And I went to his funeral filled with hockey jerseys, hockey families, friends and relatives...and I watched my son give an amazing speech and then sit at the piano and play Hallelujah for his friend and teammate.

However difficult this has been for me, it pales in comparison to what his incredible family is going through. They are good people, who didn't deserve this terrible turn of events in their lives. There are no words to explain why...but rather there is only the opportunity for us to support one another and hold our faith close.

It's been a tough week. Take care Matt...keep skating hard buddy.